straight, no chaser

i keep trying to come here and actually write something. i hate doing "catch up" entries, but also like to have a record of what's gone on, so here goes.

christmas was held at my condo with my immediate family, the first time we've ever done something like that. and it was probably one of the best christmas holidays in memory. we feasted on crab, lamb, sourdough bread and various cheeses and gorged ourselves on wine. i fell in love with a caymus cab that was to die for, and only solidified what i already was beginning to know: i pretty much only care for red wine. my mother cried when she opened her gift from my father, specifically saved for last, and it was the most recent time in memory when she used the phrase, "well now i know i'm dying." needless to say, i cannot stand it when she says this. because she's not dying.

but the truth is i can't ever really tell with her. she seems to be doing well, and she was "supposed to" have an appointment yesterday to supposedly finalize her radiation treatment schedule. i say "supposedly" because it's been pushed back a bit. the plan was to take a sample from her biopsy and have it sent for essentially DNA testing to determine how at risk she is for the cancer to return. truthfully i don't know a whole lot about it, other than that it's considered experimental and that the results should put her into essentially one of three categories: not likely, semi-likely or highly likely that the cancer will return. if i'm not doing it justice by explaining it this way, please forgive me. anyway, this test will also allow her docs to finally say whether she'll have to have chemotherapy as well as radiation, something we've been waiting far too long to hear.

2008 has been good to me so far. i didn't make any real resolutions, just to have more adventures. adventures, whatever they may be. i traveled so much last year and loved every minute of it. if i could travel just a fraction of the amount i did last year, i'd be stoked. matt invited me to palm springs this coming weekend, but the airfare is unreasonable for a two-night stay. i am contemplating flying into ontario and driving down with them from there, but i'm still not sure. money doesn't flow as easily around here as it once did, and although i manage to have more than enough left over each month without any debt, i'd like to keep it that way. besides, there are expensive things on the horizon to be purchased, namely a camera. oh, and property taxes due next month.

so i'm going to tahoe instead. wheee!

speaking of adventures, i find they can be right under your nose. jewels and i went to an estate sale last weekend. we'd been talking about hitting up some estate sales, so this was the perfect time for her to look for baby-related items and for me to look hunt down mid-century modern goodies. this particular sale was thursday, friday and saturday, so when we showed up saturday mere hours before they were closing up shop, things were pretty picked over. i got some neat books, and an absolute steal on two suitably modern slipper chairs. apparently they were $175 each on thursday, and i was originally told they were $100 for the pair by one person and $20 EACH by another working the event so it was a deal ($40 for both) i couldn't pass up. they're yellow and could potentially stay that way, but i'm taking them for an estimate next week to have them reupholstered.

then later that day i found a polaroid spectra camera at a new consignment store for less than $20 and promptly purchased some film for it. it's pretty much not left my sight since i acquired it and i had lots of fun cruising the streets of san francisco yesterday afternoon with the 'roid in hand.

i got a facial last week, the second one i've ever had. i'm pretty sure that's the most relaxed i've ever been, even post-massage. there's just something about this esthetician that is instantly calming. any armchair psychologist would say that it's the advice and kind words she's offered about dealing with her own mother's breast cancer many years ago that creates a bond, and i can't disagree. we both cried a bit last week as well as when i saw her in november, and she's one of the few people who, when they say things will be alright, i actually believe. as i was leaving last week, she slipped a bright pink envelope into my hand and asked that i give it to my mother for her. mind you, i've only known this woman for maybe six months, and she's never even met my mother. inside the envelope was a gift certificate for a facial for my mother. she left me a voice mail later that evening explaining in further detail why she decided to do this, and it came down to "honoring her mother by helping other women with breast cancer." i'm never sure how to react to things like this, and the thank-you note i've written seems like too little to thank her for caring, most certainly aside from her generous gift.

i've seen several movies in the theater lately, most recently "juno" and "charlie wilson's war" on christmas eve and "taxi to the dark side" on sunday. i highly recommend the latter when/if it opens at a theater near you if you're a fan of documentaries. i'm trying to forget the sundance film festival is upon us and i'm not going to be there.