No sign of little elves.

One month later, and I realize how dismally I've failed in my goals. The first, the experimental advent calendar, got to be too much halfway through December. Next year I'll have to scale it down. Maybe I'll listen to one Christmas song per day, or write one Christmas memory each day...

Random thought: My new favorite song is Nil Na La by Solas.

My other failed goal, is to practice writing. That's ultimately one of the reasons I started this blog, and one month without writing anything is a poor showing. "That's alright, nobody's perfect."

So if I were to offer any excuses for not writing, they would be grad school applications, krav maga, job-hunting and job stress. February 1 will see me with finished applications and no job. Absurdly, I'm quite happy about that. Perhaps I'll even write more.

I took my favorite boots to the cobbler today to have them re-heeled. They're Italian, and I've been walking on the wooden heel for months now, ever since the rubber layer rubbed away on the brick and pavement sidewalks of DC. The shop is this little whitewashed closet on the corner. One side is covered in rows of boots and leather shoes and military issue, and the little stool where the cobbler works can be seen through the big picture window facing the street. The other side holds a dry cleaners. No sign of little elves. Happily re-heeling is "greener" than throwing them away and replacing them. Cheaper, too. The heels are going to cost me $16.95, which I figure is a good deal, since the wood needs replacing as well. I hope they get polished.