This cycle's luteal phase was very short, for me. I normally get at least fourteen full days before the end. I hope this isn't the beginning of a trend! Next cycle I think I'll be a little more vigilant with my herbs. I've got a rather large store of dried herbs that I like to use for general wellness and the like, so I hope they can help stablilize things a touch.

Oh, and the nausea is still with me, though it comes and goes. Bleah on the power of the mind; I really and truly believe that mine is "inventing" pregnancy symptoms as I go along.

I am exhausted. I'm exhausted because I obviously can't walk as fast for as long as I used to. I had to walk to work today - I'll tell you why later - and I didn't allow myself enough time; I was only a little over halfway there when I heard the church clock strike the hour of "You're Late," and I ran. So I'm tired.

I had to walk because Eric has my car. He has my car because the garage has his. They have his because he took it in for a small repair and an oil change, and they did something horrible to the engine. I mean, we took it in for a little squeak whenever we made right-hand turns, and now it drives like a novice using a clutch, except it's an automatic and has no business lurching like that. So it's still at the garage, and we're absolutely terrified that they're going to diagnose something outrageously expensive and refuse to admit that it wasn't like that when we brought it in. You don't think they'd have done something on purpose, just to get more money, do you? Garages aren't that evil, right?

Anyway, we therefore didn't have Eric's car on Saturday when we went to pick up my parents' Christmas present to us, which was rather problematic, because my car is much smaller than his and my parents' present was much larger than we anticipated. I think they've either completely lost their minds, or else they're feeling extremely guilty for buying my little brother a computer this year. What else could account for a freaking 27" color television???? We may just have to get cable now. We were operating on a circa 1982 19" model inherited from Eric's grandmother; it liked to randomly change channels and turn itself off at inopportune moments. So thanks, Mom and Dad! And let me say that, although you REALLY didn't have to do that, we very much appreciate it. Now Eric can play his Commodore games in style!

After we picked up the TV, we really didn't feel like doing the Christmas shopping that we had planned for the day. We wanted to play with our new toy! We did the necessary rewiring and logistics work (ooh, it just barely fit into our entertainment center), and then played video games until we had to leave for...

Eric's company Christmas party was such a hoot last year that I swore he'd have to drag me there by my eyelids next time. The fact that it is undeniably a cheap meal, coupled with the fact that it may be Eric's last year with these particular people, had us dragging ourselves there against our better judgements. Forgive me if I offend anybody, but we just don't enjoy these events; the sheer volume of the union laborers usually means the entertainment will be loud classic rock and the dress will largely be Metallica tank tops and acid-washed jeans. Decidedly not our scene; last year it was BYOB, and people were carting in coolers.

It was better this year, but still loud and still "classic." The food was not bad, so we ate and left.

We got about half of our Christmas shopping done yesterday! By half, I mean we have the women mostly done. Why are men so hard to shop for? You know they'll like just about anything you get them, but the don't give you any hints about what they'd really like. Every year, my dad requests the same thing: "Socks and underwear." Um, sure, Pop.