Gingerbread House
I really like Christmas, or Annual Family Gift Day as I atheistically and frequently refer to it. A lot of people don’t, my mother included, which always surprises me, but I really do. This year I think I’ve spent already more than I have ever before, and I’ve still got a few people to buy for. It gives me a vague pain, being someone who’s usually so careful (stingy) with money, but then it makes me feel good. I’m almost certain everyone will really like their gifts, and I can justify the expense to myself not only with that, but that I might get a taste of such and such, or ‘try out’ this game to make sure it’s good enough, or watch this film with the giftee etc. I’m looking forward to wrapping them too. I bought some ribbon today, so they’re all going to look good.
But yes, I am being uncharacteristically frivolous for this one time of year: I spent £60 today alone, without really meaning too. That was more selfish though: I’ve essentially bought two of my presents, both because they were on special offer, and so cheaper than my parents would have found them for (both videogames too of course). Now I find out that this one game I asked for, and bought today after failing to contact my father because the deal was amazing and ended today, has already been purchased for me. Usually my father doesn’t get around to Christmas shopping until at least the 15th, sometimes the 20th or later. Who’d have thought he’d get his act together this year? Still, I’m sure it can be easily sorted. What I’m more worried about is lugging all these gifts home, since I’ve elected to go on a train rather than get picked up a day later.
Aside from being uncharacteristically frivolous, I’ve also been uncharacteristically happy of late. I’m worried it might have a negative impact on my writing, because I haven’t done any for about two weeks. The reason for this happiness? I, who write so pessimistically about relationships, have somehow stumbled into one quite unexpectedly and pleasantly. Really, I don’t feel things could be better at the moment, though I’m sure it won’t take me long to find something to be depressed about. Hopefully anyway, or my writing career might be over. Is it ironic that loneliness makes me feel contented, and happiness makes me suspicious? Probably not, it’s just strange.
I suppose that’s not the only reason for my lack of new material though: I was ill for a few days and had to pretty much stay in bed for three days, and only managed a walk to the shops for some much needed food on the fourth. All I could do was lie there playing videogames and watching internet tv. It was terrible. But on the first day I was well, my girlfriend came over and we made a gingerbread house, in honour of Annual Family Gift Day and because we like making gingerbread together. Actually, I make gingerbread with a lot of people. I’m a gingerbread whore.
It’s not the best gingerbread house I’ve ever seen, but it turned out better than I excpected it would when we first tried to stick the walls together, and I don’t think it’s bad for a first attempt. It tasted pretty good too. Obviously that’s my girlfriend on the left in the second and third pictures, looking better than me and my unstyled hair (hmm, I hope she doesn’t mind me putting pictures of her on the ‘net…). You can read her blog here, or at least look at the pretty pictures.
One last thing before I round off this post: for a while it was my goal to get this site in the top one million on the Alexa Ranking, because it hovered around 1,000,500 for ages. Recently, it not only past that arbritrary goal, but got in the top 900,000, and is currently fluctuating around that number. So thank you to everyone who reads my site, I hope you stick with it through these occasional droughts and like it enough to show other people. I’ve pretty much finished at uni for the year now, and my girlfriend will be going home for Christmas, so I should have some time and some loneliness to spur on some writing I can put up here.
Tags: Annual Family Gift Day, Christmas, Gingerbread, happiness, presents, Relationships, Videogames
December 9th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
That looks like something that would give me a heart attack, although I have eaten the uber sweet cupcakes your girlfriend makes so I don’t know, maybe I’d be able to handle something like that. Heh! But the house looks cool, and you indeed do look very happy, even in your messy hair =D
Also Henry, I think you can look for inspiration in anything, whether it be something pessimistic or in something positive, I’m sure you will be able to make use of everything that is around you. I feel certain you’ll be just as amazing as a writer, especially in times of happiness.