X-mas Dayz

The holiday has gone thusly:

Wednesday: Have X-mas lunch with staff. Leave work afterwards since I must take hours off before begining of New Year. Get home expecting important packages from UPS to arrive that afternoon. They never do. Sweat.

Thursday: Another day off Call UPS in morning. Mention that packages did not arrive and no note was placed. Online tracking shows they were delivered. They were not. Shit. UPS promises callback in an hour. Shower. UPS calls about 90 minutes later. Drivers says it was delivered, and he remebered making that delivery. Double Shit. I put up sign in lobby asking if anyone signed for the boxes and forgot to leaeve them in the lobby. Go downtown briefly to run some final errands. Get home. Carrie comes by to drop of key so I can check in on her kitties. I miss yet another fencing practice since I have so many things to taek care of. Mostly wrapped presents. *sigh*. Late Thursday evening doorbell rings. Woman I have never met before is holding two packages and says they were delivered next door. Thank her profusely. UPS is populated by morons.

Friday: Meet Bill and Bob for lunch after Bob gets out of work. We go to Monks. We each have 3 'Mad Elf' beers. I have a sausage sandwhich. We have desert with another beer. We decide to go back to my place. Walk from Locust & 16th to 19th and Green. Have a few more beers. Bob wants coffee so we break out the coffee maker that Carrie gave to me. It works. Although Bob almost makes coffee sludge. We shoot the breeze, smoke pipes and make an afternoon of it. Early bed due to beer.

Saturday: As planned, older brother stops by with his son and the family X-mas tree. We head to parents place and set up the tree. This used to involve much cursing, but ever since the proliferation of McMansions everybody wants a large tree, so we don't have to fuss with tiny metal tree stand anymore. Tree goes up. Mom asks me to stop by early to put lights and chains on tree since eldest brother remains in Seattle. I go downtown to try and get a few last things (ribbons). I also stop by to check up on Carrie's cats. They have plenty of food but their water dish is dry. They knocked off the lid to get to the resevoir. Clean and fill the thing. Play with kitties for a while, then head home. Pack presents and overnight bag and head over to parents house. I put the lights and chains on the tree, then wast time until dinner. That night we put ornaments on tree with family friends.

Sunday: XMAS! Neat stuff, inclduing a framed picture of Hessian line at Fort Mercer (from the Inquirer NJ edition). Decent clothing. Overall good stuff. Leave to check on my cats and Carrie's cats. No problems. Although my female guppy might be giving birth. Go back to parents. Brother and his family arrive. More presents. Neice and Nephew have waaaaaaaay too much energy. Turkey Dinner eaten. Pack my stuff and head home.

Zzzzzzzzz.