crunch time
December 20, 2007

Well, I managed to survive the Christmas lunch. TGIFridays was everything I figured...crap food and annoying waiters with flair stuck all over them. I drove over with my friend J, and we sat together, so it wasn't the worst, I guess.

I had what was probably the most lackluster fish-n-chips ever produced, but there aren't a lot of choices for me there, once you eliminate everything "zesty", "Cajun", Szechuan, or bleu cheese. The first three because of allergies, and the bleu cheese just because I hate it.

And the gift exchange went pretty well. The person whose name I drew really seemed to like the calendar I got her, and my old buddy C came through for me; she got me the collector's edition of "Chicago", because she knows I love musicals. And bosslady liked her Olive Garden giftcard from the team.

I should have known I'd get double-crossed by that bunch, though. The whole point of drawing names was so that we didn't have to buy individual gifts for the whole team. But what do I find when I get to the office this morning? Yep. little pressies from all my coworkers.

So I ended up hitting the Target after work, looking for a dozen of something cheap-without-being-chintzy. Good luck, at this late date. But I actually did okay--they had two-packs of those little stretchy knit gloves for $1.49. Since I work with all women--done deal.

And since I didn't want to blow an additional $20 on wrapping, I ended up getting the little cellophane treat bags and packing them up that way. I think they came out cute, and it may not be the most unusual present ever, but at least it's practical.