This weekend was Thanksgiving break.
I got no rest, I stressed about school the whole time, and nothing went right.
I cried a lot.
The end.

It just wouldn't be a family get together without countless admonitions to lose weight, take out my nose ring, go back to my natural hair color, and vote Republican. I love Thanksgiving.

Superprops to Chris Bray for getting my new website up and running. Once I've bought a couple HTML for Dummies books and some cool software like PhotoShop or Dreamweaver, I'll start doing some rad stuff with my new website. Go check it out. www.superlori.com.

Dang it, I'm on my parents computer and they don't have javascript and I don't have time to download it. I can't work the links. Scotty, if you get time today, will you enable my links? Chris Bray's site is zenandjuice.com. Gotta give credit where credit is due. *wink.

I ask Scott because for him, today is not a holiday. For US (pun on us and U.S....) it's Thanksgiving!!! Scoredy-score-score! My family is being ridiculous though, Aunt Donna doesn't want to start lunch until 3:00. Are you kidding me?? We usually have to wait 'til 2 as it is! There's no way we're gonna be able to wait 'til 3 to eat! She's crazy. I want some turkey.

My family makes great food. For Christmas every year we have Christmas Eve Breakfast-for-Dinner, and we eat chocolate gravy and biscuits. I was sad that Scott was going to have to miss out on this delicious cuisine, but he's in luck! Mom said she'll make it TWICE! Once for Christmas Eve, and then one day when Scott and I are down here!

I met my new step-grandma. She's so cool. She's real spunky (a word only used to describe older people), and girly, and she fawns all over my grandpa. They're like two teenagers. Gross me out. Haha. They PDA- it's so weird. I think it's great though. Why should people be expected to stop adoring each other just because they're senior citizens? They're newlyweds. Let them act like newlyweds.

So far it's been good to be back home. Aside from Mom waking me up at 7 this morning. Other than that, it's been great.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

- there we go, all the links are nice and linked. Scott

Christmas Shopping

Oh, kind visiters, do not move swiftly on to the next recently published blog. This is no rant on the consumerism of Christmas. Quite frankly, it doesn't bother me.

No, instead, this is much less interesting.

I finished my Christmas shopping last night. Well, incidently. Incidently is probably not the word I really mean to use but I'm using it. I still have a few friends that I should probably buy gifts for. But Kim said she wants something I've made, so score! that'll be easy, and Ingrid- well, Ingrid doesn't like anything we get her (*wink) so I still have to think hard on that. But as far as family and boyfriend and best friend go, I am fini!

A lot of people in my circle of being have this huge anti-Christmas shopping attitude. I suppose I can understand, the whole missing the meaning of Christmas thing- but in having an anti-Christmas shopping attitude, we miss another meaning of Christmas. Christmas is ultimately about giving. It is celebrated because God gave his Son to us on earth so we might have eternal life. That's the best present anyone could ever dream of. So we have this tradition of giving gifts to others.

Now the truth of the matter is, it doesn't matter what is given. It's the thought that counts. There is a huge problem of the giving side of things being replaced with the getting. "It's the thought that counts" doesn't apply anymore. However, this shouldn't mean that giving presents at Christmas is a bad thing.

I love to give things. I love to spend my hard-earned money to get something for someone else. I like to buy someone's meal if I have the money to do it. I like to see something in a store that someone I know would like and pick it up for them. So Christmas is a lot of fun for me. I love finding that perfect gift. I love coming home with tons of shopping bags and look through everything and know that very little of it is for me. Then I love to spend the afternoon wrapping everything. I love watching someone open the gift I got them and see them get super excited if I did good.

Many people in my circle think that the best gift is something that you made. One year, a friend of mine bought nothing and made everything- a song for his mom, a mix tape for his brother, etc. I think that's great. But let's not judge everyone for not making their gifts because frankly, not everyone is creative like that. And in my case, not everyone's family would like that. My family is great, but truthfully, if I painted a picture for my mom, she'd like it and then put it in the closet. Or if I wrote a poem, they wouldn't get it. They just aren't artistically appreciative people. It's no fault of theirs. It's just how they are. My mom would prefer a DVD over a painting any day. For me to give her something I made would be me trying to make her into something she simply isn't, which is precisely what I hate for people to do to me.

So I guess this did turn into a rant. A rant for the other team. Sorry if I misled you. I misled myself.

Greetings, gentle bloggers and blogreaders:

On this 25th of November (Isn't this someone's birthday? Robin? Jon March from my Pakistan team? Andrew? If it's Andrew, I'm a horrible person for not remembering...) Sorry. As I was about to say....

Forget what I was about to say, who's birthday is it today??? I think it's Andrew. Aha! It is! Andrew, happy birthday! I'm so glad I remembered. And I'm so glad you don't have a permanent place of residence and/or email so I'm off the hook for not remembering. Taylor, tell Andrew happy birthday and to be a good 22 year old.

OK. So now I can say what I was gonna say.

I don't remember now.

Oh well. It's almost Thanksgiving Day, folks. I love Thanksgiving. I love the food, I love getting together with my loud and crazy family, I love hearing my Aunt Phyllis scream about everything, I love my Uncle Jon poking everyone in the ribs when they least expect it, I love getting out of school for a few days just a week before finals. So in honor of Thanksgiving, I shall make a short, not all inclusive list of the things I am very thankful for.

1. Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.
2. God's "sovereign pleasure" in keeping me alive and keeping me for one of his own.
3. A family who loves me and supports me and is funny about it. (A family who stopped paying for my college because of my nosering- I'm thankful for you.)
4. A good job and a wonderful boss. Jamie (along with Wade Ogle) is the best boss I've ever had.
5. Scott because he likes me no matter what I do or say. He really likes ME. He's very special to me.
6. Andrew because he's taught me so much about myself and the world. He's very special to me.
7. Amanda because she's been there for me for as long as we've been "real" friends, and I love her very much. But if she was a boy I wouldn't marry her, because she's not my type.
8. My apartment, my car, and all my other provisions.
9. Music, art, literature.
10. All of my friends, which I won't list because I'll hurt feelings if I forget one. All of my friends mean something very special to me. But I will say especially Ingrid, Taylor, Joshua, Kristen, and Devon.

Thanks, Jesus, for everything and everyone you've given me.

Happy Thanksgiving, all, even you from other countries- you can be thankful on this day, too. (It's always the 4th Thursday of November.)

I don't know what the deal with my photo album is, I'll find out why those pictures are down.

Meanwhile, I finished my self-portrait tonight.


I think it looks like me.

I got to thinking today. I think the strangest couple would have to be between a lesbian and a transvestite. Because the lesbian could fall for the girlness of the male transvestite because she looks like a girl but to be with the transvestite, she'd really be being with a man and if she's a lesbian she wouldn't want to be with a man. And the transvestite could like the lesbian but it would have to be a situation like he was a man who believed he was meant to be a girl and to be a lesbian girl. Which in that case he might as well be a straight man. But it's all possible. So it's strange.


Next topic.
I had the most awesome priviledge of hanging out with Taylor this weekend.

He came down from Waco for the Aqueduct show and afterwards he and his brother Andrew stayed at my house. We were up all hours of the night talking about the olden days when me and T would talk about girls, and T would rub my shoulders (the Rudds have amazing massage capabilities), and all other sorts of lovely reminiscing. Also stay tuned for Andrew's new blog which he will begin in the weeks to come.


Neeext topic.
I need to find something cool to do for New Year's. Scott will be here, and his people apparently really party it up on New Year's. I've been lame for the past -- my whole life at New Year's so I gotta find something cool to do to impress him. Although he'll argue "You don't need to impress me" or something equally boyfriendy, it's still true.


Last topic.
So I've decided I like Justin Timberlake. So what. He was funny on Saturday Night Live. That's the only reason.

Easy like Sunday morning...

Ok so it's Saturday. Close enough.

Oh, what a lovely this weekend 's been already!
I got to bed early last night and awoke late today.
Last night, Amanda and I went to Dixie Cafe
and Emily and Bradley came o'er later.
I dyed my hair Medium Golden Brown and 't looks nice.
This morning before e'er getting out o' bed
I finished the reading of King Lear.
Now, 't being 11:45 am I am eating a bowl of Chex
and blogging.

Tonight is the Aqueduct show at JRs.
I've no cause to leave the house 'til then.

Weblog Fire Escape

If you kindly look to your left you will see a little green escape icon. Folks, this is for all you at work right now. When you see this little icon, you can be sure that you won't get fired for doing unworkrelated work. If you would like to use this to the fullest, click here to set your own mock work page. Anytime you're reading a blog that has this handy little icon, and you hear your boss walking down the hall, click on the icon and you will immediately look like an intent employee.

Always well meaning,
Lori.

I'm working on an Alter Ego blogger- I don't understand why they keep changing the format. I want to cry. Alter Ego coming soon.