The Nutcracker

So last night, I alone participated in a tradition that my Mom and I used to share. It just makes me sad more than anything.

We used to watch The Nutcracker together (the 1977 American Ballet Theatre version with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland) and make comments on it, MST3K style.

I mean...the 70's hair with the Victorian-era costumes! The ridiculous-looking Drosselmeyer! The hideous Nutcracker! The ugly puppets that are supposed to be a "beautiful" princess and a "handsome" prince! So many things about it are just begging to be mocked.

And mock it, we did. At least until the part where the Nutcracker turned into Mikhail Baryshnikov. I mean, no man can fill a pair of tights like he can.

But anyway...

Watching it no longer gives me the pleasure it once did. It just makes me miss Mom. One of these Christmases, we'll have to coordinate a time when we can watch it at the same time and make our comments about it by phone.

Hilarious

Yeah...so this raging winter storm of doom that we're supposed to get tonight??

Cancelled. For serious.

Apparently, the storm is going a bit further north. We'll still get flakes, but not as much as previously predicted.

It's still nasty though...very windy. And we have some precipitation...I think we're getting some sleet.

The local forecasters have been building up mass panic over this storm for days. What a letdown. :P

Anyway, despite the coast being clear, Lance and I are hanging out chez Johnsons tonight. He just got home from Vegas, and we had a couple of errands to run before we could even go home.

Errand #1: Lance was told to stop by the office because there was something in the freezer. His boss was very insistent upon him going tonight. Not waiting until Monday...tonight. I kind of grumbled on the way there, wondering what was so damn important that it couldn't wait. Turns out, there was a 10.5 pound spiral sliced ham in the freezer for us. Lance and I are very grateful. VERY grateful. Well worth making that trip. And besides, I got to see Lance's office for the first time. So anyway, the ham is now in OUR freezer. And I'll probably cook it for Christmas Eve dinner, since we'll be at Rich & Kathy's on Christmas Day. And we'll have leftovers for ages. But I know it's going to be an awesome ham because I think this was the same brand of ham served at the Christmas party last week, and it was really really good.

Errand #2: Had to stop by Petsmart and pick up Reece from day camp. I ordered a bath for her today too, so she's all pretty and shiny and good-smelling, and I didn't have to lift a finger. Their baths are cheap when you get them done at camp (they're more expensive in the salon, where they do a full-service bath), so I couldn't resist getting that one huge chore off my shoulders. Reece was so happy to see Lance that she nearly knocked him backwards in the day camp lobby.

We're now waiting for Papa John's. And I'm just going to kick back tonight as the weather outside grows increasingly frightful. I just wish our fireplace was working properly. It would be a perfect night for a fire.