One last thing. About that Rick Warren invitation.

I've really only seen one person on my flist post about this, and that's castleisland. I've been thinking about it a lot, but I haven't been able to put what I'm feeling into words. Perhaps that's because the issue is so enormous for me that I couldn't be succinct. Perhaps because I'm so awash in emotion that I don't have room for words. Happily I just read an open letter sent to Obama's transition team and his inauguration committee that perfectly captures what I would hope to say to him, to you all. It's written by a blogger I greatly admire, who goes by the handle of Portly Dyke. If you would take the time, I'd greatly appreciate it if you would read her letter.

Thank you.

From light to dark

1. darlong and I went Christmas shopping today. She'd already got a lot of it done, but I was just starting out. I've only been this out of synch with Christmas one other time in my life, and that was in 1979 when I spent Christmas Eve in the ER waiting room trying to get myself committed to the psych ward. (True story. But being, as they say, "the silly season" there was no room in that particular inn.) Not that I'm any way depressed or desperate, but it's indicative of just how cognitively dysfunctional I am this year.

2. We're going to have snow storms every day this week except for today and Monday. Guess what that did to the already burgeoning crowds at the stores? Yeah. Uber burgeoning. And then there were the parking lots. Gridlock. I don't do well in those circumstances. I have a phobia about being trapped, not being able to move. Traffic jams are very difficult for me; I have an overwhelming urge to flee from the car and just walk away. The saving grace was that this is Canada and not the States - there was not one honked horn, not one middle finger thrust (not even by me), not one crazy person shouting or pounding their head against the steering wheel. OK, there was one, but I'm American - I'm supposed to do that.

3. After about four stores, we ended our foray into Christmas commercialism by going to buy a Christmas tree. People, it's about 5 degrees F out there. Seriously cold. And the sun was setting. But we got a lovely tree against all the odds. I figured that there wouldn't be much left to choose from, but we had four or five good ones to decide among. Dar and I have very different tastes in Christmas trees, btw. I like a full tree, but I also like spaces between the rows of branches so you can dangle a lot of ornaments from front to back. Dar likes a tree that's tightly packed with branches. Her tree, so she wins :) We stuck it in the back of the Jeep along with all of our other purchases and drove the 20 miles home with the back window open. Refreshing!

4. I have one day to finish my shopping. That's going to be Monday, because it's the only day that it isn't going to snow. Mark has to finish his, too, so I'll borrow the Jeep and do mine during the day, and then tag along with him while he finishes his after work that night. We can do this! Go, team! Boo yah! Bah humbug! Jingle those bells and holly that ivy!

5. The tree is sitting in its stand in the living room, warming up in preparation for being decorated tomorrow. Most of the cats were curious, but I think they remembered past trees and soon just ignored it. However, our two Jewish cats (Pico and Lexy) have never had a tree in the house before, and they were just a tad taken aback. Lexy in particular didn't know what the hell to do with what she was seeing. She hissed, she hid, she ran around in circles, she beat the hell out of a stuffed mouse, and then she gave it up and went to sleep. Poor Lexy.

6. I must to sleep now. Tomorrow is mad decorating and wrapping, I think