General Chat

[Chris]

Mary wrote: "Every gift to charity helps. You've done your part. Your gifts are valuable."

Thanks Mary.

[Janet]

So who has finished all the shopping for the Christmas dinner and lunch tables? Anyone putting any unusual dishes on the table?

I've started on the cooking already. There is this pickle I make made of shallots, split chillies. You boil them slightly then let them marinade covered in vinegar and salt water for a couple of days. They kind of cook in the acid-salt. Then I drain the liquid out and add in crushed dates (for sweetness) some new brown vinegar, mango, already picked lime and mix it up. Let it marinade in their own juice.

Everybody loves it on the side with rice and massuman curry I serve on boxing day.

So we kind of have Thai for lunch on boxing day.

[Pamela]

Janet wrote: "So who has finished all the shopping for the Christmas dinner and lunch tables? Anyone putting any unusual dishes on the table?

I've started on the cooking already. There is this pickle I make mad..."
Sounds delicious, Janet! I've become very fond of Thai food but haven't tried making it myself.

[Janet]

By boxing day dinner people are tired of eating the same thing as the leftovers. So I make something different.

[Chris]

I was at my neighbor's for a Christmas get together. I'm drunk as a skunk. Anybody else having Christmas parties?

[Chris]

Mary wrote: "Hi Chris! Just family here. I admire your typing abilities for being drunk! LOL!"

Thanks, it took me about a half an hour correcting and editing just that one line. LOL

[Chris]

I'm not really a drinker, so a few beers and/or a few drinks will get me dizzy. LOL

[Michael]

Drinking has ruined too many Christmasses for me.

[Chris]

Michael wrote: "Drinking has ruined too many Christmasses for me."

Right. I don't drink on holidays, New Year's Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving or Christmas. I'd be embarrassed to be drunk in front of my daughters and grandchildren.

However, I've had my share of Christmases ruined by other people's drinking. :-)

[Janet]

I've had 3.5 glasses of wine, but it was with a big dinner. So the effects are minimal.

Merry Christmas, my friends!

[Chris]

Mary wrote:"Don't beat yourself up. A little holiday cheer is ok."

Thanks for the green light Mary. Heeere... I gooo.... :-)

[Kirsten]

Personally, I think I'd prefer to be drunk when my niece and her fiance show up.

[Janet]

Kirsten *Dogs Welcome - People Tolerated" wrote: "Personally, I think I'd prefer to be drunk when my niece and her fiance show up."

Yeah, knowing that someone responsible is around who will drive and keep you from doing anything embarrassing helps.

[Janet]

So is everyone getting holidays all the way up to the 4th or do you have to go back to work in between Christmas and New Year?

Anyone got something they have been dreaming about for a Christmas present?

[Chris]

Kirsten *Dogs Welcome - People Tolerated" wrote: "Personally, I think I'd prefer to be drunk when my niece and her fiance show up."
Relatives drive me to drink, but they never drive me back.

Ok, ok, I know it's an old joke.

[Chris]

Janet wrote: "So is everyone getting holidays all the way up to the 4th or do you have to go back to work in between Christmas and New Year?

Anyone got something they have been dreaming about for a Christmas pr..."

I'm retired, the party goes on till next Christmas 2016, LOL

I want an Omega Seamaster watch.

[Kirsten]

I'm disabled so I get every day off too.

[Wendy]

Drink in moderation and never drink and drive! Above all enjoy this festive season.

[Arlene]

Happy holidays everyone!!

[Kirsten]

Great blurb for a drama on BBC Radio 4 Extra:

Tracing your ancestors can be fun, as long as they are quite, quite dead. Stars Elizabeth Mansfield and Peter Dahlsen.

[Chris]

Hope everyone had a great Christmas.

[Chris]

Mary wrote: "Peaceful here. We're getting too old to fight. LOL!"

LOL

[Chris]

Wendy wrote: "Drink in moderation and never drink and drive! Above all enjoy this festive season."

And, if you drink like a fish, don't drive, swim! :-)

[Janet]

LOL. And I thought we'd get crankier as we get older.

My jeans are tight. That's it. I'm officially on a diet. I find that if I cut out chocolates, cakes, cookies, cheese and meat product like burgers and actual red meat, I can lose about 3/4th of a pound a day. I rely on fish for my protein.

[Chris]

The problem is if I go on a diet I won't be happy. If I can't eat what I want I'm not happy.

[Janet]

I am happy as long as I can have fish, but I do get a meat craving now and then. I am okay limiting meat to about once a week.

I actually feel happier eating burgers just once a week.

[Janet]

So how many friends and family did you have at your Christmas lunch table? I had 7. My mother and father, brother and sister-in-law; my boyfriend; my boyfriend's son and his (the son's) school friend from abroad.

Wonder who had the most crowded table? :)

Family, friends, and books... the best things about Christmas.

[Chris]

To all my Goodreads family I want to wish that the 2016 year be;
A Year of Health & Happiness,
A Year of Wealth & wisdom,
A Year of Peace & Prosperity,
A Year of Glee & Glow,
And Also a Year of Love & Laughter.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

[Arlene]

Chris thank you so much that is very sweet I wish the same for you and your family as well and happy reading!

[Chris]

Arlene wrote: "Chris thank you so much that is very sweet I wish the same for you and your family as well and happy reading!"

:-)

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while)]

Chris wrote: "To all my Goodreads family I want to wish that the 2016 year be;
A Year of Health & Happiness,
A Year of Wealth & wisdom,
A Year of Peace & Prosperity,
A Year of Glee & Glow,
And Also a Year of Lov..."

Thank you Chris...what a beautiful sentiment. I cannot say it any better, so I second that. *:D

[CHenry]

I haven't read a murder mystery in years-- I was sick of them for a long time. Mindfulness and Murder made me miss the twists and psych-outs. I'll definitely read the rest of the Father Ananda series. Great characters, unique plot, damn good writing.

[Janet]

Happy New Year to our Goodreads family. Any embarrassing office party stories? Did everybody have a nice time under the mistletoe?

[Kirsten]

Happy New Year from eastern Washington State! Anyone see the footage of that Dubai hotel in flames? I expected to see Steve McQueen!

[Gail]

Has anyone read Tana Ffrench yet, if not I recommend trying her, first book in series Into the woods

[Kirsten]

I read the first one. Really enjoyed it (except for the ending). Nice and meaty.

[Gail]

Got the next two books as Xmas gifts do looking forward to them

[Pamela]

Kirsten *Dogs Welcome - People Tolerated" wrote: "I read the first one. Really enjoyed it (except for the ending). Nice and meaty."

Chris wrote: "To all my Goodreads family I want to wish that the 2016 year be;
A Year of Health & Happiness,
A Year of Wealth & wisdom,
A Year of Peace & Prosperity,
A Year of Glee & Glow,
And Also a Year of Lov..."

I agree, Chris. A very happy 2016 and good reading!

I also have read the first of Tana French and would like to read more of her books when I winnow down the books I have under my love seat! Except that I recently went to a used book store to buy a book for a buddy read and walked out with 19! Let's just say that I managed to get them all for less than $5, so I think that's a deal.

I'm reading Oliver Twist right now, so am feeling very grateful for everything I have. Have already paid bills and am working on thank you cards. How virtuous is that!

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while)]

Thanks for the tip on the Father Ananda series...I have put them on my TBR list.
I have read most of Tana French's books...but not her most recent.

[Janet]

So nobody answered my challenge. Wow many friends and relatives did you have at your Christmas dinner or lunch table? Who had the most guests.

I had 8 including me: my boyfriend, his son and the son's friend from abroad, my mother and father, my brother and his wife.

[Kirsten]

We had a small group of 5. Me and my mom, my sister, my niece, and my niece's fiancee. Unfortunately, we got a bad piece of meat. But wonderful day.

It's so weird when I remember the Christmases and Thanksgivings of my youth which we spent at my grandparents house. We would end up being over 30:

My grandparents
My mom and dad and their 4 kids.
My mom's sisters, their husbands, and 3 kids.
My mom's brother, his 2 kids.
My mom's stepsisters, their husbands, and 4 kids.

[Kirsten]

That's been commented on. He doesn't have to raise money for airtime. Too bad they got rid of that rule where everyone in a particular race has to have equal airtime.

I remember when I was a kid George Takei (Sulu on the original Star Trek) was running for some city position in California) and they had to cut out his bits on the ST cartoon.

[Chris]

Kirsten *Dogs Welcome - People Tolerated" wrote: "We had a small group of 5. Me and my mom, my sister, my niece, and my niece's fiancee. Unfortunately, we got a bad piece of meat. But wonderful day.

It's so weird when I remember the Christmases ..."

Me too. The good old days. The new generation don't really want to be with family in the house, they rather go to parties.

[Chris]

Frannie wrote: "I'd love to see the news channels go 15 minutes without saying the words Donald Trump. He's had more free publicity than anyone."

Good luck with that, LOL. He loves it; and every now and then he'll come out with a controversial comment, he's got the media's number for sure.

[Chris]

Frannie wrote: "He makes the news all day every day because he's loud and rude. He's the Fred Flintstone of politics. Lol"

BINGO...

[Pamela]

Janet wrote: "LOL. And I thought we'd get crankier as we get older.

My jeans are tight. That's it. I'm officially on a diet. I find that if I cut out chocolates, cakes, cookies, cheese and meat product like bur..."

Good luck, Janet. I got a Fitbit last year for Christmas and it really helped me pay attention to what I was eating and having the thing capturing every step I took, made me up the number of steps I take (I also below to a employee workout group so that helped too). I lost 13 pounds last year and as of today, I've kept it off! I found that I stay away from the sweets pretty much all the time (I'm more into salty anyway) and have never been big on hamburgers, so if once or twice a month I have a really good steak, I'm a very happy camper! For Christmas dinner we had a prime rib and I found that I could hold myself to small portions.

[Pamela]

Janet wrote: "So nobody answered my challenge. Wow many friends and relatives did you have at your Christmas dinner or lunch table? Who had the most guests.

I had 8 including me: my boyfriend, his son and the s..."

We've had just the four - me, husband, daughter and son - for the last couple of years. We used to have a bigger group but all the grandparents are gone and my cousins, sister and sister in law live far away. My kids miss not seeing their cousins over the holidays but as they are all in college with various schedules, it makes it difficult. My daughter and I have been talking about planning a summer get away where all of us could get together someplace, perhaps midway between the two homes and along the beach ... would be nice. A cruise might be wonderful as well...

[Janet]

Pamela wrote: "Janet wrote: "LOL. And I thought we'd get crankier as we get older.

My jeans are tight. That's it. I'm officially on a diet. I find that if I cut out chocolates, cakes, cookies, cheese and meat pr..."

Slipped up a little today, but back on track tomorrow.

Wow, good on you about losing nearly a stone and keeping it off! Well done.

[Janet]

Pamela wrote: "Janet wrote: "So nobody answered my challenge. Wow many friends and relatives did you have at your Christmas dinner or lunch table? Who had the most guests.

I had 8 including me: my boyfriend, his..."

A cruise with everybody on board is a nice dream. When you buy in bulk and in advance you can get good deals. It's got to be in the summer when you can be out on deck in the sun with people or reading a book.

$ is a nice, manageable number. It gets quite hectic just before when you have 8, but it's fun in hindsight.

[Janet]

Frannie wrote: "Murdoch Mysteries season 9 is on you tube. The Christmas episode is great."

How can I see these, Frannie? Have you got a link? Are Youtube videos as good in quality as Netflix?