the november update

So I started November with a status update that read "Guh, November.  Ya hate it, right?"  And I must have cast a spelled with those words because the month was over before I knew it.  Really... it went by so fast I have no idea where the time went.  You can tell it surprised Sophia as well; she took a brief moment to stop sleeping on my fucking pillow to say "Wa-HAY, it's over!"  What's funny is that I kept notes of what I did this month (surprise!) and when I sat down to write this puppy I kept reading them and going "Oh yeah, that happened.  Oh, yes, that did as well," but if you asked me to think about the time they each took it's just surprising to me.  That's all.

I like to think October that wraps up Fall but really I suppose it is November (sigh,) or at least this year it was.  Usually Thanksgiving falls just a teensy bit sooner in the month so with it being almost at the bitter end of it this year, it REALLY kicks off the holiday shopping season.  The annoying thing about it is that people didn't really start buying Christmas gifts too much this month (I speak for my own store, no one else's, natch) and instead fell back to what they usually fall back on; Black Friday.  Now for all the stress it causes Black Friday should be a holiday in and of itself, from all of the stress it invokes in people.  And really it's like a bandaid, the sooner it comes the sooner you realize it isn't THAT big of a deal.

But this year with the holiday falling so late you suddenly had everyone screaming "Oh SHIT, Christmas is less than four weeks away!"  Somehow they feel they have less time to shop this year than they did before because, y'know, you can't start shopping for gifts until 8pm on Thanksgiving day.

Oh wait, that's just crap they want for themselves.

The month started with me throwing all of my Christmas decorations up right away.  Technically it started with a trip to Lambeau Field with Miss T to see the traveling exhibit of Superman costumes (check it out, Caramello,) but I digress.

Ok, wait.  I'm lying again.  The month actually started with me singing karaoke in public for the first time ever.  I don't count that mess I was in Chicago when I was 18 and trying to sing AC/DC at the Hard Rock Cafe.  I was also dressed as Superman for this.  At the point pictured below, I was probably singing "Sweet Transvestite" and bringing the house down ::tosses hair::

Again, I digress.

With Christmas decor I figured why the hell not; you don't get much time with them, I live alone, and they make me happy.  And that's logic ya just can't argue with!  It was nice to go through all of the decorations I have and pitch a few, but to also see the things I've collected over the last couple years in one place at the same time.  It feels homey but different seeing as I don't have a full-sized tree this year.  There just isn't the space for it and I'm not one to cram it in the corner just to make a point.

I do have a little silver tree I made last year and finally finished a month ago, and it's all I need for the symbolism of the holiday.  Because of course there are the scattered ornaments, the lights, faux snow and a few well-places garlands and wreaths to gimme the rest of those feelings.  I do what I can.  I did make a fun tree (seen above) from an idea I stole from the Beekman1802 website.  I bought those icicle ornaments maybe four years ago, and then the following year bought more and decided to mimic the way they had displayed them at the time in their store (photo was online.)  So I cut off the top of my parents tree after the holiday had wrapped up and let it die outside in the sun throughout the year.  When Fall came, I pulled all of the pine needles off and then spray painted the whole thing white and silver.

Then I got lazy and never finished it until this Fall when I finally cemented it in a galvanized pot so I could display it en mi casa.  And if the ends justify the means then no one has room to complain.  Right?  Right!  Betcha didn't know I knew Spanish, either!  #pequito

I did get a ton of writing done this month and that's always something I am happy about.  I'm a little amazed that I started AND finished a major edit for each of my three books within a 12 month period.  I shouldn't jinx it because I still have about two chapters to go on the third book, but that is the final steps of editing and not the "sit down and cross stuff out with a red pen" steps.  I hit a small detour because I realized the climax of the book is a piece of poop and it needs to be fixed fairly badly.  In the past I thought "bigger is better" so I ended the first book with a pretty decent climax, the second with an AMAZING one, and then the third with this kinda... sad, lonely look at things that really leaves the viewer a little angry with it.

So the goal was to take what I have and expand it.  Add a little excitement, a few more explosions (you can NEVER have too many (maybe you can (not in my world you can't (until you can,))) and a little more drama to get the reader invested once more.  It's just about there and in a week or less it will certainly be there, and I can't wait.  Because ::drumroll please::: when the edit is finished I can move on to something really exciting, but until I get it done, I can't say ::drumroll stops::.  On this I shall not jinx myself.  Just know something HUMONGOUS is probably/most likely coming in December and you're gonna want to know about it when it does.

Hope THAT got your intrigue!

The Saturday before Thanksgiving this year was the fifth annual Apple Pie Contest @caitcd hosts every year, and it was also my fourth consecutive time judging.  Not that I pride myself on it (I do) but it's always a fun night and one I look forward to every year.  @markstyleme was able to partake in the judging this year and took it verrrrry seriously but even he was cracking up during the judging process.  I can't say it enough; after a couple tastes of pie you start identifying which ones are super good and which ones are super bad.  This year there were a record 19 pies entered, and we don't only take ONE bite when we judge them, we take two.  That's a lot of fucking pie!  Eventually you are cracking up over how some taste and then getting wide-eyes as a group when you bite into the fantastic ones.  @klreynol was there for the third year in a row and she was also the third place winner this year, so it was a great evening for all.

And aside from all of that, it's the one time I get to pull out my "I'm Judging You" pin and have people go "Oh, the PIES, he's judging our PIES!"  To which I nod enthusiastically and with a subtle wink.  Not too subtle though.

Then came the Parker Family Thanksgiving the next day, held a few days early due to scheduling conflicts that you only really encounter as a family once in a while for the important stuff.  At first I was really moody about the whole thing because as a family we have always celebrated Thanksgiving on the day of and NEVER at another time; what I found was that the holiday is fine being celebrated at any other time because what is important is being together with family.  And not necessarily getting drunk on wine the day of, part of it from canned wine (yes, canned wine (with a straw (boom.)))

Not that I got drunk on wine...

Couple days later and we come to the Appleton Christmas Parade, to which I now go every year and wonder about half-way through each year why I came again.  This time in particular it was freezing cold, but I had Miss T and her husband J there and it was both of their first times at the parade, respectively.  As usual the enormous flatbed of hot air balloon baskets pulling their jets was a crowd pleaser and it certainly heated us up.  So did the Bailey's in my coffee thermos but that was a secret very few were in on.

Thanksgiving itself was spent with the Reynold's family and it was the second time this year I was included in their festivities (the first being Easter when my parents were in Indiana.)  It was great getting to spend the holiday with my best friend and her family.  I suppose as we grow older we find that traditions begin to die out from they always were, and then it's time to make new ones.  We would all do to grow a little from changes like this.  And to be honest, having two huge meals in a week and getting to enjoy your life a smidgen more makes everything okay in the end.  I also got to indulge in Pecan Pie twice this year so let me rub my growing belly and smile about that too.

@klreynol and I took a picture to send to our co-workers and I felt it only appropriate to cross my eyes.

Am I getting a butt-chin?  Oh, I am?  Well... does it at least make me look distinguished?

Perfect.

So what else happened in November?  Started singing to nearly every song I know in lieu of more karaoke fun to come, made a whole gaggle of new friends and called to rest a discrepancy with an old one.  Saw Thor 2 (waaay better than the original,) saw Catching Fire (waaay better than the original,) and finally got caught up on all of my TV shows.  Learned I suck at working with pastry dough, can't stop drinking Eggnog until the carton is gone, and apparently a) can't impress people I'm not interested in to begin with and b) can't be impressed by people I thought I may be interested in and then wasn't.  Finished another Harry Potter book, got nostalgic about things I can't change and wouldn't want to, decided to keep growing my hair out, and succesfully completed my NINTH Black Friday in retail!

Huzzah, wench!

Bring on December, baked goodies, and the music!  The sweet, sweet MUSIC!  Ciao!

Updated!!!!!

I was at Miss T's on the 30th for a holiday gathering she was hosting and I was in the midst of conversation in her living room.  At one point I was talking to my friend Kyle and her old-lady cat jumped up ont he tv stand.  Kyle casually says "Careful Jetty, don't light your tail on fire."

Jetty promptly dropped the end of her tail in a burning candle; her tail LITERALLY released a small burst of flames.  Kyle screamed and smacked it, snuffing said fire and igniting my annoying, uncontrollable laughter.  Happy November!