Geeky Mom

It truly has been a wonderful Christmas. Everyone seemed to receive the gifts they wanted and then some. The Geeky Kids got electronics out the wazoo. Geeky Boy got both the Nintendo DS and the PSP (thanks to some overly generous grandparents). He also got science stuff–microscope, Discovery channel videos, and a “gross science” kit. I was really glad we balanced out Geeky Girl’s “girly” gifts from the grandparents with the Star Wars action figures. My dad also got her a solar system kit to hang from her ceiling. She spent an equal amount of time playing with Barbies, playing Nintendo with her brother and playing with the action figures.

Mr. Geeky built his own computer, my gift to him (which he bought himself). I got a new coffee pot and speakers for my iPod. The living room is covered in toys and bits and pieces of packaging. Every time I go through I pick up more stuff.

Tomorrow, I begin taming the chaos and go back to work a little. It’s been nice to lie around and not do anything. Now that there are no more errands to run, presents to wrap or dinners to plan, I can settle into a semi-relaxed routine until work begins again in full on Jan. 3. I have some things I need to write and some things I want to write. I can’t tame all the chaos. The place was pretty chaotic before the added chaos of the holiday.

I haven’t gotten pictures up yet because I can’t find the cable. I could use the card reader, but it’s in my office which is cold (no insulation) and has its own form of chaos that needs to be tamed (and that’s what I’m going to tackle tomorrow). So, I promise I’ll get something up tomorrow. Scrivener’s got some cute ones up. Anyone else?

I hope everyone is having a wonderfully relaxing day. I know we are. I hope to have some Flickr photos up soon.

Mr. Geeky woke me up at 7:30 this morning because he’s so excited. He’s worse than the kids. Geeky Boy brought down his Playstation, another tradtion for us. We all play games together. Today will be filled with baking and cooking, Christmas music, puzzle working, video games, and general merriment.

Those of you who have time to stop by, I have a question. What’s the worst gift you’ve gotten for Christmas? The best?

The worst gift I ever got was a shop vac. The best was a case of different kinds of holiday beer. Ironically, both came from the same person. Share away and I’ll post the results later.

Update: Some results:

Best gifts:
tickets to Cirque de Soleil
dance lessons
stereo system
Pilsbury Dough boy magnets
pair of 1/4 ct. diamond earrings
part of a car
engagement ring plus proposal to go with it

Worst gifts:
automated change sorter
indoor electric grill
pizza-shaped tupperware
the flu
library book
pink t-shirt with rainbow of hearts
5 gallon tins of stale popcorn
an aquarium, completely empty
sewing machine with all the accoutrements

You have to read the comments below to see all the stories that go with these. Keep em coming if you wish. Maybe all you parents up late putting together toys would like to chip in.

I don’t have all my Christmas music on the iPod yet, but here’s a sampling of what I do have:

Jingle Bells (no artist listed)
Weihnachen – Christmas in Vienna IV
Frosty the Snowman – Bing Crosby
The Little Drummer Boy – Bing Crosby
Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy – Bing Crosby, David Bowie
I Wonder as I Wander – Christmas in Vienna IV
Christmas Dinner Country Style – Bing Crosby
Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey – Lou Monte
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Dean Martin
Silent Night – Christmas in Vienna IV

RevGal reminded me of some wonderful Christmas music. When Geeky Boy was very young, I used to sing him Christmas songs to get him to sleep no matter what time of year it was. His favorite was “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.” I love singing that song too.

One year, when I was about 10 or 11 and my sister was 6 or 7, our neighbor across the street brought us a present. It has been a cold winter. There was snow. We’d been out of school for a few days, so my mom let us open it. Inside was a puzzle, Verticalville. My mother set up a card table for us to work on and away we went. Verticalville was the first puzzle created by Bob Martin. It is a cartoonish puzzle with crazy characters running all over the place. As you’re working the puzzle, you discover more and more funny and interesting things. We were kept occupied for hours. Mom was happy and we were happy.

After that first year, it became a tradition to get a puzzle. We got more Bob Martin puzzles, but as we got older, we also got more challenging puzzles. There was one of Christmas candy that all looked the same. There was a Norman Rockwell Santa one that was huge. We had to do that one on the dining room table. Christmas dinner was held on only one half of the table so that the puzzle could remain undisturbed. The entire family participated in the puzzle-making, though usually not all at once. My sister and I were the most earnest workers and most often worked together.

One of my fondest memories of Christmas began as a disaster. Our house was an old house with oil heat. On Christmas Eve, we ran out of heating oil. No one could get to us until the 27th or 28th. Though we lived in the south, we lived in the mountains, so it got cold in the winters. Typically, it got down to the 20s and 30s at night and we’d had some winters that were colder still. Two rooms in the house that had been added on later had electric heat, the family room and my parents’ bedroom. On Christmas Eve, my sister and I got to sleep in sleeping bags in the family room. We actually spent most of the day out there and my parents spent most of the day in their room, all of us watching tv and reading. My sister and I, however, were obsesssed with working the puzzle, which was on a card table in the living room. To go work on it, we donned our ski clothes, which were kept in the family room, and braved the cold of the living room to work on the puzzle. When our fingers got too numb, we’d warm up in the family room and then go back for another round.

Last year, we had our first real attempt at working a puzzle. We got a panorama of Philadelphia and we got a good portion of it done before we all had to go back to work and school. This year, we got a puzzle that resembles Bob Martin’s Verticalville. It’s full of crazy people playing soccer and cheering on the soccer players. There will be fun discoveries along the way and it will be another way to spend time together.

Yay! Each day gets longer from here on out. That’s why I love winter solstice. It means we’re headed up.

I finished up some last minute shopping and errands. As I was paying for my groceries, my cell phone began ringing. Mr. Geeky calling to tell me that Geeky Girl is sick and needs to be picked up. Sigh. I get well, the kids get sick.

We watched March of the Penguins. What a cute movie. Though it did make me feel cold. Now I’ve got wrapping to do and dinner to make.

Several months ago, I posted about the AFA boycotting the American Girl line of dolls. Well, they’re doing it. And tonight on CBS News, they interviewed a woman who is specifically not buying American Girl dolls because the company supports Roe v. Wade. The company also supports underpriviledged girls and encourages openness toward girls who are lesbian. Mattel has announced that they won’t continue their partnership with them. A Catholic school cancelled a fashion show.

Here’s a nice opinion piece in the Seattle Times that thinks the Christians aren’t being very Christian. But then here is her counterpart, who’s frothing at the mouth a little. Pro Life groups picketed American Girl Place in New York.

I’m not opposed to anyone protesting. Heck, I do it all the time. I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart. There are products I won’t buy. Usually, though, I’m protesting something because small children are being paid 5 cents to make something or animals are being tortured or something. It just seems like the good of what Girls, Inc. does far outweighs the perceived (by the right) bad. Also, it’s only one product that supports Girls, Inc., an “I Can” bracelet. It’s not like a portion of the company’s entire profits is going to Girls, Inc. I’m happy to say that we own one American Girl doll and another is under the tree. Wonder if my news-deprived and conservative mother-in-law realizes that she’s purchasing products from the devil?

I did nothing all day long. Nothing. Nada. Rien. Nichts. Niente. Actually, I spent the whole day on the f*cking xmas card. My initial simple plan didn’t work out thanks to uncooperative computers and printers. Literally, all I’ve done all day is tweak templates and text and photos. Note to self: do not do this next year. Seriously, I don’t see the point. Why? Why? [shaking fist at the heavens]

I was going to make cookies or something. Do laundry. Toy around with the proposal. Tweak a web site. Grade a portfolio or two. But no, the xmas card prevailed. It is the devil, I think.

And tell me, when you have two packages coming from UPS, and they’re both at the same weigh station waiting to be delivered, why does one and not the other show up? Makes no sense. Will the other show up later today? It says it’s due to arrive today.

On a positive note, my dad sent me an entire case of pinot from Oregon. So that will quell the whining.

You should really read these two Ars Technica posts about the possible technology behind this wiretapping. Like many people who don’t really understand technology, the Bush administration assumes that it’s a panacea and much more effective than human beings. I really do think it’s important for non technical people to understand the technology and what it is and isn’t capable of and the collateral damage it might inflict along the way. Not to make people fear technology, but to know its limits and to use it appropriately.

More on the spy game:

The NYT explains that the NSA may have accidentally listened in on domestic calls, where both parties were on American soil.

A FISA court judge resigns in protest.

The Washington Times (!) thinks this spying thing is a really bad thing. Money quote:

President Bush presents a clear and present danger to the rule of law. He cannot be trusted to conduct the war against global terrorism with a decent respect for civil liberties and checks against executive abuses. Congress should swiftly enact a code that would require Mr. Bush to obtain legislative consent for every counterterrorism measure that would materially impair individual freedoms.

On the other hand, we’ve been here before, though I have to say the argument took place before any spying took place. Big difference there.

Even George Will is a little uneasy.