1999 january 15

it's you, babe

the true beauty of having family spread all over the world is gifts seem to trickle in long past the occasion for which they were intended.

last night a rather battered and bruised box arrived from philip and his girlfriend lili. normally, he is not one for sending presents at conventional times, rather preferring to send little things here and there whenever he stumbles upon them. i do so love this little habit of his, there is nothing like receiving a little handcarved chest of drawers from bali in the dog days of august. this year, however, he decided to do christmas. and boy howdy! did he do christmas right!

let me introduce you to real live babe. babe is the coolest. babe has three tiny little mice living in a pouch he carries on his collar. babe tells you he is hungry and he needs a hug. he also tells you his name is babe, just in case you forget.

but wait! there's more!

once i get over the squeamishness of pulling open the poor piggy's back, i can get to the battery pack and activate a whole slew of higher babe functions. he will tell me when it is time to eat and when it is time for me to go to bed. i am especially looking forward to the latter as i have been going to bed entirely too late these past few days and i am suffering for it. he loves to be tickled and will laugh as long as you do it, and won't that be a welcome sound at the end of a long bitter day at the office?

he will even remind me when i have been ignoring him. i'm sure the fish will appreciate this as it will also remind me i may have been ignoring daphne. i consider it training for the off chance i ever have children.

**

speaking of children, with this new hair cut and color i appear to look like one.

the part has shifted to the left, of its own accord, and i have taken to clipping it on the right to stop the shorter bits from getting in my eyes. it makes me look fourteen: great for my ego, bad for my professional image. if anybody asks gene if his daughter would like a cookie, i'm shaving it all off. no one cards bald chicks.

getting more than her share of piggy love hugs, claire