thessalian: (cool)
thessalian ([personal profile] thessalian) wrote2005-12-23 10:46 am
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Preparations

One more hour and then we're all locking up the office. HUZZAH! Not that I don't like my job, because I do (particularly compared to the last few). It's just that ... well, holidays! Woo-hoo! In just over an hour I'm out of here, off to have a lovely Japanese lunch and do some non-urgent last-minute Christmas shopping, just because I can. Then I'm going to take [livejournal.com profile] dodgyhoodoo out for dinner at this little side-street Korean place in Finchley Central. Again, just because I can. I love payday.

Yesterday had its ups and downs, but I'm choosing to focus on the ups because I'm in a good mood and refuse to spoil it with downers of any description. The first nifty thing was during my lunch hour: on the street where I work, one of the buildings has this little alcove where a lot of the people in the surrounding buildings stop and smoke. Because my lunch hour's between 2 and 3, I tend to catch people on their afternoon smoke break or just having a last quick smoke before lunch. There's this one guy who I tend to run into over lunch hour; we don't talk or anything and because I normally have my nose in a book I'm not even sure what he looks like, but he has asked if I could spare a smoke a time or three so all I know about him is that he's not particularly organised, a bit of a smoke fiend and doesn't really like menthols but will put up with them if that's all that's available. You know, whatever, right? Well, yesterday I was coming into the alcove and he was heading out in a hurry but spied me and went, "Ah! I was wondering if I'd see you; happy Christmas" and hands me a pack of smokes (my brand, which he obviously knows) before dashing back to his workplace. Guerilla gift-giving. What a concept.

At the end of a day when everybody and their maiden aunt was submitting papers (to get them out of their hair before Christmas, I suppose) and I was a bit frazzled, I met up with [livejournal.com profile] dodgyhoodoo and [livejournal.com profile] weaselbitch for drinks and gift exchange, though [livejournal.com profile] weaselbitch had already opened hers from me (Ghost in the Shell for PSP so she has something to watch on it during events like, for example, getting on a train to Lincolnshire to visit her parents over Christmas) on Sunday at my own insistence. [livejournal.com profile] dodgyhoodoo has Resident Evil 4, and I got Noir disc 3 -- the first new anime I've had in quite some time. So I am happy. *squee* Looking forward to day after tomorrow, obviously, but also looking forward tomorrow, when I reinstate the Neilson family tradition of everyone in the household opening one gift on Christmas Eve. I think I'm going to open the "silly gift" from Mum that feels like a DVD; I don't know what [livejournal.com profile] dodgyhoodoo's going to open.

Then Christmas day and roast duck. I'm just trying to think of things to do with it; glazes and what to stuff in the chest cavity. I have a few ideas, but I'm going to need to hit Waitrose tonight so I don't wind up fighting with the hardcore last-minute people on Christmas eve.

[identity profile] commonpeople.livejournal.com 2005-12-23 11:20 am (UTC)(link)
I'm off to get Resident Evil 4 for myself very soon. Ah, I love holidays and all those free hours for my videogame. :-)

[identity profile] nadriel.livejournal.com 2005-12-23 12:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Have a good time, and see you some time in the new year.