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x-mas comes when I decide it does
January 09, 2017
I finally got around to buying myself some Christmas presents this weekend; when I woke up Saturday morning, as soon as I opened my eyes, I had a sudden idea to order myself a bottle of L'Air du Temps Eau de Parfum online. Not EDT, mind you, but actual EDP. (I must have been dreaming about it) So I grabbed my phone off of the bed table, did a little quick googling, threw a few bucks onto my Liquid card, and ordered a tester bottle off of Fragrance X. for less than $40/no tax/free shipping.
Then later, when Spouse and I were shopping at Costco, he decided to take a look at what was in the books and videos aisle...and there it was. My Holy Grail. The "Upstairs, Downstairs" Ultimate Collection DVD box set. (the real one, mind you--not the re-boot.)
I have wanted a box set of U/D for so long, I can recall drooling over the VHS version. The last time I even considered it, it was only the "complete collection", it was $140.00, and it was in a Borders, so you know that was a while ago.
But this...this was The Ultimate Collection DVD box set. The entire series, plus 25 hours of extras, PLUS "Thomas and Sarah"!!!
For $99.00.
After a brief and fruitless attempt to dissuade myself, I asked Spouse to pull me away. He refused. He did what I depend on him to do when it comes to things like that--he told me to decide whether or not I wanted it--and if I did, to buy it, because it wasn't a question of my worthiness.
I hate being a broken person. But I'm glad I have a husband who understands me, and helps me over the bumps.
So I ended up spending almost $150.00 on myself Saturday morning--and feeling surprisingly un-guilty about it.
Well, after Spouse spent a month going back-and-forth with Samsung over scheduling a service call to handle the recall, he got them to commit to "between noon and 4:00 on Fridays". And then they called THURSDAY, to tell him that the tech would be there "between 11:15 and two" the next day.
GAH! Spouse went around with them again, and they said they would try to get it moved to the later part of that window.
Friday morning, the tech calls, and says he'll be there at 10:30, and if I can't be there, then we will have to reschedule. Spouse called me--at work--to bitch, but I told him that was the contractor, not Samsung, and he should inform Samsung of what the guy said.
Well, we left it at that, and when I got off work at 10:30, I zipped straight home as fast as I could--and I made it in 40 minutes, which is LITERALLY as fast as it is possible to make it without breaking all the traffic laws.
Guess what? When I pulled in at 11:10, the guy was out front waiting. He was a dick, but he did the job, and I was extremely nice to him, even though he smelled bad (cigarettes) and was, as I say, a dick. So the new hinge is on, the new labels are on, and I have an extra year added to my warranty.
Once he was gone, I had a ham sandwich and went to bed. Seriously. It was only noon, but it was so effing cold that even with the furnace pounding, it was only about 60 in there. All I wanted was to curl up under the electric blanket, read, and snooze.
By the time I got up at 4:00, it was a little more comfortable--maybe 64 or so. I turned on the small heater in the living room, and then did some chores, took care of the dog, and so on. Spouse called about 5:30 to tell me to call and order a pizza for dinner, and he would pick it up on his way home, so nobody had to go back out. Sounded fine to me. So I did that, and then made myself a glass of fresh-squeezed limeade and read for a while until he got home with dinner.
After we ate, we tidied up and spent some time talking about our trip, then we both turned in early, because we were freezing.
On Saturday, as I mentioned, I practically woke up shopping. After I ordered my perfume, I got up and had a quick cup of coffee to get me started, then got cleaned up to go out, have breakfast, and shop some more.
We had breakfast at Mason's, then did Costco and Meijer before heading down town to Spouse's favorite menswear store to shop for cruise clothes...and I'm so proud of my sweetie! He bought a suit! A very nice, timelessly styled navy blue suit. AND a second pair of pants, in grey. AND two dress shirts, two ties, and two pair of casual pants! I was all ready to return his favor, and give him the requisite nudging, but he did pretty well, and I didn't have to push very hard. Not too bad for a guy who just wanted to look at sport coats!
Once he got all measured for the alterations and got everything picked out and paid for, we came home and put away all the shopping, then had a quick bite and I worked on the laundry and read while he napped. I stretched out for a while under the electric blankie, but mostly to get warm. I didn't feel very sleepy. Did a lot of tumblr uploading.
I made meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy and peas for dinner--the arctic temps had given us a craving for some stodgy mid-century-style food. And after dinner was finished and the dishes washed, he went to read his library book while I cracked open my new box set and watched "Episode 1: On Trial November 1903" before bed. Squee.
I was a lazy bum on Sunday. I didn't even do my usual Sunday kitchen scrub down--it took all of the energy and focus I could muster just to make it all the way through the remaining laundry. It was nearly two before I got showered and dressed. Spouse made himself waffles & sausage for breakfast, and I had cheddar & herb omelet and toast. He went outside for a while, to do the weekly car maintenance, and he took the Buick to fill it up, but I didn't set foot outside all day, which is a good winter Sunday, in my book.
I did bake a cake--I made a nice yellow cake, and baked it in layer pans so I could bag and freeze one layer. Then I made a 1/2 batch of my chocolate frosting and gave the other layer a nice coat of yumminess. We'll have the other layer in a couple of weeks, and I was thinking of making a butterscotch frosting for that one.
It would have been a perfect day for binge-watching U/D, except I just didn't have the focus for it. Maybe I don't have the TV habit anymore. But I will get into it, I know. And there is something to be said for treating myself to one or two episodes a week, and prolonging the enjoyment.
Spouse made Char Siu again, and this time he used pork loin chops (got a great deal on a big pack at Costco). I steamed some vegetable to go with mine (Asian blend with broccoli), and we made a pot of rice to go with it. Delicious, but very rich--I only ate about half of my chop, because it was pretty intense. I happened to be in the kitchem (I peeled & grated the fresh ginger for the sauce), and it was so funny--Spouse had me taste the sauce and when I told him it wasn't right, he got so pouty! What the heck did he have me taste it for, if he wasn't open to hearing my opinion? At least my comment got him to go back over the recipe, and realize he'd missed one of the major ingredients (a quarter-cup of low-sodium soy sauce). No wonder I didn't think it tasted "the same as last time"!
It did come out lovely, though. Tender and delicious.
We ate kind of early--I didn't even realize it until I was all done with the dishes and looked at the clock, to find it was only 5:30. But we'd not bothered with lunch, so we were both ready for our dinner. We watched some Wheeler Dealers episodes we had on the box (Jeremy Clarkson's only real competition for number one petrol-head of my is Edd China.)
After dinner, I watched the Big Fat Quiz of Everything. Meh. Line-up was Wossy and David Walliams, Katherine Ryan and Aisling Bea, Noel Fielding and Richard Ayoade. Well, I don't like David Walliams, I don't like Katherine Ryan, and while I adore Noel and Richard, you can't reasonably root for them and expect them to win. Then I putzed around, prepped for morning, and went to bed about 9 or so, since I had to get up for my first Monday at the office since December 19th.
And I got up in the morning to find something in my Fb Feed that surprised me quite a lot: Vee, my best friend from high school is engaged. Which is kind of hilarious, since that used to be one of her main hobbies--getting and being engaged. Getting and being married? Not so much. That girl has called off a LOT of weddings.
She did manage it once, though--and stayed married for nearly 17 years. And this one seems like it came on awfully quickly after that marriage dissolved.
Oh, well. Take it as it comes. If it works out, great. If not, well...as we used to say: C'est la VEE.
Reading: "The Orchid" (1905), by Judge Robert Grant. Going kind of slowly. The prose is giving me a little bit of a headache, and I really want to like the main character, but it isn't easy.
Listening: "New Faces of 1952", OCR. (I need to re-do the thumb drive again; getting tired of what's on there. But I keep forgetting to take it in with me, and then I don't feel like going back out to get it.)
Inked Up: Same as last week: Jin Hao X750 (M nib) with R&K Blu Mare, Pilot Penmanship (EF nib ) with Pilot Namiki purple, and the ever-ready Conklin Duragraph (F nib) with Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Brown
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