The card reader that's in my computer died...a few months ago, and I just haven't gotten 'round to replacing it yet. I've been relying on this external card reader; it's slow, and, being small and not in my computer, easily lost.

I found it, though. Then, I spent half an hour getting several months of pictures off my camera....

Then, there was the unfortunate discovery that the recent server restructuring left me unable to import things from my special Gallery upload folder, which meant a quick trip to customer service, where I found out that my guesses on where I should point Gallery's 'permissions' were correct...except something was getting in the way. So, FTP, and undoing and redoing the file permissions on that folder, and...finally, it works.

So there's new stuff in the Digicam Originals 2009 folder over there, and I can finally post about the presents.

Chips, fudge, cookies.

Including pumpkin cookies, which apparently attempted an escape somewhere along the way.

While arranging everything so we could get the traditional video for mom, Zombi decided that it'd be most helpful to get under the sofa cover.

Two new batteries for the Wii charging station mom got us last year. The old batteries were flaking out -- not holding a charge for very long. And one of the contacts was starting to look a little more corroded. They were used; I can't blame mom for that, though, because I'd have probably gotten them used, too, if I could find them.

Two Wii Classic Controllers, for the Virtual Console games I might someday get if I ever acquire Wii Points. One of these was actually Gremlin's gift.

I kinda hope that, eventually, Nintendo release some VC games on a disc or something, the way Microsoft has.

Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, for the DS. A game that probably would've been responsible for the delays in posting this if two new games from Gamefly hadn't shown up with the presents...and I haven't even touched one of them, yet. I'll talk about that in another post, though....

Yes. A cordless electric kettle. I asked for it. I wanted one. Because, well, tea. If you can't understand that, that's not my problem....

Also, it's not really your annual non-denominational Family Gathering and Gift Giving day if you don't get at least one useful kitchen item. This might be the first time in the history of ever that the useful kitchen item got used immediately, though.

Artificial black roses. Really, that's the only way to get them.

Then there's this. This thing that I asked for, and didn't expect to get, because, really, who expects their parents to track down a newly released DK book? But here it is. Prehistoric Life. The cover also says The Definitive Visual History of Life on Earth.

If you've ever seen a DK book, you know they mean it.

The last half of the video I sent to mom was of me sitting there, leafing through the book, trying to pronounce interesting new names and basking in the glow of CG-enhanced educational materials.

The rest of the night [or, really, the next six hours] were spent on the sofa with Gremlin, drinking tea and going through the book. And lamenting the fact that the book, having come out this year, is already outdated. And the fact that DK have not yet released a comprehensive guide to the cephalopoda.

Seriously, DK. Get on it. Take some time off from your visual guides to Star Wars and your level one stuf about mammals and print up a gigantic, glossy, adultish type book that encouraging parents can get their bright, adult-minded children to inspire them toward careers in teuthology. One that covers the extinct stuff, too.

While we're on the subject of squids, this is what I decided to do with the flowers, since I...don't really have anywhere else to put them right now. I think it looks kinda nice with the mushroom cloud poster behind it.

I'm...mildly disappointed, in that it's just, y'know, Wild World. With a city. But...I guess it's not all bad. Because, yes, it's Wild World with a city, but...it's on the Wii. And it's kinda fun for that. And it's got some really, really nice new options.

For example, you no longer have to go into your pockets [or briefcase, or whatever] to equip whatever, uh, equipment you want to use. You can use the little d-pad crosshairs thingy [left and right] to cycle through them, and pressing down unequips them. That saves some time.

The 'moving van' thing works nicely, too. I was able to import myself and my catalogue to the Wii with no trouble at all. And, hey, I'm still there on the DS, too. Yay.

There's an in-game camera, and...probably a bunch of stuff I haven't seen yet, since I just got it, and haven't had enough time to discover anything. Also, I decided to quit for the night, because things get annoying after Nook's store closes.

Silicone baking thingies. I needed more of those, since I only had the one. Now, I have three. Much better.

A digital photo album frame keychain thingy. Which actually holds more than one picture. I didn't know they held more than one picture.

A magnetic calendar with matching pen. Pretty, pretty green.

Warmstuffs! Something else I'd been wanting, because it gets cold here, and I needed warm things to wear under regular things. And they're black. It's like my mom knows me or something.

Two of the boxes were actually marked with what order in which they were to be opened. This one was heavy. I thought it might be a brick.

File folders. I...guess I needed those.

...wait a minute....

I got a Wii!

I bet I know why this was marked 'open last'....

One of mom's regular tricks. Wrapped stuff inside wrapped stuff....

In the bag are controllers for the NES. I didn't get pictures of those.

Another wiimote, the thingy that goes with it, and a charging station with batteries. All very, very necessary.

...and wow is Wii Sports fun. Especially that part where Gremlin re-breaks his knee getting a little too into the game and swinging the wiimote a little too hard.

I kinda suspected that she was setting me up when she kept hinting that she thought that Dad may've put the wrong chips in my box.

It didn't exactly have the desired result of me getting upset. See, I know my mom too well.

Also, there was this. Which kinda makes the joke fail.

Ooh. Look. Presents....

I'm going to enjoy my chips, and hope Gremlin wakes up soon, so we can do this tonight....

And now, since I need to kill time and not do anything with them, I'm adding stuff to the gallery. Like pictures of my new keyboard.

It lights up. Isn't it neat?

Also, there's some new stuff in the Digicam/2008 album.

That's my hair, all frosted over on that one really, really cold day.

And now I'm going all out of order. This is just a neat picture I managed to get of the moon, and an interesting ring around it.

This is the small 'insta-blizzard' from the 18th. It was pleasant enough when we left the house, and suddenly, there were all these tiny, hard snowballs [they weren't flaky, and they weren't quite ice] coming in sideways.

And this is the new 'open' sign on the church. Tacky....

Each of those should lead to a whole album of other pictures. I want chips now, and cannot be bothered to say much more until I get them.

As for the weather, it's 23, with an 80% chance of snow. Which means I should probably go out there and salt the sidewalk a bit more, so the UPS Man doesn't kill himself [or my stuff] on his way to my door.

Edit: well, that's odd. The Out for Delivery times changed. The 4lb box to 3:55AM, and the 19lb box to 5:28AM. So they're not together.

Stupid UPS.

That doesn't mean much, though. Between the 'stuff could show up well after 7pm' and the impending snow...ih.

And I've got a serious Middleswarth BBQ chip craving.

And they're still together. Yay.

Depending on how things work with them this year, that means I should be seeing them arrive in Commerce City on...Monday, even though they'll probably have gotten there over the weekend.

My next post will probably be about the packages getting split up, or about them making it to the next exciting stop, since they left Williamsport last night.

No mention of a delivery date, though. I don't know if that means they just forgot to register that, or if they just don't know.