Um.

um, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

Believe it or not, this is a scarf that a friend of my Mom's at work made for her. And that's all I have to say about that.

Classy.

classy, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

When I'm waiting in the morning at the stoplight right before I get on the expressway to work, there are these 3 old houses right in a row, all exactly the same except for different colored trim. This happened a lot back in the days when Wilkes-Barre was still a booming coal town and was actually growing...houses would go up in groups, and the same plans would be used for multiple houses right next to each other as the builders threw them up as fast as possible.

Anyway, this one house at the corner was recently for sale, and I'm thinking that whoever bought it got an FHA loan, because this fancy handrail going up the stairs from the sidewalk to the porch appeared out of the blue one day. For those of you who don't know, FHA has a lot of nitpicky requirements for what sort of shape the property has to be in for them to approve the loan, and the owner usually has to make the house meet FHA's rules before they can close. Things like having to have a handrail on any stairs on the property over 3, no electrical sockets within so many feet of a sink, no chipping/peeling paint, etc.

I'm pretty sure this handrail got thrown up in a hurry for that purpose, and the owners made a rather goofy attempt to spiff it up so it didn't look quite so halfassed. Except, well....FAIL. :D

While the fancy turned spindles are what caught my eye at first (in a totally contrasting unfinished wood than the raw 2x4s, of course), I really think it's the quarter-round molding along the handrail that really pulls it all together!

Did I mention....FAIL???

Under the wire.

under the wire, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

Tonight was a combination of goofing off and trying to get the post-holiday explosion of clutter under control before Cindy gets here to clean tomorrow, and I totally forgot about my PAD. I had actually shut the computer down and was doing final tidying before bed, when it occurred to me that I hadn't blogged a photo today.

So, with the final minutes of today ticking away, what better subject than my kitchen clock? Yes, my kitchen walls are that orange. :D

Absence.

absence, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

My new refurbished Zune died. I'm spending my days at the office staring longingly at this space between the charging cable and speaker plug where my Zune should be. *sigh*

End game.

end game, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

I am not at all looking forward to taking down my xmas tree.

Snit.

snit, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

I've been away for 5 days. When I get back from a trip, Jadis' mood can go one of two ways...she either follows me around for hours, yowling her displeasure at the top of her lungs, or she ignores me completely. This time, it's the latter. She gave me a disdainful sniff when I got home, then disappeared upstairs and wouldn't come back down to say hello (or even to yell at me) no matter how I called and called. I decided to go up and take her picture, and she wouldn't even look directly at me.

Her Highness is displeased with my transgression. :D

Leaves.

leaves, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

This is new decor at Jackie's. She always finds the coolest stuff.

Grapes.

grapes, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

Oooh, sparkly. :D

Heat II.

heat II, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

At Jackie's for the weekend. I wish I had a fireplace.

Jasmine.

jasmine, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

This is my BFF's cousin's dog, Jasmine. She's a Rhodesian Ridgeback, a rescue dog who had to have her front left leg amputated. She's a sweet girl, but so very sad. She posed for me, though. :)

Finial.

finial, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

Sometimes my PAD is easy to find...I'll be out and about and something will catch my eye, and that's that. Sometimes I have to go looking. And occasionally, it'll get late in the evening and I'll think "OMG, I forgot my PAD...what can I shoot?" Today was one of those days, but that's not always a bad thing, because I really like this picture.

Perpetual motion.

perpetual motion, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

I picked up the camera tonight to find something to take my daily photo of, and of course, this drives Jadis insane. She can't bear it when I'm walking around, she much prefers me settled somewhere so that *she* can relax. Wretched beast. So, I tried again to get a picture of her, but if I'm standing, she's incapable of standing still for more than a fraction of a second. Too bad this isn't a video, you could have experienced the yowling that goes along with this neurosis.

Remnant.

remnant, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

Went to my brother's for football today, and it turns out that one of his bad beasties knocked his Christmas tree over sometime after the family left on Christmas day. Instead of putting it back up, he just decided to take it all down and put the decorations away...except for this guy, the last remnant.

Aloof.

aloof, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

This wretched beast has been ungodly clingy today, after her vet appointment this morning. She was like glue until I got the camera out, and then she couldn't be bothered to come anywhere near me.

The haul.

the haul, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

I borrowed one of Mom's big blue IKEA bags to haul my loot home from my brother's yesterday, I didn't get around to unpacking it all yet (except for the Ugg slippers perched there on top, and a Stephen King book of short stories that I've been loafing around reading all day). Those of you who have been to IKEA and experienced their big blue bags will appreciate the ridiculousness of this haul. :D

Gift orgy.

gift orgy, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

Only a small portion of the gifts exchanged among my family today...all 7 of us. :P

Entertainment.

entertainment, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

After xmas eve dinner, my sister provided post-dinner entertainment...Rock Band II. :D

Perspective.

perspective, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

Last day in the office before my xmas vacation (taking tomorrow and Friday off, xmas day is a paid vacation day). My friend Nicole's Festivus party is tonight, but I was afraid if I waited to take my PAD at the party, I wouldn't be home in time to post it on the proper day. So, we have a work-themed photo instead. :D

Gifts.

gifts, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

My hatred of shopping is legendary. I've told my family on many occasions that whatever they'd like for any gift-giving holiday had better be available for order online somewhere, because I am NOT going to the mall to get it. The result is what has developed on my dining room table. I think that either FedEx or UPS has been to my house every day for the last 3 weeks or so. It doesn't help that my sister is coming up from NC for the holiday and she decided to have a bunch of the stuff that she ordered shipped to me instead of to herself and then have to haul it all up here.

I have much wrapping to do.

Grump.

grump, originally uploaded by jadis_eoc.

This is my brother's cat, Peanut...aka PITA. He's a dainty 19 lbs. He *loves* having his nails cut. :D