The third daze ...

Al clogged the toilet. Otherwise the day went pretty smooth overall. My husband and I were of course busy. He has a couple of weekdays off. So we pack in as many "to do's" as possible, which isn't necessarily healthy. We're still working on getting our clothes situation sorted out. I relinquished my entire closet to the old folks, so I've still a few piles of clothes in and around the basement yet to be put away or packed.

I've been feeling like I'm the one who has been moving, like it's my life that suddenly has to be uprooted and resorted. Admittedly I cannot help but feel a little resentful for the proverbial shit having rolled downhill in my direction. Yet what are my options? Not help my mom? If she didn't come with so much baggage, a.k.a. Al, I may be willing to transform the basement into a lovely mother in law unit and have her stay with us.

So after a full day of working around the house and getting our massive tree in the stand as well as in the house, I was able to take a little siesta. Oh that was such an appreciated luxury.

It was also my husband's work Christmas party, which started at 4:00 p.m. He said the last thing he wanted to do on his day off is sit in a bar with his colleagues. His boss had several extra tickets to the main event following supper, which was a holiday cruise around Lake Washington on the Spirit of Seattle. She was kind enough to extend the invitation to the old folks as well. So we brought them along.

I have to admit, albeit kitschy, it was very festive. The ship was outfitted in perfect strings of white lights. The MC was somewhat entertaining. It was a really dry night with no wind, so the lake surface was smooth as glass. They had a choir aboard, Emerald City Blend. They were quite good, and I think the old folks were thoroughly entertained. Though it was a three hour tour, which was a bit lengthy, especially having started at 7:00 p.m. We all slept hard last night. The day went without incident. I don't recall my mom having gotten upset or crying once. Success!

A year of silence

Wow, a year has already passed since my last post, which truly wasn't much of a post. What it was was a regurgitation of global media pop culture. Since the advent of new media, I believe the world has experienced a very noticable dilution of traditional culture. Is this phenominon part of mankind's natural evolution? Who's to say?

Well, I'm not writing today to opine on our cultural anthropology. Rather, I want to briefly reflect on this year past before diving into it with more vigor in a series of posts to follow.

Last January, I reconnected with HIM, the man of my dreams, after we had allowed our lives to continue separately for two years without uttering as much as a single word to one another. For two people who were so much in love, two years is quite a long time to go without verbal acknowledgement.

So much can change in a year, let alone two. Suffice to say I couldn't be more pleased with the present, the path to get here and the amazing journey ahead ...

Be Mine (4 the Moment)

Here's a little Valentine's Day inspired goodie (with a twist) I found on another blog site. Click on the image to link to the actual post, it's festive and fun!

Happy Chinese New Year

YEAR OF THE RAT

The Eastern zodiac sign horoscope system is one of the oldest in the world of astrology. The origin of Chinese astrology dates back to the era of the Shang Dynasty.

Rats mark the commencement of the cycle of 12 Chinese zodiacs and thus are associated with enterprising and aggressive qualities. To start with listing the traits of a Rat, it is important to first know what this animal image stands for in Chinese philosophy.

Rat has strong associations with material success such as wealth and other luxuries of life. It is their aggression, charm, hard work, discipline and passionate nature that gives an edge to their persona in comparison to others. There are good chances of Rats being wealthy and professionally successful in their lives. They are quick, energetic and mold themselves easily according to the situation, which makes them excellent problem solvers too. Unlike most of other zodiac signs, Rats believe in having a handful of friends, but they share a special bonding with all of them.

When it comes to competition, nobody can be as manipulative as they are. They are tactful and can go to great extents to win a battle. Yet honesty and unprejudiced attitude is something others need to learn from Rats. A heavy karma chakra may lead to inner conflicts. It is likely for them to indulge in speculation and other adventurous tasks in order to give an outlet to their emotions. If this kind of an outlet is not available, they might turn to self-destruction. The best spiritual message Chinese sages give to Rats is to observe self-control and be considerate while dealing with people around them. Their dynamism can be accessed with the diversity of professions they can choose. On one hand they can lend a perfection to works of art in literature, on the other hand they can also be excellent detectives, accountants, engineers and pathologists. Law and politics are some other areas they can try their hands on.

Hope this year of Rats 2008 becomes the harbinger of health, wealth and good fortune for all of us.