Whew, Glad that's over

Whew, I am glad my wisdom teeth are Out and I do NOT Recommend this unless you absolutely have to have it done. Oh, and please if you need your wisdom teeth out, it is better to do it when you are younger as my oral surgeon repeatedly told me during our preop consultation. I finally turned to him and said, "Doc, do you have a time machine in the back? Because I can't change the fact my childhood dentist told me I had enough room for these suckers."

Thank goodness for Nitrous Oxide aka Laughing gas. It made me laugh and I also had a crying jag. Fun, Fun. I realize I much prefer being the caregiver instead of the patient, but I reached a point as the doctor was wiggling my teeth from their firmly ensconced home, that you just have to give into the process. I am now recovering with my ice packs, soup, and pain killers. My family is very attentive and so not used to seeing me down and out. (Well, maybe not so down and out, I made it to my computer, right?)

I would like to thank Muse Swings for this Christmas Spirit Award and would like to extend this award to all my bloggy buddies who share their spirit through good times and bad with grace and wit. Mazel Tov!


Happy New Year to you and your loves. I wish you all the best for a Wonderful 2009.

One Sentence Post - Liquid Diet and Drug Fueled New Year's Eve

In order to ensure a liquid diet and drug fueled New Year's Eve, please consider having all 4 of your wisdom teeth extracted at the age of 47 y/o the day before.

The Gifts of Change

Thank you all so much for your support, smiles, and sound insight re. my extraordinarily self indulgent post about this year's ChristMess. Sometimes, or very often actually, you really have to hit the wall to make some changes and I think this year did the trick for our family. I remember going to a Tony Robbins seminar twenty years ago and learning that people are motivated to change either to seek pleasure or escape pain. As you can see, I'm still learning. And I am delighted to say after several heartfelt discussions with my husband, Changes Are Afoot for any and all celebrations. So thank you again.

I am not an ungrateful boob and I do enjoy the company of our friends and neighbors, but I am owning the fact that if I can't give of something freely and for the sole pleasure of Giving, (which I frequently am lucky enough to experience), then I Ain't Doing It. Whew, that's feels good. Okay, therapy session over.

I would like to share of the abundance I was privileged to receive:

Our oldest son turning to me on December 23rd as we are trying to finish decorating the tree and saying, "Mom, we have enough ornaments on the tree, it looks great."

At work, a new patient expressing appreciation for my clinical support.

Reminding my husband who was fussing about me and the boys petsitting over Christmas for a friend and widow that this is what Christmas is about.

Our family having a lovely afternoon at the Aquarium of The Pacific in Long Beach and a great dinner at the Mandarin Chateau in Chinatown.

Enjoying the support, sharing, and wisdom of my blogging buddies.

Holiday Post mortem

Can I tell you how relieved I am Christmas is over? Gosh, I really worked myself up into a stress mess this year.

This Christmas was spent:

Listening to my partially deaf mother complain about the kids playing too loudly.

Watching my husband work his a$$ off making a gourmet meal for folks who would never invite us over because they "aren't gourmet cooks". (Gosh, I didn't realize we were so discriminating and such snobs, personally it think it is L A Z I N E S S.)

Never getting to sit down except to eat.

I turned to my husband after we had been cooking and cleaning for 8 hours straight (our own damn fault) and said, "I don't want to do this anymore".

Even our 13 y/o son who enjoys a house full of company said, "Mom, it's not fair to you and Dad to do all this work".

So put a fork in me, I'm done.

I am sorry to be such a Scrooge and I sincerely hope you had a relaxing holiday. (Whatever the heck that is.)

For my dear friends from the UK and Canada: Happy Boxing Day!
(I know this sounds way hypocritical after this bi+chy post.)

NORAD Tracks Santa

We enjoy watching Santa Claus on his journey throughout the World at the website of the North American Air Defense agency, NORADSanta.org. They have been tracking Santa by satellite and airplane since 1958.

I hope you enjoy these live pictures of the Jolly Old Elf and this puts to rest any doubt about Santa Claus being "real".

Our Evening in Hollywood "A Christmas Carol"

It was a wonderful evening at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood where we went to see a live performance of the play, “A Christmas Carol”. The Kodak Theater is in the heart of Hollywood and we got there early to walk around and check out the street scene. (Very different from our quiet little suburban outpost.) In front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, we saw Yoda, Catwoman, and Charlie Chaplin posing with the tourists for tips. The area is full of restaurants and shops so we had dinner before the play at an Italian trattoria. It was “molte bene”, especially the thin crusted, wood fired stove pizza. Then it was off to the theater to sit my buns in possibly the same seat as Meryl Streep or Hugh Grant.

The venue is lovely; amazing acoustics, beautiful architecture with elegant sculptured wood panels and a mosaic of red on the walls. It is a suprisingly intimate theater for one seating 3500. The play was delightful despite some opening night glitches with the scenery and costume changes. There was one very memorable improvisation by Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Lloyd) after he wakes up Christmas morning and changes from his nightgown to suit and cape. Poor Ebenezer Scrooge had to go out to see Bob Crachit and his nephew, Fred with a zipper that just would Not Cooperate! Christopher Lloyd was wonderful, as was John Goodman as the Ghost of Christmas Present and Jane Leeves as Mrs.Crachit, Tiny Tim’s mum. Unfortunately, Gene Wilder and Jane Seymour were ill. Their understudies did a yeoman’s job as Jacob Marley’s ghost and the Ghost of Christmas Past. (“Who’s past?”…. “Your past, Ebenezer Scrooge”.) I love this line about how we all carry around our own past.

Dicken’s classic tale and the performance were magical and helped me recapture the season’s spirit. The modesty and poverty of Dickens’ story are current and timeless. I cried when the Ghost of Christmas Future showed Scrooge a grieving Mrs.Cratchit and rejoiced at Scrooge’s transformation. (“I’m as light as a feather, I'm as giddy as a school boy…”)

I feel blessed that my husband and I can share our love of the arts and the enjoyment of being together with our children.

Thank you and please accept my best for Many Blessings of the Spirit and the Season to You and Yours,

Martha


"Business! Mankind was my Business!" Jacob Marley

Christmas Carol at the Kodak Theater

Christopher Lloyd, Jane Leeves, John Goodman, and GENE WILDER, Here we come!!!! Our Christmas treat this season is to take the boys to "A Christmas Carol" at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. I'm very thrilled for the opportunity to see these wonderful actors in person at this venue. Each holiday season, our family attends a performance. In previous years, we've gone to the Four Irish Tenors and The Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Concert. Yikes, the time! Off to prettify for my trip to Hollywood.