Merry Christmas Eve

And the snow just keeps coming. We've gotten a lot more snow since I last posted. The temps dropped so low that pipes started feezing and bursting, including one in my building last Sunday night.

I hope everyone is staying warm and safe this Christmas Eve and to my friends and loved ones, my heart and thoughts are with you tonight.

Here's some more photos of our 'winter wonderland'.

(above) One of many leaks caused by the burst pipe

(below) The icky water that came in.

But the damage was minimal (thank goodness I was home) all in all it could have been worse.



The morning after shows signs of last night's drama

Well that about wraps it up. As I type this I can hear carollers outside my apartment. Do people still do that?? Sweet! They sound a little sauced and are getting some of the lyrics wrong but whatever. Wait, they just ran out of ideas for Christmas songs and are laughing hysterically. (I'm reporting this to you live as it happens). They just started "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" but only knew the first two lines and stopped. Now they've descended into "Give me the beat boy and free my soul I wanna get lost in the rock 'n roll and drift away" LMAO they are too funny. Okay, now they are back on the Christmas track with the Little Drummer Boy.... and I think that was their encore because it's quiet now.
Well, someone was filled with Christmas spirit(s) tonight, how funny.

After that all I can say is Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night :)

Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow!

No, No, No, No, No!

Is this Seattle or Minneapolis? It feels like I've been transported home. Which is nice but, I've had my fill of snow now and I'm remembering why I hated winters in Minnesota.

But the snow does have a magical effect on people - it managed to turn these IT professionals into little kids having a snowball fight.


Yes, that's me wearing reindeer antlers. The santa hat looked even sillier on me.

The grounds of our building at Alaska Air.

Oh, what a beautiful morning

The cute little birdhouse my mom made for me is closed for the season.

The Clubhouse, as seen from my porch. I love to use the jacuzzi and swim in the

heated pool, but the short walk back to my apartment with wet hair kinda sucks.

Around the yard you see lots of snow-covered vegetation

At least someone is enjoying all this snow. The wet, crunchy snow makes great snowballs.

I hope he's planning on making a snowman with that thing.

Photos of our decorations and holiday gatherings at work coming soon along with other random photos I've taken during the holidays.

Cozy Kitty

It's been quite chilly and snowy here lately and in the interest of saving some dough on heat, I bought a soft, warm throw for the sofa.

A lotta good it did me.

Naughty little blanket thief.

This is where she's supposed to be.

That's right, you just stay there little stinker.

Reflection of Kitty looking out the window at the snow. I'll have more snow pictures posted tomorrow.

Let It Snow!

Well, it looks like I brought a little bit of Minnesota with me. This photo was taken last Sunday. It snowed Saturday night and it's been cold and snowing off and on all week. The roads have been a bit icy which has caused lots of problems, especially with all the steep hills. Myself, I don't understand what the big deal is - just use a little sand and salt and you're good to go, but I guess it's not that simple here? The good news is, many are afraid of driving in the snow and stay home. My commute to work this morning was so fast and smooth, I practically had a lane all to myself :)

The other good news is the snow makes it feel like home and inspired me to put up lights in the bedroom.. err.. ahem.. Kitty's bedroom. She likes the lights though, and she makes a nice window ornament, dontcha think?

Since I've had my dose of snow now, I decided to cancel my reservations for the lodge at Mt. Rainier. I might still drive up there but there's no need to stay the night. I'm going to take the $150 I would have spent at the lodge and give some to my neighbor in an anonymous Christmas card. She's a nice old Ukranian lady named Lydia - her health is poor and she can barely afford to pay for rent/utilities/food. Every year I do a random, anonymous act of kindness like that for someone in need. It's fun because I just know it brightens their day, and I think it brightens mine to an even greater extent. The rest of the money I will save for hot cocoa steamers. Yes, I've come to realize that the thousands of little drive-thru coffee places around here are not completely useless to me - they make a great cup of cocoa. Add a little french vanilla or peppermint flavor and some whipped cream on top and I'm hooked!

photo found here: http://writelysew.wordpress.com/2007/12/04/cocoa-recipe/

That's all for now. I'll have more miscellaneous Christmas photos posted soon.

Merry Christmas From Me To You

I've been working hard on a little photo project lately. I've had a few requests to use my photos as wallpapers, and as usual I have no problem with that; except the size and resolution of the photos taken directly from this blog are perhaps not ideal for use as desktop wallpaper.

I began turning some of my photos and other graphic creations into widescreen wallpapers for my own use awhile back and have decided to expand on it and make them accessible for everyone. So my Christmas gift to you this year, if I may be so presumptuous as to believe you have the least bit of interest, is a Flickr album full of moderately interesting wallpapers in mostly widescreen format.

I still have a lot more to add, but this is a start. The dimensions do vary a little from photo to photo as I found with trial and error that going by standard or popular widescreen dimensions did not always yield the best results. I went by God and by guess and to my eye they look good... on my monitor. I don't think the fact that I use a 37" flatscreen TV as a monitor should matter, but let me know if the images look at all distorted.

You don't need to be a Flickr member to view these photos, but it's not a bad idea to sign up if you haven't already. I know they are 'the enemy' in these parts, but I've been a Flickr fan ever since I was forced to switch from Yahoo photos.

For those who may need it, here are some directions/tips for using these photos as wallpapers:
You can download the photo to your computer first or you can set as desktop wallpaper right from Flickr. Remember to click on 'All Sizes' and choose 'Original' size for best resolution. Then right-click on image and choose 'Set as Background'.

Wallpaper Gallery


Enjoy! (or not)

Holiday Memories

Kitty Collage

I've said it before, I'll say it again... who doesn't need a nice Kitty collage now and then?



Because you can never have too many :)

Bittersweet (but mostly sweet)

I was just reading one of my previous posts titled "Bittersweet (but mostly bitter)" and reflecting on how less-better I'm feeling these days. Having an outlet like this blog helps tremendously. But watching sappy Christmas movies, giftwrapping, decorating, and listening to Christmas music has also done wonders for putting me in the holiday spirit. I can't help but feel that even with all the joy the holidays bring, it still feels a little bittersweet. I can't explain the sadness that accompanies this time of year. Perhaps it's because while it amplifies all that is good in life, it also holds a magnifying glass up to all that is missing. Like loved ones who have passed, or loved ones we've yet to meet. Or maybe it's just the depressing weather - who knows!

Myself, I fill the void with Bing Crosby, ornaments, lights, pine-scented candles, cinnamon-scented pine cones, fresh-baked cookies, and candy cane pie; then cover it with festive wrapping paper and voila! I hardly know it's there. It works. And warming myself by a fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa is better than allowing myself to feel the bitter cold. It snowed here last night and it's 30 degrees out as I write this. I would usually complain but I'm actuallying enjoying it. The light blanket of snow on the rooftops and ground is beautiful - and decidedly Christmas-ier than green grass. The weather also reminds me of Minnesota and eases the homesickness a little. I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend and staying warm.

P.S. - Speaking of snow, I'm looking forward to staying at Mt. Rainier National Park Inn for Christmas Eve. I keep checking the webcams for snow and today there's plenty! Take a look. These are live webcam shots from Paradise, just a little further up from Longmire where I'm staying.

Nice! Looks like a recipe for the fireplace + a steaming cup of hot cocoa + a good book = a wonderful Christmas Eve :)

Holiday Kitty Greetings

And now, some more poses from Darla's holiday "glamour shots" photoshoot...


~ Princess Kitty Snowflake ~

~ Foxy Christmas Kitty ~





- The Grumpy Kitty Elf ~

Merry Christmas Everyone!

21 Days And Counting...

Are your decorations up yet? Here are some pics of my living room, the only room I'm decorating. The colors may look a little funky because I was playing around with a photo-editor.



















As you can see here, Darla was loads of help when it came to decorating. She mostly just chewed on the fake plants and twigs and such. Oh, and she keeps knocking down the fake pointsettia plants so she can lay on top of them. I've given up and just relinquished them to her. What a dork.