almost christmas, not quite

before i speak of our nice, long weekend away, some random thoughts:

[i]
the hairs when not touched by professional hands, let down to to dry naturally, and dabbed with a little bit of product.
1. i need to be more heavy handed with the product. this is bordering on ajumah poof [this is really the best definition/translation i could find online. someone needs to write a better one!], and we can't have that when i haven't even hit thirty yet.
2. if the hair is curled, the downward-pointing lashes should most definitely also be curled. heck, those lashes should be curled every day.
3. the length is aiite for my natural hair texture. it looks much better when flat ironed. this lazy potato is a bit saddened. if only i had wash 'n' go hair, since i usually treat it like that anyway.

[ii]
888. the number of entries on my google reader waiting to be read when i returned from a mere three days away from internet access. i know some would think this a rather lucky number of entries, but it's a bit overwhelming. luckily, a couple hundred were from my news feeds, which i promptly clicked "mark as read."

i found complimentary internet access in the hotel lobby on our last morning there.

[iii]
i have not read for pleasure in, oh, um...oh heck, i can't even remember the last time. i couldn't find a magazine that peaked my interest at the airport, so i picked up a paperback instead. syrie james' the lost memoirs of jane austen is definitely a quick, fun read if you're a jane austen fan.

the premise is that jane austen's long, lost memoirs have been found and edited into this volume (when in fact it is all fiction). the author's style mimics austen's well enough, and more importantly, it's the first book/movie/work of full or partial fiction in a long, long while that has made me suspend disbelief, as i believe any good work of art should, so fully. the author also rather skillfully intertwines austen's true whereabouts in certain years, her supposed experiences at the time, and how those influenced, informed, and appeared in austen's novels. i guess the girly girl in me, who has been so lucky as to have experienced being romanced and is experiencing a marriage based on love, truly hopes deep down that she also was able to experience such a thing in real life and not just through observation and creation of characters. after reading this book, i want to go back and re-read all of her novels again.

this is probably the last "for fun" book review you'll get from me for a long time.

[iv]
i came home all motivated to clean things up, wrap up the last of the gifts, write a few last cards, get the laundry done, catch up on blogs/bills/email/facebook/messageboards, finish our parent albums which we are giving them as part of their gifts, deadfile bills that are past 7 years old (yes, i'm that crazy anal), gather up donations and load them in my car so i can give them before year's end, put some more ornaments on our poor three that still only has three on its branches, and other thrilling miscellany. however, i instead got sucked into the internets where reading an email here and a blog there has gotten me into a pensive, think-too-much, melancholy mood. i know! it's christmas! chin up, potato! but that also means it's year end, and this year is ending much too quickly without enough room nor time to think. maybe i should stop blogging and find some alone time.

anyway, without thinking, i know this year has been a blessed one, the next two days will be filled with fun, some more family time (as if this weekend wasn't enough already ;)), hopefully some reflection on why i celebrate, and tons o' food. i wish you all a happy holiday and hopefully some rest from work as well!