I'm off to Knox-Vegas.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I am preparing to do something gauche.

I am going to go Christmas shopping in my own house. I bought tons of stuff at the after-Christmas sales last year, and I have baskets of never-used bath and beauty products, shelves of never-read books, boxes of never-brewed Gevalia coffee, and a bunch of wooden doodads that Daddy made for me while he was practicing his lathing skills. Plus, I have stockpiled baking ingredients--3 different kinds of flour, chocolate chips, butterskotch chips, Heath bar chips, peanut butter chips, peanut buttter, Nutella, butter, margarine, and spices. I could put together a dozen gift bags and never break a sweat. (I also have a closet full of unused gift bags, tags, ribbons, bows, and decorative boxes.)

So, I'm going to do it. And if that makes me a tacky sort of person, so be it. There's a recession going on, you know.

Now, sing with me...

I'll be gauche for Christmas.
You can count on me.
I have stuff
That's good enough
For presents under the tree.

Free Books!

Simon and Schuster UK is giving away free books again, and there's a big honkin' bunch of them to choose from. Go here and select one for your very own self.

I hate Facebook so, so much.

Here's my latest email exchange:

Hi,
We were unable to find an account associated with the email address you
submitted your question from.

If you have a Facebook account that is associated with a different email
address, please email us from that email address and copy and paste this email
into the new email, so that we may confirm your account ownership for security
purposes. Please include your name and date of birth (month/day/year).

If your issue has since been resolved, no further action is needed on your part.

If you're experiencing other issues with your Facebook account, please visit
http://www.facebook.com/help.php

Thanks,
The Facebook Team
************************************************



Facebook Team:
I don't know how that is possible, since I signed up with that address, and you sent me both a confirmation email (see below):

Hey (my name),

You recently registered for Facebook. To complete your Facebook registration,
follow this link:

(link deleted)

Facebook helps you communicate and stay in touch with all of your friends. Once
you join Facebook, you'll be able to share photos, plan events, and more.

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

And a welcome email (see below):

Hi (my name),
Your account has been created — now it will be easier than ever to share and connect with your friends.
Here are three ways for you to get the most out of it:
Find Friends
Find people you know on Facebook using our simple tools.
Upload a Profile Photo
Personalize your profile and help your friends recognize you.
Edit Your Profile
Describe personal interests, contact information, and affiliations.

If you have any questions, reference our New User Guide.
Thanks,
The Facebook Team Sign in to Facebook and start connecting
Get Started

...to that very same email address, which is (my email address). Plus, I keep getting invitations to add Facebook friends at that very same email address.

So obviously, the problem is on your end. And I've been to http://www.facebook.com/help.php several times, and it's pretty much useless for dealing with my issue.

BTW, this is me:

(Facebook link)

My birthdate is October 6, 1960. Please fix this, because I'm getting pretty damn frustrated dealing with the issue.

Okay, okay.

There is one fun thing about Facebook. You can set the language option to English-Pirate. Avast there, ye scurvy social networkers!

I have a Facebook account now.

And I loathe it with the heat of a thousand suns. I set it up this morning, and when I tried to log back in this evening, it wouldn't recognize my password or my email address, which means that it won't let me reset my password, and I'm pretty ticked off. Fortunately, I kept my confirmation email, and I was able to get back into my account through the link in it. But with each passing minute, I despise Facebook more and more. The format is annoying, I cannot get it to upload pictures beyond the userpic, the FAQ is useless, and I resent having to sign up for the damn thing in order to participate in the Cultural Arts Committee.

BTW, if you couldn't hear it, I just stamped my foot like a five year old.

Happy Veterans Day

To all the veterans of the United States armed forces, including my father, who served in the Navy in the late 50's. We honor your service.

I just keep shopping.

I went to Peeble's last night to buy a basic skirt and a basic pair of trousers. I came home with a basic skirt, a basic pair of trousers, and three dresses. But they are totally amazing dresses.

One is a short, very mod little empire frock in a black/purple wooly paisley. It will look cute with tights and some of my new pointy-toed flats.

Another one is a knee-length, black/white A-line sweater dress that looks a lot more expensive than it is. It will look fantastic with black boots, chunky black/white bangles, and one of my many fabulous black hats.

The third one is a red sweater chemise with an oversized cowl neckline, and I bought it, because it reminds me of a fabulous red sweater dress that I had in college. In fact, I think I can trace the birth of my signature style, if I can be said to have a signature style, to that sweater dress.

I grew up in a house where pretty clothes were valued. My mother loved pretty clothes, and my father was a clothes horse. It didn't hurt that they were both very attractive, slender, dark-haired, dark-eyed people, and therefore could wear pretty much anything well. I was always a chubby kid, but I picked up my love of pretty clothes from my parents.

We were fairly poor when I was a little girl, at best lower-lower-middle class, and we lived in a rented four-room house until I was 11, while my parents saved for a house. But my mother could sew, and she sewed for me and for herself, so I always had nice clothes, even if they weren't store-bought. Then my mother went to work for a wholesaler when I was in middle school, and suddenly, we had access to fashionable (if not designer) clothes at wholesale prices.

By the time I was in college, I had a fantastic little wardrobe, and I dressed up for school, which is where the red sweater dress comes in. It was an A-line dress with a fitted turtleneck, and I wore it alone (I was so much thinner then) or with a blue/red/green plaid blazer and a matching plaid tam. When I wore all three pieces together, people oohed and aahed and told me I looked like I had stepped out of Vogue Magazine. And that's all it took. Red has been a signature color in my fall/winter wardrobe every year since I was 19 years old. :-) And, of course, hats...

I have shopped again.

Another pair of low-heeled shoes.


Apparently, these are from JLo's collection. Who knew?

The process of buying new shoes has begun.

My first three purchases:



Penny <3 Kenny (only in dark brown, instead of black)


Nine West


White Mountain, and an incredibly comfortable pair of shoes, if I do say so myself.