I survived my little road trip yesterday. I forgot how nice it is to drive along a long strip of road. Today I have another meeting which means I need to drive in to work. I am beginning to think I shouldn’t have bought the monthly rail pass for December.

I love this song– I think I ripped it off a German CD years ago. The video, which I have never seen before today, is somehow even better than the song alone. I love the lead singer’s “Jazz Hands” which is a move I learned in my interpretive dance class back in college. The dancing girl with the deep baritone voice is also a hoot.

By the time we made our way outside, the cows were already in the truck. I thought it would take much longer to wrangle those cows. We stood outside and talked to the actual owners of the cows. The cows only summer at Rob’s farm. They are owned by a farmer who lives way out near Harrisburg. We always thought they were dairy cows but the farmer said they are actually beef cows. As the farmer gathered his stuff, Rob and I went to the truck to say goodbye. Chances are we won’t be seeing them again unless they are served to us.

Tomorrow I am going to wake up extra early. I have a sales appointment in a galaxy far far away. Well, at least that’s how it feels when I go to certain areas in upstate Pennsylvania. I am looking forward to a little road trip. It will be nice. It will be especially nice when I make the sale.

I had such a great time at the Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem yesterday. Rob and I got there without a hitch! It helps that we are pretty familiar with the area having gone to their Musikfest over the summer. We met up with my cousins and walked Bethlehem’s Main Street. Around 2:00 we headed over to the Live Christmas Pageant where we saw a reenactment of Jesus’s birth with live mules, sheep, horses and camels! I was in awe over the number of hunchbacks performing the roles of shephards and townspeople. “Is there some sort of widespread calcium deficit in their diets?” I wondered. Looking more closely, I realized that what I was seeing wasn’t humps but the hoods of their parkas hiding under their robes.

After the Christmas Pageant, we split into two groups. Rob and Jim went to the local pub and Eileen, Patty and I went to the Christkindlmarkt. I could hardly believe that you had to pay 6.00 admission just to see the vendors! Regardless, I paid up and enjoyed walking around and looking at all the crafts. I bought a bottle of Spiced Red Wine. The woman who sold it to me gave me a great tip. I always poured the wine into a saucepan and heated it up that way (or I would microwave it on a cup by cup basis). The Vintner told me to place the entire bottle, with the top off, into a crockpot or in a saucepan filled with water. She said this way I could serve it straight out of the bottle! What a great idea!

After wandering the Christkindlmarkt, we went to the pub where Jim and Rob sat and we had dinner. I had a pint of really different beer called, Rude Elf’s! It was kinda spiced and sweet. I liked it! After dinner, we said goodbye to my cousins and headed off. We walked down Main Street again, this time, with the sun down, we got to see it all lit up and twinkling. We went into an Irish Shop where Rob laughed at me because I got a little too worked up about finding mincemeat in a jar. He also said I am far too interested in Brown Betty teapots. The shop had a candy section and sitting on a shelf was one of my favorite candies! Bassett’s Licorice Allsorts! I told Rob they are favorites of mine but I haven’t allowed myself to eat any since I was in New Orleans back in 2000. He couldn’t understand why I would deny myself something that I love so much. I told him that the reason I don’t eat them is because I lose complete control and I shove them down my throat at lightening speed! Rob told me I was silly and bought the bag. Back at the farm he put them in a nice candy bowl. I tried so hard not to seem overly giddy at the prospect of eating the candies. Rob grabbed one and popped it in his mouth and as he chewed the candy he told me that it’s all about moderation and self-control. He then grabbed another one. And another one and another one. Next thing I know, the two of us are binging on the licorices! Self control, my ass! There is an addictive chemical in that candy!

Rob just got a call from the farmer. They are loading the cows into a truck and taking them to an indoor facility to spend the rest of the winter. The truck should be rolling up any minute. I’m gonna miss the cows.

Read on a blog that Lee Hazelwood has contracted kidney cancer and has less than a year to live. In happier news, he just released a new album called Cake or Death.

Thursday night I went to a holiday party. Going home on the train, I saw a very romantic sight. A couple seats across and facing me sat a young couple. The girl had long, black hair. She tossed it from one shoulder to the next as she removed her scarf. Instead of placing the scarf on her lap she tossed it playfully around her boyfriend’s neck. He never once took his eyes off her and once the scarf was around his neck, he automatically brought it up to his nose and smelled it. If that wasn’t romantic enough, he then placed one iPod earplug in his ear and handed the girl the other earplug that she placed in her ear. This reminded me of the opening credits of Happy Days when the young couple share a french fry or in Lady and the Tramp where the two dogs share a strand of spaghetti.

Rob and I are meeting some of my cousins today to spend the afternoon at a Christmas Market. I am looking forward to it except I am freaking out over the directions. I do not want a repeat of the struggle we had getting to Preston’s Baptism. My main problem is that Yahoo, Google, and Mapquest all suggest completely different routes. Which one is best? I have no clue! I wish I could get a GPS Device embedded in my arm just like 007 had that tracking device placed in his arm in Casino Royale.

Coffee is being made. I used the little sample of Seattle’s Best Coffee that came in a cereal box. I could definitely use some caffeine.

At lunch today, instead of working right through it, I stepped out! The other day Lisa came into the city and we went to see El-Vez perform at the World Cafe. On our way there, I noticed that right down the street from where I work is a Trader Joe’s! I have always wanted to go to a Trader Joe’s so this afternoon I made the hike and did some lunchtime shopping. They don’t sell 3 Buck Chuck at this Trader Joe’s since it’s in PA but there were other things to look at. I didn’t buy anything since I couldn’t imagine schlepping everything back on the train but I was sure tempted! I can’t wait to go back another time!

So Lisa and I saw the Mexican Elvis, El-Vez perform…. he was fantastic! There were some forays into politics I wasn’t quite keen on but that is what happens with politics, you are always going to isolate at least half of your audience. Regardless, I enjoyed him and the Elvettes immensely.

I’ve been having computer problems. Yesterday my computer showed the blue screen of death– dumping physical memory yadda yadda yadda– and then it shut down. When I turned it back on I got a black screen with the words: SMART failure predicted on Hard Drive 0: yadda yadda yadda. I hooked up my USB hard drive and started backing everything up. Right in the middle of backing up my Thunderbird profile it happened again. This time I just kept it off. This evening, back from work, I turned it on, got the SMART error again, clicked F1 to bypass and I started backing up the rest of my data. It’s been running now for at least 4 hours without any issues. I got everything backed up and now I am running a virus scan. I don’t know what’s going on. Just as soon as I start to seriously consider getting hardwood floors (at least in the dining room) I come upon another expense. UGH!

Had a very nice time in Baltimore with Rob. The train ride there was very easy and totally worth the small expense rather than driving. We stayed with his friends’ Henry and Elena and their two kids. Rob loved the gifts that I bought him for his birthday. I think his favorites were the Kung Fu three season DVD, the LED light up belt buckle that flashed Rob, in DA HOUSE! and the sterling silver skull ring. On our way back to PA we stopped at my favorite restaurant, Gunning’s and had their famous crab cake, onion rings and sugar powdered pepper rings. Oh my gosh it was so good!

I got back from work about an hour ago and I fixed myself some dinner. Now I am trying to motivate myself to go out and pickup some saline, stockings, and other things that I can’t seem to remember. Maybe I will just put on my pajama’s laze in bed. I don’t know.

Today at work I found myself talking to a person who just wouldn’t stop talking. I humored him for a little while, much longer than I had time to give and then I tried to end the conversation but the person would not get it. He just kept talking and talking and talking. I shook his hand TWICE! I said, “If you leave now you’ll miss rush hour!” I said, “It was great talking to you, I hope you come to our next event!” AND YET HE KEPT TALKING. Finally I grabbed him by the shoulder and walked him to the door and said “TAKE CARE! DRIVE SAFELY!” How completely weird is that? How could this person not get my hints?

I decided rather than driving, I would take the train. Besides, since I am meeting up with Rob, it will be so much easier having one car rather than two. I leave tomorrow around noon. That gives me some time to get the house in order and finish up a few things. I am trying to figure out what to wear and what to pack– I’ll probably just do jeans although I wish I could wear billowy sailor pants like Jean Harlow.

The last of Rob’s birthday presents arrived today. What a relief! I thought they would never come. As it is, I gathered the items together and placed them in a gift bag. Is that a cop out? Should I wrap everything all nicely? I never quite understood the point. All that effort and the wrapping is just ripped away. I hope he likes everything I got him. Mainly it’s underwear and socks. Just teasing, that’s what my mom gets ME every year.

Here’s a cool find from YouTube:

Most of us remember her as Leather but she did a whole lot more than just the Do The Fonzie, but that was pretty cool too…