13. December, 2004 - It’s getting close

First, the weekend. Friday was a reasonably productive day, with a break at lunchtime for some shopping. I should know better than to go to HOM furniture, and it’s been explained to me multiple times, but never as clearly as when I was in the store. After a half-hour of walking about with a very helpful saleswoman, I found two end-tables that would work very well in my living room, and were on sale. Then she got stolen by another salesman, and I got handed off to someone who would finish things up for me. This person determined that they were the only two of that model of table in the store (we already knew that), and they wouldn’t sell them to me, since they had to keep a floor model for the weekend. I could wait until next week for delivery at an extra cost, though. Fine. Whatever. Target had something almost identical for less, and I can deal with assembling them, and they’ve got two in stock that they will sell to me. Of course one doesn’t have the right parts in it, so I’ve got one new end-table, and need to try and remember to get another at Target once they’ve restocked. And I’ve identified what I want for tables in the bedroom, and just need to find someone to sell them to me. After finishing up work for the day, I assembled the one table that had all the right parts, and returned the other, dealing with the parking-lot at Target for a second time in a single day during the holiday season. Ugh. At least I finished most of the Christmas shopping. I just need to find something for Mom, and I’m good, which is a nice feeling, since we’re getting pretty close to Christmas.

Saturday, some shopping in the morning, looking for a light-bulb for a lamp I want to use to light up the bedroom while I work on it, and a spray-bottle so I can finally stick the window-film onto my bedroom windows (it seems odd to me that I don’t have an empty spray-bottle of any kind somewhere in the house, but I don’t, and the full ones are all very nearly full). Both should be available at my neighborhood hardware store, so I don’t have to worry about the parking-lot mess at Target. Got the spray bottle, but the light-bulb proved more elusive, as they’d sold the last one in stock on Friday.

Then it was time for Shawn’s wedding reception at Buca. I gave Jim a ride, since the restaurant is in a transit-hostile location. Much fun, and it was good to see a bunch of folks that I haven’t seen for years. For many, it’s the first time they’ve seen me with short hair, and I got some comments about how I cleaned up nice. Sadly, Jim and I weren’t bright enough to head home and call it a day, but instead went to shoot some pool, first at Town Hall, where there was no seating available (they had a reservation for a big dinner party), then to the Sporty. Fun. Then a stop at Manning’s (see previous comment about not being that bright). Then I finally headed home.

As might be expected after a Saturday where the drinking ran from 3pm until nearly midnight, Sunday wasn’t a very high-energy day. I watched a few movies, searched unsuccessfully for the rest of the Christmas cards (there’s the partial box I bought last year that I need to find, but it’s packed in a box I haven’t opened recently), napped, watched some more movies, and generally huddled inside my nice, warm house while 30mph winds whipped around outside. Oh yeah, I also retightened the cable on my Chim-a-lator because the wind was howling through the fireplace and the cable has stretched a bit since it was installed. The window-film isn’t on the windows in the bedroom yet, but I’m hoping to get that done on one of the few evenings this week when I don’t have anything planned. Or maybe sometime next year.