Microsoft Error Reporting

For those of you like myself who have been wondering what earthly good is accomplished by hitting the "Report Error to Microsoft" button (although despite the doubts I am pretty faithful in sending it out, because there's always the possibility that it is doing some good), here is the next generation in error reporting to Microsoft:

http://a3.v14853d.c14853.g.vm.akamaistream.net/5/3/14853/v003/1a1a1a72db3eb01f920167db4fb41745a9188ffd69d8399dcb2c97f865c62f5dc02f9ccbfc30689dd0ff6cdf44bc2c5bc83ba01888b7fc356ea7e0/9999_w.asf

(You have to have Windows Media Player installed or it brings up the installation box)
Enjoy!

Christmas at home

I was able to fly back to the US for Christmas and spend some time visiting with my parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncle and cousins. It was SO GOOD to be here for Christmas! My little brother met me at the airport, jumping up and down and totally excited to see me. That made me feel great. On Christmas Eve he helped me find my stocking and hang it up at the fireplace, assuring me that Santa knew I had come back from Africa for Christmas. Then he got tucked into bed, and stayed there for about 5 minutes. He kept getting up and coming over to the balcony and poking his head down into the living room where the Christmas tree lights were twinkling and presents kept arriving from the wrapping station in the basement. After about the third trip to the railing I snuck upstairs into his room. He had a little mini tree decked with decorations and lights at the foot of his bed. So we found The Night Before Christmas and flopped down quietly to read by Christmas-tree-light. After the third whispered rendition of the story we laughed together at something, and the next thing we knew we heard "Honey, did you hear that? I sure hope he's not up in her room wrapping gifts!" Geordie & I looked at each other and I "laid a finger aside of my nose" (but I didn't up the chimney arose). We listened for footsteps coming up the stairs and I was transported back to my childhood when Rachel & I would whisper way into the night on Christmas Eve and try to keep an ear open to hear "Santa" leaving gifts in our stockings which were hung with care on the ends of our beds. After a few moments of silence we figured we were safe, so we scoured the bookshelf for "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas". Actually, I scoured the bookshelf while Geordie prayed I didn't find it. I did however, and Geordie discovered that the Grinch wasn't quite as scary as he remembered. Eventually I kissed Geordie "Bonne Nuit" and spent the next hour wrapping.

PS - I bought myself a Vonage phone for Christmas, so if you want the number email me! (For those of you unenlighted - it is a phone that you hook up through your ADSL line, so I will have a US number in Africa! :)

my FAVORITE picture!

This is definitely my favorite picture so far!

Wherever I travel, I always try to find cool pictures of lamposts. It all started in Paris. I had a day to myself to wander around the city and since I had already seen the typical touristy sites, I decided on a whim to find a theme for a little amateur photography. I enjoyed the day exploring Paris with my camera. Although I don't think I got any phenomenal shots, I did discover my favorite bridge in Paris - Pont Alexandre III (I think that is the name of it!). Since then I've been looking for the lampost picture wherever happen to be.

This one I stumbled upon. I was leaving the Tombeau of Moulay Ismail in Meknes and was halfway out the door before my mind registered the rusty lamp hanging from the ceiling at just the right angle in front of the keyhole door with the perfect mosaic tiling to complete l'esprit de North Africa.

Christmas Cookies

I just spent a good part of today making Christmas cookies with my roommates. It reminded me of the Christmas baking tradition that I always got to sneak into with the Hanna ladies. Not that my own family didn't do it's share of Christmas baking, but the Hannas start the day after Thanksgiving - yeah in November!!! The first year I was friends with Quimita I was astounded to discover this odd factoid about their family. And the worst part was that the cookies all went into the freezer without any of the essential quality controls being carried out. Yes, into the freezer they went without any taste testing at all! Every weekend from Thanksgiving to Christmas was full of this grinchish type of Christmas cooky baking. My thirteen year old mind was horrified. Ah, but then came the day when the cookies came out of the freezer. Plates full of peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate, pistachio moons, butter cookies decorated as if they were to be served to the queen, fudge, spritz cookies and everything in between peeked out of Christmas-y cellophane and wouldn't have needed"Eat Me" scrawled across them for Alice to devour them all. So, over the years I have learned to enjoy the weekends of grinchy Christmas baking in anticipation of the tantalizing managerie of cookies delivered just before Christmas.

This year Lauren, Karen & I baked a million and one camels. Most of them were properly decorated to distribute to friends, but we couldn't help but create at least one Rudolph-the-Red-Nosed-Camel!

Merry Christmas!