If you have been a bad bad girl – you better run for cover! All the girls with good shopping karma, wear a big smile on your face as Karma Kola and Drama Queen in Bandra is having the year end sale only for today 30th of Dec09 and 31st Dec 09 to get you all dolled up for New Year’s eve or your New Year’s day brunch – (whichever applicable).

Pretty Prices

They have dresses at flat prices for Rs 1250/- and Rs 2000/- I know for most of you that’s a tad expensive but that’s what happens when we decide to wait for the last minute.  Hey did I tell you about my Christmas Shopping Spree? I have to. Look out for my next post!

P.S. Call 98 200 77 97 1 for the two stores above! Happy Neweearrr

Cardigan: Aubin & Wills
Over-the-knee Socks: miu miu

Trainers: Chanel

Hat: Yves Salomon
Top: BDG.
Scarf: Alexender McQueen
Pants: miu miu
Belt: Hermès
Shoes: Dior
Purse: miu miu
Handbag: Chanel

Selfridges-Harrods-Liberty-Westfield-Bicester Village-Old Bond Street-Sloane Street-Christmas Shopping-Done!

LaToya Jackson gives her first live interview in six years on "Larry King Live"

After a difficult year following the sudden death of her brother Michael, LaToya Jackson braved the shopping crowds like us normal folk when she visited a target store to stock up on some stocking stuffers. The elder sister of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, chatted amiably with paparazzi as she filled two carts to the brim with new toys and CD’s.

‘Toya didn’t hide her honest opinion on the highly publicized domestic violence scandal involving the troubled twenty-something singer Chris Brown and his then girlfriend, hit artist Rihanna. The Barbadian beauty became the center of exhaustive public scrutiny after she and Brown were involved in the physical altercation while in a rented Lamborgini.

In the video on TMZ.com, LaToya Jackson and photog clown Chris Brown while the pseudo-celebrity was selecting CD’s.
When asked by a photog, “you’re gonna leave the Chris Brown down there, right?” while browsing the CD section, La Toya laughed as she said, “Just because you said that, I’m going to make sure I get Rihanna.”

As I attempt to morph into a post-Christmas blogging mind set, and veer away momentarily from the political, I am curious if there are any less than serious Christmastime mishaps anyone would like to share? Any retail store nightmares? Goofy little Yuletide anecdotes? Traveling disaster stories?

From the “Why Don’t You Ever Share Anything From Your Personal Life” file … I thought I’d share my classic Christmas debacle from a year ago – a tale worth revisiting, if only to be used as a vehicle to pine for the days when good customer service was standard, and not an “art form.”

I won’t mention the name of the chain store involved in this story. Rest assured, however, it is a well-known national retail outlet I’d be willing to wager a vital body appendage that practically everyone has been to at some point.

Anyway, I purchased two items through this unnamed chain store’s web site – let’s call them “Pest Pie,” for the sake of this discussion – on December 21st using a debit card. These items were meant as gifts for my twin teenage daughters  (both juniors in high school at the time).

The method of delivery I chose for these gifts – two mini portable HP notebooks that can fit in the palm of your hand – was “store pick up” – a good choice, I thought, because it would, first of all, save me money on shipping charges. Second, it would guarantee the gifts to be in hand by Christmas.

It didn’t take long – maybe a matter of a few minutes – before my debit card had been sucked of the money it cost to buy these two items. Indeed, I received a confirmation e-mail that the two notebooks were, in fact, in stock at my local “Pest Pie” store, waiting to be picked up. The receipts that came via e-mail had actual, honest-to-goodness, bona-fide, real-life confirmation numbers for each item.

The next morning, with a Burl Ives tune in my head, a steaming debit card in my pocket, and the feeling of a guardian angel hanging over my shoulder (because I found a parking space within one half-mile of the store’s entrance), I frolicked into “Pest Pie,” with receipts in hand and confirmation numbers at the ready.

After giving the young man at the pickup window my driver’s license, the debit card used to make the purchase, and printed receipts, I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Seventeen thousand people came and went to that little pickup window while I stood there waiting.

And waiting.

Finally, with the rings around my trunk growing exponentially, and the moss covering the tops of my feet, the clearly-disinterested young man came back to me and spoke those fateful words that send chills down the spine of even the most hardened men – “There’s a problem with your order, sir.”

Me: “Really?”

Happy Employee: “The items you purchased are missing.”

Me: “Excuse me? Missing?”

Happy Employee: “Yes, sir. They’ve gone missing. We cannot locate them.”

Me: “But I have confirmation numbers.”

Happy Employee: “Yes, sir. But the items aren’t here.”

Me: “But the e-mail said they were here.”

Happy Employee: “I know. They’re missing now.”

Visions of a famous episode of Seinfeld came roaring into my head – the one where Jerry is wanting to rent a car, and despite having the reservation in hand, he discovers there are no cars to be had.

Car Rental Gal: “Well, I’m sorry we have no midsize available at the moment.”

Seinfeld: “I don’t understand. I made a reservation. Do you have my reservation?’

Car Rental Gal: “Yes. We do. Unfortunately, we ran out of cars.”

Seinfeld: “But the reservation keeps the car here. That’s why you have the reservation.”

Car Rental Gal: “I know why we have reservations.”

Seinfeld: “I don’t think you do. If you did, I’d have a car. You see, you know how to take the reservation. You just don’t know how to hold the reservation. And that’s really the most important part of the reservation – the holding.”

As I tried to wrap my brain around the idea that these items I paid for were somehow “missing” – and with the young “Pest Pie” representative in front of me texting away to his heart’s delight to who knows whom – I decided that with only three days remaining before the holiday, I would ask for the money to be credited back to my debit card immediately so I could make other arrangements for the twins’ presents. I was told that I would need to call the customer service number and cancel the order. Once that was done, I could get the immediate credit.

So I made the call.

Right there in the store.

If I tried to accurately depict how ridiculous I must have looked making this phone call, right in the middle of “Pest Pie,” trying to avoid being crushed by holiday shoppers near the front doors (so I could get phone service), I couldn’t do it justice. It, too, was something out of a Seinfeld episode because I simply couldn’t hear a single word the woman on the other end of the line was saying. She was, in Seinfeldian-speak, a “low talker” - and I wasn’t about to hang up and try again. I had already waited on hold seventeen minutes.  

So there I was, standing in the middle of the “Pest Pie” lobby, with throngs of irritable Christmas shoppers teeming past me, one finger buried in my free ear to block out noise while I frantically tried to make out what this useless customer service rep was mumbling. Within minutes, I’m yelling into the phone at the mute-mouthed telephone rep (as if that would make me hear her any better), “I’m sorry?! Can you say that again? What?! What?! You want the last four digits of what????”

I’m sure there has to be a security tape somewhere of a bouncing idiot with a finger in his ear, screaming into a cell phone making the rounds of “Pest Pie” employee break rooms everywhere.

Eventually, the low-taking woman – who was either named Jennifer or Window Slat – was yelling back at me so that I could hear her.

When it was over, I went home and bothered no one for the rest of the day.

The next morning, I checked my account online and found (predictably) that my card had not been credited for the purchase amount of two mini notebooks.

I did, however, receive another e-mail confirming my original order, with a whole new set of confirmation numbers. I was charged again for two HP mini notebooks and was told they were in stock, ready for pickup at “Pest Pie.”

I had now paid for four of these things, and had none to show for it.

Please understand that I am rich by no means (except maybe to Barack Obama). As I do every year, I started saving for the holidays just before baseball season started. I always use that a reminder to start stashing cash for the holidays. Indeed, I did have enough money in that account to cover the cost of two additional HP mini notebooks. However, that money was reserved for other things – like presents for other people … and msicellaneous incidentals like food and water for us, that we might eat and sustain life.

Naturally, I called the good folks at “Pest Pie,” and told them my little story – this after having to choose “english” as my main-menu telehone language not once, but twice, and waiting on hold for twenty-three minutes.

Would you believe me if I said I didn’t even receive an “I’m sorry, sir,” or a “We apologize for any inconvenience,” or anything remotely similar to a smidgen of human decency?

I bet you would.

So, the only thing I could do – seeing as I had already purchased accessories for the mini notebooks – is try and get enough money together to purchase them from elsewhere –  yet again – so I’d have them in time for Christmas, i.e, borrow from someone or sell a kidney, and then pay back that money with the refund cash I’m supposed to get from “Pest Pie” the moment it is credited to my account.

It wasn’t easy, but as it turns out, I did purchase the gifts for my girls – and they absolutely loved them.

Of course, it took two weeks for any money credited to my account – which translates to “three-to-five business days” in modern customer service-speak.

*cough*

I wonder if that’s the first time anyone ever had to pay for six computers just to get two.

-

London now assumes the mantle of one of the greatest cities in the world and has been called ‘world in one city’. London is a perfect destination for family vacation and so is for your kids. If you are coming to visit the capital city with your children then there is nothing to worry as your child will really enjoy as the city has a lot to offer even to kids. The first thing that you should is to take your child to the best available modes of transport including the underground ride. Other than this there are various special attractions for kids including kid’s museums, amusement parks and various other famous London attractions.

As far as sightseeing for kids is concerned, there are various free attractions for them. Few of these attractions include:

· National History Museum

· Science Museum

· Museum of Childhood

There is plenty on board for younger visitors apart from museums. Your child can enjoy the most at the amazing theme parks in London.

Theme Parks: If we talk about theme and amusement parks there are few famous ones in London which can keep your child always in a happy mood. Few of the amazing parks are:

· Thorpe Park

· Alton Towers

· Lego-land

· Chessington World of Adventures

To really make your kids happy, you can take them along to London Zoo. There is one Cartoon Museum which will surely delight the kids of all age groups as all children are fond of cartoon characters. Here in this museum your toddler gets to see the best of British cartoon and comic arts. Moreover, you will get a 10 percent off on in the excellent museum shop. For those who love toys, Pollock’s toys museum is the best as it’s complete English toy theater. So, the city is not only about fun and entertainment for adults but is a great place for kids too.

You may be just catching your breath after finally wrapping up your Christmas shopping. But for deal hunters, more bargains can be had the day after Christmas.

Traditionally, retailers continue to slash prices through the end of the year when they’re trying to move their merchandise. While this year won’t be an exception, analysts said that the discounts might not be as much as 70 percent off as it was last year when there was more inventory. But shoppers can still expect discounts up to 50 percent.

“Christmas is liquidation time, and when you have less inventory you have to liquidate less,” Frank Wang, vice manager of gameyeeeah.com said, “If there is a hot promotion, that will be New year shopping.” During this time, people are used to purchase reciprocal gifts.

If clothing isn’t your thing, you can also snag deals on computers. May be online shopping is your best choice.  Gameyeeeah, an online shop selling video game accessories,  reports that there will be some special offers for his customers as to celebrate the coming New Year.

See more after-Christmas shopping policies (http://www.gameyeeeah.com)

I don’t know about you, but I believe in keeping Christmas traditional. That is to say, spend the entire festive period in a food-and-alcohol-based stupor, slumped in front of the television watching Doctor Who at the family home while the sis screeches like a banshee.I was most pleased with the presents I received this year and, I hope, so were my folks. Londonwise, I was given the book Mother London by Michael Moorcock, which is one of the great London novels, and a history of Eel Pie Island in Twickenham. Eel Pie Island is one of the strangest places in London, if not the strangest, and I really need to write an entry about it one of these days.

The marvellous thing about working in London is that Christmas shopping is really easy. Bloomsbury and environs have an abundance of shops ideal for unique presents. The Ma’s present came from Persephone Books in Lamb’s Conduit Street. Persephone, which I have mentioned before in these pages, is an independent bookshop/publisher which specialises in excellent nineteenth and twentieth century books by female authors that have gone out of print. The Sis’ present came from the Bloomsbury branch of Waterstones, which has an extensive selection of history books. The Sis is a fan of historical stuff, you see. I ended up having a pleasant conversation about London history with the shop assistant. It’s nice to meet a shop assistant who really knows their stuff – the bro tells me he had a frustrating time with one of the staff at Waterstones in Richmond, whose spelling was so atrocious that she couldn’t find any of the books he was trying to find (searching on the system for Evlin War’s Vyle Bodys and Ernest Hemmingway’s A Farewell to Armes apparently drew a blank). The Bro’s present came from Gosh! Comics opposite the British Museum, which to my mind is one of the best comic shops in London if not the best, particularly if you’re looking for indie and classic stuff. The only present I couldn’t find in Bloomsbury was the Da’s, which was an antique Hornby Dublo (that’s “train set” to you) railway carriage – I found it on a model railway dealer’s stall in Tolworth.

But I’m sure you didn’t come here to read about me (although if you did, thanks!). Here, in lieu of something more London-based, are some Festive Facts I’ve accumulated over the years.

• Despite what they may want you to think, Coca-Cola did not invent the modern depiction of Santa Claus. Rather, the modern version of Santa Claus is an amalgam of many different winter gift-givers, dating back to Odin and the Tree-Father of Norse mythology. The tradition of leaving out carrots and hay for Odin’s flying horse in exchange for gifts was absorbed, along with many other Yule traditions, into the European version of the Christian festival of Christmas. The Christian Saint Nicholas (or Sinterklaas), a man famous for his generosity, came to be identified with this gift-giving tradition. In the nineteenth century, this gift-giver was merged with the Danish elf Tomte and the British Father Christmas. Contrary to popular belief, Father Christmas and Santa Claus are not quite the same person – Father Christmas was traditionally a personification of Christmas rather than a gift-giver (like Old Father Time or Old Father Thames). He was traditionally depicted as a huge man in fur-lined green robes – think the Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol – although Yr. Humble Chronicler has seen Victorian pictures of him in red and blue robes. The various elements of the Christmas gift-giver were ultimately assembled in America as a result of immigration from all over Europe.
• If any one man can be said to have created the modern Santa, that man is Thomas Nast. Nast was one of the great American cartoonists, who can also be credited with creating the Republican elephant, the Democratic donkey and the modern image of Uncle Sam among other potent symbols. His version of Santa, shown just above there, was drawn in 1863 for Harper’s Weekly. It incorporated elements of the jolly fat elf seen in the legends of Tomte and The Night Before Christmas with the larger-than-life Brian Blessed-esque Father Christmas and the white beard and red robes of Sinterklaas. While Haddon H. Sundblom’s Coca-Cola portrait of Santa is a fine piece of festive artwork, it’s just one of a number of Nast descendents. If one were to be cynical (which I never am, of course), one might point out that it’s a pretty fine piece of corporate brainwashing to make people associate the pleasant feelings of their childhood Christmases with the great taste of Coca-Cola. And yet even though I know this, I’ve got a glass of Coke at my elbow right now.
• The Christmas tree is another pagan tradition absorbed into Christmas, originating with the story of Odin hanging from the bough of an oak tree. These pagan origins are acknowledged in Christian lore. Saint Boniface supposedly came across a bunch of pagans worshipping at an oak tree and, being a total buzzkill, he cut it down. He then found a pine sapling growing among the roots, which he took as a symbol of the rightness of Christian faith (I think if I was a pagan, I would have taken this as a sign that Odin can’t be cut down so easily, but there you go). The evergreen is a potent sign of everlasting life, which of course is very much a Christan thing. Contrary to popular belief, the Christmas tree was not introduced to Britain by Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria. In fact, it was introduced by King George III’s wife, Queen Charlotte. Victoria and Albert, however, did popularise the tree by being depicted around it in engravings published at the time.
• The tradition of the Christmas turkey is, as you might imagine, an American custom. In medieval England, a peacock or boar was preferred. At some point between the medieval era and the nineteenth century, goose became the popular Christmas bird in Britain. Norfolk is the great poultry-farming region of Britain, and before the arrival of the railways the geese had to be physically walked from Norfolk to London. For this, the birds were fitted with dear little shoes to protect their feet. And no, I have no idea how one herds geese, which are not exactly pack animals nor especially docile (they are regarded by poultry farmers as being better than guard dogs).
• A common observation made around Christmas time is that the mince pie – a favourite in Britain around Christmas – does not contain mince.  Stranger still, the spicy, fruity substance that fills the pie is known as “mincemeat.” In fact, in the medieval era, mincemeat did indeed contain minced meat. It was common for sweet and savoury substances to be mixed in the medieval banquet – for instance, sugary comfits were often used to decorate joints of meat. The spices were also believed to help preserve the meat. I’ve not come across this theory in any of my sources, but one might also suggest that if the meat had gone off, the fruit and spices would disguise the taste. In the nineteenth century, actual meat was removed from the recipe, but beef suet remained. Tastes changed, and eventually people realised that beef fat and fruit were totally gross together.

So, in conclusion, may I wish you a very happy remains-of-Christmas. I advise you to continue eating and drinking as much as possible – you can feel guilty about it in January.

This week we caught sight of some stylish ladies doing a last minute bit of christmas shopping! Hope they all had a wonderful christmas and so did all our readers!

1.  Low Gear

2.  Sonic

3.  Heavy Going

Son 1 aged 5y 3m started the day in a sulky huddle because it wasn’t Christmas.  Outside it was bright and beautiful and freezing cold.  Do not drive unless your trip is essential, said the police, the Highways, the AA and the Met Office on the radio.  I was in Tesco in the Big Town by 9am. Their car park was so icy I could hardly stand. Inside the store was deserted. Rows of checkout women chatted in their Tesco fleeces. A friend rang. She’s just got an amazing new job.   One of those brilliant happy ends for someone who’s had an undeservedly hard time.  I stood by the pie counter, squawking in excitement. From Tesco I legged it to M and S, skating, slipping, sliding. And bought packets of pyjamas and pants for The Man. They’ll all be wrong, and I’ll have to take them all back, but at least he’ll have a pile of presents to unwrap.  Then ELC to see if there was anything which could make up Son 1’s present deficit.  Then Boots for make up for Nanna. And Waterstones for lego for Son 1. 

I went the very long way to get Nanna because i didn’t trust the roads. She came out of her house with bag upon bag upon bag upon bag of presents.  From her and Younger Sister.  The House was empty because The Man and the boys had gone to get my present.  I hauled all the shopping in and stashed the present bags.  The others came home with pies for lunch.  Some friends came round with their nearly four year old. Son 1 was a hooligan.  No amount of “he sees you when you’re sleeping; he knows when you’re awake. He knows when you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness’ sake” could calm him.  He couldn’t remember to be good, and got very upset when he did something we felt meant Santa would miss him out.  At 10 to 3 we zoomed off to the Church for the crib service. Son 1 made a star. Son 2 aged 2y 3m played with the wooden nativity set. Son 2 wouldn’t go to the front for the service.  Son 1 talked through the prayers.  Son 2, the perspicacious little poppet, chose Mary, the manger and Baby Jesus to play with.  Then he stuck Mary’s head in his mouth and chewed and chewed. “We have four speeds on our Christmas Tree lights.” announced the vicar. “I’ve put it on the fastest one to celebrate the Good News.”

We had fajitas for tea. We put the boys to bed. We wrapped presents. I made stuffing. We hunted for the chocolate bells I bought weeks ago for Santa to hang on the Christmas Tree.  I wrapped The Man’s presents, and Nanna’s presents.  I made stuffing. At 10pm, cross and knackered, The Man and I stomped off into The Town. We had a babysitter and, barely talking but still arguing,  we were going out. For just one.  We had several.  We came back late.  Nanna had already gone to bed.  The Man ate the shortbread we left for Santa. I chopped parts of the carrots off.

Wow.  The bills are paid.  With the last paycheck coming in, we’ll take care of the last one (set for the 31st) and we’ll be ready for that fresh start in January.  Christmas was all cash / debit.  Not a bad way to end the year!  And I know my January statements will show a drop in debt because we’re making a couple of big payments this week and I won’t see the updated balances until after the 1st.

We even made out with food!  Everyone was so stuffed from appetizers all day on Christmas that we decided to skip dinner.  No one could move.  The idea of ham with all the sides was almost horrifying, LOL. So we are having that today and we saved another day off the grocery bill!

I have to give DH some MAJOR credit.  We both wanted me to have something, but I wanted the cheap version and DH wanted the expensive version.  We agreed to disagree and that was that – I haven’t mentioned it in months.  Well, he got me MY version for Christmas.  I wouldn’t have been more shocked to see a new car in the driveway; I was STUNNED.  And I know it was hard for him to do, so I can’t tell you how much this man amazes me.

I hit the after sales and got more wrapping paper and ribbon and I ordered Christmas cards for next year for half price.  I ordered boxes of 18 for $3.99 each.  The stores had boxes of 10 for half price (originally $7.99-$10 each).  I still  beat that price after I paid minimal shipping!  (I know the dollar store would have been cheaper, but I don’t get Christmas cards there).  So I’m already working on next year.  For a few months, we’ll call me prepared!  I ordered maternity clothes online with a gift card, too.  I’m excited about that!  I shopped clearance items and got almost $200 worth of stuff for $56 after shipping then minus the gift card.  And I’ll be able to wear most (if not all) of it postpartum without looking goofy.   Not a bad day!

I hope everyone had a beautiful Christmas!  Thanks again for all of the well wishes, and know we wish you all the best!

Current Stats:

• $66,059– current debt
• $26,075 – 2009 debt paid off
• $20, 625 – 2009 snowball

Christmas Eve. 4:00 Mass, followed by the kids opening their gifts to each other. Carry-out Chinese for dinner.  Once we shooed the kids upstairs, Wood and I put the gifts under the tree. Turned all but the tree lights out.  The Christmas Eve work was done.

And we sat in the living room, turned all the lights out, and watched outside as the snow covered the yard, the trees and the windows, with the occasional sound of a muffled snow plow going up and down our street.  It is amazing the kinds of conversations that can happen on Christmas Eve in a dark room, insulated by the snow that falls and sticks to the windows.

We talked…..we talked about our lives as we raised eight kids.  What crazy years those were.  We realized how many of what are now traditions were sanity measures for Wood and I.  Case in point. Chinese food for dinner.  I can assure you that it had nothing to do with a hankering for a taste of Szechuan anything and everything to do with me deciding that by the time we got back from Mass, got everyone bathed and did the “Twas the Night Before Christmas” story then hung the stockings, and got everyone to bed, and then arranged the gifts under the tree, and picked up bits of thrown-only-an-hour-ago Shredded Wheat on the front porch so it looked like the reindeer ate some and then assembling two big wheels and a kitchen play set — there was only time for a pop tart dinner or Chinese.  Chinese it was.

Christmas shopping takes me forever.  Not because of the quantity of gifts, but because I am almost obsessively compulsive about getting the perfect gift for everyone.  You would never catch me running into a store twenty minutes before they close on Christmas Eve to pick up a few more things.  Andrew got just the lens he wanted for his camera, Mary, our soon-to-be RN got a “real” stethoscope with her name engraved on it.  Kathleen got the newest Winnie the Pooh book, Margaret got everything she needed for beginning a scrapbooking hobby, Elizabeth an antique paint box and Meghan a plastic baby phone as a stand-in for a new real cell phone (I had to go to three different toy stores to find that stand-in!!!)

And as Wood and I talked in that dark living room on Christmas Eve, we decided that the best Christmas gift of all was that our kids come home for the holidays and really enjoy each other’s company.  We laughed, we reminisced, we shared stories that only the Dickinson’s would get.  And you can’t put those memories in a box with a bow.

Two days before Christmas (my true love said to me)…. No, just kidding! However, it was two days to Christmas and I really needed to buy the last few items on the dinner list. Braving the icy exterior, waiting for the car heater to finally clear the snow off the car and I gingerly set out to pick up my son as rusty companion and guide for what we did not realise at the time, was to be a long and treacherous journey.
This snow malarkey is proving a bit of a hinderance in the run up and preparations for the big day – but I was excited at the prospect of my first K-2 versus snow encounter.

Let me firstly say, certain over-wrought individuals in the Costco car park should be locked up before the festive season as they caused rather an upset to a sensitive soul such as myself!  All those expletives were enough to make a lady blush – if I knew one.

Our final stop – Robin Retail Park for a few items, and rather than get in and out of the car constantly – which by the way, if you are not a wheelchair user, is a big fat pain – we set out on foot through the now less daunting snow drifts; proof attached in the form of a picture taken by my son on the trusty iPhone.

Apart from the hard work and mad traffic I managed the entire round trip on my own (hooray) – and furthermore should add that I was the only person NOT slipping around the pathways! Round one to the Trekinetic! KO….

Please excuse me for the tone of this particular blog entry.   It seems I ran out of egg nog and have been drinking straight rum since 2PM.  Anyway, Christmas Eve is the tradition for me.   I get my daughter Emily for Christmas Eve and it’s beautiful.   This year she got me a talking Ronald Reagan action figure and I got her an elliptical machine.  It can be difficult giving the practical gifts and letting her mom give her the stuff she actually wants, but at only 5′7″ and tipping the scales at 120 pounds, I think she can really use the exercise machine.  I love my Ronald Reagan.

I always spend Christmas Day the same way–watching the movie Taxi Driver.  I’ve seen it 4 times so far today and I think I’ll put it in another  before bed.   I really love the movie and it’s become such a Christmas tradition since my wife left me.   I’m sorry to say that Christmas kind of stinks anymore because it’s become a socialist holiday.   I remember when I was a kid, I didn’t get anything from Santa 4 times before the age of 10.   The reason is, my father didn’t think I was very good those years.  Nowadays kids just expect that they’ll get a toy every year.   This rum is really good.

Christmas (or for my Jewish readers Hanukkah) gives people the feeling of renewal–the belief that mankind can be saved by a small child.   2009 may not have been a great year for many of us, but I hope that 2010 will find things much improved.   Your presence on this blog has been a great gift for me and if you might tell a friend or two about it, it would be even sweeter.  In the next week we’ll find out the nominees for this year’s Natie awards celebrating the best in blogging over the past year.  Remember the story of it’s a Wonderful Life and how much good one man can do if he’s willing to give up on world travel to get into banking and give mortgages to people that other banks believe are too risky.

Today is Christmas Day, and Tomorrow is Boxing Day! Ishopvideogame has some FREE Service for you, such as, the FREE Christmas Skins Download Service, the FREE R4 and R4i Kernel Download Service and so on. Except that, ishopvideogame all introduces the six necessary gifts for Boxing Day, let’s together find it below.
The Six Necessary Cards for Boxing Day from Ishopvideogame are as follows:
One, R4 DS

Current firmware version of R4 DS: r4 v1.18

Kernel download url version: English French
Two, R4 SDHC

Current firmware version of R4 SDHC: r4 sdhc v1.29

Kernel download url version:

English v1.27 French v1.27

English v1.28 French v1.28

English v1.29 French v1.29
Three, R4iii upgrade

Current firmware version of R4iii upgrade: r4 iii v3.12

Kernel download url version:

English v3.11

English v3.12 French v3.12
Four, R4i ultra / R4i

Current firmware version of R4i: r4i v1.55b

Kernel download url version:

English v1.54b French v1.54b

English v1.55b French v1.55b
Five, R4i SDHC

Current firmware version of R4i SDHC: r4i v1.14b

Kernel download url version:

English v1.12b French v1.12b

English v1.13b French v1.13b

English v1.14b French v1.14b
Six, R4i Gold

Current firmware version of R4i gold: r4i v1.30b

Kernel download url version:

English v1.29b French v1.29b

English v1.30b French v1.30b

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Christmas Eve Day

Copyright © William Stong 2009

In keeping with the nature of this blog, today I am going to finish my Christmas shopping and, thereby, do my part to bring the economy out of recession (although I must admit that my kids are doing a much better job in this department).

At the same time, this will help the profitability of:

● Stores

● Purveyors of coffee and/or food

● Gasoline companies

● Local governments

Concurrently, through my exquisitely executed plan of waiting to the last minute, I hope my own “profitability” will benefit by all the deep discounts that are supposedly popping up everywhere.  This is taking advantage of that old business adage:

“Buy low,…<second phrase Not Applicable>”

Here’s my profit goal for the day:

Obtain gifts for my family and friends that are individually meaningful to each and which they will enjoy

Back to the hunt…

Bill

William A. Stong

Email: william.a.stong@gmail.com

Telephone: 925-202-6244

Integrated Profitability Consulting ^TM

Blog # 9-01-0901 © 2009

“Insight knowledge for Profit Maximization”

Add this one to Phil’s Christmas Shopping Survey

Field Trip: Incliment Weather in Los Angeles Destroys Last Minute Christmas Shopping Volume

Courtesy of Marla Singer at Zero Hedge

Dancing through the aisles… at TCO’s Westfield Century City and Beverly Center:

As you can see, weather concerns dominated the day.

Hopefully 9am will be early enough to get parking! 

655 + 532 + 581 + 353 = 2,121  Huh?

Must be broken sensors. 

Hmmm, that’s odd.

Well, better hurry to get my MacBook before the crowds gather:

Wow.  That was easy.  Maybe everyone is wandering around. 

Or, maybe not.  Perhaps outside? 

Helllooooo?  Anyone?  Well, now that it’s 10am, let’s see if there are any parking spaces left. 

627 + 444 + 510 + 281 = 1,862

60 minute car net influx: 259

Well, maybe they were minivans filled with 6 family members each? 

Well, it is kind of chilly.

Uh oh.  Well, we can always come back another day. 

Hmmm.

h/t: John Gault

hope we’ve remembered everything

Click on thumbnail to view B&W Gallery

The one thing you don’t miss after Christmas passes you by is shopping for and wrapping Christmas presents. There’s a lot of kak you have to go through to get everyone exactly the right present, especially when you’re fighting your way through hordes of zombified Christmas shoppers while R&B remixes of ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ pump out of every second shop window.

But the good news is it’s all done and now all there is left to do is enjoy the next two days, eat, drink and boogy on down.

Tonight we’re going to a nice and fancy Christmas Eve party at friends of my parents. My folks assure me it won’t just be fogeys attending and that the food will be excellent so I’m pretty excited about that. I’m just hoping it feels nice and festive for J-Rab, she’s missing her family like crazy and keeps saying that it doesn’t feel like Christmas with them in Boston and us in South Africa.

In other news, I finally got the first couple of paragraphs written for this epic work of fiction I’ve had bubbling in my mind for awhile now and I’m really happy with them. I love those moments when you sit back, admire something you’ve been working on and think to yourself, ‘Fuck, did I just do that?!’

It’s the first step down a road that will take thousands more steps before I get to where I’m going, but when I get there, you’ll hear all about it

I’m belting out a separate post with Christmas wishes cause I’m a big softy like that.

Peace out party people and a meeeeerrrrrryyyyyy Christmas!

-ST

oh i’m sorry.  i thought it was christmas.  and at christmas it’s not 50 degrees outside.

yup, you guessed it.  no white christmas for this branch of the family tree.  at one point mom looked at me, shocked, and expressed her surprise at my longing for snow after it ruined all my fun last weekend.  but it’s just not christmas without the white fluffy stuff.

we also broke with tradition in that we bought our christmas tree before christmas eve.  usually we were the last one on the lots on christmas eve scrambling to scoop up whatever ragamuffin tree they had left.  we must’ve been really good in past lives, as we never got stuck with an ugly twig of a tree.  our tree is still outside, however.  so it’s neither up nor decorated like every other red-blooded american family’s christmas conifer.  we do it our own way.

last night dad and i braved the mall in search for a present for mom, from dad.  this too is a family tradition.  it earns us sideways glares from sales staff and means that dad usually frantically scoops up the first thing he sees without thinking/shopping around.  typical guy, i guess.  dad did pretty well last night.  and really didn’t need my help save for navigation around the mall and dirty work (asking stupid questions of sales staff, putting things back, acting as the cover for why this old man was shopping in the women’s section.  hey, he said it last night).  all in all a successful adventure.  but when is a trip to the mall not a success?

sarah and i have some christmas errands to run today.  and then we’re off to church this eve after both the parentals return from work (we’re those kids.  the little orphans who don’t have parents to feed/clothe/bow to their every whim.  although maybe we’re not classified as kids anymore?  that’s even scarier than not having parents around!).

happy christmas eve from the blustery, balmy south.

You may have to drop some elbows, but there's still time for some really good last minute gifts.

So it’s Christmas Eve, you just got home from school, and sometime between the TV marathons and the Facebook-stalking your BFFs on their tropical vacations, you realized you hadn’t done much Christmas shopping. And now it’s Christmas Eve and you still haven’t gotten those important people their gifts yet.

Uh oh.

Well, not to worry; It’s On has done your shopping  for you. I’ll tell you where you can still go today to get all of the holiday essentials. And don’t worry -I’m not sending you to CVS to pick up a box of chocolates and whatever other weird stuff they’re trying to sell by the checkout counter. There are some really legit stores staying open today for the lazy people of the world those busy last-minute shopppers.

Stick with me (and get ready to battle for some parking spots) and in the next few hours you’ll be home wrapping those special gifts for those special people.

In an effort to make things easier on everyone I’ve tried to identify 5 basic gifts – perfume, sweaters, hat/gloves/scarf set, bags, and entertainment – that people usually covet this time of year. And instead of my normal head to head match-ups, I’ve given you two stores per item that WILL BE OPEN today.

Oh and don’t forget to check out CouponCabin.com before you go; you may even still be able to snag some good deals today!

I know, I just saved your life.

Entertainment:
This includes iPods, iPhone/iPod Accessories, CDs, Blu-Rays and other things that you can find for the movie/TV/music lover. If all else fails – and you find yourself staring at a wall of DVDs and have no clue which they’d want – a 3-month membership to Netflix is never a bad idea. And you don’t even need to leave the house to get it.

Best Buy
(Not always the cheapest store, but they do have plenty of good coupons on everything from digital cameras to DVDs right now!)
9:00am-10:00pm

Game Stop
(You can grab a bunch of used games for cheap, new games, and some awesome gaming accessories. Like a new guitar for Guitar Hero. You know, so maybe your bro will let you play sometimes.)
10:00am-8:00pm

Perfume:
People LOVE perfume. And the best thing about buying perfume this time of year is that they all come in some pretty sweet gift sets. You can break these up into lots of smaller gifts for people you don’t want to spend a lot on (!!), or give the whole shebang to those super important people in your life. If you want a good deal (without having to buy some nasty grandma scent from 6 years ago), Macy’s and Kohl’s are your best bet.

Macy’s
7:00am-6:00pm

Kohls
6:00am-6:00pm

Bags
Most of the good stuff was picked over weeks ago, so you may not have much luck finding something cute with only a few hours until Santa hits the friendly skies. (The good news is, what’s left tends to be marked down a lot!) But if you wanna try, I recommend hitting up Target and Macy’s. If nothing else, at least you’ll have a large selection of other stuff to look through if they don’t have what you came for.

Target
7:00am-7:00pm

Macy’s
7:00am-6:00pm

Hat/Gloves/Scarf Set
This is essential, cheap and comes in a bunch of varieties to fit every style.

Target
7:00am-7:00pm

Macy’s
7:00am-6:00pm

Sweaters
The ULTIMATE multipurpose gift, sweaters can be found virtually everywhere, but, again, if you need quick, decently priced and before Christmas, there are two stores that will definitely have the best stock.

H&M
They have special hours in certain locations. I’d advise you calling your H&M of choice to find out specific hours.

American Eagle Outfitters
Again, call your store of choice to find when they close

The only other advice I can give you is to get moving early this morning. And wear comfortable shoes. Oh, and wear your seat belt. There is nothing more dangerous than a mall parking lot the day before Christmas. Nothing.

Until next year, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Ho ho ho!

I almost made a terrible mistake. I thought I had Christmas all wrapped up and then I realised, with a jolt of horror: I hadn’t done a stocking for DS.

Not a problem, I hear you say: he’s not even one. He doesn’t know – he won’t care. All he’ll want to do is chew the wrapping paper.

That’s what I thought.

And then I remembered DD. Dear, clever, smart DD, who’s going to ask: if my baby brother’s been good, why hasn’t Santa brought him a stocking?

Oh boy. Shopping mall on Christmas Eve. Something I always try to avoid. If you read my blog regularly, you’ll know I did DD’s Christmas shopping weeks ago.

A frantic rush around Toy Store and a dash through M&S with DS in the pram and DD flying behind me, all the while hiding my purchases from her eagle eyes. There’s not a lot you can hide in a nappy bag from a 4-year-old, I can tell you.

Anyway, situation solved. Tomorrow there will be one big stocking and one baby stocking at the end of mummy and daddy’s bed (DD is very concerned about a strange man – albeit Santa – coming into her room when she’s sleeping. We have to write him a note to leave the presents in our room. ‘Hope she doesn’t want men in her room till she’s 40,’ says DH).

Merry Christmas!