Finally feeling a little less wretchedly sick, just in time for a day off from work. As a non-Christian working retail with predominently crotchety-old shoppers, I don't imagine you'd need to be told this past week has been hell for me. To top it off, I've been feeling sore and fatigued (did not help my hypochondriactic fear of Lyme) and just generally sick, and have poison ivy on what I'd call roughly 40% of my body at this point so so that did not help matters.

But I got my Christmas matters all done, mostly in one oddly calm mall trip. One trip to Borders got the bulk of my family out of the way, various books of interest (including a book of John Lennon's writings and drawings for my dad which I'm sure I'll steal at some point :3) and Grey's Anatomy S2 for m'mom. While there, through careful coupon work I also picked up the new Star Wars guide to species on the cheap and Michael Crichton's Next virtually free. On the way out, there was a stand carrying hand-knit Andean type clothes and I also grabbed myself a Cunning Hat. :D At Hot Topic I picked up a lorde of NBX crap for my mom (they had absolutely nothing V there >:O), so much in fact that I'm stashing some of it away until Mothers' Day, making that just so much easier. Also a Black Costume wallet for me, which suffers from Awesomeitis and finally replaces that damned GIR one.

I'm losing most of tomorrow to going over my aunts for the annual gathering (chance of mutton :3) but I can live with that, I have Tuesday off too. Part of me hates putting up with the Christmas crap, but I really don't mind seeing the (local) family, given we only really do so once a year. Altho with my grandmother getting worse, there has been an odd rift growing between my mom and her siblings. Don't think it'll affect the public showing tho. I hate people so much...

Regarding Next: YES. The book opens with a fat guy trying to smuggle embryos in a disguised container. The next few chapters were matters of industrial espionage, corporate evil and the future of the evergrowing biotechnology field (one quite a bit more advanced than our own, but not so much it even feels like science fiction); all of this delivered with a beautifully subtle comedic/sarcastic touch.
And then, suddenly there's an orangutan that speaks fluent Dutch. As I said, YES.
Also, a mysterious man in horn-rimmed glasses just showed up who I've currently named Mr. Bennet until he is given a name or I get my Heroes fix satiated.

Edit: For anyone who doesn't have Jackson Public on their friends' list.

I acquired a new reference book today! Any book that devotes equal space to Mojo and Mojo Jojo is alright by me. And it has Shocker. \n//,
This is going right on my shelf next to my other guides to crap that doesn't exist (so many, do I have >:3).

I almost also picked up the new-ish Star Wars Essential Guide To Droids but instead I decided to look at the price tag and swear very loudly next to the childrens' section.

I think if I study this and this I will be able to create Teh Ultimax Comic.