Random ramblings

The imp got to go see the Christmas Train last week.  It was a fairly short wait in the cold, but we got there very early, and didn't stand in line for long.  When we got there, the line was perhaps fifteen yards long.  By the time we left, the line had stretched over fifty yards and into the parking lot.  (I'm sort of judging this by the distances at the range). 

There were maybe four cars set up.  The first one was all decorated with tinsel, glass decorations, and plastic icicles on the ceiling, and various Santa models.  The second car...oh, the second car.  It had two large, electric model trains set up.  As in, the engines were about eighteen inches long, and about six inches tall.  And were lit up.  And running pretty fast. 

Both kids loved it.  The imp, though, would have stood there all night if we hadn't been blocking foot traffic, and I hadn't kept him moving. 

The next cars were a disappointment (to him).  So were Santa and Mrs. Clause.  Though walking up to the train with the sleeper cars that had pulled the Christmas Train into town with Odysseus made the imp very happy, until he dropped his sucker--at which point, he had a great big sad.  Odysseus picked up the sucker and stuck it in his own mouth to clean the dirt off, then gave it back; however, by that point, the momentum had been set. 

The pixie enjoyed the train, but not nearly as much as she enjoyed the train-safety gift pack they handed out (a bright red plastic bag with handles containing the aforementioned sucker, a teeny-tiny candy bar piece--Snickers in hers, Milky Way in the imp's--a sort of Koosh-ball snowman, and a four-page coloring and activity book with a little box of four off-brand crayons). 

We did get pictures, and we will probably go back next year. 

The pup has spent a good amount of time outside, this week.  I've seen her tearing around her little pen enclosure like a crazy thing, just having fun.  It's been very cute.  She'll spend today out there, while we visit the in-laws (and leave the imp there until Monday), then will get to come in...and have a bath.  And when she does, we're going to have to adjust her harness larger. 
 
The kittens are growing so fast.  The larger one is already as big as the adult cat we lost to illness last May, and is still growing fast.  The smaller one isn't far behind.  And both kittens are about seven months old. 

I set some goals on Sunday of this week: clean up the kitchen, catch up the laundry, start making cookies, and finish knitting a vest (and finish the first draft editing/outline of my finished novel for beta reading).  In order, I've made progress, but the kitchen was a lot worse than I'd realized, and that's going to take another week to finish (pushing cookies down the line); laundry is done but for what we dirtied this week;  and all I have left is weaving in loose ends on the vest.  I'd have finished editing my book but for that awful migraine that hit me yesterday.  I should be able to finish that pretty easily this morning--I was only a few pages from done when I had to go to bed Thursday night. 

As for teaching...I turned my grades in on Wednesday, and won't be able to do much to revise my textbook until they actually install the stupid platform upgrades. 

I'll set some more goals tomorrow.