Everything must go: the after Christmas sale at Eric Three Thousand!

This is just a random posting about nothing in particular. You've been warned.

OK, so I wrote a Christmas letter and it was really funny (I'm not going to print it here so you'll just have to take my word for it). I've gotten really positive feedback from friends and family, saying it's the funniest thing they've ever read, etc. But I'm also getting this question (mainly from people who don't read this blog): "How can you be so funny when you write but be so boring in person?" Alright, I'm paraphrasing; nobody actually called me boring. They used euphemisms like "quiet" but I know what they mean. I can't explain it. I'm very shy and have trouble talking to people but I can express myself a little better in writing. This is why I'm allowing myself to waste so much time on this blog when I have so many other things I could be doing.

Eric and I had a nice Christmas. I had shipped my mother off to the Midwest (fortunately avoiding a Denver layover) and Eric's parents are in another state so we spent Christmas Eve at a friend's house and had a lovely time. Too much wine and coffee contributed to the fact that I didn't sleep much that night and we were up very early Christmas morning. I was making my traditional Hawaiian breakfast of SPAM while Eric was gagging in the other room and then we watched Miracle on 34th Street while we opened presents.

Then we were off to the first non-preview showing of Dreamgirls at the Arclight in Hollywood. They had been playing it for two weeks so I don't know why they suddenly had technical difficulties but apparently they had the wrong lens and this cut off the tops of people's heads. Because of that we got free tickets for the future and we were still able to enjoy the show. I thought it was pretty good. I wish the music had been more memorable but it was still fun and the acting was good. Eric, of course, had seen the musical on Broadway when he was a child. His parents made sure he grew up to be as gay as possible by taking him to all the musicals. Jennifer Hudson should not have been nominated for best supporting actress, though. She was definitely the star. Yeah, I understand why they do that; this way she has a chance of winning, but I still think it's wrong.

Holiday shopping was not too bad this year. I don't get presents for too many people. I decided to get Eric something nice from Lacoste because he loves their clothes but thinks they are too expensive (which they are). Anyway, I thought I would get him an expensive sweater there because he would never buy that for himself. And then I would be done shopping. Or so I thought. After buying a sweater at the boutique in the Beverly Center, wrapping it, and putting it under the tree, I decided he was going to hate it. So I thought I would try another location to see if they had a better selection. I went to Rodeo Drive. I never shop on Rodeo Drive. Even though I have handfulls of cash, the stuck-up sales girls there look at me with contempt and refuse to help me just because I'm wearing a slutty miniskirt and gogo boots. Boy were they sorry later that day when I showed up in expensive clothes and carrying bags from designer stores! OK, fine; I'm making that up; the salespeople on Rodeo Drive are perfectly friendly. So anyway, the Lacoste boutique there had the same clothes so I decided not to exchange the sweater. I did, however, take clothes back to Club Monaco because I had spent too much money on myself the last time I went shopping. Unfortunately I just ended up buying more! Someone stop me!

So my recent splurge at Club Monaco forced me to go through my closet and get rid of tons of junk. I've realized that I used to be a collector but now I'm a tosser. Wait, that doesn't sound right. What I mean is I like to toss things out. Yeah, that's better. I used to hoard all kinds of junk and buy crap I didn't need. Partly it has to do with the fact that I didn't have much for many years and it was comforting to have possessions. Partly I inherited this from my mother, who grew up after the depression but on a farm, where she learned to use and reuse and not be wasteful. Or maybe it has nothing to do with growing up on a farm and she's just crazy. Anyway, I grew up not getting many new things but also not getting rid of anything. Now nothing gives me more pleasure than going through closets and cabinets (and the refrigerator) and getting rid of everything I possibly can. And this is also why I try to avoid giving and receiving gifts whenever possible: I don't want any more stuff!

I hope you made it through Christmas without accumulating too much crap! Happy New Year!