Jabberwocky for 2002 November

- Hillary and Marlene and I went to Rosemary's. I had a bananna split (*your results may vary.) It was very scanty, bananna-wise. (*may not actually contain genuine bananna). I don't think they should bill it as a bananna split unless it has an actual split bananna in it.

- Okay, okay, I give up. I'm turning the heater on.

- More Barbara Tuchman: "Like the fat man who has a thin man inside crying to get out, even the respectable have a small Anarchist hidden inside..."

- Plugging along on the Christmas projects.

- Wahooo! Jon Olson is going to take me flying over the rose fields in Wasco in his little airplane. I'm so excited!

- Snarrrrllll. The draw lab sent my genotype out to the infamous Specialty Labs and of course they messed it up. Not only did I not get results, they billed me twice for the same procedure. I called and the customer unservice guy had the nerve to tell me the procedure had been ordered twice-- once at 12:59 p.m. and once at 1 p.m. Come on.

- I got a phone call from Bill Clinton. I stammered a while before I figured out it was just one of those recorded machines. (He didn't answer when I asked how he got my number; he just kept talking). He wants me to be sure to vote tomorrow, especially for Governor Davis. Okay, Bill, I'm going to vote for the turkey, but I refuse to be happy about it.

- Yemen? YEMEN?!? What the hell are we doing lobbing missles in Yemen? That darn Bush is going to start World War III.

- I didn't get to go on my airplane ride because it is raining. Rain!!!! Hooray! We are going to try for Monday.

I did spend hours and hours on Uncle Carl's genealogy. I have gotten the list done through the letter G.

- Spent most of the day on Christmas. The rain is still coming down. I got drenched when I went out to take a meal to the Mercers. (Larry's cancer is back; I HATE cancer!)

Problem: How, on a rainy night, to walk a dog who doesn't like to get wet

- Christmas all day. I can't say much about it because then it wouldn't be a secret surprise now would it?

- A clear, beautiful day. I drove out to Minter Field and Jon Olson took me up in a restored 1946 Piper Cub. We were going to fly over Wasco and photograph the roses, but the weekend storm played havoc with the blooms, so that will have to wait until spring. Instead, we headed over the mountains and buzzed Marlene's ranch.

I showed up wearing jeans and a turtleneck, and Jon though I wouldn't be warm enough, so a WWII veteran lent me his leather aviator's jacket. It was a wonderful ride, and afterwards Jon bought me (and the old veteran) lunch. The airport cafe is called "The Fat and Sassy".

I also got to go into the restoration hanger of the air museum, and to see the plane that Jon is rebuilding. They are made of nylon cloth stretched over wooden ribs, just like model planes are. Think of flying over enemy artillary in one of those babies!

Jon took a picture of me standing by the plane in the leather jacket.

- George Will starts out with a good line this week: "It is arguable, perhaps even probable, that the wold has never known a more dangerous moment. This would be true even if the problem were only the intersection of advanced physics and moral primitivism--the potential acquisition of nuclear weapons by theologically intoxicated people obsessed with suicidal acts of spectacular negation, such as knocking down cities."

Thing is, he's not talking about modern warfare. He's talking about the AIDS epidemic.

Uh-huh.

- Christmas, Christmas, Christmas!

Xochitl is not an asset to progress here.

- Christmas, Christmas. I went to Michael's to buy yarn, and it was banked in red and green.

OK, I can understand them putting the Christmas crafts out on display; I'm working on it myself. But play the music? Even before Thanksgiving? Spreading out the season dilutes it.

- I finished running Uncle Carl's genealogy through all the "has it been done yet?" places. I have 1087 ordinances to submit.

- I've been struggling with my share of the tri-stake nativity display. This little job got dumped on the Activities Committe this year. The person in our ward who usually pulls the laboring oar on this has gotten "offended" and balks at participation, so I'm having a delegation problem since many of the sisters are "on her side."

I don't like nativity sets. I don't own one and don't want one, nor am I interested in driving over to the stake center to admire everyone else's collection. You've seen one, you've seen them all, in my book. I realize this is a lovely affair to which the community comes every year, yada, but I think the work involved far outweighs any PR benefit the church receives. Also, this year there is a MAN in charge, which means it's totally inefficient and disorganized; he changed his idea of what he wanted us to do about collecting the sets three times in the last week.

Imagine my surprise this afternoon when I went into the Salvation Army store. (Yes, there were plenty of nativities for sale.) I found, for $.75, one lonely china Wise Man who is desperately clutching at his chest and wearing an expression of surprise and pain. I call him the Heart Attack Wise Man, and I've brought him home to display on my coffee table as a political statement. I think I'll search out other odd pieces to add to him so he won't be lonely: the "Spurting Breast Milk Mary", for example, and the "Going to the Bathroom" lamb. I'm now a woman with a mission.

- I spent most of the day again combing the thrift stores in search of bread baskets for the church Christmas dinner. Yes, I also looked for nativity figurines. Results of today's trek:

19th St. Salvation Army: Baskets, a crystal bowl (25% off!) and a Nauseated Camel.

Humane Society: No baskets or figures, but I found some Christmas fabric to make into napkins to line the bread baskets with.

Chester Ave. Goodwill: Basket. Stripper Shepherd. Disgusted Dog. (I thought it was a sheep at first, but on examination I think it's a little floor mop doggie.)

White Lane Salvation Army: Baskets. Brave Angel of Fire Fighting. (I kid you not. It's holding a placard that says so.)

Hospital Auxiliary: Closed. CLOSED???? On a Saturday?

White Lane Goodwill: One basket. Breast Milk Spurting Mary (I knew she wouldn't be too hard to find.) Terrorist Wise Man. Strangling Shepherd. "I Give Up, You Should Ask Directions Next Time" Wise Man.

The American Way Thrift Store was gone. Not a trace.

So, I have thirteen baskets and need about a dozen more.

- I went to the Oswell Street Goodwill store and got about a half dozen baskets. They had a Fly-Away Wise Man, but I left him there because they wanted $2 for him. They also had a decapitated caroler, which I may have to go back and rescue, the poor thing. Probably nobody else will want him.

In other news, I wasted most of the afternoon unsuccessfully trying to resolve some of Rachel's UCLA issues. Leaving for London in a day, and I have to do all kinds of work, including next semester's syllabi.