I'm back!

Spent a wonderful relaxing 3.5-day weekend with Jen. We shopped. A lot. On Thursday afternoon (after I'd left her wandering around the train station for an hour and a half because I "just had a couple of things to finish up" -- I should know by now that NEVER works out -- forgiving woman) we covered the stores near my apartment. On Friday we started at the Bay and worked west, and on Saturday we started at Holt Renfrew and worked East. We met in the middle. (OK, we skipped Simons, but I never find anything there anyway.)

I wouldn't want you to get the impression I actually managed to make much of a dent in my Christmas list. I did get a couple of things, like a stainless steel dish brush from Caban for Daddy (it will match the kitchen, he'll be pleased). Mostly, however, I got stuff for me. It's a bit scary how off the leash I felt. Partly it's just shopping with another person whose shopping style matches mine; it's no fun slogging round malls by yourself, but it's great in the right company. I bought piles of new underwear and a grey sleeveless silk/cashmere turtleneck (it was on sale!) and a hell of a lot of stuff from Lush (which I justified by saying I'd give some of the bath ballistics away as gifts... although I'll probably just wind up buying extra 'cause I want them for myself).

In between we ate, slept lots, watched videos and movies (The Cat's Meow, which was so-so, although I guess I don't really get a vote because I was unpicking and redoing my knitting for at least the last half hour, but Joanna Lumley was fabulous; Nez Rouge, which was sweet and without subtitles, fortunately not a complicated plot, and very Christmassy; and the 1952 version of The Importance of Being Earnest), got my snow tires put on (just in time, as it started snowing that afternoon and didn't let up for about 24 hours), saw Kelly and Jean, and thought about ways to improve my apartment, our Christmas lists, and Life. It was excellent.

Saw her to the train yesterday afternoon and then went to Bureau en Gros and Indigo and bought stuff. The Indigo stuff was actually for the Christmas list. I feel like I'm getting somewhere.

How were your weekends?

12 Days of Kitschmas

I have a feeling there are more than a few people reading this blog who will appreciate this.

another good thing about the weekend:

My copy of The Silver Pigs has been restored to me. This is pretty good going, as I only noticed it was missing about 2 weeks ago and hadn't had time to work up a really good panic about it yet. Turns out Jen had it, and had brought it with her.

I love love love love love those books. I had just got off a kick of reading all of them (starting with the last one I had, then reading the others in order). They actually work really well that way; with some series, reading too many at once puts you off, but with these you really appreciate all the continuing threads.

Also, I am a suck. The first 5 or so books, where Falco and Helena are cautiously working out their relationship, make me go all warm and fuzzy.

odd thing about the weekend:

Jen and I were twice mistaken by salesclerks for sisters (in one case, twins). I know there's a family likeness, but it surprised us -- we don't really look that much alike, we don't think. I reckon it's the height and general colouring and perhaps shape of eyes. I suggested eye colour but she pointed out her eyes are all pupil, and mine are not, so how could that be it?

One of the mistakers said we had the same smile. In which case, I suppose we wouldn't know about it.

I invite those of you who know both of us to submit your theories.

reasons for happiness:

We're having an office Christmas party after all! I was more or less resigned to it being overlooked what with our new sober regime, merger business, and whatnot.

It's the afternoon of December 19th. This sensibly takes into account the fact that nobody, but nobody, will feel like doing any work that day, and that indeed very few people are planning to come in to the office at all for the following 2 weeks. I may come in the Monday after, just to tidy up, but after that I think I too will be gone.

I bought a white faux shearling hat at Club Monaco, and I am now going to try and forget that fact because I persuaded my parents to give it to me for Christmas. (I would have just put it on the list, but I was worried they would all be gone.)

[ETA:]

I placed an order with Lee Valley.

I had to.

( No surprises here )