Here Comes the Cold

Began a warm, rainy morning by putting away the Christmas decorations that go in the red felt Santa Bag. These are the ones I pull out first - the Nativity, the garlands, the coasters, the mistletoe, the wreath for the front door and plaid bow for my bedroom door. It takes a lot less time to take this stuff down than it does to put them up, but I started late and didn't have much time to get ready for work afterwards.

I did squeeze Jelly's Last Jam in before I left. Gregory Hines was the star of another tragic tale of a musician. Unlike the boys of Forever Plaid, Jelly Roll Morton was a real person, an early pioneer of ragtime and jazz who spent most of his early life bragging about his musical prowess and most of his later life trying to regain his Roaring Twenties-era fame. He was popular in Chicago and his native New Orleans but never caught on in New York, where the style was already shifting to swing, big band, and boogie-woogie by the Depression. As wonderful as Gregory Hines is as Morton (he won a Tony for his performance), I have the feeling this one loses something when you can't see the spectacular tap dancing that garnered so much praise in the early 90s.

I finally made it to work at 11. I wish I hadn't. Work was crazy for most of the afternoon. People wanted to get their shopping done before the cold front came in. We also have people restocking their larders after the vacations, visitors, and kids off of school last week and the last of the beginning-of-the-month people. People were once again obnoxious and annoying, and I was stressed and frustrated. I was about ready to tear out my hair when the manager said I could shut down and she would send my reliefs elsewhere.

I went straight home after work. I would have put off changing the dolls into regular clothes until tomorrow, but the back room isn't heated. If it's going to be freezing tomorrow, that's the last place I'll want to be. All of the AG dolls were changed into the warmest clothes they own. Samantha wears her gray "Buster Brown" School Dress. Put Josefina in the hand-made pale blue-violent dress and flowered hat I got off eBay the other day and wrapped her rebozo (woven wrap) around her shoulders. Felicity wears her emerald-green Riding Habit and the tri-corned hat with the feather. Molly wears her After School Outfit corduroys and plaid flannel shirt layered with the red sweater from her hula costume. Jessa sports the stretch corduroys that were sold with the "First Day" meet outfit in the mid-90s, the turtleneck from the late 90s AG Girl Scout uniform, the navy blue hoodie from the "Drawstring Cargoes and Plaid Shirt," and the high-top sneakers from the first Blue Jeans Basics set. All of the Sailor Moon dolls were returned to their original uniforms or dresses.

After that, I had a quick dinner of baked ham and roasted Brussels sprouts before going online.