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Happy New Year and best wishes for a wonderful 2009!

“…speaking of bastards, my sister is pregnant.” -Robert (coworker)

I am *so* disappointed I will never be able to use this line.

2008 is almost over. Let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from this year.

• Bought a brand new 2008 Toyota Prius that I love (April). Grade: A+
• July 4th fireworks in Laurel, Montana (July). Grade: A
• Thanksgiving surprise visit to Montana (November). Grade: A
• Got a raise! (May). Grade: A-
• Handsome and I share a great Valentine’s Day drive (February). Grade: B+
• Cabo San Lucas weekend (November). Grade: B+
• George got his wheelchair (April). Grade: B+
• White Christmas (December). Grade: B
• NONE of my teams make the playoffs (December). Grade: C
• Smashed finger working on Fidiot’s car (January). Grade: C-
• Got strep throat…BAD (September). Grade: D
• Parking lot fender-bender…in the new Prius (August). Grade: D-
• Spent two weeks on crutches for broken leg (September/October). Grade: F
• Fidiot totals my 4-Runner in a rollover car accident (March). Grade: F-

Okay, okay, this time the lead singer is the older sister of the younger girl. (Again, the boy is my god-nephew and the girls are his cousins.) The fans really make these, I have to say. The blowing hair is hilarious. The audio isn’t as good, but the boy really gets into it this time. The song is “Hot ‘n Cold,” by Katy Perry (who?).

This will be great for a future embarrassing moment! The lead singer is my god-niece and the boy is my god-nephew (my godparents’ grandchildren). The other girl is their cousin. They are rockin’ out to Carrie Underwood’s “Right Now.”

Here’s a great gravy-from-drippings recipe:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 4-6 cups broth/water

Let fat coalesce on the surface of drippings by cooling for about 5 minutes. Spoon 3/4 cup of fat into a measuring cup. Mix fat and flour with flat wisk in a medium pot on medium heat until it becomes a roux (paste). Measure rest of drippings and pour into roux. Add broth/water enough to make 6-8 cups of liquid (drippings + broth/water = 6-8 cups). Bring just to boiling, stirring until creamy. Season to taste (i.e. with pepper). Serve!

This delicious gravy will be requested every time!

Merry Christmas friends, family, and world at large! Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Noel! Happy Hanukah! etc. etc.

I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday with whomever you choose to spend it with, and I hope all of your travels are safe. May you be blessed with good gifts and a fabulous feast, but mostly a happy heart.

Not to steal your line, Lilymane, but Peace. Peace on Earth, everyone. Everywhere!

The Guy on the Couch is officially alive. He was officially missing (missing persons report and everything!), and presumed dead, for most of last week. But not by us; we’ve known his exact wheareabouts for almost an entire month.

Mr. Guy on the Couch does contractual work for the government doing a variety of environmental studies. Once he lived in coastal Oregon studying coastal birds’ use of old growth forest. Then he did land surveying in Canada (for the US government). Most recently he was in Wyoming, trapping, measuring, and banding eagles. In March he starts work studying sage grouse in northwest Nevada. All of this work happens in VERY remote areas with no services and no connection to the outside world. He lives in a tent most of the time and “roughs it” to the max.

Somehow, rumor got around - to his mom of all people - that he was missing, and it was reported to the police. Shortly thereafter he was presumed dead from the elements. I think the catalyst was a missed phone call earlier in the week.

Anyway, have no fear. The Guy on the Couch lives!

I am now 26 years old. I can remember thinking about being 21, about being 30, 50, and even 80, but never 26. I wonder what this year will bring.

Friday we held my birthday party - we had 11 strong at the height of the night, and the morning showed several casualties: two half bottles of Whaler’s rum, one half-gallon of Jack Daniels, one half-gallon of vodka, about five bottles of beer, ALL the pop, and an entire Baskin Robbins Almond Jamocha log cake. We played drinking Sorry and drinking Trivial Pursuit. Jen vomited politely in the front yard; Fidiot managed to puke all over his bed and floor and then proceeded to sleep in it. Epic, I know. The party died about 4:30am, but it was awfully entertaining until then.

This morning I opened my gifts: among them I got season one of Life (starring Capt. Winters from Band of Brothers), seasons six, seven, and eight of That 70’s Show, Scrabble, a pirate ship for my aquarium, gift cards and money, travel ping-pong, Wii Fit, and new socks!

Later today we will eat my ice-cream birthday cake that has been patiently sitting out back (it doesn’t fit in our freezer) since Friday night. It is almost buried in snow/ice, but I imagine it has kept nicely. We had planned to go out to eat at the restaurant of my choice, but Fidiot’s car is covered in 1/2 inch of ice with 3-4 inches of snow underneath, so we may wait until the path down to lower Salem is less treacherous.

Thank you everyone (including the weather)!