stuff and things. and things. and stuff.

- i woke up yesterday with a very tight and sore upper back, and it's still bothering me today. it's not keeping me from doing things, but it's bad enough that i'm going in to work early so i can get adjusted (which i meant to do on wednesday, and put off. BAD IDEA.).

- it's been cloudy for days here. not rainy, unlike Portland, which is on its 18th consecutive day of rain (a record, even for them). it's making for some very mellow lighting:

- E and i did the Shopping Extravaganza yesterday, and had a lot of fun! traffic was very manageable, and the lines weren't bad at all, even at Toys R Us. we left the house at noon, had cheeseburgers for lunch, Buddy's Pizza for an early dinner, and were home to walk the dog by 7:30. Quite literally, the only thing i have left to pick up is some dry sausage for my brother.

- speaking of sausage, Mom texted me to say that a box marked "perishable" had been delivered, and was now on the back porch. i asked from whom, and she sent me a picture of the shipping label, which originated from a smoked meats company in Wisconsin. i haven't been by to get the box yet, and i still don't know who sent it, but i may be the lucky recipient of bacon-by-mail for the second time in my life.

- i still have a few cards to write and send.

- i did indeed get straight As this semester, which brought my cumulative GPA up to a 2.56! (long story involving calling off a wedding and moving across the country twice in a 3-month period. don't ask.)

- the forecast for the weekend: cloudy, with a 100% chance of cookies. i'll be making thumbprint and molasses cookies on saturday, and E wants to make chocolate no-bakes and peanut butter blossoms on sunday. we also have the option on sunday to decorate ugly sweater cookies with my mom, sister, and Little V who, it turns out, likes to decorate cookies but doesn't really care for eating them. or chocolate, or cake, or milkshakes, or any candy other than suckers and lollipops. this kid has no sweet tooth AT ALL. K told me that the first time she gave Little V chocolate milk (out of desperation, because the pizza place only had chocolate milk, not plain, and the kid was about to melt down), she took one swig and declared, "This milk is BROKEN!"

- i'm having a little trouble really getting into the Christmas spirit this year. i mean, i'm thoroughly enjoying the lights, the music, all the preparations like usual, but...i feel a little flat. maybe it's the unseasonably warm weather/lack of snow. more probably, maybe it's the fever-pitch of hatred and violence that is all over the airwaves. so much death and destruction, and all in the name of a God who i'll bet has quite an afterlife surprise in store for those who disseminate hate and think they're doing His work.

off to shower, then off to the post office and work! more later!