1998 december 31

it's the end of the world as we know it

i'll be ending the new year on an up note.

the likable member of the family that owns the company i work for sent out email yesterday afternoon. by executive decree he declared today a day off, a day to go to the movies or consort with our mistresses or misteresses. he can be such an utter dork at times, but he has a big heart, as further evidenced by his promise that any looming deadlines we had will be extended for an entire week.

i am sorely tempted to not get properly dressed today, to spend the whole day in my jammies, snuggling in front of the fire [gene has the day off as well] and watching king lear and ran. i told gene we should make a quick run to blockbuster to grab a thousand acres and really do the lear thing to death.

a couple of months ago, gene and i went away for the weekend. we spent our time driving small backroads and stopping in tiny towns for lunch and window shopping. one of our best discoveries was a small toyshop filled top to bottom and back to front with handcrafted toys. i, of course, wanted to buy the entire inventory. actually, i told gene i would like to own a store like that one day, but he knew what i really wanted was to buy it and then lock the doors, keeping all those nasty people who might buy my toys out in the cold and keeping me inside to play to my heart's content.

when i opened this on christmas morning, i knew immediately where he had found it and i giggled like the proverbial schoolgirl, immediately abandoning all other gifts to play with it. like eeyore, i am easily amused, and spent entirely too long taking the bears out of the tree and putting them back in the tree, taking the top off the tree, yelling, "timber!" and then making it whole again. i finally had to take it off the computer desk because i would stop doing whatever it was i should be doing to take the bears out of the tree and put them back in, over and over again.

gene also bought me a set of three babe the pig books: an activity book, a paintbook and a readalong book. when i told my friends this, to a one they replied, "he really knows you, doesn't he?" yes he does, and that is why i love him so.

and i know him as well. last night, i was in the kitchen making dinner when i heard plastic crackling. knowing he had opened his bag of macadamia nuts [a stocking stuffer from me], i grabbed a ziplock and took it out to him.

you're amazing? how'd you know i was going to need this?

because i am wonderful! i am the ubergirlfriend!

what a way to end the year, in love and perfect to boot. have a happy and safe one; no drinking and driving or i am going to be very disappointed in you.

waving goodbye to 1998, claire