Dragonflies and Baubles

As I mentioned the other day, we got a new tree and put it up at work. I had completely forgotten to take pictures of it, but I took the camera in today and snapped a few shots. Unfortunately the lights don't show up that well, as the only picture I got where they did show was a wee bit fuzzy, to say the least. I guess I must have wobbled a bit on that one! At any rate, it does look very nice - see?



In my quest to get the right angle and the lovely lights, I didn't notice that I had totally cut out the tree top! LOL! So I shall try and fit that in when I try to get another shot with the lights showing more clearly.

We got some lovely ornaments, but my favourite ones are the acrylic dragonflies. They look awesome in the tree, especially when the lights reflect off them. And yes, I did go back and get some for my own tree at home! Here are a couple of the ones on our work tree:


Yes, I wobbled a bit on that one, I think. But I kind of like the effect, so I decided to keep this picture!


This one is much clearer, and I love the detail that comes out in the macro mode. Aren't these little beauties just gorgeous?

I was fiddling with more moon shots tonight too. They came out very fuzzy, becasue there's quite a cloud layer starting to build up. But I kind of liked the colour variations, so here are a couple of pictures showing that. I love the blue-tinged one, and no, I did not do any colour masks or anything on it - these pictures are just as they were from the camera - just cropped a bit. So here is the moon, waxing ever closer to fullness:





We're having our company Christmas party this weekend, so this week will be full of shopping and last-minute details for me. I spent all day today working on some of the final details, and I must say it was fun. The most fun for me is sorting out the presents. We give gifts in recognition of years of service - 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 25 years, and 30 years. This year we have 4 people at 5 years, 4 at 10, and one at 30 years. So I was the lucky one who got picked to figure out what to get for each of these people! One was easy, since he made a point the other day to tell me what he wanted! The others were a bit tougher, but after making calls to one spouse, and several co-workers, I managed to sort it all out.

I don't like to just choose one-type-fits-all kind of gifts for these things. The big boss wanted to give each group the same thing (different budgets are allotted to each group of service years), but I was not too thrilled with that idea. I like to make sure that each person is getting something he or she really wants. I see no point in spending the money on something that is just going to sit and collect dust, and be turfed in the trash a few years down the road. So after the spousal and co-worker consultations, I ended up with some awesome ideas. I found out what hobbies each person was passionate about, and I am getting them gift certificates to their favourite stores pertaining to those hobbies.

There are two exceptions. One will get a portable DVD player, as he doesn't really seem to have any hobbies. Although I am going to try and get hold of his wife tomorrow, just to see if she has any other ideas. The other is the co-worker who already told me what he wanted, so he will be getting an MP3 player. He asked for an iPOD, but it's been mentioned that it might be better to go with some other brand, so that we're buying the features he wants, rather than the name. He doesn't care - so long as it's shiny, has bells and whistles, lots of memory, and plays MP3s, he's a happy camper! So I am now involved in researching MP3 players, and figuring out what will be the best choice for him.

With all of that planning, I have at least one full day of running around picking up all the gift certificates and such, plus doing some other Christmas party shopping, as I have to buy small presents so that each person attending receives something. The last couple of years we've gone with Christmas ornaments and decorations from a few local dollar stores, and they seem to be a big hit, so I'll likely do that again this year. Then I have to get everything wrapped and ready to go, along with trying to find time to squeeze in some actual work! It will be a busy week, but should be fun.

I am looking forward to the party - especially the dinner! The menu was finalized today, and we will be have a wonderful buffet, with roast turkey, dressing, gravy, potatoes (both mashed and sweet potatoes), veggies, several salads, cheeses, veggies and dip, salmon in dill sauce, an assortment of desserts that sound like they are to die for, plus several other things that I can't remember at the moment. I read the menu out to one of the guys' wives over the phone, and we were both almost drooling over it!

I have decided to take a cab there and back, since the company will pay for it. That way I don't have to pay for parking, and I can have a drink or two since I won't have to worry about driving. It is being held in a fancy-schmancy hotel downtown, and I hate the area it's in, so it will be wonderful not to have to worry about driving there and wandering back and forth to the car on my own. I worked right in that area for 10 years, and it's not a good area, to say the least.

I was going to try and come up with something interesting to ponder about in this post, but I think I've babbled on enough at the moment! Besides, I'm just about ready to head to bed, so I will shut this down for the night and wish you all sweetest dreams. I am off to dream of MP3 players, Christmas dinner, and dragonflies and Christmas tree baubles!