Friday October 2

Friday morning yet again my friends of the universe, my friends of the blog world. Who knows where you are. It's pretty fascinating to wonder where you are. Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder how you are... where you are... Who knows what you are like my first visitors to my first blog ever. Thank you for reading, for visiting. I appreciate it.

So as I awake this beautiful Friday morning, after a twelve hour sleep, I am refreshed and ready for the fall to begin. The weather is changing. It's colder in the mornings and at night. You don't sleep with the windows open. I actually looked for my winter house slippers this morning, but took them off after a few minutes, because my feet started to get too hot. I guess it's not that cold yet. I'm switching to winter mode. I want to wear pants and cover up. My skin is getting dry from the air. The nights are getting longer, and the days shorter. How life is just a series of cycles.

I'm starting to think of my Christmas gift list - what to get for my family. I already know what I'll get the niece and nephew. They are the easiest. Thinking of my annual Christmas card list. I love to send cards, to family, friends, and even friends I hardly talk to anymore. Baking - oh how I'll get into baking. I've stayed away during the summer because of the heat. But just wait until it gets even colder. I'll be baking up a storm.

Halloween is coming up. But it's not one of my favorites. It lasts too short. I've never been a very social butterfly or party goer. Like I've never been to a Halloween party. Never dressed up as anything during my adulthood. And seeing as how I don't live in a home yet, kids don't really come up to the apartment to go trick or treating. I do enjoy seeing a creatively decorated house for Halloween though. I get a kick out of seeing a family get so into the Halloween spirit. It is very cute for the kids to get so excited about the day. I would dress up at work, but we are not allowed to. We have to maintain a professional atmosphere.

I love Christmas though. I love giving gifts. I love thinking of what to get for my family members. It's fun. For some of them, I have to get creative. Like for my grandma - usually her gifts involve pictures. It's hard to shop for a grandma. Yes, I look forward to the holiday. But at the same time, I am happy when the holiday is over and done with. One thing I have to say I've learned about myself is that I really try to stay away from the consumer mentality associated with the holidays. Oh how it's shoved down our throats in our culture, through the media, the incessant commercials. When I used to earn more money, I would be focused on how much I can get for my family. Now I realize that is not important at all. All the toys in the world aren't going to bring my niece and nephew happiness. Anyone with kids can see that. Now I focus on getting each a book - because of my utter love for reading - I like to pass that trait down. And one toy for each. Really what else do you need?

For family, I'm thinking of more creative, sentimental gifts. Not clothes, or gadgets. I do dislike that type of advertising or sales associated with the holidays. I mean how many wallets are you going to get for your father, uncle, or brother. Come on, if they have a wallet, a decent one, and have not expressed any desire for a new one, must I get one every year for them? Or cologne, or some electronic gadget, like a nose hair remover. It's funny isn't it? We must buy something, just to buy something. Well it's Christmas. I have to get him something. How about something you make, you create? Something that means something special. It's really not about being cheap. Yes, I am 0n a tight budget. But I want to get away from a highly consumerist mentality. Forgive me if I spelled that wrong.

Like for me. I've never been rich. Sometimes the wanting of a certain object is more fun than actually obtaining it. It's true. I've experienced it all my life, since I was a kid. I always wanted the shoes that the rich kids in school had. Part of the fun was imagining what I'd do when I got them. How I'd wear them, with what clothes. And let me tell you. I've purchased expensive stuff when I used to earn more money - and after a while, the authenticity of that moment fades too. Yes, it fades into the distance. You take it for granted. Why some of the best things I have, or my favorite things to wear are stuff I've gotten on sale, stuff that isn't name brand, just stuff that I love. And I try to appreciate all that I have. The abundance in my life.

So as I think about all the stuff I want to order for myself from Amazon.com, I pause to think - will all of that truly bring me happiness? If I don't get that CD, will I be okay? And frankly, I miss using the good old cassette tapes, buying the blank ones, and just pressing record on the cassette player to record my favorite songs from the radio. That's even better than buying a CD because usually I buy the CD for one song - but I buy the whole album thinking I'll like the rest of the songs, when in reality, I just press repeat on the CD player so I can listen to the same song, over and over again. I wonder if you could buy blank CDs and just record your favorite songs. But I was a kid back then. Who has the time to sit by the radio with your fingers ready to press record? Oh yes, and I am not ashamed to say I don't own an Ipod. What you don't own an Ipod? Yes, I do not own one. I thought about getting one. But I was never into the walkman back when those were in style. People say, Oh once you get an Ipod, you'll wonder how you ever lived without one. Really? Is that a fact? Hmmm.. Well, I'm surviving right now. But maybe these people could be right. If I ever get one, I'll wonder - wow how did I ever live without this electronic music gadget??? For now, I'll be old-fashioned and continue to purchase CDs. Shoot, many may think I might as well buy music records. And perhaps I will become one of those people you see in the music shop rummaging through the records. Those people you look at and wonder, wow, so are they collecting those items of antiquity, or do they really still own a record player. To tell you the truth, I wish I had a record player. I miss those things. I want to pretend I live in the 1920s and set my album on the player, and dance with myself, imagining what it'll be like to dance with my prince charming. It always come back to that with me, doesn't it.