Get your own
 diary at DiaryLand.com! contact me older entries newest entry

2:00 pm - Sun 12/26/04
Completing The Holiday Picture

Completing The Holiday Picture

Sun 12/26/04 (11:09 a.m.)

(Doing a couple loads of laundry "the regular way"�down in the laundry room.)

When I finished my last entry, I realized I left some things out, things that paint a more complete picture of my holiday.

1) Last week, Tim G. (One of the managers at the store) gave me a present�a Batman "Microman" action figure ("Microman" action figures are from Japan. They're 3 3/4", fully-articulated figures that come with sets of interchangeable hands and various other cool bits of gear. The company recently bought the rights to do Batman figures, which was very exciting, since Batman action figures have, till now, pretty much always sucked).

And like when "Kookla" bought me some action figures earlier in the year, I went on a little tear after that, apparently needing "enablers" for this particular addiction (This time out, I had the excuse of "buying myself a Xmas present"); I bought two other "Microman" Batman things�A two-figure set of "Batman" and "Batgirl", and a "Catwoman" figure�and a kickass "Hellboy" figure (Who stands atop my headshot-and-resume file drawers, and who currently has the drop on a very unhappy "Sabretooth" figure).

2) I got two Xmas cards I didn't expect�From Holly (From the old bookstore), and from Tom and Mary.
The card from Holly was just signed, but the card from Tom and Mary had pictures (From when I was back in Michigan for Emily's wedding, and paid them a visit), and a little note filling me in on what they're up to.

I didn't send either of them cards this year (Cause I assumed they'd forgotten about me, so my attitude was, basically, screw them), but I think I'll use their cards as an excuse to write each of them (I want to do more letter writing in the coming year, without caring whether or not it's "a dead art" or worrying that no one's going to write me back. What's the harm, after all, when you find yourself thinking of someone, to write them a letter to say "I was just thinking about you..."?).

3) The second "barrel" of Mark and Jane's "double-barrelled Xmas present" hasn't arrived yet.

They always send me a little "grab bag", of peanut brittle and fudge (That Jane makes), and various little fun geegaws and doodads. I always get a big kick out of it.

I was disappointed when I didn't get it by Xmas Eve (And I guess Mark sent it off a week ago), but assuming I will get it, it'll be fun to have that to look forward to).

4) On Xmas Eve, I did get a fun "Xmas present" of sorts: I received my check for the G.E. gig.

For a gig that was set to pay $291.80, which would have been a nice piece of change for a days work, I ended up netting $850 (Some good advice I got on the set�If you're offered an extra gig, and you're going to be amongst hundreds of extras they need for the spot, you should definitely take the gig, cause you can bet you're going to rack up some serious OT, as they deal with all those bodies. And that was certainly the case this time out).

5) I'm afraid I made it sound like I just planned on being unhappy yesterday, but I really didn't; while at work the day before, I bought two videos from the "On sale�two for $12" bin (The Big Chill and Blade Runner), and checked out a book (A new film book by Peter Biskind called Gods and Monsters), to make sure I'd have fun things to do. I also made sure I checked Moviefone.com, to see what would be playing around me Xmas day (Though I ended up not seeing anything, cause the movie I'd really wanted to see�House of Flying Daggers�was no longer playing at the Grove, and I was feeling to tired and lazy to ride my bike any further than that).

I also bought myself a cherry pie�A Claimjumpers frozen pie, which was great-- for what I told myself would be the last major junk food blowout of the year, before the New Year's resolutions hammer comes down on my eating like a hog (I ate half of it yesterday, and the other half this morning).

So I did make an effort to give myself some fun things to do, and treated myself to something I like (A whole cherry pie). In other words, I did what I could to deal with my circumstances. And I have to give myself some credit for that; I tend to think of myself as "wallowing in my unhappiness" sometimes, but most of the time, that's not really true.

And...

6) Mark and Jane called me yesterday morning, and Anita F. (My friend who's turned me on to the idea of becoming a notary) IM'ed me before heading out to her family festivities.

It was both a welcome distraction from the long, lonely day that was laid out before me, and concrete evidence that people do care, much as I might feel, in my more self-pitying moments, like no one does.

There. Now the "Xmas picture" is complete.


 

previous - next

0 comments so far
about me - read my profile! read other Diar
yLand diaries! recommend my diary to a friend! Get
 your own fun + free diary at DiaryLand.com!