Cards, party, and karaoke

I'm not sure why, but this year I'm really behind with my Christmas cards.  And by 'really behind' I mean I haven't even started them.

This is not because I didn't have the cards, or the stamps, or the return address labels, or the list of recipients.  I've had all that stuff for at least 3 weeks.  For some reason I just haven't spread everything out on the table and gotten busy, until yesterday.

I put Marvin & Walter in their crates as if I were going to work, put the 'Soundscapes' music channel on softly so they wouldn't hear me in the other room, poured myself a cup of Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Spice coffee, and got to it.

Rather than rotating through my Christmas CDs like usual, this time I went to Pandora on my iPhone, typed in Pentatonix Holiday and listened to that station via a bluetooth Sony speaker.  It worked great and I didn't have to stop what I was doing to change the CDs.

I got 76 cards written, hand-addressed, sealed, stamped, and into the mail, leaving me just 43 more to finish the job.  I actually paired down my list by 4 this year.

While this may sound like a chore, I actually like doing it.  I love to send brightly-colored cards, often times with glitter, that add beauty to the holiday season.

After dropping off the cards at the post office I got my hair cut, and then Spouse & I got dressed for my company's Christmas party.  It was held in a restaurant that was closed to the public.  The food was good, there was an open bar, a band, and everyone had a nice time.

I brought Spouse home, changed my clothes, and went to the Blue Moon for karaoke.  Normally I wouldn't go to a Christmas party and sing karaoke the same night, but I love singing Christmas songs at karaoke and there are only a few opportunities to do that between Thanksgiving and Christmas, which is the acceptable time to sing Christmas songs.  Since the company Christmas party was only a few blocks from the Blue Moon, about a dozen of my colleagues from work came to karaoke after the company party ended and got to hear me sing "Merry Christmas, Darling".  Karen Carpenter-style, of course.  It was a lot of fun!

Beardy boy

Wrapping for charity

Last week I wrote about our realtor association's shopping for a needy family for Christmas.  Yesterday I met up with a bunch of realtors to wrap all the gifts and clothes purchased on that shopping day. 

A local restaurant that is closed for the season donated the space so we could work on the dining tables, and even played Christmas music for us while we wrapped. 

I worked with my friend Joey again, and we wrapped gifts for 3 hours.  It was a lot of fun and it really makes me feel that I'm doing something good for those less fortunate.

You can check with your local social services to adopt a needy family in your area if you want to experience the same joy!

Just because

Weekend recap: Birthday edition

I sent this graphic to my friend Marty who had a birthday last week.  It is only too true, as most people have barely swallowed their last bite of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving before diving right into Christmas.  My birthday on Dec 7 usually has competition from Christmas parades, holiday parties, and the like.

On Sat I worked, as usual.  My colleague and friend Dawn gave me this adorable coffee mug for my birthday, since neither of us would be in the office on Sun, my actual birthday.  Its perfect!

Click to enlarge the photo to read the inscription. 

Sun morning we had my birthday breakfast at the Crystal restaurant, with Steven & Thad and Joe P.  Our favorite waiter got everyone's attention in the crowded restaurant and encouraged them to sing 'Happy birthday' to me, and I was presented with a pancake with a face drawn on it with whipped cream, and 2 blueberries as eyes.  We ate and talked and laughed.

Sun afternoon was quiet at our house.  Spouse came down with a cold on Fri and wasn't feeling very good by Sun afternoon, so he took a huge nap while I read blogs, surfed the internet, and set up our 4' Christmas tree.

As you can see, we did not put up our big Christmas tree this year.  Spouse didn't want to have a tree trimming party and I didn't want to decorate it by myself, so we decided to use our smaller, pre-lit tree.  Plus, having this smaller tree up on a table keeps it away from the curiosity of Walter.

Sun night Spouse & I went to Dos Locos with Steven & Thad and Joe P for my birthday dinner.  As usual, our food was delicious and we ate and talked and laughed even more.  After dinner we went to Steven & Thad's house for birthday cake and coffee.  

Spouse & I don't give each other birthday presents anymore.  After this many years, we have everything we need and most of what we want.  When there's something special we want, we usually don't wait for a birthday to get it for ourselves or each other.  For our 50th birthdays we gave each other trips.  

All in all, it was a nice, low-key birthday.

Christmas music

I may be in the minority, but I actually like it when a radio station switches its programming to all Christmas music.  Some of them jump the gun and do this the week of Halloween, which I do not condone.  One holiday at a time, people.

One annoyance of the 'all Christmas all the time' thing is the redundancy.  It seems that the station selects 12 songs and simply repeats them 24 hours a day.  I have literally heard the exact same version of the same song 5 times in the same day.  Not only is that ridiculous, but I also find it completely unnecessary.  Why not play the same songs but performed by different artists?  There are literally hundreds of artists that have released Christmas albums/CDs!  Why not pick songs from each of them and give listeners some variety, rather than playing the same 12 songs over and over again?!?!

While we're talking Christmas songs, can I share with you 2 songs I absolutely abhor?  "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" and "You're a Mean One Mr Grinch".  I thoroughly detest both of those songs and will most certainly change the station when they come on.

My favorite 2 Christmas songs?  "Merry Christmas, Darling" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas".  The Carpenters versions, of course.

Beardy boy

Holiday fun

This morning I was showered, dressed, and in the Kmart at 7am.  That sounds like the opposite of 'Holiday fun', right?  Especially since I am not a morning person.

But the reason for this oddity is because I was shopping for a needy family for Christmas.  Kmart opens the store to us an hour earlier than usual (hence 7am) and generously takes 10% off the totals.  I arrived on time, armed with a thermos of coffee to help me wake up.

About a month ago my local realtor association had a big Mardi Gras-themed fundraiser to raise money for this specific shopping event.  As in years past, I paired up with my friend Joey and we accepted the need/wish list for a family with 7 kids, ages 1, 2, 4, two aged 5, 6, and 7.  The family's profile indicated the family was homeless; all 7 kids staying with their grandfather (whose probably younger than me considering the children's ages), and there was no mention of the parents.  While their situation is sad, we did feel joy in shopping for them and getting as much as possible from their list. 

The 5, 6, and 7 year olds needed coats, so we got those.  All 7 kids needed shoes or boots so we got those too.  Each child got a complete outfit (pants and shirt or sweater), and all the kids got toys except the 1 year old.  Since the kids likely don't have their own beds, we also picked out fleece throws with matching stuffed animals for them to curl up with at night like this one, possibly on a sofa or recliner.  (The arms and legs open to release the fleece throw.)  Next week I will participate in wrapping these and other gifts for the needy families.

After shopping I headed to work, but left early in order to get ready for dinner and the Rehoboth Beach Christmas parade.  Spouse & I met Steven & Thad and Joe P and his 2 friends from PA for dinner first, then I slipped away to adorn Big Ella with lighted wreaths and bows. 

It rained all day long and we anxiously awaited the official word from the parade sponsor to see if they were going to cancel the parade.  Fortunately they decided to keep the parade on schedule since the radar showed the rain moving away from the area.  However, it didn't really stop raining until minutes before the parade, which caused some participants to cancel and resulted in a much lower than usual attendance.  But we had a great dinner together and still had fun at the parade.  At least it wasn't bitter cold like last year.

Just because

Giving

As a child my parents taught me that there was more happiness in giving than in receiving.  That's probably in the Bible somewhere.  Since I grew up in a very modest household it was probably very convenient for my parents to tell me that, as I remember wanting a lot but not getting a lot because we 'couldn't afford it'. 

But as I matured I definitely understood that what you 'get' from giving to others is happiness and joy.  When you give to others (your time, your money, yourself) you make a difference in someone's life and that makes the recipient happy AND it makes you happy.  Its a win-win situation!

Yesterday Spouse & I did some charity shopping.  My company supplied its employees with a 'wish list' from Ronald McDonald House of DE so we used that to inform our purchases and then dropped them off at my office.  Next we went to the grocery store and purchased shelf-stable foods (canned and dry goods) and dropped those off at a local food bank drop-off location.  It was actually quite enjoyable to do this together, and knowing that these things will have a real impact on people gave us genuine happiness and joy.

Over the years I have volunteered for and raised money for AIDS research and treatment, battered women's shelter, cancer and stroke research, Habitat for Humanity, and local food banks.  I say this not to 'toot my own horn', but rather to show examples of how anyone can make a difference in other peoples' lives and receive a feeling of happiness at the same time. 

Literally anyone can participate in 1 or more ways:

• Give of yourself - volunteer in person at a soup kitchen, food bank pantry, Habitat for Humanity build site, hospice, SPCA, or meal delivery service
• Encourage others - host a fundraiser and invite your friends, neighbors, and colleagues to donate and/or volunteer, or get them to pledge for you to run a 5K race
• Support local drives - pick up non-perishable food items, household items, or toys and drop them off at Thanksgiving or Christmas drop-off point
• Give money - send checks to worthy charities 

When giving financial donations be sure to research how much of your dollars actually goes to the cause and how much goes to executive salaries and administrative costs.  Check this site to know which charities are highly-rated and have lower paid CEOs and which charities have highly-paid CEOs but are low rate charities.  Sadly there are some charities and scams you'll probably want to avoid.  Local giving can be often be more effective.

Another benefit of in-person volunteering is that you will likely meet other like-minded people.  This has certainly been the case for me.  I've met lots of sincere and fun friends while volunteering.

I encourage everyone to commit to giving, not just at the holidays, but all year 'round.  You'll be amazed at how good it feels to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

Beardy boy

Happy Thanksgiving

Here's wishing all of you a happy, drama-free, and delicious Thanksgiving.

Resolution

Last night Spouse spoke with his sister Mary again.  As it turns out, she had not effectively communicated some important details last week regarding the flea issue at Spouse's mom's house.

From last week's conversation we understood the flea problem to be very recent, but upon further conversation it appears the initial infestation occurred a month ago.  

Kind of an important piece of information to omit!!  The house and yard were treated back then, and again 2 weeks later as a precaution.  No fleas have been observed since then.

So all of the talking, investigating of alternatives, and negotiating with Spouse I went through for the last several days was all for nothing!

Spouse is making the stuffing and I'm making corn casserole tonight, then we'll head out tomorrow morning with Marvin & Walter, arriving at Spouse's mom's house before noon.  I'll pick up my aunt Mary at 1:30 and we are scheduled to have Thanksgiving dinner at Mary & Eric's house at 2:00.  We'll likely leave the boys at Spouse's mom's house while we eat since that will be their usual nap time.  After dinner we'll probably bring the boys to Mary's house so the family can meet Walter.

We'll stay overnight at Spouse's mom's house as usual, and probably head home around noon or possibly after lunch on Fri.  I'm sure we'll have a nice time but I am also sure it will not be without drama.

Just because

GPS

Pre-Thanksgiving drama

We're still a week from Thanksgiving but the drama has already begun.

Ever since Spouse & I got together in 1996, the holidays have always been set:  Louis & Karen host Easter, Spouse & I host Thanksgiving, and Mary & Eric host Christmas.  Even when we moved to DE we made it clear that we would continue to host "our" holiday Thanksgiving, which we have... until this year.

Mary & Eric's oldest son David went away to college in northwestern PA back in Aug and has not been home since then.  He will be coming home for Thanksgiving and said he didn't want to go to DE because then he wouldn't be able to see his girlfriend and buddies during his school break.  So Mary asked if she could host Thanksgiving this year.  Spouse & I were initially a little disappointed that we were 'losing' our holiday, but then I looked on the bright side and thought about NOT having to prepare for 8 house guests, NOT having to wash countless pots and pans, and NOT having to wash multiple loads of sheets and towels after everyone left.  It was going to be OK.

Then came the call from Mary last night, informing us that Spouse's mom's house (where we always stay when we visit the family) was infested with fleas.  I immediately began to scratch at the imaginary fleas on my head.  Seriously, I am totally creeped out by the notion of fleas.  Then I feared for the safety of our dogs who always travel with us to Spouse's mom's house.

Rather than totally freak out and refuse to go at all (which would have been completely warranted in my opinion), I came up with a 2 workable alternatives:

• Drive down to Mary's house with our dogs, have Thanksgiving dinner, spend the entire day/evening there, and then drive home late that night
• Spend the day at Mary's, stay in a pet-friendly hotel overnight, visit again on Fri before going home

Unfortunately Spouse was not very receptive to either idea.  We can't stay at Louis & Karen's because Marvin does not get along with their dog.  So Spouse suggested we stay at Mary & Eric's house.  I really didn't want to do this because Mary is dog-sitting her neighbor's dog and we have no idea if our dogs will get along with that dog.  Plus, our dogs are used to sleeping a lot during the day while we're at work.  Staying at Mary's house would mean there will not be any 'quiet time' for the dogs to nap.  Spouse said we'd put them in their crates in a bedroom and they'd be fine, but I'm afraid there would be too much commotion for them to fall asleep and they'd feel like they were being punished, being kept away from everyone.

So we have decided NOT to make a decision yet, and see how things develop.  

Please pray to whatever Deity you believe in or ask the Universe to send me peace and serenity.

Beardy boy

Proof-reading

Its called proof-reading, people.  It doesn't take that long and it can help you NOT look like an idiot.

Just because

Walter update

It was a big weekend for Walter.

We decided to try letting him sleep in the bed with us (and big brother Marvin) Fri night.  Until then he'd been sleeping in his vinyl crate next to our bed, with a wee-wee pad in it.  Since he is young and small, he wasn't able to hold his pee all night.  But we'd noticed for the last 2-3 weeks the wee-wee pad was dry in the mornings, so we decided to give it a try.  He was so happy!  He burrowed under the covers (like big brother Marvin does) and within a few minutes he was sound asleep.  No accidents in the bed the entire weekend.

Yesterday we bought him a metal crate just like the one big brother Marvin sleeps in when we're not home.  We had been containing Walter in the bathroom with his bed, a toy, and wee-wee pads on the floor.  Again, now that he's older and he has better bladder control, the pads have been dry.  So last evening we put him in his new crate, right next to Marvin's crate, when we went out to dinner.  When we returned they both were fine.  We use treats to lure Walter into the crate.  Marvin goes into his regardless of whether a treat is promised or not.

Walter has his 3rd and final puppy visit at the vet this coming week.  I'm curious to see how much he will weigh.

New art

Last year my colleague and friend Garrett went to visit his father who lives/works in Cuba.  Garrett noticed that most Cubans drive old American cars from the 1950s, and knowing how much I love 1950s cars, Garrett brought me back some beautiful matted, signed photos.  What a thoughtful gift!!

I'm embarrassed to say that those photos have been sitting in my house unframed for nearly a year now.  I anticipated that getting them custom-framed would be really expensive so I put it off.  But yesterday (my day off work) I came across the photos again and decided I would check my local HomeGoods store to see if they had any standard frames that would work.  So I measured the matted photos and headed over to HomeGoods.  Sure enough, I found terrific black frames for only $16.99 each!  

Two have black mats and one has a white mat.  At first this distressed me, but as I looked at my photos I noticed that two were portrait style and one was landscape style, so I decided that if I put the one landscape style photo into the white matted frame it might look intentional.  So I trimmed the mats slightly to fit, secured them in the frames, and here are the results:

#1

#2

#3

All 3 together

First off, I think the photos are amazing.  They are partially black-and-white and partially color.  I don't know how they do that but its cool.  Obviously the cars are super cool as well.  But I think the photos look so terrific in these frames, all 3 of which only cost me $50. 

I haven't decided yet where to hang them so for the time being they are on our living room sofa.  Maybe this weekend Spouse & I will agree on a place to showcase our new art.

Beardy boy

Friends

As a realtor I am invited to lots of local fundraisers and charitable events.  I could be out at one of these nearly every night of the week if I wanted, but I try to pick just a few to attend.  Recently I attended a fundraiser sponsored by our local realtor association, the proceeds of which will be used to provide toys, clothing, and home goods for needy families in our area this Christmas.  This event provides the funds for the shopping event I participated in 2 years ago.

Each year this fundraiser has a different theme, and this year's theme was Mardi Gras.

I took this selfie of me (wearing Mardi Gras beads) and my friend Joey (wearing a Mardi Gras mask).  I've been friends with Joey for nearly 20 years.  We met doing volunteer work.

Just because

Film Festival - day 3

Here are the films I saw on Sat:
Life Partners
Sasha is a single lesbian and Paige is her straight best friend.  They do everything together, including binge-watching reality TV shows.  However, Sasha feels left out when Paige has less time for her when her relationship with Tim gets serious.  This film explores friendships, codependency, introspection, and loyalty in an honest and comedic way.  3 out of 5 stars.

10% Shorts
This was a collection of these short films:
Alone With People - A teenage lesbian comes out to her family.  5 out of 5 stars.  (No trailer found.)
Cruisin' Electric (1980) - A spoof commercial for a children's toy based on the iconic 1980 film "Cruisin'".  4 out of 5 stars.

Dinner at 40 - A gay man's insecurities peak at his birthday 40th dinner.  3 out of 5 stars.  (No trailer found.)
Jellyfish - A transvestite is befriended and then abandoned by a local fisherwoman.  3 out of 5 stars.  (No trailer found.)
Safe Word - A comical look at a couple's experiment with BDSM.  4 out of 5 stars.
See trailer here.
Secrets & Toys - Tension fills the studio apartment of a lesbian couple when one woman's mother comes to visit.  3 out of 5 stars.  (No trailer found.)
Tom in America - While rummaging for items to sell at a flea market, an older man finds a Tom of Finland doll takes him on a strange journey.  4 out of 5 stars.

Film Festival - day 2

Here are the films I saw today:

Lilting

This film artfully shows the struggle and lengths an English man is willing to go in order to care for his deceased boyfriend's Chinese mother who doesn't doesn't like him and doesn't speak English.  The details of the story are cleverly told via real-time interactions and flashbacks.  There are enough comedic elements to keep it from being too sad, but if you're like me you will need a tissue or two.  5 out of 5 stars.

Gerontophilia
20-something Lake gets a job at a nursing home and becomes aware that he is less interested in his young girlfriend than he is in the senior citizen men at the home.  When he perceives that a favorite male patient with whom he's become involved is being mistreated by the apathetic workers, he takes matters into his own hands.  While I found this film's subject to be interesting, I felt the main character Lake seemed detached and not at all passionate as most 20-somethings would be.  3 out of 5 stars.

Love Is Strange
When George is fired from his job at a Catholic school for getting married to his partner of many years, the couple has to sell their Manhattan apartment.  They are unable to find a new place to live before they must move out, so each man must stay with a relative or friend.  Not having a true home, disrupting their routines, and getting in the way of their graceous hosts causes a lot of stress for everyone.  Alfred Molina and John Lithgow offer stellar performances.  4 out of 5 stars.

I encourage you to look for these 3 films on Netflix, watch them in their entirety online, and/or find them at your local art house theatre.

Film Festival - day 1

I'm excited because today is the 1st day of the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival!  If you've read my blog for awhile you'll know this is an annual favorite event in which I've participated for 15 years.  I take off work in order to fit in as many films as possible into the 4-day festival.

What exactly is an independent film?  Why do I like them so much?  While Hollywood films are created to make money, indie films are created to tell stories. While Hollywood films typically have big budgets and must fit into the MPAA's rating system (G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17, X), indie films usually have little-to-no budget and are unrated. While Hollywood films usually fit into comedy, drama, or action categories, indie films are typically difficult to fit into a specific genre because their stories often tackle unusual and taboo subjects.  While Hollywood film endings are almost always predictable, indie films often have unexpected endings or leave the ending up to the viewer.  I just love them!

So here are the films I saw today:
52 Tuesdays 
16 year old Billie learns that her mother is transitioning to become a male and that she must live with her father for a year in order to give her mother space to reinvent herself.  Mother and daughter agree to spend time together every Tuesday. Billie undergoes a bit of transformation herself as she explores her independence and sexuality.  The film consists of slices of life that were actually filmed on each Tuesday of the year, so physical appearances and emotional developments are authentic.  4 out of 5 stars.

Appropriate Behavior
Shirin is a bisexual Iranian-American who is not 'out' to her family.  Her recent break-up from her girlfriend Maxine throws Shirin into a series of wild but comical escapades.  Living up to her families expectations and her own desire for acceptance are not easily joined, but I laughed along with Shirin through her ups and downs.  4 out of 5 stars.

The Way He Looks
Giovana has a crush on her best friend Leonardo who is blind, but he doesn't seem to notice so she helps him navigate in order to spend time with him.  Then Gabriel enters the picture, and an awakening takes place between the 2 young men. While Leonardo struggles for some independence from his overly-protective parents, he feels no struggle regarding his feelings for Gabriel.  This was a beautifully acted and well-paced film.  5 out of 5 stars.

I recommend adding all 3 of these films to your Netflix queue and/or seeing them at your local art house cinema.

Beardy boy

This super-sexy stud comes to you courtesy of MAC at Yummy of the Day.  'Yummy' is just the beginning of the adjectives I that apply to this guy...

I voted

 

Although this is not a presidential election year,  I believe that all elections are important so I made sure I voted this morning before work.  All day long I saw facebook posts that read "If you don't vote you can't complain" and the like.  If facebook is any indication, it seemed there was better turn out than expected for this election.

Back when I lived in the very densely populated area of Northern VA we would often have to stand in line for an hour or more to vote.  Life is different here in my little beach town.  I walked into the voting place at 8:30 am and found NO line.  I checked in with the ancient woman at the desk, voted on the electronic voting machine, and was done in less than 2 minutes.

When I was finished, the poll volunteer gestured toward the exit.  I stepped over toward it and stopped to wait for Spouse.  The volunteer looked at me for a few seconds and said "I think your wife already left" to which I replied without missing a beat "Nope, my husband is still in the voting booth."  The volunteer raised his eyebrows, smiled, and said "Oh, okay then" and we both chuckled.

Just because