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Mel, our Office Manager, sent out an email to the office on Monday inviting us to participate in creating holiday greeting cards for for people at Pike Market Senior Center & Food Bank. Crafty supplies—pens, stickers, glue, etc—would be supplied in the office kitchen. Gabby then emailed Amy and me to ask if we'd be interested in spending about an hour together as a team making them on Wednesday morning. I thought it was a great idea.
Now this the question I have for myself: should I include this as a "social engagement" on my next Social Review? I feel like it exists in a kind of gray area. We didn't leave the office, and it was kind of a group project. But, it also served as a break from regular work and was a fun kind of hang-out. I think I'm going to count it.
I made four cards, and took photos of three of them. (I'll be uploading those to Flickr later.) I also got a fun selfie of the three of us holding up some of our cards, with a ton of crafty supplies on the table between us. We actually wrapped up after about 45 minutes—I don't know how many cards Gabby and Amy made each, but they had to have made at least as many as I did, which would make a total of 12 just from the three of us. Not bad. I heard that Mel was hoping for more cards to get made than had thus far been contributed, but my team probably at least doubled the number of cards that were already there, if not more.
Michelle from AP was making some cards of her own over lunch yesterday. I was a little late to taking my lunch break, and there were already people in the TV room where I usually go to read my book for about half an hour. I decided, fuck it, I'd take my book into the kitchen, where I'd already put together a plate of three slices from sample pizzas Noah had just baked. I went to sit at the bar seating along the windows, and Michelle was like, "Matthew, you can come sit with us." I was like, "I was going to read my book, but okay." I probably should have just joined them without commentary.
Michelle had a whole stash of her own craft supplies—stamps, ink pads, glue, and more. After I told her that my team was going to make some cards together today, after lunch yesterday she came by my desk and asked if I'd like to borrow her bag of that stuff. Absolutley! So, Gabby and Amy and I had quite a lot to work with. I got less satisfied with my cards as I made them, but oh well. I had fun.
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Last night I had most of the evening to myself, as Shobhit worked 5 to 9. I walked home from work in the rain, listening to the 2009 Annie Lennox album
A Christmas Cornucopia. That album, much like a lot of Christmas music, makes me think of my mom. She had really liked Annie Lennox's 1995 album
Medusa when I listened to it in my late teens, and when I really loved this Christmas album upon its release, I really thought Mom would too, and I burned her a copy of it. That was 14 years ago now. Eleven years before Mom died.
Mom's been gone three and a half years. Four years next July 1. It's still weird, like the very way I perceive the universe is forever changed. And that, in spite of not having the greatest, or closest, relationship with her. She wasn't exactly my favorite parent, but, she never stopped being important. I think for most of us that's just how it works. I can only imagine the experience is similar even if a parent dies after a really long life. I'd hesitate to say she "died young"—she was 68—but, she could have had another decade or two ahead of her. Anyway, enough of that.
Shobhit had made himself dinner, so I made myself a stir fried rice with some sample veggie chicken added. It was marinated in a kind of barbecue sauce, which I could have lived without, but it was okay. Adding peanut sauce always helps. I added fried tofu as well, in addition to the relatively limited vegetable options I had: onion, standard mushrooms as well as chanterelle mushrooms, green beans. I'd have loved to add bell pepper but we didn't have any and I didn't feel like going to the store.
I watched one of the Christmas movies that I had on my list for this year:
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. I've got to tell you, that movie sucks. It really stuck to the tradition of the time, of just being a virtual and inferior remake of the original (
Die Hard 2 did the same thing, with the one exception that that one's not also set during Christmastime). In the first half in particular, the script and dialogue is nearly unbearable, in both its implausability and its stupidity. The slapstick stuff in the final act is only less stupid if you really think about it—but, I have to admit, it still made me laugh a lot. The gags that worked, anyway. Not all of them did.
I'm not sure I ever need to watch that one again, though. I should really make a note to myself about that. There are way too many other better movies more worth my time.
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In other news, the hot water handle for my bathroom faucet won't stop leaking. I discovered this yesterday morning, and could only get it to stop when applying weight and pressure to the handle. Google search indicates it's likey a worn washer, which apparently is very inexpensive to replace. In the meantime, I've just turned the water source off under the sink, turning it back on when I need to shave or whatever. Hopefully I can find a way to get that taken care of tonight.
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[posted 12:32 pm]
