Hi everyone, Merry Christmas.

Tonight we took DTD out for her birthday dinner. Japanese. Her favorite food. And fish. She loves and adores fish. From whence did this come? But I should have known, this from the kid who didn't like French fries and hot dogs and Disney World. Like I've said, she isn't American. But whose complaining? Long live the girl who avoids French fries and hot dogs and can take or leave Disney. When other parents were running their kids to The World every other weekend to be sure and recover the price of their yearly pass, we just sat back and beheld the insanity (no offense to Disney lovers everywhere). I'm telling you, the older I get, the more confident I become with my preferences. It's pretty comfortable.

I cannot use chopsticks, and even if I possessed that talent, I prefer a cheap stainless steel fork. So I asked for one. The waitress offered to bring me "cheater" chopsticks, the kind with a rubber band holding the two sticks together at the top. Mike, DTD and stepson thought I should spring for those. Well, I sprang and they sprung -- the cheaters sprung, that is. Really, when I took the paper wrapper off, the thing flew out of my hands, as a yelp leapt out of my throat. Somehow I had managed to let them pinch me. It was an odd scene and of course DTD was disgusted beyond measure. But boy, it was a bad surprise and it hurt. Those babies sailed across the table. It's unbelievable, but nothing surprises my family anymore. I try to be dignified for DTD, but it's just hopeless.

Boy, I'm beater than beat, how 'bout you? Someone said, 10 days 'til Christmas. But really it's more like 9. Hmm, I'd better face that hard fact squarely in the face . . . tomorrow. Gone With the Wind was on tv last night, followed by a documentary of the making of the movie. I didn't watch the whole movie, but Scarlett certainly liked the idea of "tomorrow." But there are only so many tomorrows, so I'd better start making good use of them.

Okay, I can't form any thoughts of sense . . . so off I go.

KEM