Where I'm at

So much for springtime in November... it's definitely feels more like winter in December.

We're on the last week of my parents being in town. I wish we could have condensed this week in some ways, because lord we're getting tired of each other.

Just when I thought I was getting my life back together after the purse incident, I felt like a total screwup all over again on Saturday. We had planned to go to the Virginia DMV to get my new state id to replace the lost one. Because my ID was issued pre-2004, I was going to have to go through the whole process again. Why is it every time I need to do something with my id they change the rules again? I had the folder out of all my appropriate documents. I didn't bother to look to make sure the birth certificate was there. I didn't discover this until my parents called and they were ready to go now. If they could have waited half an hour, maybe less, I'd have found it. I did find it later, exactly where I expected it to be, mixed with other papers. I took it out probably in the last batch of interviews before I got this job. Instead we took the copy and other docs and was summarily dismissed by the DMV people. At least I'd expected it. I didn't pull a "I told you so" with my parents but I sorely tempted.

Then we went off to get the cell phone replaced. I've gone from a rather boring silver Samsung to a cute blue LG phone. I'm trying to figure out if I can upload a Tardis wallpaper onto it. Yes, I'm a total geek, why is this a surprise? Fortunately the number didn't change, but I'm having to readd phone numbers to the address book, which is annoying.

And then some shopping at Tysons. Any Canadian friends know whether a boot company named Santana is still around in your parts? They've disappeared from Nordstroms, aside from a few clearance items. Very sad, because they were one of the few companies that ran narrow. Before someone suggests Zappos, I've looked at them already. Everything else has zippers which never fit. I found a new purse and wallet and some clothes, so Christmas is coming sorta early.

Sunday was Second Thanksgiving, a tradition I'm sure the Hobbits could get behind. Since my parents weren't here on the proper day, my grandparents held a second dinner for the family. Unfortunately that means my father will be in the middle of some political debate with us on the other side of the political spectrum from everyone else.

Tuesday is the prep for the colonoscopy. That will be brutal. I will spare you the descriptions. Suffice it to say it involves a large bottle of battery acid and staying close to the bathroom. Wednesday morning is the actual event. And maybe if I'm not feeling dead to the world, we'll get the id done then. And that's a big if right now.

After that, thank god I will have my free time back.

The other Santana

After several unsuccessful searches using the name of the company, I tried using the president's name. I hit paydirt, but not in a good way. Apparently Santana was forced to close its doors last March, blaming it on competition from elsewhere. Not surprisingly the best articles on the closure were in French. The company was based in Quebec. They started over 30 years ago. They made good boots. I always felt like I was wearing a variant on a skating boot with the hooks and laces. My last memory was talking to one of their sales reps at Nordstroms. When he learned about our narrow feet, he asked if our family was French. Amusingly enough, my mother's side were French Hugenots. Somehow I shouldn't have been surprised about the Quebec connection.