Merry Christmas, all who celebrate it. Currently in the anticlimactic bit of Christmas--had to get up early to unwrap the presents (it's like that when you've got a ten year old neice) and now it's just mucking about all day. It's terrible--you're always too damn nervous to call your friends and ask if they want to hang out, on account that their parents may kill you.

I didn't get much of interest--as you get older, you either have to be really forceful about the stuff you want or people will buy you godawful things. But I did get some good stuff--a nice book about Odysseus from me mum, and one of those oversize PEZ dispensers for my collection (which I never will buy myself--at twenty dollars per, I usually pass them up for CDs or movies) from the parents. Of course, the person with the best presents was my bro, as he actually goes out and buys me CDs--which are some of the best gifts, especially now that I spend half my life a six-hour flight away. Anything transportable is good, and music is the lifeblood of college existance. He got me two super-keen CDs--one I asked for, one he thought I'd like: I'd asked for the remastered Velvet Underground & Nico CD, and he went and got me the deluxe edition--fun peelable Andy Warhol banana and all. He also got me Fevers & Mirrors by Bright Eyes. It's extremely dark and moody music, and the lead singer sounds like he's all out of Xanax and there's only dull razorblades to be found. In other words, I love it. I'd got him a DVD of Donnie Darko, which I also enjoy and I know he'll love, but I still wonder if I should have got him something else, too. The DVD was more pricey than most, but I reckon the deluxe Velvet Underground was pretty high up, too... bah, I can always just buy him something used at Hastings, give it to him later, say I forgot to wrap it...

I guess I'm just so appreciative that someone bought me something I can use. I love the books me mum bought and I like bulking up my PEZ collection, but none of all that can come back with me.

I still need to finish shopping for my friends. I'm almost done, but I'm so damn torn what to get VK. There's two things I think she'd like equally well, and I'm lost as to which to get still. I also haven't done a lick of shopping for any of the gals at college, but as I'm not due back there 'til the 12th, I'm not into worrying about it for another week or two.

Well, I hope all y'all got whatever your little hearts were wanting. And a quick side-note: Shinny is the sweetest guy alive. Thanks for the card, dearie. ^__^