***EDIT: Video added below of thunder/lightning on 12.26.05***
I finally have time to sit and write about Christmas and the day after. Christmas went well, thankfully! I received two new Barbies for my growing collection from Mom and Dad:
I also received a new pair of binoculars....MUCH needed!
Earlier this month, my dear friend Bruce had also sent me the Holiday Barbie I was missing since I started collecting them in 1993...he sent the 1994 Holiday Barbie to me! I never got around to getting that one when it was out.....THANK YOU AGAIN, BRUCE!!!
The next day was "Girls Day Out" for shopping! The morning started off with a bang though...literally. We had a way cool thunderstorm/lightning show roll through at about 5:45 in the morning. I took some video with my camcorder, so I'll try to upload it later. I've never seen lighting flash so fast before....it was flashing like every 5 seconds....along with the thunder, rain and wind. But here's what the back end looked like when I headed out for Wal-Mart at 7 am:
***EDIT: Here's a video clip of the storm....this video doesn't do it justice....this was the tail end of the excitement....lightning was flashing every 3 seconds at the height of the storm!***
After a rough start Saturday morning, it turned out to be better than it was first thought. Pleasant evening for Christmas Eve, and a nice day for Christmas Day....I just lounged around mainly. So thanks for all of the good thoughts everyone! I received my Holiday Barbie, and another seasonal Barbie, plus a new pair of binoculars. Two pairs of binoculars have broken on me this year....my small pair lost one of the eyepieces when we went to the Lep show in June. I brought them along because I didn't know how far from the stage we would be, and when we saw that we were probably going to be REAL close to the stage, I opted to leave them in the car. I didn't realize until the next day that the eyepiece was gone...it was still in Kathy's car! But I couldn't fix that pair. My other monsterous pair broke on me at one of the football games recently....one of the lenses just broke off in my hand, so I just trashed them before going into the game. But dad had heard me mention a couple of times that I needed to get a new pair, so that's what I got!
Tomorrow...it's shop till we drop....I'm meeting Kathy and Heather at 8 am for some sales shopping. I may head to Wal-Mart first at around 7 am because my brother gave Mom, Dad and I a $50 gift card each, so I'll go check out their clearance ornaments first before they are all gone.
I think we're going to try to have lunch at the new Cheesecake Factory restaurant that just opened....I LOVE cheesecake!
I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Now I'll be SO glad when NYE is over. The idjits down the street just LOVE to shoot off the firecrackers at midnight.
Sorry I haven't been around much this week....but that's how it goes right before Christmas. Today is my last day to work before the New Year. Pray for me next week. LOL
There was a beautiful sunrise on Wed. morning....along with some birds hanging around the Ramada/McD's sign:
This is making the rounds on various blogs, so I'll play along:
1) Was 2005 a good year for you? Outside of seeing Def Leppard again...and getting to know some fantastic people in Lep Land...2005 SUCKED.
2) What was your favorite moment of the year? Seeing Def Leppard walk on stage!
3) What was your least favorite moment of the year? Too many to count
4) Where were you when 2005 began? Outside, trying to keep the dogs quiet thanks to all of the PSYCHO BASTARDS shooting off guns, and firecrackers.
5) Who were you with? The dogs
6) Where will you be when 2005 ends? At home
7) Who will you be with when 2005 ends? Myself
8) Did you keep your new years resolution of 2005? I never make them.
9) Do you have a new years resolution for 2006? Nope
10) Did you breakup with anyone in 2005? Nope
11) Did you make any new friends in 2005? Many, thanks to blogs and MySpace!
12) Who is your favorite new friend? No favorites...I love them all!
13) What was your favorite month of 2005? June - or at least June 4th!
14) Did you travel outside of your country in 2005? Nope
15) What different states did you travel to in 2005? None...damn it.
16) Did you lose anybody close to you in 2005? Not physically.
17) Did you miss anybody in the past year? Friends that I haven't seen in awhile.
18) What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2005? I hardly have time to watch movies.
19) What was your favorite song from 2005? "Rock On" by Lep
20) What was your favorite record from 2005? "Rock Of Ages" of course!
21) How many concerts did you see in 2005? 3 - Lep, The Eagles and Crue (Vince Neil..it's time to SHUT UP now).
22) Did you have a favorite concert in 2005? Def Leppard! June 4th at Grizzlies Stadium!
23) did you drink a lot of alchohol in 2005? I can't stand the taste of alcohol.
24) did you do a lot of drugs in 2005? Hell no!
25) How many people did you sleep with in 2005? 0
26) Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year? Nope
27) What was the worst lie someone told you in 2005? None that I can think of.
28) Did you treat somebody badly in 2005? Probably....lack of communication.
29) Did somebody treat you badly in 2005? Yes.
30) How much money did you spend in 2005? Uh....probably too much!
31) What was your proudest moment of 2005? Continuing to do well in my job.
32) What was your most embarrassing moment of 2005? Falling at the skating rink....LOL! Sonofabitch that hurt!
33) If you could go back in time to any moment of 2005 and change something, what would it be? Too many I'd want to change.
34.) The best thing that happened to you in 2005? Standing out in the 90+ degree heat, in line for the Rock And Roll Doubleheader Tour! Great times, and finally met some online Lep buds!
35) What are your plans for 2006? Hopefully have a better year than 2005!
I've noticed a few discussions on various blogs about Christmas decorations, and how it has become excessive. I'm sorry, but I happen to *LOVE* it. I always have, ever since I began walking as a baby. I remember sitting in front of the aluminum Christmas tree at our old house, and just watching it turn red, blue, green and yellow from the spinning color wheel pointed toward the tree. It just fascinated me.
This year, our neighborhood is rather depressing, because no one on our block, except for a couple of homes, have put up any kind of external decorations. On the other side of the street, there are several homes that have put up some pretty cool lights. We stopped decorating our trees and bushes out in front because when we first moved to our house, some little punks found it funny to come steal a few light bulbs out of the strings of lights Dad had carefully placed on the shrubs, and the wrough iron post on our front porch. Bastards.
The more elaborate the decorations, the better I like 'em! I don't see excessive decrations as 'degrading' to the Christmas holiday....I see them as mood lifters for those who may need some Christmas cheer. They are so beautiful in the night, especially when they are glowing softly in the night fog.
Here's a link to some pictures of an annual tradition around here: Christmas Tree Lane
On a side note....I need to get out and finish my shopping today. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so I don't want to go out in that, and I sure as hell don't want to be anywhere near a store next Saturday. Nope, no way.
Welcome to Fresno's version of a 'White Christmas'....we don't get snow here, but fog is our annual nemesis during the winter months, especially around Christmas time.
During my drive in to work Wednesday:
Driving to meet Kathy for lunch Wednesday at noon....the fog lifted, but never burned off yesterday:
I hate when food sits like a big ol' lump in your stomach. I met Kathy for lunch today for Mexican food, and now I'm back at work with this big lump in my stomach. And it doesn't taste too good the second time around. Bleh...........
I finally remembered to upload a couple of the video clips from The Eagles concert from September....the video quality sucks, due to being in the back of the Save Mart Center, but the audio is good!
....but $123.50 for Lenny Kravitz and Aerosmith at the Save Mart Center on Feb. 20 is just a little too much for my blood. I detest Lenny Kravitz, anyway....so $123.50 for Aerosmith is WAY too much for me. Only one band will ever get that type of money from me....those 5 lads in Def Leppard are the only band I will pay whatever to see.
Besides....we're Smirking about a week later, so that is what we're looking forward to.
Hmmmm...I wonder if this means that gas is free at this station that I passed by this morning on the way to work:
But in taking a second look at the picture, I see that they are upgrading their pumps. No wonder gas was free.
I finally found time to decorate my little Christmas tree at work. I found some ornaments in my box at home, and found these little guys...Lex should love them...LOL!:
Uh, no Ratty...you're NOT a substitute tree ornament....look at how ridiculous you look perched on my little tree:
She thinks she's in the Christmas spirit, just because she has a little bulb ornament on her head:
Cross-eyed b*tch.
A more 'up close and personal' look at the penguins gracing my tree:
Driving to a favorite place of some of the E*V*I*L ones....hehehe:
Today is a special day....it's TRACEY'S birthday! I hope you have a wonderful day, my friend! Thank you for your friendship, especially during the past few months! LOVE YA, GIRLFRIEND!
Most of us at work got vaccinated yesterday with the DaPT vaccine (Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus). We're evidently having an increase in Pertussis (whooping cough) cases here in Fresno County, and our hospital is offering vaccines for all employees who wish to have one. I went ahead and got one, because I sure as hell don't want Pertussis! But damn the injection site is hurting today. But the gals doing the injections said it was going to be sore. Ugh.
Even though we SUCKED last night...it was still fun getting out to the game and freezing our asses off.....and it was FREE! 50 yard line Red Seats...Kathy can now be called our "Free Ticket Broker." LOL!!!
I shot a view vids during the game...this one is a study in the contrasting enthusiasm levels of an older couple sitting in front of us:
Here was the same woman early on in the game...reading through a mail-order catalog!
And she's STILL looking through that catalog!
FREE tickets!
And whoever thought up the 'brilliant' idea of those "Thunder Sticks" should be tarred and feathered...but they look funny as hell flapping together from across the field:
This was just too funny...someone down in front of us wanted to get some popcorn from one of the vendors walking up and down the aisles:
It was a wet, rainy day today....but the clouds on the way in to work looked cool:
Yes, they really looked that way. Cool, eh?
We finally have some Christmas cheer in our building...a couple of gals from the hospital came over and put this tree up in the entry way:
I wish I could decorate like that!
Only working a half day tomorrow, because Kathy and I are going to the final home Fresno State football game Friday night, and the game starts at 6 pm. Let's see if we can get in for free like we did last time! I'll take the camera along and do some videos from the game, and driving to the game, of course. LOL!
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