happy christmas

hello there friends family and stalkers. i have been away due of course to computer issues but now of course am back because of my wonderful wife. It is great to have you back too.
A brief synopsis since it has been a while.
1 Christmas was great we spent it with the verry clan at my mother in laws where we ate bacon and enjoyed eachother. great grandma was looking particularly well and Eliot literally shook each time he opened a present.
2 Work continues to be silly yet stressful for instance, on one hand I decorated the whole place with snowflakes probably two hundred or more where made this year. on the other hand there has been unwanted drama about missing pills, random firings, and endless gossip about the above and a host of other topics. while entertaining i think it is eating away at what little integrity I still have.
3 art is on the rise, winter doldrums and normal depression give rise to inspiration. it is a hard trend but the results make it all worth while. some great ideas are out there in my head right now. look for your art in the mail family I am getting on a letter writing kick
4 school does not start until 2010 and will finish in 2012
5 i can't think of any number fives

so...soon the gardellas will descend upon portland havoc will ensue, good havoc.

One last point

Made in...

It is getting to be obnoxious. Every time, "This book looks really cool!"
"Where is it printed?"
"Malaysia."
"Oh [disapproving self-righteous frown]."
And at work of with friends, "So what does Eliot want for Christmas?"
"Well this year we have decided to do something a little bit different... [long, boring tirade about my ideas about US debt to China and the economy's downturn here}."
Reading about the economic woes of our country has lead me to a feverish dislike for buying all things made in China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and any other of the usual human rights offenders (other than the Bush administration because we have to pay taxes). The whole thing peaked when I went into one of my favorite little stores in the old port and spoke with one of my favorite store owners. She said that in order to remain competitive she had to buy stuff that is made in countries with dubious manufacturing standards. She said it is the only way to keep prices down. She never had to do this before and had promised herself she would not.
After this I have been keeping my eye out for US made products. It has been very hard on my eyes. All of the toys, all of the clothing, all of the everything made of plastic, are made in places I would not send my worst enemy to work. Every year I have the habit of sending out hand made gifts. I am guessing from the state of my finances and the state of the retailers I have to choose from this will be a tradition I stick to.
On a bright note I am looking forward to an unparalleled year of snowflake making as I have sharp scissors and no snowflakes left from last year. Keep looking at my blog as I will post photos as much as possible of my dirty snowflakes and the pretty ones too.