(no subject)

So, Christmas was good this year. I fulfilled the sacred duty of the Aunt Who Lives Far Away and got my niece and nephew a drum set- which I had to assemble by hand with my laptop open, because there were no instructions inside the kit, so I had to Google 'assemble drum set' and hope for the best. I also threw in a few extra noisy presents; my nephew got a remote-controlled R2-D2 and my niece got a remote controlled pink My First RC Car. Ironically, the 'boy' present just beeps and whistles, whereas the 'girl' present makes ungodly loud roaring and growling engine noises. As far as the drums go they both loved them, one to the point of incessant whining about wanting to plaaaaaaaaaaaay more nooooooooooooow and get beeeeeeeeeeeeeeetter and his siiiiiiiiiiiiiiister had been on them looooooooooong enouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh and mommy could he please have the drumsticks back. My niece, on the other hand would just slip up to the set, get herself positioned on the stool, and play the drums with her hands. Or with two closed-up magic markers. Possibly more importantly, she figured out exactly how to work the bass drum pedal faster than my nephew did, and used it more enthusiastically and more often- and she's not yet three. My mother pointed out that not only was she playing like she was born to it, but through sheer coincidence the dress her mother had picked out for Christmaswear for her was an almost perfect color match for the color of the drumset. They both asked about decorating the drumheads; I told them no, not until they'd practiced and gotten really good at it and then they could do it. We'll see if it happens.

Boxing Day was also good; I went to a friend's annual party and hung out. There was Rock Band. I scored 95% on the vocal performance of Skullcrusher Mountain. Driving home, not so good. Said friend lives near Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and it was raining like mad last night. Making my way home was an act of willpower, mostly to avoid screaming in terror because I was convinced the slightest extra reflectivity on the road was a sign of a deep puddle and that I'd go skidding into the shadows. This did not get better on Interstate 280. It was an interstate. There were supposed to be lights. It was as dark as Great Swamp in some places. To borrow the words of Captain Picard, WHERE! ARE! YOUR! LIGHTS?!?!

Anyway, I'm home now, and all is safe and well. Hope you guys had a merry Christmas, a happy Boxing Day, and a good celebration of any other holidays you've got. Might go out for tea later, haven't decided.