Best Presents Ever!

Christmas morning.  Debris from the opening of presents collected for trashification.  I got a bunch of clothes.  David seems to like the iPod Mini I got him (he's downloading music as I type this).  We did our bit for US commercialism.

But I'm grateful for the more intangible presents I received this year...

Having good friends that I can (mostly) see on a frequent basis

Having my hospitalized friend stage a major comeback from liver and kidney failure.  No, he's hardly out of the woods, its still touch and go.  He's still in ICU.  But his prognosis has upside, and that's more than enough to be grateful for.

And lastly, I'm grateful for my husband, my burrito bear, the man who touches my heart each day.

It's a good Christmas.

Fiesta - Ware and Run

Did you know that Corelle dinnerware is effectively indestructible?  I've owned a set for nearly 15 years and I've grown to detest it.  But dammit, it looks almost new!  Breaking the stuff is impossible (although the one piece that did break exploded, sending tiny glass shrapnel like bits everywhere).  When Kris and I were together, we bought some white Cafeware from Bed, Bath, and Bimbo.  About 2 years ago, Psycho Kitty got into the dinnerware cabinet (despite the fact that it's quite high and the door is a challenge to open.  About a quarter of the Cafeware was destroyed (unlike the Corelle, it shatters very nicely).

Which is all the long way round to getting to the story -- And so this year, David and I decided to go retro and get some Fiestaware.  Ah, the colors, ah, the heft, ah I feel tres gay!  The devil Amazon was having a sale that required that we buy six sets.  Shipped from all of the country (no idea how Amazoid organizes, wonder if they have the same problem), all arrived fine except the Cinnabar.  After 2 sets showed up broken, they threw up their electronic hands and told me the item was unavailable.  Damn.  For the record, it wasn't the result of UPS drop-kicking the boxes but rather some Amazon flunkie that opened the boxes, tossed the contents around for (presumably) target practice, and repackaged them incorrectly.  Still, its pretty stuff, could easily get addicted to building a collection.

And speaking of Fiesta, David and I decided to go to Fiesta in Tucson in mid-January.  We've both gone to the event for several years.  Low key, fun, a bunch of folks we know.  This year, the event will certainly be ruined unique as the evil, rusty Brillo-Pad haired lowfatmuffin will be in attendance.  I just hope that Tucson's fashion stores have enough Jungle Red for the man.