|
I planned to take a bowl of crystals to the sea,to wash them before re-charging them in a sun of waxing energy. But I just didn't have the time or energy. Instead, I spent the weekend sleeping off the stretch crawl to final exams, followed by running around trying to get last minute stuff done. Including shopping at Wallies, where I grumbled over the $5 gift/grab foisted upon us by my work team. It bothered me that the Solstice was being doubly stolen: replaced by Christmas AND the Christmas party held on the Solstice. Plus I don't normally grumble about grab-bag gift type things...in fact used to enjoy them, but right now, every dollar matters and I resented being forced to waste money on a gift for a stranger that would likely not be the right thing for that person anyway.
The $5 cap limited the expense, while practically ensuring the gift would something cheesy and useless. I had initially drawn a "boy gift" but whined a bit (I honestly don't know *what* I could get for a boy for $5) and was able to trade for a "girl gift." Happily, "fuzzy socks" are becoming the new fashion rage up here. Only in winter in the north country can brightly colored, extra-fuzzy socks morph into exotic, erotic high-fashion. But try one of our winters, and you'll get hooked into the craze too. They're very soft, very warm and cute, in assorted bright and subdued colors to match most sweaters. So my Virgo ascendant was very happy with the gift: practical but cute, one size fits almost all, almost certain to not be a waste.
The first surprise came when I arrived at work. The senior managers were running around with names in a bowl: we got to pick winners of raffles for small items. The raffle aspect bothers me -- automatically, some people end up empty handed. Personally, I think they should simply do a gift certificate across the board or nothing. But, I had barely sat at my desk when I learned I won a gift. It was the perfect gift certificate: no McDonalds or Burger Kings or "Sweet Meets" (huh?) for me. Dunkin' Donuts -- YAY! -- so now I can get a couple weeks worth of fancy coffee :D
The 2nd surprise was when I drew the number for my grab bag gift...and then picked up my gift from the table. I WON MY OWN FUZZY SOCKS! :rofl: It was the perfect gift for me. Every single one of the other "girl gifts" would have been a total waste and not even tradeable: a beige scarf (they never wear out, I have a closet full of neutral, brightly colored, informal, formal, knit, woven, wool, polyester, you name it scarfs dating back many decades); a kid's DVD (no kids in my life; no DVD player at home); a very ugly (to these eyes) mirror tray (no use for it whatsover, and frankly too ugly to re-gift), a pair of mittens (another closet full item that I rarely use); and so on.
Today, I picked up my mail and found another gift waiting for me: after years of piling up "True Value Rewards" I actually reached the level needed: got a $10 certificate good for 2 months, so now I can afford to buy Algiers the "fat cat" supplement I'm hoping will help him stay in condition through the winter. :D
It's probably all just the calm before the next storm, but boy am I hoping it's instead the beginning of an upward trend...
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
