SHAFTWAXER

I put up a Christmas tree this year. That should be proof enough.

I’ve had this tree for 4 years or so now. It’s my mom’s old fake tree. She got rid of it to get one that was a bit more manageable. This thing is a beast. It’s very bushy. But as I’ve moved across state lines, the tree has followed me, but I never really was in much of a mood to put the damn thing up. This year, however, it made its way out of the closet for the first time, and up she went. It’s so big that I decided to push it up against the wall and only put half of it up. It’s essentially a giant cone with the back half cut off. If you come up to it on the side, you are aware that something isn’t right, but from anywhere else in the room, it looks just fine.

I don’t know what Hoover knew or did in the 3 years before I adopted her, but this was the first time in the 5 years that we had been together that a tree went up. This was quite an adventure for her. In fact, from the time the box came out of the closet, she was wired, interested, and freaked out all at the same time. Eventually, she took up a spot under the tree that I left for her, and many a photo-op went down. I also set a blanket that she liked to sleep on next to the tree, so she’s pretty much set. As soon as the tree was up and she had her 15 minute inspection to make sure it was up to code, she fell asleep under the tree for the rest of the night. I mean, this shit is traumatic if you’re a cat.

I had also been itching to make a theme tree. I had only blue lights, and all the ornaments are silver, gold, blue, pearl, or clear. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule. I bought 2 clear ornaments with the U of I logo on theme. I also have 4 up that were painted by my mother. One is just a painted winter scene on the outside of a frosted bulb, the other 3 are clear with the paint on the inside. You put in a color or 2 and let the ink splatter and slide down the inside, twisting and turning it until the pattern is right. Very cool.

That leaves one more ornament that does not fit the theme. This one would be an ornament the woman and I picked up when we went out to Frankenmuth in mid-November. We got an ornament for “our first Christmas”. At first, this sounds decidedly nauseating. In fact, just typing it out feels a little odd. But still, we at least had the good taste to NOT get one that had the words “our first Christmas” on the side. We’ll know what it is, and really, that’s probably all that matters.

Things continue to go incredibly well with the woman, but chances are, if you read this, you also see or talk to me in the real world, and I’m never really one to hold back on the details of how well things seem to be going. What can I say, she kicks ass.

I was proud of myself, I’ve thus far done well in the whole Christmas gift department. I’ve gotten her gifts that are experiences more than physical, tangible items. Things I knew she wanted to do or see but didn’t think she had the opportunity, the time, or the money to do on her own. After Thanksgiving, I took her to see The Nutcracker as done by Moscow’s Great Russian Ballet. It was also my first time to the ballet. A few weeks later, I took her down to Chicago to see Wicked. I liked it enough to want to read the book that it was based on. The day after, more a gift to myself, we continued down to St. Louis to see the Blues lose in overtime against the New York Rangers. It was a crazy busy and involved weekend, but it was good. Got to see a lot of people and friends I don’t normally have the chance to.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t have any more tricks up my sleeve for the holiday gift department. A couple more little things here and there, and one more gift that I think will continue to mark me as “ass kicking” in the boyfriend department. Hell, at least I’m better than Kelley…

Things are good.