Aha! Fooled you! And you thought I wouldn't be back for weeks after the new year. That'll teach you to try to predict my comings and goings. I'm an unpredictable woman o' mystery, baby!

Well, the infamous Y2K has hit a few parts of the world by now (10:46am Pacific Time). And guess what? Aside from cell phones going down in Japan (I think) due to everyone calling friends and family to wish them a Happy New Year, everything seems to be just humming along.

Damn. And I was so looking forward lawlessness and rioting in the streets. I guess I stocked up on water, gold bullion and shotgun shells for nothing.

(Just kidding. I forgot about the gold bullion.)

Actually I did do some stocking up yesterday. Luckily I already had quite a bit of non-perishables in the house, but no back-up supply of water. So I went to the supermarket, fully expecting the water aisle to be stripped clean. (Serve me right for waiting until the last minute to prepare for the end of civilization.) Surprise, surprise, there was plenty of water to be had. And for less than $5 a gallon! (OK, it was less than a buck a gallon. They'll be sorry they didn't get more money for it while they could.) Guess who has six gallons of drinking water and two gallons of mountain spring water sitting in her cupboard? (It's Sparkletts instead of Arrowhead, which I prefer, but I really can't afford to be choosy right now, can I?)

I also picked up extra cat food, kitty litter, bathroom tissue and paper towels. The cats and I will be well-fed and clean when the unruly hordes come a' knocking. Just be cool or I'll have to use my crowbar on your zombie noggin.

Though, if the power, water and gas really do go out, I'm heading my cats and me in my fully gassed-up car over to Mom and Dad's place. They've got a pool and a propane-powered grill.

The weather here in L.A. has decided to act its season. It's been incredibly warm for the last few weeks, absolutely beautiful and sunny. So, just in time for the end of the year (sorry, I'm a geek, we've still got another year before the end of the decade/century/millenium, though I still think the whole 2000 thing is pretty cool), winter decided to kick in. It's cold, gray and damp outside. Guess what still sick person decided to walk a few blocks in this weather to get coffee, found out that her favorite coffee place was closed today, then thought walking another few blocks to get some coffee from another place was just a nifty idea, especially with still-damp hair while wearing her thin fake leather jacket which provides no warmth over her tank-top-clad shoulders?

Yesterday was Nephew Alex's second birthday and boy, did he get some cool stuff! Alex was born blind, so whenever we buy toys for him, we get him toys that either feel really nice or make noise (usually music). And this kid has got some of the greatest toys. Lots of stuff from VTech, which incredibly cool toys. I've informed my family that, from now on, if they ever want to buy me presents, just get me toys like Alex's and I'll be happy.

There was one in particular that, though not a VTech toy, really got me going. It has cartridges that you insert and little blocks that, if you put them in the right order, make cool noises. The cartridge that they had played the opening eight (or sixteen, I'm not sure) bars to Mozart's "A Little Night Music". Different sides of the blocks played different instruments (human voices, synthesizer and, my favorite, violins, among others). I got so into the toy, conducting or playing air violin, that the everyone stopped what they were doing and just watched me. I'm sure that cemented my title as "Weird Aunt Carol" (or would, if the kids' dad (Brother Bob) wasn't more than a bit odd himself, like the rest of the family). I can still hear the music playing in my head. (Bum bumbum bumbumbumbumbumbum...)

Let's play another guessing game. Guess who will, most likely, get a VTech toy for her birthday in April? Trust me, it'll happen. One year, when asked what he wanted for Christmas, a snarky teen-aged Bob responded, "Jello." Mom bought boxes of Instant Jello for all of us that year. Mine was Strawberry-Banana. I must have kept that box for a good five years before I finally turned it into a molded Jello. Another time Dad joked that he wanted a Rolls Royce for his birthday. Mom got him a Rolls Royce decanter full of cologne. Yep, I come by my smart-assery (term coined by Rob Rummel-Hudson) honestly.

Whoops, gotta go. Work's shutting down. Have a fabulous New Year!