Should be in bed

...because it's freaking 12:54AM and I have to get up and take the car to the shop at 8AM tomorrow. Oh well, I can always throw a hat on--it's not like I have to impress these people with my devastatingly good looks. *rolls eyes* I'm stuck in a rut tonight listening to music, putting the finishing touches on Jeff's annual CD that I make him every Christmas. We're getting together on Friday to have our Christmas which will be fun. Anna is always happy to see Jeff because he dotes on her like crazy and showers her with attention. I'm so excited to give him his Christmas present because it was a total coup on my part. I don't dare mention it here until after Christmas in case he reads this (I don't think he does, but who'd want their Christmas present ruined that way?)

I found out today that Andy Bell of Erasure is HIV positive. Not good news.

Other than that, I'm off work today and tomorrow which is weird--I don't usually get two days in a row off during the week--but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I hope to get some shopping for Heidi done sometime tomorrow. I tried today but Anna just didn't cooperate with me and we ended up just heading for the library and hanging out there. Heidi's been sick the last couple days and we were trying to get out of her hair.

I'm reading this book called What's The Matter With Kansas? and it's (so far) been very enlightening. I was expecting yet another left-wing diatribe against conservatism, and although there is that, it's much more subdued than anything else I've ever read on the topic. I was telling Heidi that if the book is doing any one thing, it's helping me to understand moderate Republicans a little bit better. I still don't get the right wing crackpots like Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity, but the more moderate Republicans are a different breed. They agree with the power of the market and that taxes are bad which I still think is misguided, but they're not all running around like chickens with their heads cut off being one issue voters on abortion or gay rights or anything like that. Some of them are even *gasp* compassionate and tolerant. It's so interesting to read the infighting in the Kansas Republican Party between the moderates and the ultra-right wing conservatives. I still have a hard time believing that you can support Bush and claim to be a moderate because Bush really is anything but, but I have a better understanding. And isn't that what reading is supposed to do?