Surprise! Yippee!

This morning someone asked me if I was having trouble coming up with content for NaBloPoMo.

I wasn't until then.

But then....then...

MKAEP sent a box. It was a big box, like bigger than a bread box, very big box. Inside there were 4 paperbacks, 1 hardback (mmmm, vampire smut), 2 lip tingly glossy things, soap, lotion, soothing creme of some sort, and a super cool thing that I will get to in a moment.

The entire rest of the box was filled with plastic bags. I'm not certain it's possible to explain what a boon this is to the urban dog owner. Plastic bags are always at a premium. I've been known to shriek, "I'll use that!" while diving to stop a co-worker from throwing away a plastic bag. Because even if you're in a lean time, or trying to curb your consumerism the dog still poops. And a candy bar once a day for a drugstore plastic bag is a lot cheaper than a $100 ticket. I have bags for weeks now, so cool. This is what it's like when someone really knows you and it feels good.

The other thing that was in there was one of those things that seem like a good idea and then you doubt yourself and then it turns out to be fabulous.

Years ago I read in a silly girly magazine about a keepsake for friends separated by the miles. Instead of writing letters you write in a book and pass it back and forth so there's a permanent record of your feelings. MKAEP settled down in OKC and DiDi was traveling a lot and I'm here in the BK and we weren't able to e-mail all the time and we weren't writing letters as much and we needed a little extra something special. So I took a cheap notebook from the drugstore (plastic bag - bonus!) and slathered the covers in magazine pictures and quotes. Then I wrote things randomly all through the book about our dreams and what we've been doing and what's bothering us and issues in the world and everything. Then I sent it off to one of them with a note of explanation and we've been passing it around adding to it for about 3 years now. No, must be more than that because I don't think I lived in this apartment when I did that cover and I've been here almost 4 years now. I do know it was around Thanksgiving, though, so this must be an anniversary.

Lest you think we send it off once a month or something remember that we're still on the same slim volume. But that's OK. It actually works out better. It's right around the time that you think to yourself, "Oh everybody else thinks this is stupid and they aren't going to send it again. Oh well, not every idea can be a good one." you get it back. So it's a surprise all over again. I loved everything that came in that box but the notebook was the best thing. The very best thing. I pored over it really quickly at work and I can't wait to spend some time with it, write some more in it, maybe I'll even buy the People hot guy issue so I'll have good pictures to paste in. Maybe I'll be able to figure out how to print out some digital pics, too. I think I'm the only one of use who hasn't pasted in a picture of myself.

Turns out it is a good idea and they do like it. Try it out for the holidays even.