kirabug’s idea files

Here’s an awesome non-fiction story by Neil Gaimain regarding Christmas trees when he was growing up.

“Yule never believe what scientists are finding in Seattle’s sewage: a spike in vanilla and cinnamon when the holiday season hits.”

What I can’t believe is that somebody got paid to measure the amount of cinnamon in the sewer system.

Maybe I should be in the research industry.

….Tuesday’s comic is actually going to go up Monday, since it’s Christmas-related, and the comic after that will go up Saturday the 30th. And I even have a comic already in the queue for January 2nd so we’re doing well!

For the second time this month we sustained a significant outage - this time around 22 hours sans website. I am growly and looking into ways to prevent further outages. Any suggestions will be entertained. The post I did make from the emergency blog’s been copied in below, and all else is pretty much stable, I think. And of course, I’m backing up all my stuff just in case.

Outside of that, though, things are good. All my stuff is wrapped. Nighthawk’s finishing his wrapping. Dinner’s in the oven. JessieDog is frolicking with the squirrels in the yard. Life is good.

One last site-based note: there’s an advertising hole on the homepage here and another advertising hole on the archive pages (click the title of the above comic to see ‘em). If you haven’t checked out Project Wonderful yet to see how this works, you need to, but here’s the quick jist: you sign up, you indicate that you want to advertise on my site in that empty hole, and you say how much you want to pay per day maximum. If you indicate you want to pay $0 and you’re the highest bidder, that’s free advertising. (Same goes for any of the already-taken slots). In fact, if you indicate you want to pay $0.10 per day and nobody’s bid on the slot, you still get it for free. Free’s good, right?

Anyway, got to go eat dinner. Glad to be back. Happy holidays!

Today’s holiday tip: if you have extra greeting cards, hold on to them in a box specifically for that purpose, and store them with the wrapping paper. That way you have them if you come up short the following year. They also come in handy for wrapping gift cards from stores that are too freakin’ cheap to give envelopes out, like, say, Genuardi’s. (That’s what I get for christmas shopping at the food stores.)

Today we rediscovered the world of processed food. Saltines, it turns out, are the world’s greatest food when you haven’t been allowed to have anything pre-salted in three weeks. Steak sandwiches and pierogis have also hit the menu. There is no baking taking place in the kitchen tonight. The stew does not have to be inspected six times over. I find myself putting all the Kosher foods away on the first night of Hanukkah. I consider us paid up throught Lent of 2050 on the giving up of food things.

And it’s the weekend, which means that even though I still haven’t done anything to prepare for Christmas, I’ve got a shot at it. For the first time in over 13 years, it’s 10 days before Christmas and my husband has done more shopping than I have. Things Must Be Rectified.

I’m still exhausted, but it’s the exhausted of someone who sees the light of home on the horizon — of things returning to normalcy — of delivery people and pre-roasted chickens and potatoes from a box and eggs that come in shells and bread that comes pre-sliced. In a few more days the dog will be underfoot again and maybe, just maybe, we’ll find time to put the tree up.

I’ve declared myself a firm disbeliever in radiation, though as with anyone in an interfaith relationship I’ve promised to respect Nighthawk’s belief in subatomic particles. I stole a hug yesterday, and will steal another one yet tonight. I can smile again.