I found that when in Hawaii, you often feel the urge to go to ABC Stores - The Stores With Aloha. The urge is best fought off
by examining your spending thus far on your trip, and thinking about the fact that you owe no one anything, and that this gift-giving that goes on in your circle of friends is really a bit much. But then you see darling little bags of macadamia nuts or some decently priced and kind of cute t-shirts, and in you go.

My daughter and son only liked the ABC stores because of their ubiquity. They chose to shop elsewhere. Like at Billabong. (Please note: they prefer the one on Kalakaua.) They are really little fashion hounds, and in my son's case he feels the need to try everything on, compare products, and talk with the salespeople.

We tried to buy him a t-shirt at the actual Monster Pipeline competition site, but he got in trouble with a vendor for putting his gnarly, sandy, dirty hands all over the merch, so we had to leave quickly. These are the retail life lessons everyone must learn, I suppose.

A week from today we were at the North Shore looking at monster mess and baking in the sun. Trying to decide whether or not to eat at Cholo's again. Heavy, heavy sigh.

Possibly the most heart-pounding moment I had in Oahu was when I saw the cages...well, that and the whale sighting.

Being back is not so much fun. I totally get the whole Hawaii thing now.

We're home. We learned a lot. The children learned to surf in about 5 minutes. And I learned some secrets about a certain popular entertainment that airs on television. But mainly we learned to do what this gesture means...let's hope we can keep it up through the dreary winter months.

Golden Globes Well-Played: America Ferrera as described by the Fug sisters...I agree wholeheartedly. I didn't watch the Golden Globes, as I was completely engrossed in the four hour season premiere of 24, and I don't TiVo, and I don't have DVR, and I won't buy the newly released version of the season premiere, so I sat glued to the telly for four hours over two consecutive nights whilst my children called out to me to read to them, or tuck them in, and I ignored my lesson planning, and hey! Screw packing!

Packing we did eventually have to do, for tomorrow we leave for Hawaii. Good times. Or so we hope. Ice storm expected tomorrow...and I've flown out of one of those before and know the horror. And money is tight (did you know it costs about $2500 to get your wisdom teeth removed??????? WTF????). And I'm a big ball of worry as usual. But the children are game and excited, we've had more than our share of lovely wishes and sentiments for our travels, and we'll go to see the dearest of friends in a tropical paradise. Really, now -- how bad can it be?

No. You're not imaginging things. I'm now the Recycling Block Leader for my two-block section of McMansion Manor, and have been "witnessing" to my children's choir about recycling...we're singing "For the Beauty of the Earth" the Sunday before Earth Day.

As you may have guessed, despite Al Gore or maybe because of him, I found this movie very galvanizing and I hope to God the rest of the population does too.

Congratulations to R.E.M. on their much-deserved inclusion into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

Have I mentioned they are my favorite band? And that they are from my home state, and even my home town? My mom even played bridge with one of their moms... thus my backstage pass at a show in Boston circa 1996.

Go listen to some R.E.M., cause I know you have some. Or go watch this. Or this. (THE BASS MY GOD!) And ignore the bassist's backup flatness on this. And this is great...it is consistently one of my favorite songs of theirs live, if not on record.

Well, my over-eagerness at the gym for five days straight got me a day in the bed with a thrown-out back. Two things of note about this latest ailment: one, I have now been to a chiropractor! And it is so super-awesome! I will admit that I was a total wuss and screamed when she popped my back the first time....and the neck thing was truly terrifying, but I felt taller and in less pain after.

(I have a new theory: that chiropractory will be the new psychotherapy for the twenty-somethings of today. During my first adjustment, hipsters and emo-kids were flocking into the office in droves, and they were asking about nutrition, exercise, marriage advice, restaurant recommendations, real estate value, etc. etc. I just went to feel better, and feel better I do. It remains to be seen if I will let the holistic healing truly begin ((like, can Dr. Hall tell me if we should renovate or hold firm in this post-bubble market?)) I signed up for an additional 6 sessions. Time will tell.)

Secondly, my daughter seems to have inherited my less-than-perfect health, and I'm so sorry about it. She is still a serious athlete, despite her asthma and her cramping limbs, and her headaches, and her occasional constipation (DEAR DAUGHTER IN THE YEAR 2017: I APOLOGIZE FOR MENTIONING ALL THAT AND HOPE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE READ OR CARED ABOUT THAT LAST PART AND YOU ARE STILL LOVELY AND DELICATE IF NOT REGULAR). But I hate that she is limited at all. Today she played in a soccer tourney with her elite team (made up of several members of the best teams in her age group) and she played tough and well even at 7:30 a.m.! She dominated defensively and was fast and coordinated and scared of no one....but her hips hurt, and she had to have her inhaler, and her feet were all blistered and bloody with the new, indoor soccer shoes. All the while I was limping and smelled of the biofreeze on my back and was having a little bout of tachycardia and also a residual effect of the salmonella. SUCKS. And SUCKS that I have passed it on to her. (And yes, I have a dr's appointment tomorrow to follow up on all this crap)

I feel the need to add an emoticon here: :-(

I'm busy working out and improving my diet in the new year, but now am wondering what I did to make this happen: I look like Dakota Fanning.

Also kind of like two Asian actors. And two actors who maybe aren't completely dissimilar to me, Lauren Graham and M-L Parker. (Ok, maybe I just like their work better than, say, Sharon Osbourne's. No offense Dakota! You were bril in "Charlotte's Web"!)

Happy New Year (almost)!

Here is a not-to-do list, via Kiddley, a site that makes me feel like I have way too much I ought to be doing...regardless, enjoy and use this as a guide to help you make your New Year's resolutions. Mine is not, sadly, to blog more. It was to give up trans fats a la New York City, but today I had the most delish fries at Cloos' Coney Island so I might give up all the other foods so as to enjoy the fries. I do that at Five Guys anyway - no meat, but an entire bag of peanut-y fried goodness.

So maybe I'll resolve to enjoy myself more. I've decided that I'm my favorite person and so why not spend a little more time together? I might just take myself out for some one-on-one time. Listen to my inner thoughts more. Get to know me that much better.

Either that or keep on not smoking.

TO LISTEN:

Many, many songs are traditional spirit-boosters in our household...the classic Wynton Marsalis Crescent City Christmas Card is an all-time favorite. We love anything jazzy pretty much, and have even embraced Diana Krall's seasonal recording. That isn't to say we don't explore indie rock Christmas...and this year there was nothing more fun than Sufjan Stevens' collection of the gifts he gave his friends over the years.
(full disclosure: I don't own it, but am kind of hoping I do by Tuesday afternoon.)

But if you are in the mood for something lighter, may I recommend the Justin Timberlake guest spot on SNL's newest digital short?
TURN THE VOLUME DOWN IF THE INLAWS ARE AROUND!

TO LAUGH:

My brother, who loves a little fart humour, sent me two funny links today. This is the easy way out, but I'm taking it: I think my twelve days of Christmas feature are going to amount to about six...but I will be back at it on the Eve or Day. And I'll go til the Epiphany. So we'll see. In the meantime:

Try a couple of holiday favorites on the fartsichord. You know you wanna. This was more fun than I thought it would be. I enjoyed typing in "mount reindeer" and "grab self".

Do you think this is for reals??? (via Trent)

TO DONATE:

This time of year is the hardest financially for many of us, but the more you give the more you'll feel better about the state of our sorry world. I promise. And, if you give now, you get the tax deduction for '06. That's why I love to just dole it out this week and next.

Online, you can visit fun, easy sites for the children to help start discussing philanthropy, including the Salvation Army's SnowDays site. To be honest, this could be a sham, but it is kind of fun. And don't forget to drop your change in the bucket on your way out of the Teeter.

Shaw University's jazzy Christmas tunes are a great cause. Visit their web site to listen and click on "pledge form" to donate.

We give to the church this time of year because that is how we were raised. Now that I work there a bit, I actually see the good that area churches really do. From hosting homeless families to paying electric bills for strangers to providing support for me and my rich white friends when life sucks....well, organized religion has its merits.

On a global scale, it is most glamourous (and holiday-appropriate) to go RED....I love all that stuff. Can't wait to see my sister-in-law's red iPod Mini.

Mostly, just look out for you and yours. Selflessness is not always fun, but it makes life better for all of us. So suck it up.

FOR THE SWEDES:

My husband is one quarter Chilean, making him dark, sexy, and full of machismo. Another quarter is South Georgian, making him a lover of collard greens and fried meats. Yet another quarter is midwestern, which is why I love him. And the final quarter is Swedish. The Swedes love them some Christmas. So in celebration of Jul, we'll go over some of the fun traditions of that cold and blustery? land. (Hell, I don't know the weather. I do know Hanna Andersson though.

First, you'll want to make a Santa Lucia crown and hat. Santa Lucia died on the 13th and folks celebrate this Italian saint by letting blonde-haired children walk around with candles in their hair. It's all very special.

Our Swedish relatives enjoy glogg, but not enough to actually drink it...maybe because they are too busy drinking coffee, which they do all day. Real Swedish coffee involves eggs, but I won't discuss that in case bad memories of the Great Salmonella Incident of ought 6 come up. The relatives love to push the lutfisk on you, no matter what time of year. I am sorry I never got to experience the evil fish crap on Christmas Eve, but I have had potato sausage and damn is it good.

I also lurve lingonberries, on everything, especially Swedish pancakes.

Finally, to finish out your Swedish holiday, I recommend you go to a Lutheran church and greet your people. Not a bad group of folk, Lutherans. Garrison is their poster child.

Ok, enough Swedish! I have to get on the ball. I've given you only four or five days of a Whilst Christmas...but there's more to come. Assuming I survive tonight's alcoholic onslaught.

TO EAT:

It wouldn't be Christmas without my tasty Whole Foods truffles, available in the preferable chocolate or the cappuccino flavors. About $4.99 a box at WF. Now they are making the truffled roasted walnuts too, but those have not stayed in the house long enough for me to form an opinion. Obviously SOMEONE likes them.

North Cackalacky represent! Don't let your holiday season slip by without the wholesome Salem goodness finding a place on your table.

My husband's favorite recipe involving the amazing Indian River grapefruit and oranges we get this time of year, thanks to the high school's fundraiser, is a red wine/dijon vinaigrette poured over blanched asparagus, orange or grapefruit sections, and avocado slices. So festive! From one of our many Nathalie Dupree cookbooks - she is Georgia's answer to Paula Deen. Oh wait, Paula Deen is from Georgia, too.

There is no better appetizer this time of year than Olive Balls. I can personally guarantee their success at your holiday event...especially if any member of this family is invited.

The other Whilst traditions at Christmas involve a fun coffee cake that my mother makes...but to get that recipe would mean she is dead and I just don't want that at this point. Of course we always indulge in the Georgia tasty Fresh Air barbecue treat (no web site for the Macon location) no matter where we are...turkey be damned! And I hate my friend Brooke for introducing me to the whole concept of sugared peanuts. WHY??? Why did you do it? My new morning meal is the evil peanuts, with a smattering of red and green M&Ms, and half a grapefruit. Breakfast of Champions.

We'll return to my Twelve Days Whilst Christmas Approaches feature, but I was interested to learn that Muhammed Yunus went to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. SEE? I'm not just a Justin Timberlake-obsessed female with mommy blogging tendencies! Anyway, I've been reading an article on microfinance in the New Yorker. I've not finished the article, and I've been reading it for two weeks now, but I'm getting the idea. Provide monies to the poor, and in many cases (especially in Latin America) to women, and charge them interest and give a payment schedule, and entrepreneurship may win the day. The success stories in the article are modest, but they are successes nonetheless, and I hope to get to the end of the article with a better idea of a new kind of charity...a pro-commerce kind.

The magazine is in the bathroom...but now that the Prize has been awarded, I've decided to upgrade it to the bedside table.

How does a microcredit bank or loans to the very poor compare to the feel-good and splashy charity of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"? And does Ebay really signal a chance for people the world over to finally trust one another and become players in the global economy on their own scale? Discuss amongst yourselves.

My family finds it hard to be trendsetters, but thus is the burden we bear. I hope they had a very nice time of it. We sure did.

TO VISIT:

Boylan Heights Arts Walk. Sadly, you missed it. By far, my favorite artwork was in Rebus Works, open year-round. So you are in luck.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition house in progress.
This is all very exciting. This is taking place three doors up from my husband's old apartment. And this freaks me the hell out. I'm sad they tore down a 1920s bungalow. I'm very very sad for the neighbors next door to the family who will have to see the awesome structure all the time. I'm heartbroken about the deli worker in the grocery store today who stopped one of the men in blue Extreme Makeover shirts and thanked him and told him it was her favorite show, etc. and that she hoped one day HER house was chosen.

So if it is your thing, go on by. The family is certainly deserving. (Along with the most of the rest of the neighborhood)

Governor's Mansion tours. Hours vary, though I think this week is the only open week. I can't find anything worthy on the web to direct you to, but if you live here go on by: the Carolina Hurricanes Christmas decorations shouldn't be missed!

TO WATCH:

Here is the best listing of the tv specials that I could find on quick notice. We missed Charlie Brown, but that is because they showed it in early June and we just weren't prepared. Sheesh. At least wait until December! I guess network can't compete with cable.

I'm not necessarily a big fan of the famous Christmas movies. I've never even seen "It's a Wonderful Life" all the way through. "Bad Santa" is up on my Netflix queue, though. A classic in the making?

If anything, I remember Christmas scenes in movies that aren't necessarily Christmas-y. Harry Potter always has something festive in his films. "Little Women" has a lovely Christmas moment. All the Austen films have some Michaelmas talk. There is the Christmas tension in movies like in "Ordinary People" and "About a Boy" and that thing with Sarah Jessica Parker that I saw last year...that looked funny and then Diane Keaton dies.

The big debate in my household is whether to let the children see "The Polar Express" or not...I've heard it can plant the seeds of doubt. And there is already a sprig growing here. We also are dubious about "The Nightmare Before Christmas". My son would love it, because he is just that sort of death-obsessed violent freako that Tim Burton would enjoy as a dinner guest. But my daughter is a sensitive flower...we'll just have to see.

One can hope. This guy is from Macon, GA so he really was dreaming.