h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ipsos is a horrible call floor to work on. I worked there for over a year, and got treated like a rather backward 5-year-old. It was awful. I had this thing with pink hair and a nose ring (through the bottom of her nose - not a cute little diamond on the side), talking to me about professionalism. Makes me shiver just thinking of it! I'm at Dimark, now, and I just love it. The people are great, my team is the best, and no one is treated like a child. And I'm the only one with compulsory weekend shifts here. At Ipsos everyone has to schedule at least 1 weekend shift every week. They do this question of the day thing, stuff like What's your favourite cartoon? If you could be any animal (actress) (plant) etc, what would you be? The one that finally got me in trouble at Ipsos: what's the last book you read? My answer - Business Reengineering and Total Quality Management. My team lead thought I was being a smart-alec, but I really was reading that book!

Its a really slow afternoon. Out survey's are going really well, everyone is doing their jobs, and that leaves me with nothing to do, except be a presence on the call floor every once in awhile. I should have brought a book - its a long afternoon - that's why I'm on the internet!!!

Ugh!! Sounds like the company I used to work for Synovate which I now refer to as the "evil empire". Jan works in the coding open ended questions side of things. She used to work for a small company that was acquired recently from Ipsos and I think she is having "bought by a big company" shock at the moment.

Things are on fire here. Two of my staff are out sick today (and when you only have 3 staff members that is alot) and I myself am suffering from a horrid cold. Lots of disgusting substances ending up in the tissue. UGH! It is making me sick enough so that I have that slightly confused feeling. As if the brainwaves are traveling at half speed. There are so many emergencies this morning here, but I suppose that is a good thing as I won't be able to concentrate on not feeling well!

Today is Halloween. My kids are too old to trick or treat but they will be dispersing candy. Later I'm sure both of them will get together with their friends and get up to some mischief. It is gorgeous weather which is always good for the little ones trick or treating. Traditionally I make chili or stew but this year I just ran out of time. Yesterday was extremely hectic, I had to come in to work, had to go clean my moms apartment and do some laundry for her, had grocery shopping and errands to run and then laundry for my own house. I swear from the moment I got up until the moment I lay down it was constant motion. I am looking forward to going home and seeing some of the little ones dressed up. That is such a treat!

When I was at Ipsos it was Ipsos-Reid, and we still call it Ipsos-flaming-Reid. There are so many of their people working for us! I have to admit that their training is excellent. These people really know their stuff!

I ended up taking the shift Monday night. Ron, our head supervisor wasn't well, so I went in. A few were costumed, and I gave them a good natured blast at team meeting "What's the matter with you guys - how come you didn't dress up, or do you think you're wierd enough?" My guy with dreads said we're wierd enough! We had a great shift. The boss brought us chocolate, his secretary brought more chocolate, one of the girls baked cookies, and another brought a big bowl of candy. I'd taken in a snack for later, and brought it home again. The whole place was on a suger-high!

We don't have many kids in our neighbourhood, so there were no trick or treaters. This area is mostly artists, and young people. So, it was quiet here. I miss the kids coming to the door, it was such fun! I hope your pair didn't get into any trouble.

We got a phone call from Harley on Hallowe'en afternoon. He had to work too, and was going in as a Winnipegger - Winnipeg Blue Bomber (CFL football team) jersey. He's thinking of taking a course next fall to become a deck officer. I don't know if he will, but he's looking into it. I'm not too sure about him going to sea, but he'd love it, and that's the main thing.

How are you feeling? Did you get over your cold?

This cold is getting the best of me. Just hangs on and doesn't want to leave. I feel like staying in bed most days, but we are so busy it just is not going to happen. I am trying to do little to nothing when I get home. Hopefully by the weekend I'll be feeling better.

How fun the shift sounds on Monday! It is so nice to work with people that have personalities, isn't it? One of the people that work for me is pregnant, due in March and she just found out it is a boy. She already has a 6 year old girl. I can't wait to buy some boy outfits. What fun!!

You know, from what you've told me about Harley, I can imagine he would love going to sea. It sounds so romantic doesn't it? But I'm sure there is alot of hard work and long days. But what an experience! Sounds like something that will give you stories to tell forever!

It is so gorgeous around my house. The trees are stunning. This morning we had bright sunshine and the trees almost looked as if they were on fire the leaves were such brilliant colors. I tried to get Ali to appreciate it, however 15 year olds don't always get stunned by nature. Now if I were holding out some money or jewelery.....

Harley's finally stunned by nature. Its taken some years! There are a lot of maple trees in Halifax, and they're all bright red right now. He's fascinated - after all the yellow aspens and cottonwoods he's always known. We're having quite a second-hand adventure through him. Every day seems to be a new adventure, and we hear all about it in emails.

Boy outfits are so cute now. Our girls have mostly had girls, but we live in hope. Another caller just found out last month she's pregnant. Her group of friends are so excited!

They're dropping like flies on our call floor. One by one they're all getting flu, and its a particularly vile bug this time. Two days off seems to be the norm. Ron is back today, we think, after me taking evening shift for him a couple of days this week. I spoke to the day supervisor awhile ago, just to check if I'm running shift tonight, and she's just back. She still sounds horrible. This one starts with a sore throat, and progresses from there. Touch wood, I've stayed healthy so far, and Gord just got his flu shot this week, with no reaction, except he's really tired. He has a history of lung problems, pheumonia, so he has to get a flu shot every year.

Its cold and damp here today, but so far, just rain. We had a sprinkle of snow overnight, aparently, but it melted as it touched ground. Its that time of year - snow any day now! I got a new winter coat this year, and its so warm! I'd worn my dear old duffle as long as I could. It was like losing an old friend when I realized it just wasn't warm enough anymore. I'm such a creature of habit! That, and an "if it works don't fix it" type of person!!

It is now cold and rainy and windy down here today. Last night it really stormed. The yard is full of leaves. The wind is blowing things all around. A good day to stay in!

Last night we went out to eat at an italian restaurant to celebrate my moms and Alis birthday. We had a big group, including the baby and Burke's new girlfriend. The baby is such a charmer and sat in happily in the high chair for 2 hours. It was incredible. Of course she had plenty of attention! This place is fun as they do things family style so there is alot of food and alot of laughter. It was a nice night. Ali's real birthday is this wednesday. Wow, 15. I still cannot believe that she is 15. Its an amazement!!

We have this huge study we have just launched on the internet so I spent most of yesterday setting it up and creating a timeline and a plan for it. 20,000 respondents and 500 questions!! OH MY!!!! It is making me nuts at the moment!!

My entire company has had the flu/cold/muck. I had it myself last week. It is so draining. Everyone is coughing and hacking and generally not feeling well. I'm almost over it but still feel a bit tired. I'm hoping all the garlic I ate last night was medicinal. I sure smell of it!!

Happy Birthday to Ali on Wednesday. Oh to be 15 again!!

Hope you're feeling better. They say garlic is good for a cold. And it tastes great too.

We have a whole bunch of office politics going on at work, and its making me crazy. I'm trying to stand back and not get involved! Our dialer still isn't working, and the boss is mad at everyone involved. One of the schedulers isn't talking to Ron, the head supervisor, and I don't think he's talking to me either. I objected, in my shift notes, to him having is girlfriend (he's married, too!) in on a Saturday, and in the executive suite. Now he's not talking to me either. I won't play, I still say hello to him. I had sample problems on Sunday, and went to the boss, who was in doing his own work, to ask for advise. He told me he'd told the schedulers there wasn't to be shifts on the weekend. Oh, darn, guess I'm really sh**-listed now! On instructions from my immediate superiors (the other scheduler), I ran 2 small shifts Saturday and Sunday. Now the schedulers will be upset. Ask me if I care!! I'm in the clear anyway. I'm putting out my resume within my career path again. They say there's a labour shortage out West. Maybe I can land something better! If not, at least it isn't dull at Dimark Research!

How crazy!! I hate office politics. It would be nice if there were more communication between everyone! Good for you to steer clear and what in the heck is that guy thinking about bringing his girlfriend in? My goodness. I think you are handling this well. Integrity is always a good thing. There is some office politics here but nothing like what I had at the bigger company. That was like a drama every day!

15 is going to be a big deal. It sounds so old! I guess that is because she is my baby. She is so excited for it to be her birthday. I bought her some pajamas at lunchtime today. They are flannel and purple plaid and look so comfy. She wants steak, mashed potatos with cheese and her dad's broccoli casserole for dinner. Sounds delicious. The main gift we bought her was a stereo system for your ipod. She has a mini ipod that she adores and now she can play her songs anywhere. Her brother got her the funniest card ever. The front shows a little boy with his finger up his nose. The inside says "I'm picking out your present now". PERFECT for a brother to a little sister!

That's such a great card! Your son is such a character, I'm not too surprised. Those two will be close forever. Baked potatoes and cheese are my favourites! I have them often.

I ended up going in tonight, supposedly only for 3 hours. We had a client monitoring going on, and Ron would be tied up with them. I was to take the floor while they were there. I ended up doing the full shift, but it was only 4 1/2 hours tonight, so it wasn't too bad. I just have the next 2 days, Friday is Remembrance day, and its a day off, and they've cancelled the weekend shifts. The boss made sure the word got out early this week, they wrote it on one of the white boards, and phoned everyone - including me! I guess Fabio's sick of screw-ups.

Now, you grew up with an Italian father - do they all have volatile tempers? My music teacher was Italian - sweet man, but don't cross him. Harley's Italian music teacher was more laid back, but I expect he could raise his voice if provoked. Fabio's a really quiet man, but I wouldn't want to cross him! I expect the guilty party heard about last weekend, and maybe the weekend before! Our client monitor went well, everyone's happy.

Its just pouring outside. A lot of Manitoba got snow, and we're supposed to get a tiny bit tonight, then it warms up Thursday. Friday's supposed to be a nice day, so our Veterans may not have to march in slush up to their ankles on their day. Canadians make a big deal of Remembrance day, and well we should. Dad always told us if we let our children's generation forget, we could let it happen again. He pinned Harley's first poppy on his blanket when he was 4 months old, and told me to always have him wear one. He always does.

What a nice gesture. Too often in our country Veterans day (our remembrance day which is also on Friday) is just a day out of school for most. There are parades and events but mostly sales. My kids are both off and will probably spend it sleeping in.

My dad was a unique Italian. He had no temper and was completely gentle. He let everyone take advantage of him (including my mom!) and could never do enough for anyone. He was truly self-sacrificing. He started a few social programs in our area. He started a st. vincent depaul society in the church to help and feed the poor and also started a suburban program for battered women that has grown very large and 20 years later turned into an organization that leads the pack. He was a lot of fun, always teasing, always singing and dancing. We joke that even tho he was Italian, my mom really wouldn't let him be. She is Danish so even tho I carry the Italian name, and look, I was brought up in a Danish house. I'm beginning to think that as the years went by my dad came to believe that he was Danish as well!!! It just was that nose......

Beautiful gorgeous weather down here. The woman I met in Cincinnati that was from Winnipeg and works at Ipsos Reid is in chicago this week and couldn't have a more gorgeous week. There is a chill but slight and it is bright and sunny. We had terrific lightening and thunder with rain last night. Our lights were flickering and I was afraid we were going to lose the electric!

So are all the ruffled feathers smoothed at work?

Things seem to have calmed down at work. It was a peaceful night last night, and if that only holds for the next 2 - I'll be happy. Makes an interesting workplace though.

Your Dad was quite a man - to be admired at home and in the community. You must be very proud of his accomplishments. I thought after I'd posted my comments last night, gee I hope I didn't insult you! I'm sure glad you didn't take offense. Its like saying all Scots are cheap (thrifty!). Sorry, no insult intended. I've slowly turned Gord into a Scot, even though his ancestry is English. By tradition, he's a Cameron (the clan I'm a part of)by marriage, and he's proud of that. I even have him likeing Cockaleekie soup, oat cakes, Scotch broth. He can't handle Scotch, though, neet, like Harley and I drink it, or mixed. He prefers his rum.

I've been invited to a Christmas concert. My littlest buddy, Alisa is having a concert at her daycare, and when her Mom asked who she'd like to invite, asked for Auntie Linda, and 2 other family friends! I told Sharon to thank her, and say I'd come if I can. Sharon's looking for a red velvet dress for her, and is thinking about black patent shoes to go with it. Alisa will be 3 in mid-January.

A thunder storm! I love them, and can't resist standing at a window watching. I think its the violence. I'm a peaceful person and find the violence of lightning and wind exciting. We have some amazing ones here in the summer. We were supposed to get a skiff of snow last night, but it didn't happen. Today its just dull, with a cold wind. Just enough to remind us winter isn't far away.

It would take alot more than that to offend me! Skin as thick as an elephant I think. I'm with you on the scotch. I love it. At the highland festival every year I make sure that I am signed up for the scotch seminar. Lots of scotch in little cups. To be honest tho, after the first couple I don't know how good I am at tasting the difference!

Oh how adorable!! A children's christmas concert. I just love stuff like that. Seeing little girls in their velvet dresses with patent leather shoes really makes the season. I used to dress Ali in lots of satiny velvetty things with pretty shoes. These days she has her own style. She is going to build her holiday outfit this year around a pair of shoes that we bought after she fell in love with them. They are red plaid shoes with a high black heal. They are adorable!! We are looking for black shiny pants and a red or green sweater.

I love thunderstorms as well. Some of the best ones are in the desert. When I lived in the southwest, we used to drive out to the desert far from any towns and watch the lightening. It was magnificent! The lightening would seem to bounce off the desert floor. Probably not the safest thing to do, but very hard to resist. There is something about a thunderstorm, in the fall, late at night that just sets a tone. Sort of spooky in a safe way. I love it!

Glad that things are calming down at work. We are so busy it is almost insane, but the day flies by. Tonite I'm off to babysit our Olivia. I get her to myself for at least an hour!

Back to work today after a 3 day weekend. I couldn't afford 5 days off in a row, so I'm working 7 straight now. Its going to be a long haul! Friday I woke up with a sinus headache, so I just spent a quiet day. I watched the official Remembrance Day service from Ottawa, then they played a movie made in Manitoba-For the Moment. Its about pilots who trained just north of where I grew up, and a really good movie. I saw it when it was first released, and enjoyed it all over again.

Saturday D and Regina and I went to see the newly renovated library. Its been closed for 2 years while they put on an addition, and redid the whole thing. What a place! It has the feel of a university library, huge, well-organized and really nice. After we all got books, we went for coffee, then headed home. We put D on her bus, and Regina and I walked home along the river. We only live 2 blocks apart. On the way home we saw some mallards, squirrels, and a muskrat who was swimming in the river. Sunday there were 2 football games, the eastern and western CFL semi-finals. The wrong team won in the east, the right one in the west. Each team has one more game to play, and the winners of each go to the Grey Cup game.

Today it SNOWED!!! We have about 2 inches on the ground, and a cold east wind. Its just an ugly night. Tomorrow and Wednesday aren't supposed to be much better. A few roads are closed, and travel isn't recommended anywhere in southern Manitoba. Winter with a passion! I've had enough of it already - I hate winter! And there's just no justice - it was 14C (57F) in Halifax today. They showed our storm on national news tonight, so Harley will be laughing!

Oh man, I too am not ready for winter. We are in the 50s today (like Halifax) however we have that cold biting wind. The wind Sunday was just insane! The Chicago Bears football team was playing at home on national tv and the sportscasters just kept commenting on the wind. It smelled like snow last night, but thankfully just the chill. I'm truly not ready for the cold. I had to put on the gloves and scarf today. That is a bad sign!

Yesterday I took the day off as the children had an additional day off and I had promised Ali we could do some shopping. She needed some tops and shoes. We had a nice day. Sort of the calm before the storm. She is going right into her club volleyball season, which means practice a couple of nights a week, weight training and tournaments every sunday from January - June. Burke's basketball season has started and his first tournament is this upcoming Monday. Games on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nite. Whew, its going to be a long week!! It will be a crazy few months in our house. Always someone needing to go to practice or a game. I love it though.

We are sooo swamped here at work. Alot of challenging projects that I just wish were a little more organized. Hopefully I can spend most of my day today taking care of that.

What a nice day you and your friends had. Sounds like a lovely library. We have a gorgeous library in a neighboring town that we are eligible to go to. It always has this big roaring fire and plenty of sofa/arm chairs to cozy up in.

We got a phone call from Harley this morning. He's having such a good time, in spite of work! He's making friends, and exploring Halifax history. Did he ever laugh when I told him about our storm.

It stormed all day today. They said on the news that this morning 100 city buses were stuck! There's almost a foot of snow, and it isn't stopping till after midnight, then the already strong north wind is supposed to pick up. Evening shift was cancelled, but I went in just after 1:00 to let the day supervisor get home before dark. She lives out of town, and I was concerned because they aren't recommending travel. I'd have never forgiven myself if something had happened to her, and I'm only a 10 minute bus ride away. The bus coming back was jammed, and there were 3 of them all together at my stop! People have been really good, though, pushing each other out of parking lots, helping scrape windows, and helping each other on and off buses. I helped an old girl with a little wheeled cart get over a slush bank at the bus stop, then a man came along and got her to safety on a path on the sidewalk.

The new library has a 4-storey glass wall, and the stairway runs up that side. There are reading stations all the way up, against the wall, nice little cubicles with good sized desks. On every floor there are banks of computers, and groups of easy chairs. On the main floor the kids library is bright colours, with huge stuffed bears-pandas, and a 6-foot brown bear in a ball gown! There's a teen room with striped desk chairs, and great contoured lounge chairs, and all the teen magazines they could ever want! For a change, Winnipeg did something right, and thought of everyone. There's even a coffee shop, and the bus kioske, where you can get tickets and passes, and all the route maps.

I'm just as glad we were cancelled tonight. Its nice and warm in here, and there was the last of the home-made soup, and fresh coffee ready when I got back. We watched the second part of Lord of the Rings, and just had a comfortable evening.

Your busy year is starting now. I get tired just reading about it! It was easier with Harley not involved in sports, but I got the art shows and theatre performances, quick early suppers so he could go to rehersals, or Navy cadets, or late suppers because it was music lesson night. Then there were endless trips out for art supplies-sketch books, or paints, or artists pencils, or one thing or another! Kids just don't make it easy on us, do they? But I wouldn't have missed a minute of it either!

Your storm sounds fantastic! And how nice of you to go to work to let her get home! That is such a nice gesture and one that I'm sure she will remember for years. When it snows here, I'm so thankful for public transportation and most especially the train! Those trains go through anything. They may be completely jam packed but at least I get home, safely and snugly. Its just getting from the train to my house that is an effort.

We had such a wind storm last night. There are some parts of the midwest that had tornados. It was that strong. I sat in bed reading last night watching the trees just blow from side to side. This morning there are alot of branches down and a big group of people in the area lost their power due to downed power lines. Such a tremendous amount of wind but it was amazing to watch! Luckily we came through it with very little tree damange and no loss of power.

I do enjoy this busy time of year. I can't wait for Monday and the first basketball game. There is something about watching them all run onto the court in their matching warmups and shoes, with the music thumping. Even now I know I will miss it when it is over.

We are going to be having a small thanksgiving next thursday for us. Currently it is just my little family, my mom and one of my nephews. All my strays are going to travel to their out of state relatives homes. It will be odd to just have 6 people here, but Steve is over the moon. He is not one for big groups so this is heaven on earth for him. He has tried to get me more in the spirit by saying things like "well now we can get a better bottle of wine as we won't need so many" and "lets really splurge on the turkey this year". It will actually be nice to have something a little more low key.

Oh the homemade soup, warmth and lord of the rings sounds like a delightful evening. I love the lord of the rings. Steve and I felt like such big nerds during one of the movies. We went as a family a couple of years ago on New Years day. Oh that was such a good day. I had put in a turkey breast in the crockpot, cut up the potatos and veg so that when we got back from the movie all we had to do was put the fire on under the potato and veg and make gravy. Had a nice bottle of wine waiting. It was such a nice time. Anyhow, we were in the movie theater and there was a battle scene and our side won. It was a particularly rousing scene and steve and I both, said "YEA" and high fived each other in the movie theater causing great embarrassment to our children. The thing to note is that steve is very nondemonstrative in every way and very quiet so this display was out of character but I think he just got caught up in the movie!!

Lord of the Rings will do it to you! We bought the whole set of movies, so we can watch them one by one whenever we like. Its such a good story. Both of us had read the books as kids, and to see it played out! Gord's much the same, quiet. Sometimes you wonder what he's thinking, but that's one movie that gets him excited! What a lovely memory of the first time you saw it! Don't your kids know parents only live to embarrass them?!!

I don't know what I'd do without my crock pot. I make soups and stews in it all the time. We've been exploring other recipes on the internet, too. Even for just the 2 of us, it makes a lovely meal on a busy day, or a day when we're just too lazy to fuss.

You'll have a lovely Thanksgiving, with your small group. Those more intimate affairs are nice. Our's was low-key. My strays were invited elsewhere, so there was just the 2 of us. We're starting on plans for Christmas. Its going to be a bit lonely without Harley, but I think I'll invite my strays for left-overs on Boxing Day.

Our storm was pretty impressive. Now its just plain cold. Warmer weather is predicted for the weekend, though. It looks so pretty all white, and today its sunny, so its a bright world. A storm seems to make us all jolly. Even the bus driver was in a great mood yesterday. I was looking at your weather patterns yesterday - its heading toward our East Coast. That was some storm you had too. Glad you came through it okay. It was pretty impressive from what we saw on our news. Ours made the national news, so Harley would have had a good laugh. They showed a snow plow in the ditch, and buses stuck all over the city. Wait till they get 3 snow storms in 4 days - I'll send him an e-mail with just ha-ha-ha- over 3 lines!

I love my crockpot as well. Would be lost without it! Getting out my stew and soup ideas as the weather is so bad and we are going to be short on time with all the night time activities. Its nice to have something that everyone can dig into at any time.

We had our first snow on Wednesday. It didn't stick but it left behind a massive amount of cold. Can't find all the winter stuff so I had a hodge podge of clothing on when I went to work. At least I was warm!

This weekend is looking to be a quiet weekend in which we catch up on cleaning and things like that. I'll have to do the shopping for thanksgiving as mon-wed of next week is busy. There is an outside chance that we are going to brunch in the city this sunday with friends who are going to be in town, however they are going to have a very late night on Saturday so they may not be up to it. Hmm maybe the weekend won't be as quiet as I think it will be!

Right now I'm in the middle of planning a sunday to have some friends come over and make tamales. Tamale making is a mexican tradition for the holidays. Usually it is a family thing. I always thought it was a neat tradition and thought this year, why the heck not? Of course I've never made tamales before but that has never stopped me before. I'm hoping I can get a few couples round and just enjoy an afternoon of goofing off!

That sounds like fun! I've never really cooked or baked with anyone, except my Mom growing up, and now Gord. He loves to cook, and we've had some fun in the kitchen putting a meal together - together.

I'm working straight through till Wednesday night. We may or may not call Thursday, it depends on some Canadian studies. We have a lot of US agriculture ones right now, so they'll be on hold for Thurs to Sunday. So, Thank you! We get your Thanksgiving this month, as well as our own, last month!

I found our box of mitts, hats and scarves last weekend, just in time for the blizzard. I thought I'd washed them all up in the Spring, but I washed a bunch more this morning. Till then it was mis-matched mitts and hats that didn't match my new jacket. Its purple, and I have lovely yellow woollens, but they, of course, were in the wash, so it was red striped mitts, and a burgundy hat that matched my old duffle. I was a sight! Good thing I work evenings - it was too dark out for people to appreciate my symphony of colour!

We were looking at Christmas decorations today. Every year I add a few more, and I saw some lovely ones. I have to wait till the tree's up, though, before I decide. I want a change for the door, too, and there's too much to choose from! My old wreath is looking ratty, and I've revamped it twice.

Its turned mild here again. Tonight its so wet out! Slush as far as the eye can see! Its supposed to be mild all weekend. Typical Manitoba weather - if you don't like the weather, wait a minute!

You must have looked a site with all the different colors. I remember years ago when I used to work mainly from home, I was rushing to get a job done. I had taken a shower and was going to dress nice so I had a nice shirt on which was satiny in a magenta type color. Then I slipped on a pair of bright blue sweat pants, I had striped sox on as well. It was time to pick up the kids from school so I slipped on a yellow slicker (leaving it unbuttoned so you could see the shirt) and some birkenstock type sandals. Also, I had my hair up in a high ponytail with the only thing I could find (I was really distracted due to getting the job out) which was a feathery scrunchy. I didnt even notice how strange I looked until I walked past one of the other moms who said she didn't know that it was gay pride day (referring to the gay pride symbol of the rainbow). It gave me a good laugh!

I've been thinking of doing something with some friends for the holiday but didn't know what. Cookies sometimes get out of hand so I thought of tamales. I'm thinking that this weekend I'll try to make a small batch to see how difficult it is. I really can't afford it, but what the heck, it sounds like a good time and there are people that I probably wouldn't see for awhile if I dont' have a get together.

Sounds like you are going to be working so many hours this week!! I'm at the tail end of this big job that we have to deliver in a week so after Thanksgiving it is going to be work work work!!