A Peck of Gold

Last Post of 2003

This will be my last post for the year. I'll be taking a vacation from the internet for a while, during which time I plan to eat, make merry, and vege out. Have a wonderful break everybody! Merry Christmas!

See ya next year!

Remembering Gifts of Old

My Very Own Boombox. Wow!! No Christmas present stands out in my mind as much as this one. It was a dual cassette, fast dub recording, am/fm radio that had detachable speakers. It was a fifth grader's dream come true, and the moment we had finished opening all the other gifts, I bolted for my room to try it out. I read the manual, pored over the multi-functions and carefully filled in the warranty form. When I couldn't wait any longer, I finally plugged it in. The first radio station I found was playing a Spanish song... I remember thinking, "This radio is SUPER hi-tech! I can pick up stations from other countries!! AWESOME!!!"

It was a few years later that it dawned on me that "Feliz Navidad" is one of the regulars on ALL the radio stations on Christmas morning, and it wasn't actually picking up signals from around the world. But that's okay, it doesn't dim the excitement of that memory. That radio was my first taste of the "grown-up" world... I spent some of the best hours of my life bent over the dial, hand poised on the record button, waiting for my favorite song to come on the radio. I recorded myself reading my poetry, singing songs, or being stupid with my friends. I made tapes for other people, I read books for my little brother and sister, I practiced songs for choir and musicals. It provided the soundtrack to my life, the drama to my tears and the silliness to my laughter. That radio followed me to highschool, through college, and finally, into my first years of marriage. It finally played it's last song just a few years ago, after ten years of faithful service. Replacing it with the newer, sleeker, cd player should have been an exciting moment... but it was hard to let it go.

So, that's my favorite Christmas present. What was yours?

My LoTR Trilogy Experience

Yes, it's 2 a.m. and I'm blogging, but I couldn't pass up the chance to say I'm one of those insanely over-eager special people who got to see the earliest showing of Return of the King. The line started at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning and seating started at 12:15. After several hours of waiting, we had worked ourselves up into a good-natured frenzy, and were pumped up when it started at 1 p.m. The first two were the extended versions. At 10 p.m., after lots of countdowns, door prizes, concession junk food, and a few douses of Visine, we settled in for the last one.

We were not disappointed. First, I'd like to say that the extra footage GREATLY impacts the quality of the first two pictures (I hadn't seen the extended versions yet) - I enjoyed them so much more! Things flowed and made more sense with those scenes left in. As for the third movie, it was full of so many moments to cheer and yell, "YEAH, TAKE THAT YOU JERKS!!". This movie wasn't what I expected. I don't want to say anything more about it, because I know you guys haven't seen it yet. (Yeah, I'm bragging a little... but I earned it. I am BEAT.) I don't want to influence your opinion about it before you've seen it.

But, I can't wait to hear what everyone else thinks! And all you non-LoTR fans... you're really only hurting yourselves. They are very good films.

Well, I'm off to blessed sleep now. I'll write more later, when I've recouperated a little! Sorry if this one is a little incoherent.

Elimidate: Trashy Dating at it's Finest

In the late hours of the night, when all quality programming on t.v. has ended, (quality being debatable to begin with!!) I have occasionally watched an episode of "Elimidate". For those of you who don't know the premise of this show, let me explain. One person meets up with four other people for a potential love match. For example, a man meets four women at a restaurant. By the end of the meal, he has to eliminate one of the girls, and the others move on to round two. They continue the date at the park, or a bar, and eventually, he is left with one date.

I don't know where they find people for this show, but they are shameful, shameful, and shameful. I'm not kidding. The girls are hoochies and the guys are pigs. Without a doubt, the first girl eliminated is the more reserved, quiet girl who admits no interest in lesbianism. She doesn't stand a chance with this guy who wants to see just how far the gals will go to win. And they do go far. There is no subtly about their words or actions. They will do anything to get to the next level. They have no self-respect at all. Watching them makes me ill.

The guys are no better. I've never seen an episode where the guy didn't pick the nastiest, easiest girl. Watching the girls fight over him, he leers and cheers when they go to the extreme to get his attention. It's revolting.

The situation is reversed occasionally, and it will be a girl with four guys. It's not usually as nasty, but the elements are still the same. It's still a nauseating process.

PLEASE tell me the whole world doesn't date like this!! Patrick and I met early on in college and I never ran into this kind of behavior in the dating realm. Have any of you seen this show? I am not a fan, but I just wondered if I'm the only one who feels the need to take a hot, sterilizing shower after seeing it. I realize people don't go out on group dates like this, but is the desperation and lack of self respect this widespread in the secular dating world, or are they only acting that way because they are in a t.v. "competition"?

On a sidenote, a guy in one Patrick's classes actually went on Elimidate, and made a gigantic azz of himself by jumping into a fountain with all his clothes on to impress the girl. Uh, yes, he got eliminated in the first round.

Encouraging Pink

My little girl is in pursuit of all things pink. Her ultimate goal in life is to be draped in pink, eating a pink cookie, in a pink house, with a pink pony in the backyard. And I shamelessly encourage it. She probably will grow out of it eventually (but maybe not), so I enjoy the chance to dress her in yards of pink flowers and sparkles and hearts and bows. Pink makes her very happy, which makes me happy, too.

I don't worry that she doesn't want to wear a "strong charcoal" or a "power cranberry". I don't believe her strength will come from the color she wears, or the way she arranges her hair. I don't think you have to reject things that are feminine in order to be a strong female. Pink doesn't make you weak. More women realize that now, and the days of the uber-feminists are over. No more pinstriped power suits to promote a woman's equality. We're done with that agenda. No longer do we want to live up to the standard required in a man’s world. The new woman is more balanced and confident and knows that our strength doesn't come from our equality to men. It is in our differences from men that we are fulfilling the greatest potential in ourselves. Those qualities that are unique to a woman are the wells of our fortitude and abilities. I'm not saying that women are only fit for domestic chores. What I'm saying is that those biological differences give us a perspective that is distinct and beneficial, and ultimately, more powerful than you’d think.

I'm so glad. Because, you know, Wrenn's not the only one who looks good in pink.

Love The One You're With

Shh... don't tell Patrick, but I'm getting us a pair of Smittens for Christmas. Won't we be adorable?? (Via A Girl Named Bob.)

May I Have Some Cheese With My Whinin'?

One day, I hope that Christmas doesn't stress me out so much. I don't mind cutting corners at any other time of the year. We accept the necessity of a tight budget while Patrick is in school and we can live with it. But I just hate not being able to do what I would like to for the people I love at Christmas.

I'm tired of trying to think of what I can make as a gift, telling myself "it's the thought that counts". But shoot, these folks don't want another home-made ornament or cookie mix from me. I'm tired of GIVING those things, I know they're tired of GETTING them. I did try to prepare for this a little by buying some gifts several months ago, and I am so glad I did. That helped. But, it's still this thing that hangs over my head and it's hard to ignore it sometimes.

I can see where some of this is selfish and prideful, and I should work on that. I thought about not even writing this entry, but I think I have to. I have to admit that I am not strong all the time. I try to be solid and independant, and people have come to expect that from me, but it's not always the truth. If I never admit the hard times, then people never know the real me. I try to be optimistic and "up", and I think that's a good thing. I can't change the circumstances sometimes, but I can control my attitude and my responses. But sometimes, I'm just weak. Sometimes, I'm not okay. And I need to be vulnerable and expose that occasionally. Not to feel sorry for myself, but to make this writing/blogging thing genuine. To make my LIFE genuine. If I'm not writing and living honestly, what's the point?

Well, that's it for today... sorry to be depressing! Tommorow is another day. It's good to know.

Something To Amuse

I thought a few of you guys would enjoy this little joke:

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The woman below replied, "You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40
and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."

"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.

"I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is, technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip."

The woman below responded, "You must be in Management."

"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quanity of hot air. You made a promise which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."

Bloglines Directory

Here's a nice blog directory that I didn't realize I was in. How'd I get there?? Anyway, it's got a handy preview feature that allows you to read the first couple sentances of several entries to get a feel for it before actually going there. If you've got some time to kill, go browse and register.

Testosterone Does It Again

Breaking News! Men can't think when there's a beautiful woman in the room, according to this Canadian article. Interesting read, but it's not exactly a surprise... Sampson and Delilah, anybody?? Oh well, you're doing just fine, Canada. You keep doing your research! Who knows, maybe you'll even find a cure for polio one day...

Calling All Geniuses

Since nobody has ever asked me to join a "think tank", I'm considering starting my own. We could just sit around, thinking up good ideas. Inventing things, brainstorming, puzzle solving, riddle making.

It must be quite a prestigious position. When someone asks you what you do, you nonchalantly answer, "Oh, I'm a member of a think tank." Smarty pants.

We have several openings to fill here: Crazy Mathmatician, Idiot Savante, Mad Scientist, Paranoid Computer Hacker, and the Sexy Weapons Expert. (okay, so maybe we don't need the weapons expert, but it gives the team a little pizazz, don't you think?)

Now I just have to come up with a good name. Wait! That will be the think tank's first assignment. Perfect.

I'm already feeling my brain juices flow!

Santa Baby

I know there is a lot of hoopla in the church about Santa Claus. But to me, it's simple. It was fun to believe in him when I was a child, and it didn't warp me or cause me to hate my parents or reject God. My parents never let me forget what Christmas was really about, and I turned out halfway decent.

So, yes, Santa comes to visit the Trisler house. Rudolph, too! We are having fun with it, and here's the picture from Wrenn and Eli's visit to the mall this year. They were both so excited and happy to meet him. Wrenn is a little confused about him coming on Christmas Eve, she thinks he's coming for supper and going to spend the night... Haha! Anyway, click the picture for a larger image.

Don't Let The Sound of My Teeth Grinding Bother You

Grr.

Here I am, on hold with our car insurance company about a claim that we filed about a month ago. Apparently, our company has not contacted the other party, and they called me today to ask what the hold-up was. It must be standard procedure to put callers on hold for the first 25 minutes in hopes that they’ll just give up and not pursue the claim. But I perservered, and finally got through, only to have the lady tell me she sees no activity on the claim and she doesn’t know why. I go back on hold, and then I’m told I’ll be connected to the adjuster. Who isn’t there, naturally. So, I get the voice mail, and it instills no confidence in me that her name is Jamie McFail.

Sigh. I’m sure this is going to be loads of fun.

How Am I, You Ask?

Well, how about a little update?

I'm so glad it's finally Finals Week for Patrick. He's been here for a few meals a day for the last 2 weeks, and that's about all we've seen of him. Good thing he gets hungry. We miss him! He'll wrap it all up on Tuesday, then won't be back at school until the middle of January. Whoopee! Happy days are here again! And no, it's not just cause I need a second shift for the kids... I really do like having him around. You know him, he's the life of the party!

We've been through a whirlwind of plan making around here. We think we've got our housing thing all worked out. Looks like we'll be moving into a house that is available only to Landscape Architect students, at a really low price! The guy who rents them started the L.A. program at LSU ages ago, and he likes to help out future Landscape Architects by making the rent blessedly low. I'm so excited! There is nothing like apartment living to make you truly appreciate the virtues of living in a real house. We'll move in May.

Trying to make my Christmas travel plans, which makes me grumpy, yet excited. Once you have kids, it's such a high pressure situation. You have to balance it all out, and don't think people aren't tallying up how many days you're here versus there. I know I definitely (LOOK I SPELLED IT RIGHT!!!) put more stress on myself than is actually coming from others, but it's still hard to organize it all.

But it's more than just planning the number of days, but also the "observing of the holidays". I am sometimes torn between my own selfish desires to keep doing the things I grew up doing, and also fairly observing my husband's family traditions. Like, being at my parent's house on Christmas Eve. My dad always reads the Christmas story from the Bible and then The Night Before Christmas. We look for Santa outside (*GASP*, SANTA!!!???) while my oh-so-sly grandmother jingles some bells around the side of the house to put the panic in us. It's hard to resist those silly old traditions I grew up with, to be fair about Patrick's traditions too. I have to let some things go, I have to share, and that's not always easy. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the family I married into, they are wonderful and make holidays a real joy, too. I am not just a Trisler by marriage, I'm one by love and acceptance and destiny. It's just that my natural inclination is to recreate holidays and traditions that molded my own childhood.

I think that one day, when we are settled in our own house and we are done with this crazy school thing, it will be easier. We'll make our own traditions, and those are the ones our kids will remember and cherish. But right now, it's a balancing act that requires some compromise and juggling.

Anyway, despite that minor glitch, I am really starting to get into the holiday spirit. I love this time of the year... we're putting our Christmas tree up this week and it'll be the first one we've had with the kids. I can't wait to see Wrenn experience the season and all it's trappings! Eli will be right in the middle of it, too, I'm sure.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Well, that's it for the update. Just thought I'd post a little backstage action for a change.

And oh yeah: GO TIGERS! LSU in the Sugarbowl! It was like the 4th of July around here, fireworks going off, whooping and hollaring all weekend. I love this city!

Ryan Seacrest & Justin Timberlake, To Name A Few

I am seriously amused by the new term and phenomena of the "metro-sexual". I'm picking them out of crowds left and right nowadays. They're everywhere!!

Help!!! The Most Irritating Problem!

Suddenly, I can no longer open links that open a new window to other pages. Like, that list of blogs on the sidebar, or the comments section, or any other link that tries to open a separate window. I have to type out the url every single time. What did I do???

Late Night Linking

::I thought I'd drop a few links as a cop-out since I have nothing real to write to keep you entertained while you're at a boring day of work. Feel free to add some links to keep the party going.::

Oh Santa, please, PLEASE get me this necklace for Christmas. I have been a very, very good girl.

This car looks like it would run on bubbles.

Some cool beach art... too bad about that whole tide thing.

For you parents: the application form to date my daughter. It is printable. And scary. And funny.

Oh... you've got a little spinach there in your, no wait, that's a smiley face? hm. no, I like it, really. It's... charming.

And when I'm not reading the Star or the World News for my celebrity plastic surgery updates, I'm here. I spent an embarassing amount of time at that website, but it was soooo juicy!!

::And, lastly, a quiz to get your bells jingling.::

You are 'Silent Night'! You really enjoy
Christmas, and you like your Christmases
conventional. For you, Christmas is about
family and traditions, and you rather enjoy the
rituals of going to church at midnight and
turning off the lights before flaming the plum
pudding. Although you find Christmas shopping
frustrating, you like the excitement of
wrapping and hiding presents, and opening a
single door on the Advent Calendar each day.
You like the traditional carols, and probably
teach the children to sing along to them. More
than anyone else, you will probably actually
have a merry Christmas.


What Christmas Carol are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Contemplations of the spirit.

What wispy cords bind the heart and mind
That etheral essence that tugs our lives in this direction and that.
The heaviness in our ribs that tells us we live! we exist! we are separate from one another. We are not soulless and collective.

The promise of more courses through our blood, draws the breath in and out of our chest.

We are not merely flesh. We inhabit more than this shell, though glorious it be created. And when we are parted from that earthly half, we continue to Be. Oh hope of my salvation, thank you God.

Matt's Holiday Showdown

When asked, "How was your Thanksgiving?" in an email, Matt Wilkins, a.k.a. Mr. Monroe, responded with a detailed analysis of the Holidays, complete with a graph chart. He's nothing if not thorough, that man. Anyway, I left the chart off, but posted the report for your viewing pleasure, with permission of course. Beware dear readers - all emails to the Trislers are potential blog topics! Thanks, Matt. Enjoy.

**
First off, everyone (I mean everyone) LOVES X-mas. And well they should. It's a great holiday no doubt about it. But is it really the best?

Let's walk through the days and compare.

Month of December: We readily await X-mas, all the while searching for the "perfect" gifts for our family. Having to wait in long shopping lines, worrying if you're spending moola on something that they may never want in the first place. Then you feel bad because if they don't like it, then you just wasted that money.

Month of November: Nothing. No shopping for gifts just making sure you pick up a turkey on the day before.

Winner: Thanksgiving!

X-mas Eve: We sit at home comfy in out houses awaiting X-mas day and enjoying the night before by watching X-mas lights, drinking eggnog, or some sappy thing with the family.

Thanksgiving Eve: Nothing. We just know we're getting fed good tommorrow.

Winner: X-mas!

X-mas Morning: We wake up early and see what we got under the tree!

Thanksgiving Morning: We're still asleep.

Winner: Tie

X-mas Afternoon: We sit around the house bored out of our skulls because there's really nothing else to do.

Thanksgiving Afternoon: Get ready, because after a few hours of watching football that long awaited Thanksgiving Day dinner is coming your way!

Winner: Thanksgiving!

X-mas Night: We're bummed out, sad, that X-mas is over and we have nothing else to wait for till next year.

Thanksgiving Night: We're pumped up and ready to celebrate X-mas next.

Winner: Thanksgiving!

After X-mas Day: Take down decorations, throw out tree, return gifts.

After Thanksgiving Day: Eat turkey leftovers.

Winner: Thanksgiving!

As you can see I've had way too much time on my hands.

**
If you're making these very important observations and you've got too much time on your hands, you're primo blogger material. Go ahead. You know you want to.

Argh Matey, Dial 1-800CALLATT

According to Patrick, Carrot-top would make the worst Captain Hook of all time. I think he's probably right. I'm getting slightly ill just from the mental image. I am getting an idea here.... let's see... a game about the worst person to play a character... I'll have to talk this out with Patrick, but I feel this could turn into something. Maybe not as big as Triangulate!, but they can't all sweep the nation, now can they?

Well, I've got lots of unpacking and whatnot to do, just wanted to pop in and say hello! More to come.