christmas spirit update: i broke out some christmas lights. six out of fourteen strands didn't work; a pretty good ratio, actually. i draped one strand of lights over each bush (eight total) and then shoved the lights into the bushes best i could. if you happen to drive by my house this holiday season, please don't comment on the fact that it looks like i opened the windows and tossed the lights on top of the shrubbery. it's kind of a shoddy job, but it's the best i could muster, especially considering i'm gonna be the one to detangle and rebox in a mere 22 days.