Today is our last full day of work before our holiday break. We work a half-day tomorrow and then we're done until after New Year's, when this whole 2020 nightmare will be over. Woo hoo!
(Although, as a columnist in The New York Times asked, "What makes you think 2021 will be any better?")
I have no idea what I'm going to do over the holidays, aside from hanging out at home. I may try to take a little trip or two, as I've said before, and I have plenty of reading to do. You should see my magazine stack. It's ridiculous.
Olga's dog walker will also stop coming for much of that time, so I'll have the opportunity to get out and about more with her.
Reading Jennifer's blog yesterday, I was reminded that I completely ignored mentioning our own ugly Christmas sweater day! It was last Friday, and yes, I wore The Sweater. I've gotten six years of use out of that thing, which I think is pretty good for a sweater that cost £9. The lights don't work anymore, and in fact I removed the wiring last year to wash it, but it's still pretty cool. I think I might wear it again today.
(Photo: Fortune Green, last weekend.)
That is indeed a cool sweater. Shame the lights won't work any more. Just out of interest, what does the word "gotten" mean? Is it used frequently in "The New York Times"?
ReplyDeleteAccording to Oxford languages: "North American past participle of get." As far as I know it's a perfectly acceptable word.
DeleteSo glad Yorkshire Pudding brought this up (got or gotten). Our British friends here in Spain (the more literate ones) love to tease about North Americans' use of the word gotten instead of got. Interestingly, it comes from Middle English and we North Americans simply continue its use. (Although my English has become such a muddle of Spanglish and British English that I've forgotTEN what I say!
DeleteConsidering how fond YP is of all things American, his innocence as to "gotten" is touching. Who'd have sunk it? And what to make of "spelled" and "spelt"? Is the latter a grain or permissible?
DeleteZeitgeist greetings. If all else fails, Steve, knit yourself a sweater, nay, make that a pullover; with a nod to YP a "jumper". It'll do. As a lining for Olga's bed.
K.O. and OK being universal. Not sideways, and just fine,
U
I sense a certain tension in the air today .
DeleteGot is the simple past and gotten is the past participle. Do people say "I have got...?" It doesn't sound right to me, perhaps because I rarely (or never) hear it. Nor do we say "I gotten..."
DeleteJust looked at the Xmas sweater video....not seen that before. It was nice to see
ReplyDeleteand hear you again! I thought of you on Tuesday as I was dog walking fairly close to the railway line. A 12 carriage " local type" train passed by and it looked totally empty! It was going North at about 3pm, so probably not normally very full anyway !! If you plan a trip to St. Albans I think you will find the trains ok...off peak of course!
OK -- good to know! Thanks for being my "train spy." :)
DeleteThat Christmas sweater is hilarious and only 9 pounds! I would miss the working lights though. Can't you plug them back in? Please?
ReplyDeleteSadly, I think they are beyond repair!
DeleteLOL. Here I was. innocently sipping my morning tea until O clicked that link and laughed so hard it spilled...perhaps you'll find another amusing sweater. What a way to end the year!
ReplyDeleteThat sweater is spectacular! I prefer to think that 2021 will be better - it has to be, by default, as the Blot on Our Nation will be out the door. I imagine Olga will be thrilled with more Steve time.
ReplyDeleteRight On , More Olga Girl Time
ReplyDeleteCheers
P.S. Hide A Treat Under That Pink Blanket From Uncle T
Shame the lights aren't still working but a good buy.
ReplyDeleteAs for all the disasters in the world, once upon a time we wouldn't have been aware of what was going on elsewhere and would have got on with our lives oblivious of a tornado elsewhere. The world is too small now and we are worrying about things out of our reach making our lives miserable.
Just a thought.
Briony
x
Lights in sweaters ?
ReplyDeleteEven Christmas ones?
mein Liebling....oh no xxx
It is a lovely sweater. I am glad you still have it and are still getting pleasure out of it.
ReplyDeleteI doubt 2021 will be much different except of course trump won't be president anymore, so there's that and that's a lot.
ReplyDeleteI love that video clip of you in your sweater. You have a lovely smile.
I forgot about that Christmas sweater. It's a beauty. My work break doesn't start until next week. We are off from Dec. 24th through the new year. Same thing here, I have no idea what I'll do. Maybe I'll take a long drive somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI thought of you yesterday when I read an opinion piece in the NY Times by Philippe Sands about John le Carre. They lived near each other in Hampstead and became great friends. I kept thinking that you would probably enjoy the story he told.
We have to find things that we can do. I will be walking this afternoon after I finish my vacuuming.
ReplyDeleteI love that Christmas sweater video, especially hearing you laugh.
ReplyDeleteI think that sweater is actually kind of neat, even without the lights.
ReplyDeleteI had a sweater that a student borrowed for an ugly sweater contest at his work. My sweater won! I wish I had a photo of it. He gave me the Sbux gift card that was the prize. :)
ReplyDeleteI like your sweater! Not ugly at all!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful break and enjoy the holidays! Best wishes for a happy, healthy New Year!
Like many so called Americanisms, I think that gotten may have come from 1600s English
ReplyDeleteI am going to think positive since the orange thing is gone. You do have others here and in D.C is still trying to carry the mess on. We had an ex Houston police officer was paid to be a spy for voter fraud for another man made cult group. He was watching an air conditioner repair man, rammed his truck, pulled his weapon on this poor man and all he had in his van was tools he work with. Now the ex-officer have an assault with a deadly weapon case and had to be bonded out of jail. He was fired from Houston police department in 2002 for falsely arresting groups of teenagers. I see why. (laughing hard) But I think we are going to be okay in 2021.
ReplyDeleteSteve I know I saw your sweater last December. I went to see it again and it's a nice looking sweater. If you want more ugly sweaters go to a nice thrift store. I just looked at some wallets I bought last year from a thrift store and it's a brand new coach. I probably paid no more than $1 or less for it. I was surprised. I am wearing a London fog lady trench coat that I paid $12 for.
DeleteI love that sweater! I think it's actually quite attractive. My coworker is wearing one today that REALLY is more appropriate for Ugly Sweater Day (I think it's a Christmas llama).
ReplyDeleteSix years worn once a year? It should last forever. It is pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteThat's quite a sweater. If it shrinks, then Olga can wear it.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie