Boxing Day

For the first time in years, I went shopping on Boxing Day. We saw ads for great electronics and wanted in. I left at 9:00 with some trepidation. I had chosen an out-of-the-way venue, deciding the store would be unpopular and as deserted as could be. By the time I arrived (after circling a bit in the one-way streets), it was 9:45 and the store was quiet with just a few cars in the parking lot. I loaded the car with goodies and enjoyed the great savings. It was painless and I was happy (as much as things can make you happy - let's not go there, shall we?). I went to a few other stores, but a lot of them were closed on the 26 - it made sense to me. I wasn't working. Why should they?

As a teenager in Montreal, I went at least once or twice to Sam's the Record Man's Boxing Day sale. It was almost a rite of passage. You get loads of money and you get to spend it on music after waiting for hours in line talking to strangers in the bitter cold. It's a must when you're growing up in Montreal. I paid cash (I did not have a credit card yet) so my math skills had to be up to par. They were - tax was the tricky part but if you rounded up to 10% you were sure to have a safety net. Plus my brother was always there to bail me out. He received even more money than me since he was older. On our way back, we would compare our records and read the labels. There was no way to listen to them until we got home (an hour later) as those were vinyls. We did not mind the wait. It gave us time to decide which we would listen to first...

New job and old ones

I am starting a new job on Monday. My contract ran out Nov 30 and I was offered a permanent full-time position this week. Yay! I love that place! I will be heading over tomorrow to sign the papers. That's a mighty nice Christmas present.
Speaking of... I spent a bit of time shopping and what nice things there are out there! I really ought to go out more!

My to-do list is shrinking nicely:
- create and send Christmas cards Created and started sending
- create and wrap Christmas presents Created and started wrapping
- lunch with friends scheduled for Thursday
- practice the Secret hmmm... need to work on that one
- read Pullman's trilogy His Dark Material (which includes The Golden Compass, made famous by the movie of the same name) done! way cool
- de-cluttering my home office half-done
- scanning and printing old photo albums and negatives done with old photos; not started on negatives
- helping my mom to tidy her home for her Christmas party (a good excuse to catch up) planned for Thursday-Friday
- going out for a movie I think that will have to wait until the holidays proper

... and lots of rest. I am good at napping. I really enjoy that part...

Post Office

I went to the post office to retrieve a parcel. It seems I end up going every week to pick up something or mail something. It's that time of the year. I went in the afternoon, since I was home,
and had to wait in line (I usually rush on my way back home, tired and hungry). It was nice to wait leisurely in line. I don't shop much and would rather not buy than wait in line, unless I am reading a book.
This brought back memories of me and my grandma bringing Christmas parcels to the post office for my Australian cousins. First my grandma and I would pick out the fabric, then she would sew pajamas, then she would cut out paper grocery bags, turn them inside out and voilà! we had good solid wrapping paper. She would wrap the gifts and address the parcel and then we would get on a bus and go wait in line. My grandma would always complain that the shipping was too expensive. There would be a bit of back and forth while the clerk would try and figure a cheaper fare. Once, he told her if she made two parcels, it would be cheaper. We went back home with the parcel and she repackaged it and the next week we came back. I was mortified; my grandma was triumphant. All this came back in a flash. My grandma counting her coins and arguing and me wanting no part in the little drama. You gotta love the post office...

To-Do List

My contract at The Company is over and I have a bit of time before I start again over there (either full-time or as a replacement for a mat leave). Those of you who have worked with me won't be in the least surprised to hear I have created a To-Do List for my off-time:
- create and send Christmas cards
- create and wrap Christmas presents
- lunch with friends
- practice the Secret
- read Pullman's trilogy His Dark Material (which includes The Golden Compass, made famous by the movie of the same name)
- de-cluttering my home office
- scanning and printing old photo albums and negatives
- helping my mom to tidy her home for her Christmas party (a good excuse to catch up)
- going out for a movie

I have two weeks at the most! I guess that's why I am awake at this ungodly hour... So much to do, so little time. : )