Letter to Santa...

I had nothing better to do today, so I decided to walk through the local Pamida. Actually, I needed painkillers...so I wasn't just going there to aimlessly wander around...although that's been known to happen.

I walked in and instantly noticed that it appeared as if Christmas had exploded all over the place. It's funny how stores go right from Halloween season (which starts in early September) to Christmas...which, last I checked...was just over 45 days away. (http://www.emailsanta.com/clock.html). Still, no time like the present to get a jump on the holiday shopping...or so all the major retailers are telling us.

(Btw, yes, I did send Santa an e-mail...it went something like this: (The bold portions are items that I filled in.)

"Dear Santa Claus,

I am a girl and I am already 27 years old!!! I live in the great city of Winner in the state of South Dakota. Of course, that's in United States, but I bet you already knew that!!!
This year I have been so good that I should be an angel on top of the tree!.

Santa, some things that I might like for Christmas this year are a quilting frame, a Xbox 360, and a boyfriend.

P.S. Santa Claus, I almost forgot to add these comments!!

I really don't care so much about the Xbox 360, but the quiliting frame and the boyfriend would both really come in handy. Oh and none of those crappy asshole boyfriends either...I want a good one! ...and peace on Earth would be a nice touch as well. Thanks!

Love,

Lindsey Nordsiden"

...and I enclosed some raindeer food for good measure. Oh, and before I submitted it, I changed the words "crappy" and "asshole" to "stupid" and "idiot"....I definitely don't need to lose points with Santa for dirty language!

...and I got a reply back! Here it is:

"Merrrryyyy Christmas Lindsey Nordsiden!!

Thank you for sending me your email all the way from Winner! The Net sure is wonderful because now I can get emails from Winner and around the world in the blink of an eye. Even Rudolph gets emails... from pets! Why, here's Rudolph right now! HO!! Ho!! ho!! He just asked me to say 'Hi!' to you!

Well bless my whiskers, Lindsey Nordsiden! Are you fibbing to ol' Santa Claus?!? You can't possibly be 27 years old already! Why it seems like only yesterday that I was leaving presents for a certain little girl and here you are now, practically one of Santa's elves! (*grin*)

Sorry the presents the last little while probably haven't been quite as exciting as they were when you were a little girl but, well, you know how these things go (*wink*). Anyway, Santa's glad to see some of the 'older kids' (not to mention anyone in particular!) still take the time to write. I also hear you've been a REALLY REALLY good girl. (Of course, you won't mind if I do a little checking, will you? HO!! Ho!! ho!!).

Let's see what you put in your letter for Christmas wishes: 1. quilting frame; 2. xbox 360 and; 3. boyfriend. Can I tell you a little secret? I love playing games on my xBox -- reindeer games that is! HO!! Ho!! ho!! They are a lot of fun aren't they! I guess that's why so many good little boys and girls asked for the same thing as you! I just wish there was room in my sleigh to give everyone one. HO!! Ho!! ho!! Well that *would* be quite a present if I brought you a boyfriend for Christmas! But, as you know, that's one present the elves can't make -- and anyway the last time I stuck a new boyfriend in my toy sack to deliver Christmas Eve they weren't too happy with me by the time I dropped them down the chimney! (Besides, I know you're going to find a very nice boyfriend all on your own without any help from me.)

Oh yes, before I forget Lindsey Nordsiden, the elves really want you to visit my new blog! It is called Santa Claus' Christmas Blog. My blog is all about Christmas, life at the North Pole, and me, Santa Claus ! You can even write messages to me and see what others have written. I can hardly wait to see what you write!

Oh no! Rudolph just sneezed and now there's Nose Wax everywhere. I'll see you soon but now I have to go clean off my computer because it's glowing like Rudolph's nose! Take care Lindsey Nordsiden and don't forget to come back and visit me here at EmailSanta.com on Christmas Eve!! And remember... only 46 more sleeps until Christmas!!

Lots of Love,

Santa Claus

P.S. The reindeer say "Thank You!" for the nice treats! I hope you don't mind, but I had a bit of carrot and celery too. After all, even Santa eats his veggies!

P.P.S. I've attached a special postmarked copy of your email below so you can print it off and show it to all your friends or put it on your fridge."

Wow.)

Anyway, back to Pamida....

After a quick trip to the drug store section I wandered over to electronics. The one thing I have to say about big box stores is that sometimes you can find good deals on dvds and games and what not. Speaking of games...I happened to see a copy of "Beautiful Katamari"...the 3rd installment in the Katamari series on the shelves. Unfortunately, while the other 2 editions are for PS2, this one is for Xbox 360...thus the request in the e-mail to Santa.

One of the many great things about the Katamari games are their awesome soundtracks. I did some snooping on Youtube as well as an internet search or two...and found out that most of the songs are from 80's J-pop stars (Japanese Pop)...which I find intriguing and cool at the same time. One song in particular, "Harvest of Love" has itself firmly lodged in my ear...it appears the soundtrack to the 3rd game is just as catchy as the 1st two...now, to find somewhere reputable online to purchase it...hopefully for less than $50. If you're interested, look up "Beautiful Katamari" on Youtube...and after a bit of perusing, you should find the soundtrack listings.

Also, I found this awesome video on Youtube of the 2005 Paradigm Winter Guard. The song to their routine is the live version of The Dave Matthews Band's "Typical Situation."
Enjoy.

Okay, this was originally a knitting blog...now it's general blog.

I had to shelve the knitting for awhile...my hands just were not taking it so well. I've been working on a few projects here and there...and I have a couple of projects to get done by Christmas...but other than that, my knitting time has been severely cut down.

Suffice it to say, I've found plenty of other ways to occupy my time.

One of them is my new Air Blade. (I should have a picture to post here...but I don't...instead, check it out for yourself here: www.bandshoppe.com ). It's pretty sweet.

For those of you wondering, the Air Blade is the new color guard "weapon" that Band Shoppe released earlier this year. It's sort of an interesting cross between a rifle and a saber...all of which, along with flags and other props, are used in color guard routines that are choreographed to marching band shows. (The blog isn't called "In Defense of Geekery" for nothing.)

At $30 it's cheaper than most traditional guard weapons and it's unique curvature as well as ample places for hand holds make it very versatile. Due to it's construction, each one is also perfectly balanced and weighs the same. ...Plus, it's made out of the same material as Legos are...so that sends the geek factor through the roof.

I was able to enjoy it for a couple of weeks after its arrival, but sadly, it's been sitting in the corner tempting me the past couple of days while it's been snowing and blowing outside.

Instead, I've been filling out college forms and I've started the packing process.

My dad has warned me this time that he's not moving me unless I take only the bare essentials with...bed, clothes, kitchen...and that's about it. Apparently those 3 years of living on the 4th floor of Pierson Hall (and moving in and out) still haunt him to this day. So I've been doing a lot of sorting.

It's been rather therapeutic. I haven't gone through and gotten rid of stuff for awhile now. My space is feeling less cluttered and my mind is much clearer.

Well, I'm off to get a tea and to catch up on this weeks Private Practice and The Office. Later.