I have taken over Di's shiny new computer on a Friday evening to blog. Actually, I've spent most of the evening looking up things to do with Turkey -- dvds and books on Turkey (on eBay), horseback riding in Turkey, cool photos of Turkey, trip reports of Turkey. You might have guessed a trend :-)
Last Saturday, after cat-dosing and roommate-pie-giving, we headed into town for my work Christmas Party. En route, we stopped at Park Royal, now less-than-affectionately named the Rat Hole of Infested Parking. Ahhh, Christmas shopping. Anyhoo, we went in to the Bay and picked up the Cuisenart grill we had put on our registry. We had gone through two Hamilton Beach grills in the summer due to overuse and them being crap, so we had decided to get a really good one on our registry... but we couldn't wait. Mmm... buffalo steaks... mmm chicken.... mmmmmmmm grilled veggies!
Anyway. After the grill buying, my poor beleagured Steve was in ZERO mood to go traipsing all over the Bay looking for a bra and two pairs of socks, so I took him to a bookstore and abandoned him with the grill while I went back for more shopping! Yay! When I returned (with one bra, two pair socks and some cute Christmas ornaments), Steve was despondent in a chair outside the bookstore.
"The books said Crete sucks" he said. "It is overpriced and touristy and there's not much to do."
He eyed me sideways. "But... Turkey sounds nice."
Ok! let's go to Turkey! I've wanted to go to Turkey for just about forever, and spending three weeks there instead of three days at one end of a trip to Crete sounds bloody fantabulous! We dragged the grill straight back into the store and bought a Lonely Planet Guide to Turkey right there, and have been fighting over it all week. Well, more wrestling -- wrasslin' -- over it more than actual fighting per se.
So excited! Did I mention I'm excited about Turkey? The excitement even carried me in an euphoric haze on the reverse trip through the RHoIP (which was drearier than getting in in the first place).
The Christmas Party was fun. We sat with other people from the Gibsons office, all of whom I like, and Patti (my boss) and Steve got all mischevious to one side of me. Steve said he was trying to get me drunk, but I think it was Steve who was at least a pillowcase to the wind, especially considering the strength of the Rye & Coke (I didn't think you liked Coke?) Patti bought him. The jaccuzi was not so fun -- I brought some fancy flower-filled bath bomb, and I spent the entire bath scooping bedraggled deadheads out of the water for fear they'd clog the jets -- but the kingsized bed was comfy.
Sunday we raced back to the Coast so that Steve & Diana could play Chez Ray at Ray & Susann's recording studio. It was beautiful and magical -- the music was simply amazing, the candles glittered up Susann's tapestries, and the audience watched, rapt.
Steve gave me his old camera to play with, and, despite the low light, I was able to get a few more or less in focus.
Di looks like an angel playing the harp. I'm looking forward to hearing that music float over the water by the Gazebo in May.
This is my wildly talented man, who will be waiting for me.
In other news, Bean is doing much better -- she is almost back to her old self. Still thin, but eating like a very small, black and white horse. She struggles against the medicine, now, but refrains from violence. I've never been so glad to be covered in a fine mist of cat antibiotic as I was the first time she fought back.
We also got our tree up last night -- our first tree together. All together now... awwwww! We picked it out without any argument, found a star for it, crammed tree + star in my tiny little car, unpacked, trimmed, stand-ed (?) and decorated, all without any clashes. Except for me sureptisiously moving a few of Steve's less... decorative? maybe overly decorative? decorations to the back of the tree. We had plenty of truly beautiful ones for the front of the tree. I have been promised photos of said tree to post tomorrow.
For tonight, I am listening to Steve, Di and Erynn playing music. It is warm in here, the tea is lovely and the cookies crumbly. Di is applying her immense talent to... the triangle. Goodness! If I press my nose to Di's window, I can look across the Straight to the lights of Nanaimo. Our world is so big and so little at the same time -- as small as this room, as large as a lifetime, as fleeting as a wedding, as forever as a marriage.
Someday I will press my nose against glass and look over the Golden Horn of the Bosphorus, or the Aegean Sea.
This is the Straight from Ray & Susann's studio, as I took photos before the show. I love my world.
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