AM started off ok. Midget ripped through all of the gifts like a tornado. Taking turns opening gifts is not in the cards with him. It's best to let him just open them all and then rotate through playing with them. He had 4 or 5 that he kept rotating every few minutes. Hubby liked his prezzies. However, hubby was a very very last minute shopper and tried to find the "perfect" gift for me, couldn't find it (on the 23rd and 24th... hmm... wonder why?) and ended up getting me four books. I don't mind so much the books. What I mind is that I had put a LOT of thought into his presents a month ago and ordered them for him in plenty of time. It feels like he put very little thought into his gifts. I was working on my master's and dealing with crap at work, yet still managed to get his gifts in time.
Badness 1 - the camcorder given to us by mom about five years ago is incompatible with our two computers. It worked with the old one, but that one doesn't work with our newer programs, so it's on the floor of our guest room, waiting for us to recycle it. We got a new camcorder a few months ago that is supposed to work with all systems. In fact, the box has no compatibilty issues listed on it and we were assured it was easily compatible with all things. And so, for the first time since I got it, I decided yesterday to upload the hour and 30 minutes of video we've taken over the last few months.... only to find that our version of Vista is the one version of anything that it doesn't work with. It's fine with 32-bit, but 64-bit makes it completely worthless. So I spent literally hours trying to get something downloaded. The software for the driver was under a pile that took forever to find and that didn't work. In fact, the manufacturer's website warned of a fatal error if I loaded it. (Btw - the ONLY note anywhere about this incompatibility in/around the camcorder box was in a light, .5pt font at the bottom of the cd sleeve under all other notes.) Of course, the only way to work the the semi-compatible updates is to install the fatal error version first and then download and install the updates. And THEN I have to work it in the 32-bit compatible mode, and I have no idea how that works.
After all that stress, and me being tremendously exhausted, I took a nap.... and didn't sleep well.
Badness 2 - We got loaded up and went out to go to hubby's family party, which we've gone to ever since the midget's first Christmas. Nice drive, even with the wet roads and some road construction. Last year, the party had been moved to a cousin's house because the uncle's house where it was usually held was being remodeled. We assumed this year that it was back at the uncle's house. We were wrong. Lights were out. No extra cars around. Nothing. Hubby had no phone numbers programmed on his phone, so we couldn't call anyone. We figured out that the only reason they remembered to call and tell us the change of venue last year was because we'd sent out Christmas cards to them. That's hubby's job. And, like the presents, he forgot until the last minute. I do my side; he's supposed to do his, and he didn't. So they didn't remember to tell us about the new place to go. It sucks to be forgotten. And it sucks that they need us to send them a Christmas card for them to remember us... especially when they are the only family hubby really has. I think that's the first time I haven't gone to visit some sort of family during Christmas in years.
Badness 3 - We had been planning to eat dinner at the party, which is kind of a potluck in a way. (I had made snickerdoodles to bring with us) So we hadn't eaten dinner. It was getting late (for the midget, at least) and we needed to eat. We didn't have much at home, so we decided to try IHOP. It was closed. That surprised hubby, but not me. The streets are strange when all the store lights are out at 7pm. We ended up going to Denny's. The first one had one chef and a 20+minute wait. The 2nd one seated us immediately. Short menu. Midget went into meltdown mode over everything (my mood wasn't helping anything) and proclaimed that he hated us both. I took his toy from Santa that he had brought with him... that led him to a screaming fit... then a crying fit. And hubby just sat there. We ordered. I asked for turkey plate with no gravy. And we got the meals... mine with gravy over everything. Now... by this time I'd already cried a few times... and yet I still had tears. So, while I waited for the plate to come back un-gravied... and hubby to steal place settings from other tables since we had none, I sat there and cried in the middle of Denny's. (I was frightneningly emotional yesterday)
Came home after not pushing our luck by asking for pie... I put on Dead Like Me and grabbed a handful (or two) of snickerdoodles and moped on the couch. If a store in the area had been open last night, I probably would have gone out and shopped to feel better. The anger, sadness, frustration... everything all combined... made yesterday the shittiest day on record in a long time and definitely the worst Christmas that I can remember.
Hubby put it into perspective as we went to bed last night by telling me of the man who went to his ex's party dressed as Santa, killed a bunch of people, then set the place on fire.
At least we were safe, together, and loved.
Still sucks though.
- Mood:
depressed
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shayanasls- Ravings of a YA Librarian
