Let's try and make this more than once a month, shall we?
So...last we left off I was just getting ready to head off to AZ and CA to visit mom's side of da familee for them holidaze. And thank heavens they be over now.
Though I swear this happens all too often. The mate and I set aside a fixed amount of money every Monday for the holiday season, so we can buy our relatives and each other presents. Only...this time that fund went more to airfare than anything else. And yes, once again when all was said and done nothing was left for each other. I'm just gonna have to keep doing like I did that one year where I just bought presents for her throughout the year as money came in. It seems the only real way.
Mom's really slowed down. She wanted to make Christmas dinner but well kinda like someone else I know didn't really think about getting started till about an hour before dinnertime. My sister said that for holidays this has become a pattern. I guess she's just not ready to admit such things may be beyond her capabilities now. I mean, she can still get involved to the extent she can, but the bulk of that work probably falls to my sister now, and to the extent she can delegate it to my two nieces.
New Year's was spent in Palm Springs, mainly just chatting the night away, though I got to make two Brandy Alexanders, one for mom, and one for my cousin's partner of many years. First thing I downed of course was 22 ounces of stout, just fuck yeah! Next champagne and limoncello, which is basically lemons steeped in vodka. I forget what after that. And ugh, I must be getting old because midnight came and I just had to get to bed after that. Like 12:10am. Pooper.
Then New Year's Day, played an old tradition, U2's "New Year's Day" outside. Later, on to another cousin's house in the valley for the next party. At least I got to see the Oregon Ducks squeak out a win in the Rose Bowl 28-27. Close as it gets.
I could have totally skipped taking my backpack and drawing materials. The flights were too short to do much of anything and since they left so early, I was most just too tired to try. But still, need to keep at it.
So now I'm back home. The weekend, whoo...what happened to it? Our flight got in Friday. Well, Sunday I did get to listen to the Eagles get booted from the playoffs, which is pretty much what I expected, not that it helped my mood. Finally got to have another attempt at a Tofu Turkey. This one had a few structural advantages over the last one, but I'd still like to try forming it in a shorter, narrower, and deeper pan, with perhaps a quinoa and mushroom stuffing, with pecans. The gravy turned out to be the best part, and I'd still like to infuse the tofu itself with poultry seasoning. And yeah, this time I did get more water out of the tofu, which seemed to help it keep it's shape better, rather than spread out every which way. We left some salt out of the recipe, since it also had tamari, but...maybe it should have been left in.
So then...today. It was close out December, get the registration for the Buick renewed, buy Turbotax and some other office goodies for the new year and try and install them, along with sending off the final estimated payments for 2019. I left some back because looking at the 2018 taxes and what all was owed I send just enough to cover, which is what you want. What's leftover we'll probably save just in case.
In more spiritual news, I'm back to reading Dr. Bruce Goldberg's "Ascension", at least as far as the garden meditation is concerned. I believe on his site he has audio recordings of all of them available. I think I need to download at least a few, because it's hard to concentrate on them and read at the same time. And in turn it's expanded my own astral sanctuary, which I've had in one form or another since the 1980's. I did have a drawing of phase two still in a pad somewhere. But now this garden's at the front, and I've been spending what time I can there.
Whew! Fuck yeah.
Though I swear this happens all too often. The mate and I set aside a fixed amount of money every Monday for the holiday season, so we can buy our relatives and each other presents. Only...this time that fund went more to airfare than anything else. And yes, once again when all was said and done nothing was left for each other. I'm just gonna have to keep doing like I did that one year where I just bought presents for her throughout the year as money came in. It seems the only real way.
Mom's really slowed down. She wanted to make Christmas dinner but well kinda like someone else I know didn't really think about getting started till about an hour before dinnertime. My sister said that for holidays this has become a pattern. I guess she's just not ready to admit such things may be beyond her capabilities now. I mean, she can still get involved to the extent she can, but the bulk of that work probably falls to my sister now, and to the extent she can delegate it to my two nieces.
New Year's was spent in Palm Springs, mainly just chatting the night away, though I got to make two Brandy Alexanders, one for mom, and one for my cousin's partner of many years. First thing I downed of course was 22 ounces of stout, just fuck yeah! Next champagne and limoncello, which is basically lemons steeped in vodka. I forget what after that. And ugh, I must be getting old because midnight came and I just had to get to bed after that. Like 12:10am. Pooper.
Then New Year's Day, played an old tradition, U2's "New Year's Day" outside. Later, on to another cousin's house in the valley for the next party. At least I got to see the Oregon Ducks squeak out a win in the Rose Bowl 28-27. Close as it gets.
I could have totally skipped taking my backpack and drawing materials. The flights were too short to do much of anything and since they left so early, I was most just too tired to try. But still, need to keep at it.
So now I'm back home. The weekend, whoo...what happened to it? Our flight got in Friday. Well, Sunday I did get to listen to the Eagles get booted from the playoffs, which is pretty much what I expected, not that it helped my mood. Finally got to have another attempt at a Tofu Turkey. This one had a few structural advantages over the last one, but I'd still like to try forming it in a shorter, narrower, and deeper pan, with perhaps a quinoa and mushroom stuffing, with pecans. The gravy turned out to be the best part, and I'd still like to infuse the tofu itself with poultry seasoning. And yeah, this time I did get more water out of the tofu, which seemed to help it keep it's shape better, rather than spread out every which way. We left some salt out of the recipe, since it also had tamari, but...maybe it should have been left in.
So then...today. It was close out December, get the registration for the Buick renewed, buy Turbotax and some other office goodies for the new year and try and install them, along with sending off the final estimated payments for 2019. I left some back because looking at the 2018 taxes and what all was owed I send just enough to cover, which is what you want. What's leftover we'll probably save just in case.
In more spiritual news, I'm back to reading Dr. Bruce Goldberg's "Ascension", at least as far as the garden meditation is concerned. I believe on his site he has audio recordings of all of them available. I think I need to download at least a few, because it's hard to concentrate on them and read at the same time. And in turn it's expanded my own astral sanctuary, which I've had in one form or another since the 1980's. I did have a drawing of phase two still in a pad somewhere. But now this garden's at the front, and I've been spending what time I can there.
Whew! Fuck yeah.