What One Girl Knows

A nice Christmas. Now I'm sad about leaving. I miss my family when I'm in Pittsburgh.

This year's present theme was Hello Kitty. A calendar, two toothbrushes (Hello Kitty cowgirl and Hello Kitty something involving a pink dragon), bubble bath, bedsheets and pillowcases, Pez dispenser, and a blue sewing machine on its way.

Reg invited a friend over for Christmas dinner -- a shy guy from Wendy's -- and afterwards everyone piled into the van for Marie Antoinette at the dollar movie theatre. I appreciated the fashion ideas, and a few long, lingering camera shots of Kirsten Dunst staring vacantly into open fields, but otherwise the movie was a disappointment. And the quick shot of Converse sneakers in the shoe-frenzy montage seemed heavy-handed and clumsy rather than clever. Maybe we should have really gone and seen Happy Feet? But -- the fashion was very very good. Especially now, when I'm having daydreams about all the skirts I'm going to make on the new sewing machine.

More pictures. Ella as a cowgirl, Jason being scandalous at the Duquesne Incline.

Then dinner at the local Chinese buffet. A bit disappointing -- no crab tonight, and the food was less tasty and fresh.

An amazing amount of presents under the tree this year. So much it actually doesn't fit under the tree. I'm not quite sure what's happening. Maybe it's hoopla because Jason's spending his first Christmas here?