I promised ya'll there would be more on the holidays with my crazy ass family[inlink]leetee,103[/inlink], so here it be.

We were fortunate that on the morning of the 24th, the Peace Bridge wasn't particularly busy. In fact, we found it odd that there were so many cashiers at the duty free shop and hardly any customers. Hardly any questions at customs, too... So, we made it to my 'rent's place in record time. Time to go to Licks (damn how i wish they had a location closer to here; even in St Kits would be better!) and get me some veggie poutine! Then, we did something odd. We went to a couple of malls... just to see how crowded they would be. Lame crowds. We could actually walk without having to dodge bodies. What kind of fun is that? Later in the day, i went with my dad to visit his mom. Was nice to see her, but i just don't have much of a connection with her. I guess all those years of her telling me i was going to hell because i do not believe in god and cannot have children just wore me down. I am happy she is mellowing in her old age..

Christmas day was nice. Opened pressies with my parents, hung out. My dad tried to get it out of my mom what the "you will NEVER EVER guess what this present is" that we made for my dad, but she didn't spill. Would have ruined everything. We made him some Kate Bush coasters. See, he has this silly idea that gifts should be something the giver likes, but the receiver doesn't have to. When i argue with him how ridiculous that theory is, i threaten to give him Kate Bush cds, since i love her, and he hates her. Well, this year, we made it look like we burned him some Kate Bush cds, but i had felt stuck on them so he could use them as coaters. Something (e:Uncutsaniflush) says he does when he burns a distro cd wrong -- he makes beer coaters. The look on my dad's face was priceless. My mom liked the calendar i made her. The same one i make almost every year. She has kept them all, too. I have been doing this for her since 1993! I didn't get the chance to do last year, and she missed it. I made a modified one, and it just wasn't the same, she said. Looks like i am stuck doing it until they close their business. They better not do that in January!! My mom made turkey and i made the carrot recipe that was so good, my grandpa wanted it. Got it from Good Eats on Food Network. Carrots cooked in gingerale. Very good. My dad and (E:Uncutsaniflush) worked tirelessly on getting the weekly crossword then the New York Times Crossword puzzles done... with a little help from the bossmom (and nothing from me, i am useless at crosswords!).

Boxing Day (awe, come on, you guys live close enough to Canada so i don't have to explain what that is, do i?) my brother and his family came over. It source of tension with my mom. They haven't been in touch much. They are currently living with my sister in law's parents, while their house is being built. Their last one was burnt down when my brother came home wasted and decided to make deep fried french fries and fall asleep. Thank goodness he was the only one home. Thank goodness the dog woke him up. The new house is almost done. Sometime in January, we heard. They were trying to get it done by xmas, but it just didn't happen. My mom's issue is that they had to spend xmas day with her family. They live with them, and they do not exchange gifts, so why can't they come to see her? I don't know why. I do know that my brother got a new job and had to work on the 27th, so they drove for about 5 hours that day. The kids liked the gifts we got them, which is good. Buying for their age groups is hard enough, let alone the fact that i barely know them. And they barely know or remember me. Or, at least what they buy me for xmas. We agreed not to exchange gifts, just for the kids. And i know my sister in law did the shopping herself, so passing off what they gave me this year as something the kids picked out is not an option. So, now, i have 2 rice cookers. We will test the one they gave us last year (now that the left over tofurkey has been gobbled up), to see if it is me, the foodie that is a moron with rice, or if it is a crappy rice cooker. Then, we will think about whether or not we want to open up the new one, or regift it. So, be warned... if you get a rice cooker from one of us as a birthday gift or an xmas gift next year, it was the one my sister in law foolishly bought and didn't offer to take back or give me a gift recipt for. Then again, i expect so very little from her. She once laughed at me when i told her she upset me. Took me a while to realize that if i wasn't one of her children, then there was no way on earth she was going to care... my brother suspects he is below the dog when it comes to his place in the house in the eyes of his wife. Poor guy.

The 27th, my mom's side of the family came to visit. Not everyone was there this year. My cousin Michael and his wife went to Florida to be with her family, my brother and his family had to leave and, unfortunately, my cousin, Robbie broke up with his girlfriend. My cousin, Krista, had a baby on December 9th, so that cute little thing was passed around a lot, and barely showed her eyes much. In fact, Krista challendged me to wake her up. No luck. Amelia just kept on sleeping. Boss mom manged to get a cry out of her, though...

And here is the evidence.



Here is Amelia and her Mom, Krista.


I really like the composition of this pic, but i hate that our camera autofocused on my cousin, Robbie's bald head rather than Amelia, the cute baby.



And here is part of me, looking like i am cooing her to sleep, when in reality, i am trying to wake her up.



And lastly, or else i will post all the pics of her i have, here is Amelia and her older brother, Jacob.



The 28th, we came home. We could barely get out the information and the customs officer was waving us through. And i came home to a green card in the mail!! Woo hoo!

I think this might go down as one of my most proud moments of 2005....

Today, when i was outside to shovel, i heard a neighbor screech the name "EVA!!" in the most paniced way i have ever heard. I turned back and saw her adorable pug puppy run out into the street. And yes, there was a car coming. I took 2 steps, squatted down and called "Eva, come here girl!" in the most calm yet enthusiastic voice i could. She heard me (thank goodness), turned to run towards me and jumped into my arms. I do not know if she would have cleared to the other side of the street before the SUV came to where she was, but i suspect at the very least, she would have been clipped in the back end. A pug ass is no match for an SUV on any snowy road. Her human was so thankful i thought she was going to cry. Hell, i almost did. Eva is an adorable little thing. Only about 5 months old by now, i reckon. I feel proud i thought fast and helped. Eva, on the other hand, didn't understand the fuss.

When we picked up the mail we had held at the Post Office while we were away, among it was a envelope from the BCIS (Beareau of Citizenship and Immigration Services). Took 5 years, but we finally did it. I now have a Permanent Resident Card, aka Green Card. Unlike the last one, this one is valid for a dreamy 10 years... we will not have to do immigration paperwork for another 9 1/2 years! WOO HOO!

Soon, we will be going out to celebrate... dinner at Korea House. Yuuummm...

More on the holidays with my crazy ass family laters...

Good Morning! I just wanted to send out a note to everyone to have a happy holiday -- Happy Christmas, Happy Xmas, Happy Chanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa... and for (e:Terry) and Jehovah's Witnesses have a nice December. Any way you celebrate it or spell it, i hope your holiday is everything you wish it to be.

We are up early and will be off to my parent's place shortly. Wish us good luck across the Peace Bridge!!

So, today we got the drum kit all set up. Took a couple of hours, but we got the hang of it ok. Thank goodness (e:Uncutsaniflush) remembered some of the basics that were not in the instructions. I need to fiddle with it to get it just to my specific requirements, whatever they may be. For now, it feels very uncomfortable to be be there with the sticks in my hand. It won't forever though and i will learn. Loudly, but i will. I will get the hang of it all. We even had a guest drummer today for a few minutes, too. (e:Ladycroft) came by for a short visit and had a turn on the throne. I think she did great.

To those of you that asked, yes, my userpic is indeed me. About 20 years ago, but me none the less. At the time, i was going to an "alternative" program at my highschool. Because of my home situation at the time, i was living on my own at a fairly young age and i really wanted to try to stay in school. This program was mainly for adults, but i was accepted into it because i attended the school already and the staff was aware of what was going on for me as far as my living situation. The vice principal of the high school took this picture. I was in his office. I was very tired and in a pissy mood. I think i quit school within a week of that picture being taken. I went to the VP and told him myself. He really tried to help me stay in school, but he just could not afford to pay my rent any more than i could while i was in school.

All my life, i have been a tapper, a thrummer, a fidget monster. When i was a kid, i wasn't allowed to have tic tacs 'cause the sound of me shaking them drove my mom crazy. She was always screaming at me to keep still, to stop tapping, to leave her knitting needles alone. I always thought it was just because i am always uncomfortable, both physically and emotionally and that i need something to do with myself so i don't actually become crazy.

Since before we got married, (e:Uncutsaniflush) has been telling me i would make a good drummer. It used to make me so self-conscious, and i would immediately stop whatever tapping i was doing. Eventually, i was comfortable enough to tap along with a song on the radio when he was near. Now, over 5 years since we met, and 4 since we have been married and spent almost all of our time with each other, he has convinced me that my tapping might lead to something.

Earlier this month, we did some shopping.. browsing and info gathering, really. And it took me a while to decide, but i did. Today, i got my xmas present... to myself and from my wonderfully supportive husand. A brand new drum kit. It scares the fucking shit out of me to begin something like this... i am just a bundle of issues.

But i keep reminding myself that i can do this. That i will do this. That it is supposed to be fun. And i am not too old to learn and do something new. And mostly, that this is supposed to be fun. That i want to do this. That there are times in which the learning process will be frustrating. And that if Meg White can do it, anyone can. Thanks Meg.

Every year for many years now, i have made my mom a calendar for xmas. Last year was the exception. I just didn't have the time after we moved, and finding the file from the year before and getting windows reinstalled back on our comp so i could use CorelDraw just wasn't going to happen. So i altered one (e:Uncutsaniflush) found for me with coloured markers. I know my mom didn't find it nearly as useful. So, this year i was back at it. My mom will get her special calendar. On one 11 x 17 page, it has 3 calendar months on it -- the current month in the middle with the previous month above and the upcoming month below. She uses it a lot for work. The first time i made it for her it took months. I did every single bit by hand. Drew every calendar grid and number and family birthdate on with a sharpie. Today, using CorelDraw, i finished 2006. My mom will be happy to get it this year.

I also found out that cake mixes make really good cookies. I watch a lot of food tv. I just like cooking and baking. I would have made someone a good housewife... And i was watching Semi-Homemade when the very perky host started making cookies with all sorts of weird things. She made one type using chocolate frosting she mixed with butter and graham crumbs rolled into crushed nuts with a hersheys kiss squished on top. Then she got out her cake mixes. And i was hooked. Today, i made one batch with a carrot cake mix and oatmeal. They are pretty good. They were supposed to be with a white cake mix and pumpkin pie spices but i thought the cake mix i had would have those spices. I made another with chocolate cake mix and chips... white and brown. Very good.

We got our first xmas card today. From a woman that used to live next door to my parents. I used to babysit her kids. Nice woman. I think my mom used to think i was weird because i got along with her better than a lot of the kids on our street. What can i say, i was old before i was actually old. It reminds me that i really need to get ours out. I hope the overseas ones make it on time. Back in Canada, they used to say that overseas ones would not make it unless mailed by the 1st of December. I am noticing that USPS is way better than Canada Post.

And mice. Our mouse is back. I thought Max the dog (who visited on American Thanksgiving) scared them away, but one scurried by and interupted dinner tonight. The little bastard mouse! I do not want to kill the damn thing, but if they don't get their furry asses into our humane traps...

It was the 3rd day of December when he was born. This man i love so much. The man who decided to open his heart and his home to me, a weird vegetarian, non driving, emotionally stunted Canadian chick 11 years his junior. He has shown me how hard, yet rewarding, it is to be a better, kinder more open person. He has supported my whims and encouraged me like no other human being ever has before him. There was a time when i was in a shell.. i didn't have a voice to sing. Now, he overhears me singing with a radio. Something i have never done in my life. He has given me a voice. He is my song. He says i make too big a deal of his birthday. But how can i not rejoice the anniversary of the day he was born? How can i not want to shout it out to the sky that this man has given me more than i ever dreamed i would even be able to have? I can't not do it.

Happy Birthday, Walt.

Thanks (e:Ladycroft) for your comment to my journal. I know, i should be a pro by now, but i am not. I am still a withering blithering coward.

It seems as though my dentist, in his 32 years of dentistry work has never come acorss a nervous system that is as odd as mine. How could it be that my tooth is numb, my nose is numb, my face is numb, but my gums are not? Well, oh joy, oh bliss, something else that proves what a freak i am...

On a possitive note, my dentist is a foodie. Like me, he likes cooking and baking. He found a good source for spices and got some whole nutmeg, which can be very difficult to find. He said he would give me a nut, since he has more than he could ever use. Yay!

Thanks yet again for recommending this office to me, (e:Mike).

I am in such a bad mood. I have to go to the dentist... in less than an hour.