Every Grain of Sand
(17-26 December 2004)

26 December 2004
[from Albuquerque]
Happy Birthday to Paul Garin V
-The day after Christmas is universally the same phenomenon.  I think "Brick", the Ben Folds song, really captures the aura of the 26th, though at times it might get a little too happy.  It's just doldrummy & disappointing.  I putzed around with Pirates! a bit & wondered where people were & just sorta felt blah.  It almost has to be that way.

25 December 2004
[from Albuquerque]
Merry Christmas
Happy Birthday to Holly Garin
-Falling asleep last night (early this morning) with the windows open to the bags was just great.
-A good steady Christmas... my parents loved the calendars & we're buying dinner at the La Fonda for them tonight.  I got Em a TiVo (not purchased yet, but to be done upon return) & she got me some music & a book on harmonica (which I've thought about taking up... since I'm already using all my free time for creative pursuits as I properly should... but somehow I want to take it up anyway), plus the Library thing from before.  My parents (assist Em) also got me Pirates!, the new Sid Meier game, which is very exciting.  So glad the moratorium is off!
-Dinner at the La Fonda had a slightly different feel, but was still wonderful.  We all filled up way to much on the made-at-the-table guacamole & no one really was in a Santa Fe stroll mood, despite the unseasonably warm weather.  Em surprised me by slipping away during dinner to get one of the beautiful coffee mugs they serve coffee in to replace my old Catzilla mug that I broke just before we left Curtis.

24 December 2004
[from Albuquerque]
-Well, we didn't quite start laying out lumis yesterday as I'd hoped, but it'll still work out.
-Disaster!  There seems to be a major fall-through issue with the bags as they spent overnight hours with wet sand loosening the bottom of the bags.  It seems things will have to be done more carefully, but it's a blow to morale as well as efficiency.
-I guess it is sort of bizarre how I talk about the lumis, but this really is one of the only significant holiday observances that means something to me.  It sort of gives Christmas meaning to me that it doesn't have outside of luminarias at all.  Hard to explain, but it's easier to understand if you've seen them.
-Well, it ended up working out pretty well after all.  Got lots of positive comments that I heard while sitting out amongst the display on the front porch, still concealed but able to hear what people stopped & said.  Then we went out walking with Fish & his fam to look at the other displays.  All in all, while we didn't do the roof, it was a great display, with 507 bags total.  Thanks so much to Emily & my Dad for their hard work...

23 December 2004
[from Albuquerque]
-Got back late last night & immediately hit the Frontier with Fish & his fam, as well as Gris.  It's going to be a great vacation.
-Luminarias are definitely the prime focus at this point.  Even if everyone around me thinks I'm crazy for just how dedicated I am to them.  Yes, we folded some bags yesterday in the Oakland airport... but there is still more to be done!

22 December 2004
-Today we fly with Fish to Nuevo Mexico for the holidays.  So excited to have some real time off... my first full week off work since January.  Just so much to get done & packed!!

21 December 2004
-Well this week made a compelling case for not fleeing my job after all.  After one of the hardest weeks on record, this week was barely noticeable as we were over-staffed & the kids were super-chill in anticipation of Christmas.  We spent most of the night goofing off.  This certainly may be the easiest week I've ever worked at Seneca.

20 December 2004
-Well how about that?  Fish & Em fixed up the Library as an early Christmas present for me!  Under the ruse of sending me off to pick up dinner at the Mexicali Rose after work for them as well... which was definitely dubious.  They put up a gargantuan world map as well as a couple really nice bookcases, some lights that can be adjusted to different levels, & a perfect small nightstandy table for the side of the couch.  It looks great... cozy, inviting, & everything we wanted the library to be from the beginning!

19 December 2004
-Easy day, much better than last week's horrors.  If all this week can be like today, I can almost feel like I'm out the door already.

18 December 2004
-Went to Revels & saw Stina & her crew perform, which helped put me much more in the Christmas spirit.  Walked home, returning to find that Em & Fish had gotten a Christmas tree for the Big Blue House!  Since it's a real one, I doubt it will stay up for the bulk of the year like the fake one Em & I put up at Curtis in Christmas '02, but who knows?  Things are looking much better as I'm working on a little project of my own for some holiday cheer as well.

17 December 2004
Happy Birthday to William Garin
-At least I'm reading a lot.  That's something really solid that's come of this whole moratorium.  Lord knows I'm not getting much else done.

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