Hag Sameach!

Eve of Christmas . . . pictures forthcoming!

Office Party

Actually, it's a Christmas Party for our department and everyone is presently psyched up to get together at the Hawaii Prince.

The Secret Santa gifts are piling up in the box that we're taking with us to the hotel. Hope no one recognizes my handwriting. The recipient of the gift is not supposed to know who got it for them. With my twisted mind, the kind of gift I give will probably be recognizable and heads will turn my way when they pull Santa's finger . . . I must remember to put on my poker face and play ignorant.

***
Well, the party was a total riot. The Santa gift was a great ice breaker for the crew. Jocelyn pulled Santa's finger and thought, "My, isn't that sweet, it's shimmying on the table." I had to make her pick him up and place his behind against her ear (the restaurant was noisey).

The finger was pulled again and "Pffffffffffftttt! . . . . HO! HO! HO! That's all you're getting for Christmas!!!" Well, Santa was the guest of honor. Neighboring tables even turned in our direction to see what all the fuss was about.

Gifts are fun, and in my advanced years, gift giving is more of a joy rather than getting gifts . . . yeah, right. I got a bottle of wine (Chianti) from Italy and a packet of macaroni and some basil tomato sauce. mmmmm. People must know I enjoy cooking.

Waikiki And Christmas Time

No, there's not a lot of snow in Waikiki, but we make up the difference with our own version of the holiday. Since late October, the retailers on Kalakaua Blvd started putting up their decorations. The Galleria started first, I think, with their fake trees and multicoloured lights.

I was impressed, but it was really too early.

Thanksgiving came and went and then it really kicked in with the baubles and lights hanging all over the place. The Moana Sheraton really looks good these days. They erected their beautiful trees (real ones!) and flocked them from top to bottom, lacing the branches with crystal balls and white lights. In the lobby, a mini snow scene (looks like Colorado, or something) with a train going from hamlet to hamlet and beyond the display, the Pacific ocean with partially nude swimmers basking in the sun.

Yup, it's good to be here . . . and own a place here too. Gawd, I love our town.

I picked one!

Though late in the holiday season, our department party planners announced the gift giving aspect of the "Employee Appreciation Luncheon." Heck . . . I still and always will call it a Christmas Party.

I picked a secret Santa giftee and I hope she likes a farting Santa. Should be a hoot.

Front Runner

The weekend turned out really nice with our friend, Kamika joining us at our favorite watering hole, the Sand Bar. Ramana was bartending and Kamika showed up to join Dwane, Tom and myself. Valerie showed up to meet him. She always wanted to meet him since we spoke often of him.

He still looks like a kid, though in his early forties. He could easily pass for someone in their thirties. Must be all that running. He didn't stay long. The Honolulu Marathon demands a sound pair of lungs and running legs and staying at the Sand Bar can, I'm sure, be a hazard to your performance.

He's got about eight state marathons to compete in, from what he told us, before calling it quits. Running a family business certainly helps. The boy travels a lot!

Another week over . . . (whew)

Where are all the decorations? I'm in the mood, but no tree! Well, that's okay on the tree thing. No backbone, no tree.

Some of the Xmas trinkets are out, with some cards from friends and family on the cocktail table, but no real decorations to speak of. Dwane and I decided to keep it simple and forgo the tree. Oh well, my back is getting weaker so I don't miss a tree all that much.

The Honolulu Marathon is coming soon. It's a big thing on the island. Our friend, Kamika, will be running again and we hope to see him for a bit. Maybe tomorrow. Depends on his plans while he's in town.

Xmas Decor

Dwane and I are a little late setting up the Xmas decorations. Usually, we get a tree the day after Thanksgiving. This year, we all decided against having the Xmas nemeton. Hope the druids don't get pi$$ed off about that.

Working overtime tends to dampen the Yule feeling with me, but hey, the money should be good. My last paycheck was impressive what with all that OT I made. Should make Tom happy. More money, more presents for Tom!

Work, School, Work, School!

I've been attending a training class on Microsoft's Sequel Reporting program. It's not the official name of the program, but then I'm not exact on most programs. Just so long as it works and does the job.

I love the program, actually. The instructor is from India, a young man, and quite knowledgeable on the product. In spite of his thick accent, I managed to glean a lot out of him. He left me his email so I can keep in touch with him should I have any questions.

At the end of the day, I feel saturated with information from the class. Little time to assimilate very much.

It ends this Friday. After which, I'll celebrate with a little drink at the Sand Bar. Wonder if Freddy is bartending? Maybe I should take him some Thanksgiving leftovers?

So Much For the Thanksgiving Weekend

This is my first year of ever having to work on a Thanksgiving weekend. Ordinarily, it's four days off to properly digest the gargantuan servings of the past Thursday.

Work. It never ends, even in beautiful Hawai`i Nei.

Now, if I could just find that small container where I stashed that last slice of dark meat . . . there you are. Come to Papa!

Working After the Feast

It sucks. I needed a set of pulleys to maneuver me around the office after yesterday's oink fest. And there's more turkey left. Ugh!

Oh well, as long as there's some leftover cranberry sauce . . . and don't forget the small slice of pumpkin pie . . . that should make the leftover turkey taste just fine.

Ah yes, there's that little bit of mashed potatoes. Can't have leftovers without the mashed potatoes!