X-mas: Pronouced "Zmaaaaz"
12/31/2

I haven�t written in a while, and honestly feel that I�ve wasted a great opportunity to document this holiday season. Lots has happened and I didn�t write. How irritating.

I know that, currently, about 90 or so people stumble into my site each day. But really, I think the person who enjoys this the most is me. Not only do I like to write just to keep the phraseology going well, but a year later I like looking back and seeing my life through the filter of what I found interesting about it.

Now, lots of stuff happens that I don�t write about. There were distinctly things that happened over the holidays that I won�t touch with a 10 foot pole here. If you don�t know �The Things That Cannot Be Said� then you aren�t really being honest with yourself. As adults, we just know there are some subjects you don�t comment on, even though they are in front of your face.

Well, enough random talking about stuff like that. Christmas was great.

It all started on Sunday when the Moulton thing was done. Moulton is a small town outside a small city next to a medium sized city. It�s Rural. Or, as people in Moulton would say Ruul. The food was ok and it wasn�t so obvious that I�m on a ketosis diet. I had deviled eggs and turkey and some vinegar based slaw.

Monday, we hung out at Aisai�s mom�s house. Aisai and I had so much to do that we didn�t stay long since we had to get all out Christmassy stuff done.

Normally, I�d spell Christmassy with only one S (really two) but that�s how the spell check wanted it. Freakish.

Christmas eve at my parent�s house was nice. Mom wasn�t feeling well however, but was in a pretty good mood. Kelley, Corey, Aisai and I ended up playing hearts. When we got home, Aisai and I opened our presents to ourselves.

She got me Ratchet and Clank (PS2 weapons based platform game ), Wipeout Fusion (PS2 futuristic race/combat game), seven decks of cards (three dedicated and four standard), and Taun We and Jango figures. Aisai is great at getting me presents that feed my inner geek. Oh, and she also got me a protective grill for the front of my Miata.

(The Miata doesn�t have anything to keep rocks from hitting the radiator like most cars do. This grill is nearly invisible when installed and keeps me from having a trashed radiator.)

I worked on Christmas. I haven�t done the lab thing on a holiday in a long time so I decided that I�d do both this year. Besides, Christmas and New Year are big holidays compared to, say, President�s Day, and this year they both fell on a Wednesday, the busiest day in the lab. I have, however, since decided that my decision sucked.

After work, I called Aisai and she met me at my parent�s house. Kelley got me Star Wars Ep 1 DVD and the book that Goodfellas is based on. My parents got me five bottles of Iguana Gold sauce and cashola.

Then around noon, when poor feeling mom was fading out, we went to Aisai�s mom�s house for gift giving there. I got lots of random stuff. The PS2 DVD remote (with new DVD drivers, Yes!) stands out as a goodie. So does a replacement horn for that weak little one on the Miata. Though loud, the new horn does have a bit of a delay to it. And isn�t really in the character of how I feel my car is. That said, I think I�ve honked the thing a total of 10 times. Well, 10 times that I needed to. I tend to beep if no one is around, just for fun.

And now you�re caught up, but lacking huge details.

Like I never told you that our Christmas tree this year was cut out of the back yard with an electric chainsaw at 11 p.m. the night before we had out party last Friday.

And, car wise, and I know you guys just pine for info on my car, I�ve changed the oil to Havoline 10w30 and put in a Purolator PureOne filter. I�ve done one treatment of Mother�s Back to Black on the plastic surrounding the taillights. I�ve installed that grill, but as I said, you really can�t see it. I�ve removed the clock and temp thing from the dash since that stupid temp thing made a rattle sound at 3500 rpm. I bought $12 of Peel and Seal (Dynomat, but sold as a roof patching product) and completely deadened my driver door, but I�m still getting a buzz off the rubber �wiper� at the bottom of the window. I need to take it apart again and see what I can do. I also need to get some real rain guards.

A byproduct of the holiday season was me getting $200 that I was supposed to spend on myself. I�ve managed to whittle it down to $136 currently. I bought a book on how to read kanji street signs, Metal Gear Solid, replacement pedals for the car, some engine paint, brake cleaner, more jackstands, a 50 foot Ethernet cable, oh, and something else. I don�t remember. Oh, yeah, a $16 USB extension cord so my $20 mini optical mouse can be used with my computer. Heck, if I knew the minimouse was made for laptops (and thus had a shrimpy, retractable cord) I would have had a regular optical mouse on my list.

But it�s a cool little mouse.

Tomorrow, new years, I�ll measure myself and then start working out like a freakola-rock-n�-rolla. We�ll see what I can do.

2003, what a dumb name for a year.