foxconfessor: The best Christmas forward

Monday, December 8, 2008

The best Christmas forward

I am a big fan of the emails with all the questions that instruct you to fill in the blanks and send to others in hopes that they are as easily amused as you and reply. And to my delight my sister, Sissy did and I had to copy and paste her answers because they were so lovely and her little family sounds so nice with their holiday traditions that I had to share it with the world (or the 5 people that read my blog)...

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay, Here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy (not forward) this entire email and paste into a new e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person that sent it to you......Tis the Season to be NICE!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. I know it's so Martha Stewart, but I LOVE matching, coordinated wrapping paper, bows & ribbons!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial AND real.

3. When do you put up the tree? The artificial went up the day after Thanksgiving and the real one went up last night.

4. When do you take the tree down? A week or so after New Years.

5. Do you like eggnog? I've never actually had it, but it sounds gross.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? A beautiful Chrissy doll, with gorgeous red hair that you could make longer or shorter by turning a huge knob on her back!

7. Hardest person to buy for? Nobody really - I can think of gifts for just about anybody.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Anybody in my family - we all have lists on the refrigerator.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? I have a beautiful Lenox one and my favorite one is made by Madison out of drinkable yogurt containers. The Fisher Price doll house baby is baby Jesus. Ray threw him in the trash last year by accident and I made him sift through the trash in the middle of the night until he found him!!!!!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I don't send cards out on a regular basis, but if I did - they would be regular mail.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I'm sure there were one or two, but I can't even remember. I think I banished them from my subconscious.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Elf, the Bells of St. Mary's, & Emmet Otter's Jug band Christmas.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I always by something during the year, stash it someplace and forget about it, so I would say all year round!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Sure, who hasn't?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Filet & coconut custard pie from Aunt Linda - not at the same time though!

16. Lights on the tree? Can you ever have enough?

17. Favorite Christmas song (s)? I love Josh Groban (I know, I know) singing O' Holy Night. It gives me chills. But I of course love, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and The Little Drummer Boy

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Usually Christmas Eve is Mom's holiday, but this year I borrowed it! Christmas Day is always spent at home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Comet, & Vixen, Cupid, Prancer, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve? Only the ones from people that won't be around on the Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Crowds, stressing about money and the COLD.

23. Favorite ornament, theme or color? Madison & Mackenzie's baby binky ornaments - they're usually the first ones on the tree.

24. Favorite tradition in your house? Going to the same Christmas tree farm that we've been going to since the girls were little, picking a tree, making a secret bet with Madison & Mackenzie if Dad will say "Timber" or not when the tree falls over. Going to Mass on Christmas Even and then spending the entire Christmas day in pajamas (clean pajamas of course). We don't leave the house, except for Ray, who goes out to get Chinese food, but he even goes in his pajamas. We watch movies, nap and enjoy the day. It's one of my most favorite days of the year!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Peace and harmony in my family.

26. Who is most likely to respond to this? Diane?

27. Who is least likely to respond to this?? Becky's right - my Mom.

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My Best Sellers List...poo on the NY Times

Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe
In typical Bryson fashion, as a reader I am transformed as a world-traveler making my way through some of the best cities in Europe with an ever-present humorous spin. I literally laugh outloud at some of the things that he writes. I'm pretty lame in how little I have traveled outside my own country so to be able to do it from my living room is right up my economy-troubled alley. He visits some great cities such as Parish, Brussels, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm and I am in Rome with him at my current place in the book.
Even if you have traveled to any of those cities I think you will find his accounts hilarious. Definitely a good book for a relaxing Sunday (clue into my weekend there).

The Last Tycoon - F. Scott Fitzgerald
This book was the last written by Fitzgerald before he passed away. It is about a Hollywood producer who has never nor will ever exist as perfectly as Mr. Starr. The story is hard to follow the entire story within the story but he falls in love with a woman who in a twisted series of events he sees and she looks very similar to his dead wife, Minna. The story unfolds into Starr's life and his misses and catches at love - mostly misses. It is told from the perspective of the daughter of Starr's business partner. She tells the tale from an insider's perspective but is also a bit in love with Starr so it's hard to say how accurate her descriptions are.
But the story is finished by another author as Fitzgerald wasn't able to finish it and I would love to have seen the REAL ending. Yes, this ending was written based off his notes but still...who knows where he could have gone with it?

I need to catch up a bit

I was told there'd be cake - Sloane Crosley
I have been reading this in snippets too but it's another funny book that came from my sister. Sloane is a Jewish girl getting her career started in NYC and so far her first "real" job was the assistant of a horrible, manipulating boss that appeared to be the nicest, coolest person until her first day and from then on she found various office supplies being thrown at her head. She lies to get out of work about her aunt dying to which her dragon-lady boss hears the garbled message really saying that her father died...needless to say she got busted. That's all I've read so far...

Are You There God, It's Me Vodka - Chelsea Handler
Fantasticly hilarious book that I read so quickly so I could give it back to my sister but enjoyed reading it so much that it wasn't a chore. The Chelsea you see on her show but just a bit more inappropriate and uncensored. Definitely a good read!

Fast Food Nation - Eric Schlosser
Note: I haven't finished this book yet. It is incredibly robust meaning - densly packed with information and I just can't get through it. In its defense I have been quite busy lately.
I just started this book at lunch today - one of my co-workers brought it in for me. I don't remember asking for it but I'm sure I did and just forgot...so more to come on this...

The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama
Unfortunately I didn't get to finish this book since the library somehow thinks normal people with jobs and a life can finish a 300 + page book in 2 weeks. That's the standard time you get when a book is on high demand. What I did read I really liked and it further solidified my vote for him.

I know there was something in between here other than the House Buying for Dummies book but I can't remember

Paint it Black - Janet Fitch
I happened upon this book while I was wandering around the library before my trip. I read her other book, White Oleander and really liked it.
As usual the writing is very gritty and she really gets the details of the main character to the extreme. This book is about a girl, Josie who is dating what she thinks is the perfect guy - smart, talented painter and loves their "bohemian" lifestyle. Until she gets a call one day from a coroner to identify a body - it was her boyfriend, Michael who had told her he was at his mothers house (world famous pianist) painting and instead ended up shooting himself in a seedy hotel. After this abrupt ending to her fairytale her life takes a turn and you can really feel her pain and she starts finding out who the "real" Michael was.

Marley & Me - John Grogan
I just started this and within 2 chapters I am hooked. I know everyone else has read this book (alas that is what happens when you check books out of the library - you're one of the last to read it) but I haven't heard any spoilers about the ending. I do know the movie is being filmed now. The story starts with the "perfect" newlywed couple with nothing but lovely things; new house, stable income, and happiness?! You know something terrible is going to happen with this dog it has to. The preface is about the main character's childhood dog who was sainted through no actions other than being the perfect dog. That sets you up right away to expect disaster. When they go to get the dog he is the one that charges them instead of shrinking back with the rest of the litter. They think all is great after meeting the mom of the litter, she is sweet and gentle. Right before leaving the house they see the father of the litter go running past them foaming at the mouth covered in mud and burrs. Excellent.
This was a really good book but warning to dog lovers it will make you cry!!

Armageddon in Retrospect - Kurt Vonnegut
More to come as I get into this book. It is the last published work by the amazing Kilgore Trout AKA Mr. Vonnegut. The introduction was penned by his son and provides a wonderful, personal insight to the life of THE MAN (not the government man but the man of all men).
This book is hilarious it's a lot of short stories most of which are war-scenarious and a few are WAYYY out there but all in all it's a great ending to an amazing writers' journey.

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
This was an amazing book I couldn't put it down. The emotions that I felt while reading it were so real - I really felt as though I knew these women and felt their pain. It really puts into perspective the struggles of Afganistan and anyone particularly women who managed to live through the numerous wars and power struggles even as they continue to exist today. I highly recommend this book but be prepared to get angry!

I am America, and so can you - Stephen Colbert
I wasn't sure what I was expecting with this one...but if you are looking for an extension of the persona Stephen embodies on his show look no further. Filled with cut-outs, footnotes, stickers and one-liners this is purely for entertainment purposes only. I think any riveting political reporting will have to be done by real political experts...

Tom Wolfe- I am Charlotte Simmons
This novel is over 600 pages long and I couldn't put it down. Not that the story line is so riveting but I wanted to know if what I thought would happen did.
This was a great companion to my sickness and kept me thoroughly entertained. Tom Wolfe is one smarty-pants author too, I got a refresher course in Philosophy, evolution and being in college. For an old dude he knows the language of college students pretty well all except the "stirring of loins" that made me grimace...

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
What was originally "sold" to everyone, including Oprah as a biopgraphy was in fact one of the best set of lies ever told and packaged as truth. It feels so Mel Gibson in The Hoax...but this was in truth not movie-land.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Monday, December 8, 2008

The best Christmas forward

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