Recovering: Christmas Aftermath…

Friday and Saturday were days of mostly sleep. I also had an everlasting headache. It was not a terrible one, just one that left me unable to concentrate. I guess both things were result of the holiday’s finale.
Okay, most people wouldn’t think such a Christmas day I had would be so exhausting… but for me… I think it was the culprit. I am easily drained by stimuli. I laughed a lot, interacted a lot, the TV was going, people were talking and laughing, the lights were bright… bunch of stuff.
All of that lasted for some hours and I had easily become exhausted with aching muscles by eight or so. Yeah… when that modified to half occurs, I’m usually out for a night and the next day. Well, this took two nights and a day and a half.
My sister stayed the night on Friday. I didn’t wake up until maybe three or three-thirty. My sister got me a gift that dealt with the iPod my Dad handed down to me. It was a speaker thing. Well, they kept bugging me to get batteries in it to make it work since the night before. I didn’t have enough batteries so they got me some during the morning or possibly even afternoon whilst I was unconscious.
So I was sent back to my room for their amusement. I inserted the batteries they got me and checked it out. My player worked. There speakers worked. The player then stopped and said the batteries needed to be charge. I plugged the player to my computer and left my room to inform them.
Well, they just had to listen to it themselves, so after deciding to use the MP3 player my mom got for Christmas as the tester, they began to play music. Now, I listen to music very softly. Usually if a person enters my room they can’t hear it playing. If they can it is likely not loud enough for them to know the words. They cranked it up loud.
Slowly a headache began to form. They continued fiddling and then my sister decided to introduce my father to Pandora. They started playing music on that and for my ears it was loud. My headache grew. I considered retreating to my room, but they were still playing around with the gadgets. Since one of them was mine, I felt it was best I stick around for courtesy sake. (In all truth I was at loss as to why my sister got me the damn thing. If I want to listen to the music on the iPod I’ll use headphones or my computer.)
Since I hadn’t eaten at all that day I began to heat up leftovers from Christmas dinner around four. As I began to eat my father tells me not to fill myself up since we were going out for Chinese. That surprised me really. We likely had a good amount of leftovers after all.
I think it was a bit after that I retreated to my room. Mom came home around five and after a while we headed off for dinner… or in my case breakfast. On the way there I think my headache from earlier was still present. I wasn’t fond of the radio being on and I cringed when my dad decided to sing. He told my sister she reawakened his interest in music again. Inwardly I groaned and believed they shied me away from it. Well, I was saved when we arrived. There we ate, talked and it was overall pleasant.
After that we came home and my mom wished to go shopping to see if there were any good sales. She wanted me to come along and though I was tired and my headache lingered, I followed. My sister came too. Well, my mom looked at clothes and my sister went off on her own.
After a while at the back of the store I saw my sister. We sort of met up. My sister talked about sheets and I remembered something I often thought of getting. It was a sort of pillow that my mom has. Memory foam is what it is made of. I noted it to my sister and I think I ended up noting it to my mom. To my surprise she decided to get me one. She told me to consider it a late Christmas gift.
After that we headed back for home, but stopped at Walgreen’s. Mom wanted to see if there were any sales on Christmas cards. My sister and I wandered around. She looked at various candies. I looked at some, having discovered I could handle a little bit of white chocolate earlier in the month and then just browsed very aisle for the heck of it.
My mom seems to have found her cards and my sister discovered some sort of truffles she liked. They grabbed an assortment that had the kind of white chocolate I sampled earlier in the month. We got in line, checked out and finally headed for home.
I think I fell asleep after that, but woke up in the middle of the night to do a bit of chores and then went to sleep soon after. In any case, I noted my sister was still up or at least had left the lights on in the guest room during that.
It was the former. She couldn’t sleep at all during the night. So, Sister left our home yelling and screaming at around seven the next morning. I wouldn’t know on my own since I was dead to the world. I did get up to get groceries with my dad though. I felt really under the weather though.
My bill for groceries was higher than I expected as well. I was in shock. I then checked the price of an often purchased item. It was a twelve pack of canned tea. $4.19… When I started buying such drinks it was around $2.50… Simply put, I didn’t even bother looking at all the other things that likely went up.
After that we went home and I was out for most of the day. My eldest brother came by and I was woken. I had him open my gift and it seems he loved it. That was good. We later ate dinner and I managed to stay up for the rest of the night because my brother and I watched some House, MD episodes. I don’t recall when I went to bed, but it might have been when my mom did. I pretty much collapsed again despite the night wasn’t as lively as Christmas night.
Sunday… I woke around nine-thirty. I took a shower to find the water was freezing. E. brother took a shower before me and Dad ran the clothes washer on hot. Oi. I saw my brother briefly and ate some cereal. When I made an appearance again my brother had already left since he had to be at work by two or something.
I did my best to stay up the rest of the day, but took a brief doze for at most thirty minutes before my dad and I left to pick up a certain sort of paper for my mom at Office Max and then Wal-Mart to see if there were any cases for my mom’s new MP3 player. After that we came home. I did some chores, I read and pretty much did what I could to stay wake. I think I took a three hour nap because my head was still hurting. I don’t remember when it started or ended though.
Around five or six I recalled I needed to eat something and thus reheated leftovers from the night before. My mom kept wanting for us to watch something together. I just wanted to hole up in my room and keep up my recuperation process. Around seven she calls me to join her and I can’t find it in my heart to refuse. I was admittedly annoyed and inwardly grumpy. In the end, she was wrong about the timing of the show. There was also an overlap on timing because of a football game.
Pretty much we watched the end of 60 Minutes and then watched some show called “Password”. The game show actually amused me and thus lifted my spirits some. Once it was over, Mom turned off the TV since my dad had already gone to bed. I left the room and retreated back to my own after doing a few quick chores.
It was around eight or eight-thirty then. So, in the peacefulness of my dimly-lit room I read. Quiet, shadowed, serene… I was most content in such settings. I rather prefer such after holidays that deal with many people. Yeah, a big family dinner that pretty much requires relatives to come together for just a day zaps away my energy.
Funny thing is my family is small. This Christmas the most people in this house were five. Thanksgiving had fourteen. In all accounts I’m the youngest. Thank god I’m the youngest… crying babies and excited kids would be the death of me.
Sigh… Well, it isn’t to say Christmas was at all bad. I actually really loved this Christmas. I had fun, laughed, talked and such… It is just the aftermath that gets me. It is a good thing I don’t drink. If I am this way just from socializing and having a good time from that… Booze would kill me in a snap. The hangover would likely lead me to smashing my head open with a hammer. Yep.

Auggie Needs a New Toy…

Dad and Mom loved the gifts I gave them and that is all that matters to me. Merry “foot” Christmas. Yes, I told my sister, “You’re Sorry? Sorry my foot!” All in all though, it was a great day. I laughed to the point I got hiccups, got smacked in the face with a germ, dirt and slobber infested chew toy and my parents were apparently moved by my gifts. All is good in the world.

Santa without the Cookies…

Monday night I wrapped my mom’s presents for my sister, my E. brother’s girlfriend and my dad. Usually it is my second brother wrapping up the gifts. This year it is me. I couldn’t help but think with a grin, “Damn… I feel like Santa’s little helper.” Except I doubt Santa’s little helper curses… Bad me. Oops.
After everyone went to bed I went back to a simple drawing I started a week or so ago. I added in the background and what not. I found it a bit ironic that it was a winter scene. After that I might have worked on a concept story I started a long time ago.
Tuesday afternoon I worked up the nerve to call a place I ordered two gifts from. Sadly what they say on the site and what they say on the automated voice machine are two different time zones so overall I think I missed them. All in all I found it nerve wracking since I pretty much am nervous using phones and the automated voice made it even more difficult to follow what was being said.
Tuesday night I helped my mom think up things to put in a gift basket for my brother. It was a basket of necessities like soap, shampoo, tooth paste and such. There were also stocking stuffers to get and what not. I commented she went against her intentions to do no gifts this year. She said it was hard to break tradition.
Late into the night I decided to grab the scanner and load the finished picture onto my computer. Since the two gifts I ordered were apparently not going to happen, I decided to do the next best thing. I scanned it in, colored it in shades of black and white and in the end really liked it. It was now a card. I think after that I worked on that story a bit more.
Wednesday morning my dad went to Wal-Mart to pick up a gift for Mom and get the stock stuffers. I was a bit put off. I wanted to get stocking stuffers. Oh well. I also mentioned to him later that going that early was a waste of time since we would end up stopping by there later in the day for other things.
Around eleven thirty I try calling the place again and to my luck I understood what was being said better, dialed in an extension line and happily got a real person. It seemed one of the things I ordered was no longer manufactured. So, taking time, the lady helped me the best she could, I found another item of similar qualities and asked if it was in stock. it was. I ordered that, changed the note and hopefully it will be shipped by next week. Sigh… late Christmas gift. After the call, simply put my nerves and anxiety left me feeling rather sick.
Around noon my dad came home. We had to put off going to get groceries to one he said. My brother was borrowing the car. It changed to two however because of troubles at my brother’s workplace. In the time between I put the stocking stuffers into order.
Well, my brother came by; we filed into the car, dropped him off at work and headed out to shop. We went to Albertson’s to get groceries. It was a maze for us since we rarely ever enter the place. We got supplies for Christmas dinner and other things simply needed for the rest of the week. After that we left to the outlet mall here. I bought my mom some slippers. In the end she apparently decided she wished to have house slippers, a sewing machine and a collage of the family. This was decided on Monday or Tuesday night, of course.
Dad and I then headed to Wal-Mart to get what was left on the gift list. I got my brother fourteen pairs of thick socks since he wears his out quickly from standing all the time at work. Dad got a picture frame for that collage my mother wanted. After that we headed home and put up the groceries around four.
Once that was done, I wrapped the three gifts we got. Dad left to get ice. I finished the work around five and my mom came home. By then Dad had left to bring my brother back from work. Brother was to stay over for the night. The two of them stopped by Wendy’s and got us dinner. I ate my fill and then decided to lie down. My sleep was not decent the night before and then there was the nerve-wracking phone call, shopping, lights, sounds and what not… I expended more energy than usual.
I suppose I hit the bed around five-thirty or six. I woke again around eleven-thirty. I did some chores, drank the rest of my watered down Diet Coke, read, let my brother borrow a frozen pizza from me, ate some toast and eventually saw Shred on messenger. We talked a bit and caught up on a few things… It was nice.
I stayed up the rest of the night. Around five-fifteen I sent the email card. I meandered out of my room around five-twenty, checked on my cat and said hi to my parents. My mom talked to me a moment and she thanked me for doing all I’ve done – gift wrapping and such. She then slipped though. She said, “It’s a shame you don’t-” I smirked and finished for her, “I don’t have anything to open?” She was caught. I told her she should make up for it by making me good food to eat and left to take one of my “five minutes or less” showers. After that I was becoming considerably hungry and fixed a bowl of cereal.
Now I am here. I might go back to sleep after eating the rest of this cereal before me.

Brokety, Broke, Broke, Broke…

Well, it seems I was misled about my sister’s visit. It seems she is coming down twice. Thursday night I found out she was coming down this Friday to stay the night and then go to a football game with my mother and brother the next day.
So, Friday comes. I was up all night and didn’t go to sleep until seven thirty. I slept until three thirty in the afternoon. I jumped up, did my chores quicker than usual and soon enough my mom comes home.
The time in between I saw three packages for me on the dining room table. Two were for me and the other held the shirts my mom had me order for her. The first two were from a person who accidentally sent me the wrong package and the other was the right one. I opened the right one; it held an envelope with instructions and shipping payment so we could send it back to him. My mom said he was a very nice man based on the phone call he sent to tell us of the problem and how he worked to set things right without causing the customer any true issues. I agreed.
Well, after that we left for my appointment with Wynn. She was running late, so we waited twenty minutes after my appointment should have started. We talked, both she and my mom think I am doing well and I got refill prescriptions from her. Once that was done my mom stopped to fill up her car and then we went to a small grocery store to grab some Sweet & Low.
We got home. My sister had arrived and was with my dad. Talk about eating out occurred. Dad didn’t feel good and thus didn’t wish to eat and my sister wasn’t all that hungry. There are also issues of money. My parents were over drafted or something. So, pretty much… there was no money. I offered to pay for dinner.
In the end it was my mom and I who went. We talked, my mom, brother and sister will still be going to the football game Saturday, so with her, my sister and me pitching in, things should go fine. My mom asked to borrow sixty bucks from me. I said fine.
We picked up my brother to join us and I decided the dinner would be my birthday gift to him. So we ate at our usual Mexican restaurant. Other than getting my order of rice mixed up with fries all went well. When the check came she placed it between my brother and mother. She saw them hand it over to me. Simply put, I was utterly amused. I paid about thirty two bucks for us together, we waited for the charges to be made and talked. I got my card back and soon we left. We dropped my brother off and headed home.
Sigh… pretty much everyone is broke and I am the small cushion for my parents. When I say small, I mean like a decorative pillow small. I will help out where I can. We might not be able to get groceries this week, but I still have enough for my groceries and I think that I’ll be able to get things my parents really need if necessary. Ah… bad economy and the season to be broke. How fun.
Well, the rest of the night was spent watching TV. Around nine that was over and I headed off to my room and read. Around ten-thirty my sister pops up and says she wants a frosty from Wendy’s and asks if I will go with her. I do. Wendy’s however didn’t have the sort of frosty she wanted and when she settled on chocolate they had run out. So, she tried Sonic, but nothing looked good. We passed Dairy Queen. They were closed. Ultimately we stopped at a gas station. She picked up candy and a drink she liked. We headed home and I got back to my reading.
It was around three-thirty when I finished. I might have gone to bed after that… I might have edited a story as well. Oh well. I woke later Saturday morning because I needed to take out that sixty for Mom. Dad drove me and he suggested eighty instead… so I took out eighty. We came home and I gave it to my mom. I then hit the bed again because I was feeling under the weather.
Around twelve-fifteen my dad woke me again to go grocery shopping. I got up, took a shower and we left around twelve-twenty-five once he finally found his keys. He was just getting what was necessary. I got my usual things. While waiting at the checkout though I pull out my wallet to find my card missing. I realized it was in my other pocket. My dad paid for my groceries, which was about twenty bucks and we decided it would be his pay back for the eighty bucks this morning. He’s determined to pay me back.
Well, we got home, put up groceries, retrieved my card and I looked over things on my computer before hitting the bed again. I was out until about five-thirty. I looked over my computer and then ate something since my sleep hindered me from eating anything today. I then edited a story more.
Mom and company returned home around eight. The team they rooted for won. I briefly saw my brother and my sister stirred up the dogs’ excitement again. When things settled down, my dad went to bed, my mother settled in the living room to watch TV and my sister went to the guest room. I wound up going back to bed and woke again at twelve.
I edited some more and dallied on the Internet and eventually hit the bed again around three or four. Around nine I got up, took a shower and went to pick up cake mix from the store with my dad. Monday is my brother’s birthday. Dad decided to bake him a cake. We also got eggs for the mix and some chips since my sister will have lunch here before she leaves for her apartment.
I don’t remember what I did much after that… At some point though I was freezing, so I bundled under the covers and grabbed our biggest cat, Tiger, to snuggle with. Somewhere in that time frame my sister left. My mom went to see her out. I think I dozed after that. Around two or three I awoke. It was finally hot in the house, or at least I was. Tiger was still with me and
when he is all snuggly, purring and happy like that I fear I can never bring myself to get up. At some point my dad came in and I told him I really needed water but another part of me didn’t want to both Tiger, so he came to my rescue by getting me some from my room. After a while I really couldn’t stay there anymore, so I got up.
I went to my room, checked on things, left, grabbed the chips we got for my sister who didn’t eat any of them, Dad told me he was baking cookies and I eventually wandered back into my parents’ room. Mom was ironing and we watched a show about Robinson Crusoe. When that was over I returned the chips and Mom was watching a Hallmark movie I really couldn’t get into. I pretty much wandered back and forth then.
While settled in my room at one point a cat fight occurred. Tiger somehow got out of my parents’ room and the black cat was out of the guest room. I swooped up the black cat and took him away. Tiger hid under the kitchen table and I pulled him out only to find his blood on me. I took him to my parents’ room and saw his ear was hurt again. Mom cleaned it while I held him still and then got some sort of abscess medicine to put on it.
I don’t remember much after that. My brother might have been here around that point. Dad burnt the cookies. I likely kept going back and forth until I finally settled down on my parents’ bed and watched something with my mom. Eventually dinner was cooked. We had spaghetti and I stayed to watch a Hallmark movie that actually interested me some. My dad and brother watched football I think in the living room. Dad baked my brother’s cake and I sampled a bread slice piece. I think the layer of frosting in the middle was too much for me. Too damn sweet. Well, sometime after that my brother left and around eight or so, Mom turned off the TV.
I cleaned the dishes and stuck them in the dishwasher for extra disinfecting. I started a small load of laundry and stuck already washed clothes in the dryer. Then I headed off to my room. Now I am here. Sigh…
Well, this coming week holds Christmas. Nothing should really happen tomorrow or Tuesday, but Wednesday my dad and I’ll go out for groceries and my dad intends to get my mom a music player. I’ll finally be able to get my brother’s Christmas present and have everything squared away.
I guess I’ll see my brother on Christmas and he’ll be there for Christmas dinner. Mom will be working on Christmas, but she’ll come home and I guess I’ll give her, my dad and my brother’s gifts then. The day after my sister should be back down. I’ll give her present to her then. She leaves again the next day I think for something else. Well, after her will come my eldest brother and I’ll finally give him his present. Pretty damn insane, isn’t it?
Well… that is all from what I know. Joy.

Bye-Bye Money, Hello Holidays…

Well, my birthday came and passed. My mom woke me up around nine thirty and thrust my gift upon me. It was a Timex watch my dad picked out. So much for getting the watch I was looking at. It isn’t like he hasn’t done the same thing before when I was looking at pocket watches two years before. Still, ’tis convenient. After that I rose and took a shower since my mom intended to take me out for lunch later.
Lunch was at a German restaurant at the shopping town we go to. I love their hot potato salad despite the fact that they make it a bit too sweet for me. Dad and Mom have different types of soup. It was good. After that we headed home.
Dad decided to stop by the grocery store when we entered town again, however. I didn’t have my wallet on me, but I usually ring up to twenty bucks if I spend right. We shopped, got, loaded and unpacked. I took out a twenty I had stashed away and gave it to my mom since Dad refused it. Peh.
My mom later asked me to go do some errands with her. We stopped at Hallmark to get this year’s ornament. I offered to pay for it. It was around nineteen bucks. I got one out of sheer love over its cat theme and my mom needed some cards. Simply put, it cost more than I thought it would. Oh well… ’tis the season to go broke.
We then stopped by the pet store to get kitty litter and a few other things. It was maybe a quarter ’til four then and my mom stopped by her church. It was something about most confessions happening on that day and Easter. I waited in the car for her about thirty minutes. I feel awkward in churches in truth. Well, Mom returned at four twenty and we left for home. She discussed about different sins… I don’t recall the terms, but how cursing, white lies, giving half truths and such are things people must confess to. I was surprised really.
Well, we came home. Around four-thirty I fell asleep since I only had three hours of sleep the night before. I woke up again around eight thirty I think and left my room around nine thirty. I think I saw my mom before she went to bed and I did some chores.
The rest of the night, I do not know what I did. I might have read, watched something, drawn or what not. I went back to bed maybe around three or four in the morning and did not get up again until maybe one or two Sunday. I don’t remember what I really did other than maybe chores and hiding out in my room with only the computer screen as my light. Yeah, I felt very hermit-like Sunday.
Dinner time came. My parents had onion soup; my brother had baked chicken and potatoes. I had tortellini. Heh, what a mess. There were many dishes to clean that night. I think the night ended watching TV and then cleaning said dishes before retreating to my room.
Monday… I really don’t remember a lick of it. I did chores and what else, I do not now.
Tuesday is clearer. I woke around nine, cleaned, talked to the mailman despite I was not dressed for standing outside for so long, took a shower, did more chores, ate breakfast, read and dosed. I got up, read some more, dosed again later and then saw my parents when they came home. My sister called while my mom was in the bathroom, so I answered, chatted with her… she somehow lost fifty bucks in what I think was tip money. Other than that her life was as usual from what I could tell. My mom finally comes out and I hand her the phone.
My mom had an appointment to see Cindy again, but before she left she asked me to get her Christmas present for my dad for her. She is tight on money at the moment. So, she shows me the site, she picks out the sweaters and while she leaves to get ready I find the cost in all is about eighty-six bucks… Sigh. Well, as said, ’tis the season to go broke. So, I bought them and before my mom escapes I tell her the price. She was surprised. Heh. I told her I might as well say it was from me then. Heh. She said that it was to be from her so she’d pay me back. I argued that it was the gift giving year and all that junk. Ah… little mock fights… how fun.
After that, I ate my second meal of the day, fiddled with my computer and was called away to watch TV with my mom. After that I headed to my room, surf the net a bit and wrote a short story. Now I am here typing this.
I suppose this will be posted tonight. It is pretty long. Other than that, I’ll be seeing my psychiatrist this Friday. A week from now will be Christmas Eve, then will come Christmas day. My sister will come down the twenty sixth, stay the night and go to a football game with my mom and brother. My eldest brother will come down after she leaves and stay for a time length I do not know.
Blah.

Christmas Time is Here…

Well, Saturday was a sleep most of the afternoon away day. Perhaps it was aftermath of the day before? The only thing truly accomplished was getting, bagging, packing and unpacking groceries and cleaning the kitchen. I really do not know when I fell asleep, but I woke around nine in the evening. I tended to the accumulation of dishes in the sink and stayed up. I ordered the shirt I decided to get my eldest brother. The only gift left would be for my second brother. Like my sister I think he doesn’t deserve anything, but have given in when it comes to him as well. I’m getting him socks. Heh.
Sunday I slept until about one since I was up all night. My dad put up Christmas decorations, my mom readied recipes, I watched a movie. My eldest brother and his girlfriend, Eryn, came over and they helped decorate the tree while hanging around and talking. My other brother came over and eventually dinner was cooked up and served. It was a big meal. Minestrone soup, corn on the cob, chicken breasts, salad, monkey bread and scalloped potatoes were the menu. I noted before we all sat down that I doubted I’d be able to eat all the things I liked.
Well, we said grace and then commenced. The meal was good. We talked, laughed and it was pleasant. I ate like how most people eat on Thanksgiving – I ate until stuffed. I even ate dessert which is something I rarely do. After that, I started to feel the effects of a food coma. Mom started cleaning up. My second brother helped her and eventually I did the big dishes when Mom was called away by my eldest brother, his girlfriend and Father.
Once I had that done I began to go into dozing mode. I struggled to stay awake at least until E. brother and Eryn left. They went out and my parents saw them off. Soon my other brother needed to go home so my mom left with him to drop him off. My dad decided to settle into bed and I decided by then it was safe to do the same despite it was only seven thirty.
I rested then and let my body continue in its pursuit to gather all its energy into dealing with the considerable difference in food consuming. My mom returned and was either shocked, peeved or something that Dad and I already headed to bed for the night. After that, I drifted off and didn’t wake again until midnight. Yeah, since Thanksgiving I’ve been mainly sleeping during the day again.
Monday my mom started her vacation, which really isn’t much of a vacation as it is a week to catch up on things she couldn’t get done during the year. She worked on ironing old clothes to be sent off to be resold; she did her exercising, met with a sponsor from her meetings and what not. I was up briefly in the morning to clean the kitchen and tend to some laundry, but eventually went back to sleep to wake up later around evening. I didn’t vacuum her room either since it was full of boxes of old clothes to be ironed. I was awake most of the night.
Tuesday was much the same. I slept until eleven thirty. I got up, tended to the kitchen, started the laundry, saw my mom come in, and took a moment to eat some cereal. My mom had another busy morning. I cannot remember the first exactly, but she did have an appointment with Cindy, my old therapist and then had to take my second brother to an appointment, was dropped off and then I saw her. She got ready to go out for exercising and I meandered back to my room. She left, I read and did a few things and eventually went to sleep again.
Mom returned home and woke me up around four; we watched recorded shows as she worked on more ironing. I vacuumed my room and my brother’s during a break and she kept ironing. Dad came home and the night pretty much went into the usual schedule. By nine I leave and head off to my room after tending to the dishes acquired from evening meals.
I tried to sleep around midnight, but after an hour and a half of no results I rose again and piddled about on the computer. A few hours I tried to sleep again but only started to dose a bit by five or so. I woke around eleven or so. I took a shower, did some chores and waited on my mom. We were to go shopping for gifts for her co-workers. During this time my brother came over as did my father. I think my brother was carpooling. Well, they eventually left and soon Mom and I leave.
She stopped by that shop she was ironing so many clothes for. We hauled in tons of clothes but they only took six things. Poor Mom. They said most of her things wouldn’t sell, which pretty much perplexed both of us. They were worn at most a couple of times and pretty expensive and yet not eligible for sale as far as they were concerned. My mom was pretty angry. We took the rest to the Salvation Army then and headed out of town. After about thirty minutes we arrive to the shopping district. Freaking cold it was.
My mom has three main stores she goes to for shopping there. We stopped by the first a place called “Remember Me, Too”. My mom found things for gifts, but decided we’d return later since there was no reason buying and lugging them around with us when we’d pass by on our way back to the car. So, we continued on. After that we headed on to another store my mom likes. It is pretty damn expensive in there, but they have some really lovely things. Sadly I’m not buying a hanging hand blown glass ornament for thirty bucks much less the crystal statues or glass art that goes over a hundred. Mom did find a small decorative piece to buy though and then we headed out again.
There was an Earth Bound in town and my mom liked sun catcher/wind chime I got in the previous one, so checked inside. I looked around per usual, and eventually pointed out the wind chimes to Mom. She grabbed a few and I got another one to equal out my other two. Our last shopping stop was unsuccessful at a place called “Hen Feathers”. It never interested me to go in there since the things sold were not of my tastes and the shop rarely changed. My mom found nothing in there either, so while we head out I asked Mom about stopping for something to drink since I get dehydrated easily anyway.
We stop at a place called “Java Ranch”. I got a Diet Coke and my mom had some hot tea. We rested there for a while and then headed out once her tea was at the right temperature and what not.
We stopped by the first store again and my mom got some different kinds of soaps she intended to get at the beginning and then to my exasperation she decided to look through the store again. Usually I am patient over such things, but we had already looked through the store and now she was piddling. Well, she got a few more things. I think a candle and two ornament-like items were her finds. Well, before we get to the counter a woman gets there right before us, so we wait. I’m still holding my mom’s drink and my own but am too leery to set them down on any of the display cases. We finally get out of there though and head for the car.
We left the town around three thirty and returned home near four. My mom then got ready to go to the gym and I did my chores. Since I hadn’t eaten lunch at all I cooked a meal and vacuumed while waiting on it. Having eaten I spent a bit of time on the Internet and my father came home. Eventually my mom returns as well and started cooking her dinner as does my dad. They had a meeting to go to. My mom goes for self-help. My dad doesn’t understand the point of such meetings and goes for “the sake of others”. It annoys my mom like mad. I simply tell her Dad is a dork and he isn’t going to get anywhere yet since he hasn’t even gotten near the first step. Oh well.
Well, a bit before the time they leave, I settled on her bed and snuggled up to our oldest cat Tiger. Thursday is my cat’s day of surgery, so I put away all the cat food since he couldn’t eat after six onto tomorrow. I fed him some food twenty minutes before six though. Poor Atty. Anyway, I wound up dozing off around six thirty and woke again once they returned an hour later. Things got settled and we ended the night with TV watching as usual.
At nine my mom decided to watch one more show, so she and I headed out to the living room so my dad could sleep. Halfway into the show I began rearranging the decorations on the tree since some were utterly cluttered, some weren’t hung securely and others were really fragile so I was double checking their sturdiness. I continued on, listening to the show and working on the tree. I continued on after the show ended and my mom went on to bed. Around ten thirty or so I stop, turn off the lights and gather my cat. We headed to my room. I tried to sleep again from around twelve and on, but it was still of little use.
I got up at seven thirty and brought my cat to Mom and he was put in the little kitty carrier to be dropped off at the Vet clinic while she took my dad to work. I headed back to bed then and didn’t wake up until around two.
I did my chores and later helped my mom by putting Christmas letters into envelopes with cards and sealing them. With how dry my mouth and throat tend to get, it was troublesome, but I survived. Heh. At one point she left for her massage and I spent time dusting the house and added dusting the curio cabinet to the list. I then vacuumed and mom soon enough came home again. We left to pick up my cat. He had sleepy eyes but seemed fine. Upon return I placed him in my room with a little food and a bowl of water. I had to go out again. My mother and I went to CVS to pick up some medicine for my mom’s toe and some water for me. We also grabbed some Pledge as we were at it since I used up the can and didn’t get a few things dusted. After that we headed home.
I cannot remember much after that, but I believe we settled down for our usual television watching. Atty was still sleepy eyed but his spunk kept him semi-playful and active. Around nine my mom and I change rooms since my dad wanted to sleep. I fooled with a tree a bit, still looking for kinks in the decorating and the like. Atticus seemed to simply wish to do his usual routine. He didn’t “attack” any of the cats, but he did wander and explore like usual.
When the shows were watched and it was near ten, I grabbed Atty and headed for my room as my mom headed for hers. I think I actually fell asleep around twelve this time, but still did not wake up until eleven. I woke up at that time because my mom came in and asked me to put stamps on the letters I dealt with the day before… so I woke up, never left the bed and got to work. Heh.
I got up, did some chores, ate breakfast and my E. brother’s present arrived in the mail. I showed it to Mom and eventually dad came home, so I showed it to him and I then wrapped it. I also got some little zip-lock baggies that I’ve been needing for a while and spent about an hour organizing stones I collect by placing and labeling them in said baggies.
Now I am here. Later on tonight my mom and dad will be off to the Christmas party at her work. I don’t really know what I’ll being doing tonight. Tomorrow I will be a year older and my mom plans to take me to the town we went to shop at earlier in the week to buy me a birthday lunch. Any other plans are beyond me other than that a week from today I see my psychiatrist. Hum…
Well, I shall be off. I need to vacuum… again.

Oi, Shopping and Haircuts…

Well… Friday was long. I woke around seven thirty, ate a quick breakfast while my mom dropped my dad off to work and waited on her a bit for when we were to leave. We got out of the house around eight fifteen, stopped by the bank and then headed out. We talked some, but I cannot really remember what about since I was feeling under the weather.
I was also a bit tired since I received four hours of sleep the night before certainly, but had woken up around one and couldn’t sleep. I drifted into a slight doze here and there, but that was it. Sleep didn’t occur in the car though. The trip was smooth and we got into the city around ten forty or so.
We entered, stopped for a while and my mom saw some pants she liked. She decided to get them but the cashiers were all elsewhere except this one woman who was dealing with a customer. Mom lost all time and needed to go to her appointment so I told her I’d pay for the pants while she went on ahead. I waited there for maybe ten minutes at most. Why? I had an hour until my haircut appointment. I thought it was a good time to practice my patience as well.
So… that lady in front of me seemed to talk to herself while the cashier was busy fulfilling her requests. In truth I thought the cashier was either slow at her work or she had a lot of clothes to handle. In the end I found out the lady in front of me had one of those headset phones and her hair was pretty much camouflaging it. As for the sales woman, her customer was very specific about the clothes she was buying and needed things to be done just so and whatnot. T’was fine.
What I thought would be at the average of twenty four bucks turned out to be twelve instead. My mom said it was marked off and thus twenty-three something. Apparently there was a second mark off for the item. Heh. So, I tell the cashier goodbye and make my way up to the hair salon. In all irony my mom was waiting on a bench. The lady who dyes her hair was running late. I told her about the sale and said in this case it would be pay back for the meal she’d by me since she always buys us a late lunch afterwards.
Well, we wait, my mom works on a crossword puzzle as I watch. Then she is called in and I follow. As she gets her hair done I work on the crossword myself and eventually the woman who cuts my hair came in. I got up, walked over to her, spoke to her and remembered her birthday was today from the last December I saw her. I left to get my hair washed and then she got to work.
When done, I paid my fee and asked for ten bucks cash back. i usually give her a five dollar tip, but like her last birthday I gave her a ten. I then left the salon and went to the only two shops in the mall I ever really look into.
I stopped by Earth Bound. I got myself a sun catcher and saw photos and paintings on canvas. The first to catch my eye was a flower. It made me think of my sister. Now, I really don’t think she deserves anything this year with what a pain she was to my father, but she is my sister so I decided I’d get her something no more than ten bucks. I thought of just getting her a bunch of fruit candy that she likes since she has a sweet tooth, but seeing the pictures I wondered.
I looked at them all. There were black and white ones of cities, towns and such. They reminded me of a poster she had in black and white of a couple. I also saw one that dealt with New York.
Therefore, three things… I couldn’t really decide so I talked to a worker there. I told her the three things that came to mind. The flower caught my eye because my sister painted them, but I crossed that out since if I did that I might as well get her a blank canvas so she can paint one of it herself. The black and white ones were decided and then I asked her about what ones she thought were nicest. I showed her one hidden in the corner and she noticed one elsewhere. In the end it was down to those two. The one I found semi-hidden was the winner. It was only twelve-something, so I bought it and rambled about how I really didn’t think my sister deserved it. Heh. Still she is my sister and I guess I should get her something… If she doesn’t like it though, I’m not having it returned. Bah.
I left then, thanked the girl for her help and headed back to the salon to show Mom and leave it in her care. Mom liked it and I still thought it was too nice a thing for my sister, but oh well. I then headed out again. I didn’t expect to find anything in the second store I was going to, but it never hurt to browse. It killed time anyway.
When I was done with that I headed back, got the two accumulated bags and took them to the car. Upon my return my mom’s dye job was done and she was waiting for her stylist to finish up on a customer. I took my bag then and waited outside the salon. Sitting on a bench, I took a book out and read until my mom appeared and asked me if I needed to buy anything. I said no. She paid for her dying and haircut, hair supplies and a fifty dollar gift card to the salon for my sister. We then headed back downstairs.
Mom had a few things she wanted to get before we left the mall. She looked for some shirts to go with her new pants and this time didn’t have to wait long to buy them. After that she headed to the makeup counter, got some cosmetics and then saw a gift deal. It was fifty bucks more or less on a makeup package worth three hundred. So, she got it with the purchase of a perfume fragranced item. She said it would be for my sister. I told her I thought that was too much and she was too good a parent.
We talked about it. I said she should take out what she liked and give my sister the rest. Mom actually thought that she might keep it all herself and give my sister the gift card and perfume she bought. I, of course, smirked at that. I really have no idea what she will decide.
We left the mall then. It was around two thirty and we headed to eat a late lunch at a soup and salad buffet. I know we talked in there, but I can’t remember what about. Well, we ate, left and hit the rode for home.
The ride was pretty smooth. There was traffic getting out, but it was normal. We continued on and when we were about an hour away from home the town we entered was getting for a festival and a parade was likely to occur. People were gathered, lanes were closed and we needed to find a restroom. Heh. I pointed mom to a gas station and then we had to find a way to get out of the town since all the turn lanes we would usually take were blocked. We finally lucked out and got on track for home though.
We arrived, unpacked and I showed Dad my gift for my sister. Once settled we went out for dinner. We ate Chinese, came back home and did our usual ritual of watching a few television shows before going to bed.
I retired to my room around nine, checked a few things and started writing this.

Somnia…

Well, Sunday my dad managed to fix my computer. My video card was halfway melted so he took out one from one of our old computers after finding out none of the stores here carried AGP cards. It took a while and we had some troubles to get it to work, but everything is running smoothly now.
I think I slept most of the day in result of Saturday. Little sleep Friday night, the killer headache, the long car ride and the socializing seemed to be the reasons in all logic. I think it might have worried my dad. Mom understood though.
Later on we had dinner. My brother came over to eat with us and at one point was seen coming out of my room. I hate it when people enter without my permission… It is fine if I am in there while they are, but without me… I get nervous. Habit. My parents were worried since my mom left some of her jewelry out in the open of my room. They checked and everything seemed to be there.
Monday I slept a lot as well. This time was due to allergies. I was very stopped up. The runny nose didn’t help either and thus I had trouble breathing. Lying down seems to make me breathe easier. I usually end up falling asleep for a while from simply lying there and trying to breathe. After a while I’m completely cleared up. Sometimes once I get back up the difficulties rise again but other times I stay cleared up for a good long time.
When I did more chores that day however, the vacuum suddenly died on me when I only had about four by four feet of carpet left. I have no idea what happened but by Tuesday it seemed to work again. Tuesday was pretty much normal for me until around five.
My mom popped in a few minutes before five and asked if I would go shopping with her since there was a sale going on. I went, watched her pick out clothes mostly for the Christmas party at her workplace coming up. After that we stopped by the pharmacy to pick up some meds for me. Only half of the order was fulfilled. Simply put my mom was annoyed. We then stopped by a small grocery store to pick up a lot of distilled water and by request was got some cheese and chips since I wanted to a BLT that night. We got home, my mom showed dad her pickings and I made my sandwich. The rest of the night ended as usual.
Wednesday was basically a sleep like the dead day. I have no idea why, but staying awake was not my strong point. To my relief, I managed to get my chores done before my parents arrived home though.
Well, that is the week so far. This Friday my mom and I will be off to get haircuts. Next week on Thursday my cat will go in for surgery. Saturday on the thirteenth will be my birthday. The Friday after on the nineteenth I see Wynn. Then Christmas will come. Busy month this shall be.