Christmas is over ...

Christmas is over and now it’s New Years Eve. Another year is ending. I had a nice dinner with my family on Christmas. Turkey was tasty but the cake that I usually bake, that cake did not turn up good as usually. I had some missing ingredients. Basically grocery stores closed way too soon this year on Christmas Eve. I tried to get into Basic Foods grocery store, but it was closed even before 7 p.m. It was strange. As if they do not have enough food to sell? I do not get it. Or do they just force people to go to restaurants?

May be it’s just a big conspiracy, I do not know. I was shocked, as I tried to buy some stuff for my Christmas dinner and ”kissed” the locked doors. I did not want to buy food at a variety store and I decided to manage as is and I managed all right just my cake did not turn up as good as usually.

Well, it’s not the last Christmas I hope. There will be much more holidays I am sure, more nice turkeys and cakes. Next time I’ll do better, I promise. I did not have any guests anyway, just my family, so it’s okay. And now it’s the end of the year, I probably should stop here my writing and finish tomorrow. I do not have to work tomorrow so I can continue my narration easily. I just do not want to postpone it till next year.

It’s funny. Today is the year 2009 and in an hour it will be 2010.

I have not accomplished a lot in the year 2009. Same job, same old people around. Did not go anywhere for holidays – no funds for that. May be next year. Always the next year.

What should it be like a New Year resolution? I do not know. I do not want to plan too much. May be get some education in something useful, or get a license in translation, that’s long overdue.

Or may be just to buy a new TV, old one is gone.

Or to go somewhere I’ve never been.

Or to get some courage and buy a house, though in the last case I need more money than courage.

Somehow I do not anticipate more money next year. Well, I think I’ll be all right anyway. I have a job. I am healthy. I did not catch that scary swine virus in the year 2009, that’s good.

Inflation is up. But Canadian politicians declared the end of a crisis, so may be somebody else in my family will get a job too…

Prices are up too. Yesterday I wanted to buy some caviar for my holiday sandwiches, but when I got into a small Russian grocery store, I noticed the sign: 200g of genuine black caviar - $299.

I told the store girl: “You have a mistake on your label, it’s supposed to be $2.99 or something and she responded:” No, no mistake, it’s the right price”. Indeed!

No caviar for me, sorry, not rich enough.

Some smoked salmon sandwiches will do all right.

In my old country there was such a word “to get” something, that word had a very broad meaning.

If you do not have something, but you need it and you cannot go to the store and just buy it, you can “get” it if you know the right people, who could “get” it for you.

Well, I did not “get” inexpensive caviar this year; do not know the right people in Canada.

That means I will be deprived of my rights as a citizen to have the food that I want on my New Years Eve (just kidding). I do not care less. I will be happy with my salmon and cheese sandwiches and a glass of wine and with people who are dear to me around.

Cheers! See you in a year!