Author: Karen Fayeth

I did it.

I survived this hell week. As predicted, there was that “last minute gotta get it done end of year oh my god” contract that, surprisingly, was accomplished. Earlier in the week I’d said “no way”, and yet, it was done.

I wish I felt proud about such things. I used to. No more.

Anyhoo, I made it through.

And now. Two weeks. No work.

It’s too much to contemplate. I’m going to savor each and every one of my sixteen days sans work.

Today the holiday ham was ordered. Presents are wrapped. Egg nog in the fridge. The Cute Boy™ in the house.

Bring on the holidays! I’m ready!

Photo by Karen Fayeth

Uh oh.

Guess what I got up to this weekend?

I let the hellidays come up and grab me.

I indulged in a long time family tradition…using old and new implements.

I emailed my mom and got the family “secret” sugar cookie recipe. And I made ’em. Oh yes, I made ’em. Had to buy my own set of cutters, and they aren’t as good as the decades old ones my mom is still clinging to.

But she did finally give up her old Kitchenaid mixer.

I’ve been baking treats out of that thing since I was probably 6 or 7. My mom made tortillas every Saturday (after Mass) in that same mixer. It looks a little worse for the wear, and is, for god’s sake, 1970’s avocado green, but it still works like a charm. I love how a new generation of young women have discovered what I knew all along. A Kitchenaid mixer makes short work of any baking project. It’s amazing.

And in keeping with tradition, I managed to burn one batch. The first one. Crispy. But I covered them in frosting anyway and will look the other direction when someone grabs one of the “well done” cookies. Hee.

Oh and father of The Cute Boy™ gave us his old train set, thus fulfilling one of my long time wishes, to have a train around my tree.

It’s all good. This is the first time in a long time that I’m happy at the holidays. I think I owe most of that to the loving holiday excitement of The Cute Boy™.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

Now, I just have to endure five more hellish days of work to get my two glorious weeks OFF.

I can make it. With a belly full of cookies and a head full of carols, oh yes, I will make it…………….

Point and Counter Point

I was caught a little off guard at the overwhelming response to my “Top ten things I miss about Christmas in New Mexico” post from a couple days back. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, how cool it is that my experiences are familiar to others.

So since it’s been a *really* long week at work, I’m not sleeping well, acid reflux is at an all time high, and I’m physically and mentally exhausted….oh and cuz it’s Friday, I decided to come up with my top ten things I DON’T miss about Christmas in New Mexico….tongue FIRMLY planted in cheek, of course.

< humor = "on" >

1) “OH MY GOD, SNOW IS FALLING FROM THE SKY, IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD!! I WILL DRIVE TOO FAST, RICCOCHET OFF OF PARKED CARS AND FORGET TO BRAKE SLOWLY, THUS SLIDING THROUGH INTERSECTIONS!” Yeah…my sister was a claims adjuster for a large insurance company for many years. Oh the stories she would tell after an Albuquerque snowstorm. You know, it snows at least once every year…why the freak out, folks?

2) The endless hearings of Feliz Navidad. In every store. On the street. In restaurants. I know I waxed rhapsodic about it a few days ago, but as with every year, after a few listens, I’m over it.

3) Nelson Martinez Mariachi Christmas. : shudder :

4) Another Kokopelli Christmas ornament. I am not one to look in askance at a gift from anyone, but damn, people! Christmas ornaments are a great gift, but change it up sometimes! How about a hummingbird? Or a fetish bear? I’m a southwest girl, sure, but the ol’ Kokopelli isn’t my fave guy. Plus, isn’t he a fertility bringer? Do I *really* need that?

5) Could it *be* any more difficult to park at Coronado Center at the holidays? Geez! (Ok, from what I hear, no one shops there anymore….but back in the day…it sucked)

6) Rasquache by the river. After I was into adulthood, my parents retired and moved to Los Chavez. They lived right near the river on the Bosque. It was kind of country out there and I loved it. But a lot of their rural neighbors would get their kids dirt bikes, ATV’s or new shotguns for Christmas…and of course they’d all run up and down the ditch roads trying out their new toys all day long. It was like a freaking war zone out there. It wasn’t *quite* country enough for all of that…

7) When there is not enough damn snow to ski on. Bah! Isn’t that was all that time off from work is for?!?!?! Can’t ski on dirt, people!

8) Kelly Liquor store is open on Christmas morning. Oh no, wait, that’s a good thing. Nevermind.

9) The not well organized Xmas display in my neighbor’s yard that stays up (and lit) until August. I am no electrician, but I’m pretty sure too many stacked up strings of lights in one feeble extension cord isn’t safe. Plus, does one yard really need a full size Santa with all three reindeer, a full on nativity scene with a plastic baby Jesus, and the sun faded flamingos? I mean REALLY!

10) That one funky hominy kernel in my bowl of posole that, despite resting in the pot all day with all his little corn kernel friends refuses to cook like a good hominy should. I mean, cooking down with pork and red chile is an honor, but nooo, you gotta stay like a rock and bust my back filling when I chomp down on you. Whatever! Just bring me good luck in the New Year and we’ll call it even.

You know, this list was a LOT harder to write than the last one. Guess that’s cuz Christmas in New Mexico rocks.

Enjoy, ya’ll, and have a happy weekend!

What would Funk and Wagnall say?

Heard on local radio talk show yesterday morning and confirmed via the AP and the Albuquerque Tribune, the Word of the Year for 2007 is:

w00t!

Yup.

Now, who am I to complain? I’m a big fan of the word. It peppers my personal emails, has made an appearance in this very blog (and here and here and….uh a few more times too….). But I’m not sure the word is Miriam-Webster worthy.

How do I feel about this? I sort of don’t like it when a slang word is legitimized. I mean…doesn’t that take some of the fun away? I love words, I really do, I’m a certified linguaphile (*wink*) but I also really love made up words. My best friend and I have a vocabulary all our own. It’s fun to bastardize words. And w00t is fun because the letters and numbers make it a word that’s not quite a word, but heck, even if you’ve never seen the word, you can get the joyous meaning when you see: w00t!!

It’s word that means what it sounds like.

If I recall my English teacher’s hardworking edumacation, that would be an onomatopoeia.

There’s my nickel word for the week. (NMSU grad in the hizz house, w00t!)

Today, it’s w00t, tomorrow it’s teh…before you know it STFU will be a part of the formal lexicon. I want to know when w00t shows up on a kid’s spelling test….

Anyhow, best to just end this post with a w00t! for the selection of w00t! as the word of the year.

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