Christmas and the roundup
I had an amazing Christmas. I think I enjoyed it more than any other simply because it wasn't overdone. We all received what we wanted, but weren't left hundreds of dollars in the hole. Gregg and my mom bought me an iPOD, which I've really wanted for some time. Ryan gave me the first two seasons of Family Guy on DVD, so now my collection is complete! I also got some gift certificates and the much needed luggage for my departure in about a week.
Several days ago I went to Temecula with Luana to see The Phantom of the Opera. We ate at CPK, and I ordered my usual Tortilla soup. It's incredible. The musical was much better than I had anticipated, and with the exception of Gerard Butler (the Phantom), the singing was quite decent. More than anything, it was a spectacle. I've always held a special place for Phantom because it's the first Broadway-like stage musical I've ever seen. I saw it in San Francisco when I was in 5th grade, and it was inspiring then. Anyway, the evening turned out to be quite nice-- especially since the Promenade was decorated so festively.
A few days ago I spent the afternoon in Idyllwild with Gregg, Ryan, Susie (Ryan's gf), and my mom. It was a nice getaway, and I had a great seafood pasta at the Gastrognome. We walked around for a bit, took some photos, and then came back to Hemet. That evening, I went over to my sister's new house and had dinner with her family.
Luke, Erick and I drove to LA the other day to visit Frank while he was housesitting. That was really awesome-- except for the part when I only got 3 hours of sleep and had to drive back to Hemet early in the morning. I don't even remember the drive. All I remember is waking up in my bed at 3:30pm... I must have come back here and passed out. Anyway, we're going back to LA tomorrow for round 2, and then again on Friday for a New Year's Eve 'get-together' (or 'partaaay,' whichever one will get me more drunk.) I'm really trying to squeeze in as much as I can before I leave for half a year.
Yesterday I went back to Temecula to buy some more winter-wear. I found a pair of fleece gloves at Old Navy. I bought them. Background info: I despise Old Navy. They have horrible clothes. I don't know why I went in there. I should have gone with my instincts, because when I got home and really inspected the gloves, one of them had a hole in it. And the sad part is that it wouldn't even be worth my time to return them, since they only cost $5. I learned my lesson: FUCK Old Navy. Point me in the direction of a GAP, or Bannana Republic, or AE. As a sidenote, for Christmas my dad bought me a gift card to Anchor Blue. I hate Anchor Blue. Almost as much as I hate Old Navy. I think I'm going to trade gift cards with my brother, so I can get something useful at Wal-Mart.
Last night Jeff, Luke, and I saw Closer. I enjoyed the dialogue and repartee quite thoroughly, though the main attraction (at least for Luke and me) was the beautiful cast. There are probably very few decent actors and actresses I would have rather seen "closer."
I just finished up at SOJ, so that means no more obligations! For two weeks.
It's supposed to snow in Boston the day before I arrive. Here's to -2 degree weather and drunken Irishmen!