I'll be spending the next 3 days - and this Christmas - alone. Yes. That's right. ALONE (unless you count my geriatric dog and two lazy cats as "company", of course...).

For anyone now indulging in a pitying "awwwww, poor you" - ohhh pleeeeaaaase. It's not like I didn't choose this, nor would I want it any other way. After all - I got all my Swiss family-and-friends-visiting out of the way about 3 weeks ago, so I'm good for the year. And even a social animal like me needs some downtime every so often, ya know.

Besides - this has been a crazy busy year for me, and I'm looking forward to 3 days of unfettered solitude. Of just hanging out in my PJs, in front of a roaring fire, with a glass or two of my favorite red wine, reading a few good books...

Uh. Ok. That's a lie. Anybody who knows me will also know that me lazily kicking back for an entire 72 hours is a highly unlikely scenario. I confess then. I do have an agenda.

Today I ... :

• got up and opened a few presents, because the gift-giver was leaving town and wanted me to open them before that. Coolest two gifts I got (from my hubby): a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed Monopoly (I kick ass at Monopoly, so watch out, Jack Sparrow), and a Stealth Cam Digital Scouting Camera. Not being into hunting at all, me thinks that I'll have to think of some other applications ... Coolest two gifts I didn't get: a Dental Polymer Kit for Custom Vampire Fangs, and a big giant box of good old-fashioned 1x2 Lego Bricks (which, as it turns out, are terribly hard to find these days... can you say "choking hazard?")
  
• cleaned out the fridge - because it was necessary. Do I really need to store three half-empty jars of creamy horseradish and an expired bottle of organic tomato juice? No.
  
• made a semi-panicked run to the local grocery store because it started snowing like crazy and I didn't feel like being trapped in my house without milk and toilet paper. Right after I got back, it stopped snowing, and all the snow decided to melt again. Of course. Something tells me though that tonight, when the temperatures drop, the roads are going to be terrible, terrible fun ...
  
• uploaded my entire collection of classical music CDs to my iPod. Now I can have my friends Mozart, Ravel, Vivaldi, Tchaikovski, and Rachmaninoff (among others) with me ALL the time. Yay.

Still to do:

• make a bunch of chocolate truffles and send them off to my sister in Europe
  
• solve some persistent and annoying tech problems (my wireless printer/scanner has been refusing to cooperate lately, amongst other things ...)
  
• update the Emerald Bay blog
  
• try out a new PS2 game I got today (although I suspect it's going to be way too violent for me)
  
• call my mom and sister tomorrow and wish them a Merry Christmas

And if I get all that done, I'll reward myself with some downtime. Maybe.

PS: Happy Birthday, Jon!

Awwwwwwwwwww thanks. :)

Happy Festivus to you, too!

Hi Simone! I just uploaded all of my favorite classicals to my iPod as well. I felt so accomplished after doing so.

How do you mail your truffles? I'm always concerned that they'll melt somewhere along the journey.

Also, I've tried to make your Tiramisu recipe three times now, and just cannot get the balance of ladyfingers and potion just right. The flavor is there, but the texture stinks. Any other hints?