Incoherent Scribblings

Today is my birthday.

For quite a few years now I have stopped caring how old I am on this day and just enjoy it as my day. I make myself a cake (usually German chocolate with coconut pecan frosting) and if I don’t eat anything else besides cake on this day I don’t care. If I am working I take the day off and do something special… even if that means nothing more than lazing around in bed all day in my pjs.

However, my special event today was the delivery of the new queen-sized bed that I bought with my tax stimulus check. (Yes, I am doing my part for the economy by using that check for one of those “big ticket” items! ) In order to make room in my tiny apartment for my new bed I had to spend most of last evening and this morning rearranging and cleaning, but now that my new bed is made and calling me to it, I couldn’t be happier. I have been waiting almost 2 years to make this, my first “grown-up” purchase, and I can’t wait to go shopping for new bedding soon.

Nevertheless, my new bed will have to wait on me for a few hours because I am off to celebrate at the local watering hole with a few friends now. Cheers!

Even though my birthday isn’t for 13 more days, May 9 holds a special place in my heart because according to my mother and the doctor who delivered me, that is when I was actually supposed to be born. However, in accordance with what quickly became the story of my life, I apparently overslept and as a result, didn’t make it into the world for almost two more weeks.

Of course, two weeks later when I finally did decide to make an appearance I did it in literally the most ass-backwards way. You see, I was a breech baby. My mother always jokes that I presented my best side to the world first, but I suspect I was just being cheeky.

Anyway…

This morning I received a visit from someone who, at this point, shall remain nameless. After an encounter we had last weekend, I had been waiting for (and looking forward to) this visit all week. During my discussion with He-Who-Must-Not-Yet-Be-Named the subject of my birthday, which this year falls the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend and on the opening day of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, came up.

When I mentioned to He-Who-Must-Not-Yet-Be-Named that my plans for my birthday included a long holiday weekend in which I planned drive to The Big City to see the long-awaited fourth installment of the Indiana Jones movies in a fancy cinemaplex, his response was that he would hate for me to be alone while celebrating these two important milestones. In that case, I told him, he was welcome to come with me and after he confirmed he would love to do just that, we made plans for… dare I call it a date?

I just hope he doesn’t mind too much when I drool over Harrison Ford/Indiana Jones for the entire two hours!

I had a very nice Christmas as I was the lucky recipient of some of Dawn’s lovely over-one stitching! She made me a little tin box and a scissor fob. I love the little tin and I put the festive scissor fob on my Gingers.

In addition to the stitched presents I received from Dawn, I also bought myself a little stash when we were doing our last minute Christmas shopping. I bought issue 194 of The Cross Stitcher and the January 2008 issue of Cross-Stitch and Needlework at Barnes and Noble. The Cross Stitcher has a seasonal Margaret Sherry cat design and Cross-Stitch and Needlework has a Mirabilia design. There are some other designs in both magazines that I might do, but the Margaret Sherry and Mirabilia designs are the reasons I bought them.

In fact, I decided to start the Margaret Sherry pattern, “Cool Cats,” right away so Dawn and I made a side trip to Hobby Lobby where I bought some 28 Lambswool Jobelan for it. I have decided to stitch “Cool Cats” as a vertical banner with the hopes that when it is finished I will make it into a bell pull.

Most of the day was spent stitching, so here is the progress that I have made on the winter cat. I think he is about two-thirds done. The magazine said the four cats should take about 48 stitching hours, so I am curious to see how long it will take me… Perhaps it will be my first 2008 finish.

Merry Christmas
Originally uploaded by blondelibrarian

Lately everyone I know has been asking me what I want for Christmas and I don’t have an answer for them. (OK, maybe not everyone I know, but the people who might be considering getting me presents anyway…)

Of course there are a lot of things that I want, but I really prefer that other people don’t buy me things for Christmas. First of all, there is really no reason someone else needs to buy me anything. If there is something out there that I want, I mean really want, I just buy it. I am professional single woman and I have been waiting my entire life to buy myself things I want.

Besides, I don’t really do Christmas. I know people are trying to be nice and spread holiday cheer and all, but I don’t really want any of it. I don’t celebrate the religious aspect of the holiday, I absolutely hate the overhyped materialistic side of Christmas, and honestly I don’t want any presents because if someone buys me something I will feel obligated to get them something in return… and I don’t want to!

Besides, even if I give people very detailed instructions concerning something that they could purchase for me, they will no doubt get me the wrong thing and then I will have to return it anyway.

So why not do everyone a favor? Save us all the hassle and do as I ask in the first place: Just don’t get me anything!