Friday Fun!
Reading other people’s blogs (most notably The Story Siren and Medieval Bookworm) made me decide my blog needs a bit of a consistent humanizing element to it. Non-opinion posts that just give you a general sense of who the hell this person is who’s yacking to you about books, movies, and general opinions. To that end I’ve decided to start this new (hopefully consistent) feature–Friday Fun!–in which I will ramble about general Amanda-stuff. I hope you enjoy.
This week I became the proud owner of both a menorah and a 3 foot tall fake Christmas tree. I can hear my family now. “Whaaat?! You bought a fake tree?!” But you see, a fake tree is easier and cheaper, so I’m happy. I’ll also need to skip the tinsel for the first year ever due to the presence of the kitty. She totally would eat the tinsel and we’d get to spend a lovely night in the MSPCA ER. As for the menorah, it’s the first time I’ll be the one in charge of lighting it. For the last five years, it was always a roommate or hallmate who did, so I’ve taken it upon myself to learn the Hanukkah prayers. My friend Nina helped me get the basics, but I found this website last night to help me practice when she’s not around.
I am a major online holiday shopper, and a lot of the presents I’ve been buying arrived this week. I have quite the stash in my closet, and I need to acquire wrapping paper so they can wind up under the tree. Seeing all the wrapped presents is one of my favorite things. I’ve looked for wrapping paper twice so far, but finding non-holiday-specific ones for my Chrismukkah celebrations hasn’t been going too well. And no, I don’t like snowman paper.
On the sour note, last night my downstairs neighbors complained about me walking around my apartment. Yes, walking. Personally my first reaction is that they should suck it up and deal because they knew what they were getting into when they chose an apartment that’s not on the top floor. It’s not like I was dancing or running circles or something. Upon reflection after she left, however, I realized that the new kitty addition does have a tendency to run circles (and bounce off walls and randomly do dances) in the evening, and perhaps this is what the neighbors have been hearing. I can sort of sympathize with this, but it doesn’t seem to me there’s much I can do about it. It’s not my fault the landlord has wood floors on the top floor of the apartment building. I’m thinking of stopping by and letting them know it’s probably the cat they’re hearing, so they at least know (unless that’s unnecessary?), but in the meantime, any suggestions on how to deal with the neighbors?
This weekend my plans are a bit up-in-the-air, but I do plan on decorating the tree, maybe hanging out with some friends, and reading more. It’d been a long time since I’ve read a series, and I’m really enjoying the cozy familiarity I’m starting to feel with the main characters in both The Dark Tower and Sookie Stackhouse. Of course I also have a couple of movies on my radar to watch. You’ll just have to wait til next week to find out what they are!
Peace!
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Opinions of a Wolf 
Great addition, Amanda!
Thanks Anna!
The footsteps thing isn’t something that is easily remedied. My original upstairs neighbors (two sisters) were EXTRMEMELY quiet. Then when they moved out and another group moved in, all I could hear was footsteps all the time. I bet eventually she will phase it out of her normal hearing, and it will just be “white noise”. I’d say be nice, apologize and sympathize, and that is about the end of it! 🙂
Hmm, ok! That’s what I did last night. I was uber-nice. Very apologetic, because I wanted to diffuse the situation. I hadn’t thought about the white noise aspect, but you’re probably right! Good to hear from a previous lower-level dweller.
I think this personal addition is really nice. I’m now half way through The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass getting good again 🙂
I’m currently on The Wastelands, and I had some serious issues returning to work one lunchbreak this week 😉
Glad you like the new addition!
I couldn’t put The Wastelands down I had to know if they would be ok!!!
I always like personality posts. Even though I have met you and hung out with you in person (albeit over a year ago), I’m sure lots of people read your blog who haven’t.
We have a fake tree. It’s apparently somewhat odd for people in the UK to have a real tree, at least in my little part of it, according to my husband. We don’t have any pets, but we probably will by this time next year, so might as well get used to it now. 😉
Also, it’s normal for people on lower levels to hear their upstairs neighbors walking around. I hear mine all the time and I never thought of complaining. In our apt senior year it always sounded like our upstairs neighbors were moving furniture, but we never said anything. It seems strange to me that she would even complain about that.
Somehow it doesn’t surprise me that real trees aren’t all the rage in England. There probably isn’t much room for Christmas tree farms, right? I could be being totally American and envisioning a much smaller country than it is though 😉
She did wind up apologizing to me, and said she was just in a bad mood the night before, so hopefully it won’t reoccur. I think she realized how unreasonable it was though…..to complain about me walking! lol
I don’t always like my former workplace, Curious George Goes to Wordsworth, but they have a FANTASTIC selection of non-holiday specific wrapping paper. A little pricey, but your heart will thrill when you see it. I got a roll of metallic gold and green polka dot wrapping paper there that I still dream of sometimes. I’ve also found some good graphic patterned rolls at Target in my time– in Christmas-y colors (Blue, red, and white), but with no Santas or anything.
Also, you could always make your own– just get a roll of brown recycled paper, some gold paint, and make stamps out of potatoes or apples, like when we were kids. An afternoon of fun and nondenominational paper.
Hi Margaret! Y’know, I tend to forget that Curious George has anything besides books. 😉 Thanks for the tip. I have, however, found acceptable snowflake wrapping paper at CVS.