Merry Christmas!

Wow, Christmas??? Or is it Saturnalia? Signs littered about the landscape in these parts say;

"Jesus is
the reason for the
Season"

Really? Wow, and here it thought it was for millions of people to go spending money they don't have, buying stuff other people don't need or can't afford and otherwise acting like manaics, running hither and yon over the aforementioned landscape being rushed and exceptionally rude because someone else might get to where ever they are going and scoop all the best deals first.

Okay, so maybe that is a somewhat fatalistic and dark view of things. For me, the Holidays are about getting together with people I love, eating too much food, and having a quiet day to ourselves without all the pressures of the outside world. 2000 years dead carpenter the reason? Okay, I guess it is better than rampant, abusive commercialism gone mad.

I had a quiet, very relaxed and enjoyable day with family and friends. Yes we exchanged presents, the old run of thumb, something they would want, but not necessarily buy for themselves as a way to say; "Hey, you know I think you're really special!" Lots of great food, hanging out, enjoying our time together, catching up on things we might not otherwise get to in the day to day rush of life. A day to appreciate who and what I DO have in my life, and not focus on what I don't. So, in some ways, a day much like Thanksgiving, only without the unique madness my sister brings to things.

So in other news . . . Well first, does anyone actually read this on anything like a regular basis? I don't know, I could just be talking to myself here . . .

Anyway, I'm back in Jersey. I left Colorado on the 13th, took a fairly easy, slow drive across country taking three days. Jumper one, now completely, legally mine in every way, did a great job. I stopped over four times in three days for rest, and even stopped in St. Loius to take pictures of the Arch. The pictures, well I'll get some up here in the next day or so. I'll probably also fill in some of the details of my trip.

The traveling isn't quite over yet, I have to head up to upstate New York on Saturday to spend some time with my little brother. I'm not sure how I feel about that quite yet, but we'll see. Not quite as far a drive as Colorado or even close, but still gonna be a tiring day.

So that's enough for the moment, time to actually have something to eat I think.