Hmm...

[amadeupname]

vadalia's newest post reminded me that in a month, it'll be my two-year LJ anniversary. I read over the first few entries, and damn, was I emo. I hope that I've cheered up since then -- does anyone think so? Have I gotten better?

Christmas was fun. Christmas Eve, not so much. The Christmas Eve party Grandpa holds always has Santa come down and give out presents. Usually the parents pick something out, wrap it up, address it from Santa, and have Grandpa put it in a sack to hand out to the kids. It's not exciting anymore, obviously, but when I was little I loved it.

Well, this year "Santa" forgot my present. I mentioned this to Dad, and he apologized and said he'd left it in his closet. I shrugged and said it was okay, then said that what bugged me wasn't the fact that he forgot the present, but that I was the only one who had noticed. He got upset and told me that he had noticed, and I corrected him, telling him that he'd only noticed because I had brought it to his attention. At this point everyone was gathering for pictures, and I declined, because I really didn't feel like having my picture taken then (and I looked stupid with a big bow around my neck). Dad hissed at me, "You don't have to take it out on them!" and stomped off. Later he came in as "Santa" and gave me my present in front of everyone. (It was a mug similar to one he has. I'd been admiring it earlier this month.) I didn't really want him to come back and give it to me in front of everyone, but I guess I sent him that message when I mentioned nobody noticing my lack of a present.

I left the party right after the stupid "pageant" the kids hold every year. Sheer luck and persistence kept me from being in it (most likely as the donkey). It was raining, but I managed to make it to Mark's okay with my broken windshield wipers. Christmas morning we opened our presents, then drove to Grandma Ruth's house to have dinner with her, Aunt Dee and Uncle Dan, Uncle Steve, and my cousin Beth. All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good Christmas.

My haul:
a Nintendo DS
Super Mario 64 DS
a book on Edgar Degas
two T-shirts
stuff for my car
flannel sheets for my dorm bed
lovely striped and warm socks
mugs (one purple, one green with frogs)
a photo album
candy
Christmas ornaments (to start my own collection)
Trans-Siberian Orchestra tickets (yeah, they count)
a "Smush Bush" doll
$90 in gas cards
$25 Meijer gift card
$20 Waldenbooks gift card
around $300
$30 in quarters for laundry

Mom apologized to me for my presents not being very "exciting" and said that, while I wasn't getting as MUCH as Rob, it was all worth the same. I told her I didn't mind (especially since she'd told me before she was getting my stuff that would help me out later, not "fun" stuff). So far I've bought Jak II with my money, and some manga, and once I get the $100 I earned making two T-shirt quilts, I'll have enough to buy that digital camera I want.

And on to other things...

Last Monday, Katie finally introduced me to her friend Brandon, who she's been trying to set me up with for a while. He's pretty nice; cute, dresses Goth but would look at home in almost any kind of outfit, likes bigger girls, is 22, does construction. We hung out at the mall with Katie and her boyfriend, Beaver, and then we all went back to my house to watch TV for a while. She called me the next day to tell me that he's interested in me, and wants to get to know me better.

So I called Wednesday, leaving a message on her voice mail to call me. No answer, so I called the next day. Still no answer. I've actually been trying to get a hold of her for almost a whole week, and just a day ago she changed her voice mail to "Hey, I don't have my phone on me or with me, so call my house." Problem is, I don't know what her home number is. I'm not sure who would have that number, either. I don't know if she lost her cell phone (which is possible, isn't it?), or if she's avoiding me, or she's been grounded, or what. I really want to talk to her, and I want to see Brandon again. I left a message telling her that I don't know her number, so she either needs to call me or change her vioce mail greeting to include her home phone number. Should I be doing anything else? Mom and Mark say I shouldn't try the phone book just yet.

Dating Strengths	Dating Weaknesses
1. Open-Mindedness - 54.5% 2. Financial Situation - 53.8%	1. Appearance - 88.9% 2. Insecurity - 76.9% 3. Shyness - 66.7% 4. Pessimism - 66.7% 5. Humorlessness - 62.5%

Dating Strengths Explained
Open-Mindedness - You are open to trying new things and entertaining new ideas, and this widens your pool of available guys. Financial Situation - You've got your financial situation under control, which is a very desirable quality. Be careful to avoid guys who are only interested in your money.
Dating Weaknesses Explained
Appearance - Devoting a greater effort at making good first impressions is a must. Try to be fit and develop a style if you want to catch a guy's attention. Insecurity - Your insecurity makes you doubt yourself, but you must learn to love and trust yourself if you want to succeed in dating. Shyness - You know all too well the limits shyness places on you. Putting yourself out there in social situations may be difficult, but essential to your dating success. Pessimism - Too much cynicism can be a turn-off. Try to see the brighter side of things and people will be attracted to your positive outlook. Humorlessness - You need to learn how to take a joke, or better yet how to tell a good one. A well-developed sense of humor is high on the list of desired traits for daters.
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