Category Archives: Christmas

Song Lyric of the Day:

I’ll be your answer, I’ll be your wish / I’ll be your fantasy, your favorite dish / From the back to the middle and around again / I’m gonna be there til the end / 100% pure love

Crystal Waters / “100% Pure Love“

12:45PM.
Pattie On the Spot
My audition Thursday evening went well. We’ll see how well if I get the part or not. But at least I had fun; this was definitely the most creative I’ve had to be at an audition so far. In addition to the usual stating your name, stats, etc. for the camera, I had to take part in an “emotional symphony,” wherein the casting director was the conductor. Each time he pointed at those of us in the lineup (mine was with two other women), we had to make a face conveying an emotion. You had to convey a different emotion each time, and the “conducting” got faster as we went along. The really creative part was after that, when we did the “Praise Desk” scenario. The opposite of a complaint desk, I had to rave about a real or imagined product to “sell” the casting director on it. Me being me, I remembered the Meowlingual and came up with the Cat Chat Meow Translator for Women©. I went on and on about how it revolutionized my life and completely transformed my relationships with my cats, taking our understanding to a deeper level. I detailed what each of my cats said, and ended by saying how I looked forward to buying my husband the Bark Blaster for Men©. Lucky me that I can pull stuff like that out of my ass in less than five minutes, eh?

The Good, the Bad, the Dishwasher
Our new dishwasher was installed on Friday afternoon, during my glorious PTO time off work. My joy at my fancy new appliance was short-lived, however, when the installation technician tested it (as he was supposed to) and discovered a pin-size hole in the drain hose that leaked water everywhere. Turned out his earlier observation that the hose seemed to have been packed in an unusual manner was right. So we now have a shiny new dishwasher that we can’t use until the new drain hose arrives and is installed. Our new fridge was delivered late Saturday afternoon. That appliance fared much better in that it’s usable. Well, most of it, anyway. We just need the water connection fixed and hooked up so we can use the in-door water and ice functions. But we have a fridge inside the house again, so that’s something.

The Accidental Parade
Over the years, Rich and I have discovered our uncanny talent for wandering into parades. We’ll just be plugging along with whatever plans we had in place, and — BAM! — there’s a parade going on in the same place we end up. Such was the case Friday night when we headed downtown, as planned, to take enjoy First Friday. Not only did we enjoy hopping from art gallery to art gallery, we also ended up watching the Christmas parade proceed down Gay Street. It just about killed me that I didn’t have my camera with me, particularly when people dressed as presents (people! dressed as PRESENTS!!!) walked right in front of me. Another highlight was the Young-Williams Animal Shelter’s Spay Shuttle (did I mention I did not have my camera?). Que sera, sera, though. We ended our date night with a nice meal at Mirage, the Moroccan restaurant on Gay Street which is the place to go in Knoxville to enjoy belly dancers and hookah. Probably the only one, come to think of it.

It’s Finally Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
After locating our AWOL Christmas lights in the garage, Rich and I were finally able to finish decorating the tree and the house for the holidays. This meant the usual disinterest on Snoops’ part, curiosity on all of the cats’ parts, and sheer excitement on Caleb’s part. As those of you who know Caleb are aware, Little Man is quite fond of the holidays because Christmas means presents. Specifically, Christmas means presents for him. Presents he gets to open himself. Which is why now I’ve got a 65-pound dog who jumps excitedly when he sees me holding a roll of wrapping paper, tissue paper, or gift bags (he’s figured it all out). He’s also doing his best to sneak into the guest room whenever he can. Why? Because that’s where Mommy hides the presents, of course.