Black Friday

I try not to buy into all the Black Friday bullshit.  Don't get me wrong, I've stood in line at midnight with the rest of the sheep, tired and freezing my ass off just to save a few bucks on some DVDs I'll never watch or something equally pointless.  Once we got a great deal on a printer and we were so stoked.  We were gonna print all kinds of important documents and pictures; that printer was going to get non-stop action!  We ended up using it as a shelf for a year and now I have no idea where it ran off to.  So for anyone keeping track, I basically wasted $30 of real money to trick myself into thinking I'm saving $20 because it's a great deal.  Lesson of the day people: even if it's 99.99% off, if I don't need it then WHAT'S THE POINT???  Consumerism is a wicked, fickle game.  They make you think you need all kinds of junk and that you're a genius because no one could ever be as shop-savvy as you are getting 50,000% off.  However, once you get home and can't pay your mortgage, buyer's remorse sets in.  That 90-inch TV isn't looking so hot when you're living inside the cardboard box.

Okay, now that we've established how much I hate shopping, let's look at the stuff I shopped for on Black Friday (I'm a walking contradiction, so sue me).

I finally got a travel coat!  I was avoiding getting a heavy-duty one because I don't want to be stuck carrying a super heavy jacket, but then Aaron got one (picture to come!) and a girl can never let a guy buy something cool without getting one too, so I HAD TO!  REI must have some subliminal messaging in the music or something that just forces you to feel like a loser if you aren't emptying your entire bank account on adventure gear they wouldn't even use in Walking Dead.  ANYWAYS, here's the jacket:

I know I need to be wearing it for you to see that it's a jacket and not an invisibility cloak, but there was no one else around (they were all shopping) and I didn't feel like waiting.  I'll take another one soon.  It's a Columbia and it's waterproof and is super-de-duper warm and tots adorbs!  It's purple, which wasn't planned, but I guess now I'll be the purple girl because my backpack is purple too (although it's a different shade, so I guess I'll be the colorblind girl).  I did get $50 off thanks to Black Friday, but BF needs to do better than $50 to win back my affection!

We also got other random travel stuff at REI

It's all kinda pointless, but you never know when you need a mini towel or a credit card sleeve right?  We did find a lot of stuff we wanted and then ordered it online cheaper.  Suck it Black Friday!

Then we went to PetCo and they had a clearance bin of Kong toys and any dog owner knows you can end up selling your blood just to be able to afford Kong toys.  I ended up getting 3 for about $3 each (I dug through that bin like Mary Poppins pulling a floor lamp out of her purse, I have no shame) and I also got these:

Say what??  I haven't painted their names on them yet, but they are so cute I can't even take it (I give it 2 days tops before Kane gets to them).

Then this morning we went to Target and got the most bestest perfectest ornaments EVER!  Every year Aaron and I make a point to get one or two unique ornaments with the goal of one day having a collection of cool ornaments, each from a different year, each with a different story.  Here are the 2014 ornaments (drum roll please):

OMG how perfect??  Here they are on the tree:

Here comes a tree story: I worked at Victoria's Secret while I was in college and every year they put up amazing decorations and trees and ornaments, etc. and after Christmas they THROW IT ALL AWAY!  Crazy right?  This particular year, they had a Winter Wonderland theme with gorgeous white trees (with lights) and big cardboard cut-outs and decorations.  After Christmas instead of throwing it all away, they decided to have a raffle and give the trees away.  I ended up winning the biggest tree and my folks have kept it ever since.  That was about 10 years ago (totally just aged myself).  The lights have since stopped working, but we just add our own and it totally works man!  Reduce, reuse, recycle!!!

Lastly, I got a tea at Starbucks (I've been really good about not drinking coffee lately) and this was on the cup:

I'm sorry, but WTF?  This makes no sense and it's the dumbest shit ever.  I've heard of "Let there be light" and "Merry and bright," but put the two together and it just makes me mad; like I'm probably boycotting Starbucks til Christmas is over mad.  I take my quotes and sayings seriously!

Let's end on a happy note:

Tryptophan overload!  Just kidding, we don't feed our dogs people food, but all the excitement has definitely gotten to him.  Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend!  We're hitting the Rialto El Cerrito theater and watching Interstellar tonight!  They have the comfy couches, tons of food (pizza!) and wine; just add some movie magic and I don't think even heaven could be as....hmm.....heavenly, I guess.  Sharmeela, over and out!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving: a time of thanks, family, togetherness, stress, fires, vapid consumption, heart attacks and passing out drunk.  This year was as good as it gets.  Usually Aaron and I have about 4 stops to make and it tends to get a bit monotonous and I'm always sick to my stomach by the end.  This year we had only 2 stops  (my family and Aaron's mom's side) thereby making me only half sick.  It's funny how when you get older holidays lose all meaning and become more like work.  Visiting family is less about enjoying each other's company and more about checking them off the list.  I know I'm sounding really cynical right about now, but I honestly really love holidays and making the rounds.  I think I'm just tired (since we moved into my parents' Kane has to wake me up at 6-6:30 EVERYDAY, little shit).
Let's get back into the Thanksgiving spirit, shall we?  We always start at my family's house because we do lunch (that way we can be sick, nap, go back to noshing and then start the cycle all over again).  Here's the turkey:

We also had ham and of course, all the fixings:

Briseida folds the napkins in a new design every holiday:

Cool, huh?
Here's the family (Auntie Cheryl and Uncle Robin drove in from LA and Auntie Teresa came from SF):

My mom is obsessed with taking selfies:

She's not psychotic, she just looks it.
Here's Kane taking in his very first Thanksgiving:

Then we're off!  Here's Aaron with his momma and her puppy ChiChi:

Here's their feast:

Then at home after another late night nosh, everyone passed out:

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Thanksgiving!

Memories

It's Thanksgiving and my mom is cooking up a storm already.  I forgot to turn my alarm off at 6:30 and I stumbled downstairs to let the dogs out and she was already putting the turkey in the oven!  She's a machine!  Waking up to my mom cooking is so nostalgic for me.  It reminds me of chocolate chip, Minnie Mouse pancakes on weekends and playing Ninja Turtles and Barbies with my brother (they co-existed in the Barbie Folding Fun House, naturally).  It was a much simpler time.  Isn't it funny how we miss those simple times when nothing really mattered but having fun?  Once we grow up we're told fun is frivolous and that we have to do something important, but what could be more important than having fun??  Most people live to work, but I've always worked to live.  Not to say I haven't enjoyed my job, but at the end of the day it's not my bliss.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to travel the world in search of bliss.  What are you thankful for?

So, I've been putting together a house collage (mostly for myself, but I figured I'd share).  Put on  some Sarah McLaughlin or something equally emo because this is a tear-jerker.  (I realize that none of this is sad for anyone but me, even my mom and Aaron are doing jigs and making it rain in the corner).  Okay, here come the water works:

Misty, water-colored memories of the way we were (if you haven't seen The Way We Were, don't panic it's not epic, but the song is one of those songs that you'd need a lobotomy to get out of your head).  Anyway, I know what I'm thankful for, hopefully you do too!  Happy Thanksgiving!