Holiday Break

The markets were closed today, since today was declared a National Day of Mourning for the late former president, Gerald Ford. So, I figure I'd give a quick update about my extended holiday break; today was my first day back in the office.

Anyway, I headed down to SoCal with QB to hang out with friends and family. While there, QB took me out on a dinner cruise with Hornblower in Marina Del Rey. The food wasn't amazing or anything, but it was decent enough. The weather was nice, and so following our meal, we got to spend a good amount of time outside just enjoying the view and fresh air.

On a different day, my sister and Spud joined us for a BBQ at my buddy, Jorge's place. We also enjoyed playing the Lightning Reaction game (that game is so friggin' awesome). Food was good, and all in all, it was a fun-filled afternoon.

Eventually, we made it to see the parents, and we played a lot of family type games like Taboo, Pictionary, and Scattergories. The Omaha Steaks I bought my dad for Christmas came in handy... as luck would have it, my parents' only 4-year old refrigerator broke just days before we went there. Normally, a broken fridge wouldn't be that big a deal. But, the company said that no repairmen would be available until after the holiday.

Speaking of gifts, I got my mom a Roomba from iRobot, which was actually pretty cool. I should totally get one for my place. My other sister and her husband got as a joint gift from me, an alarm clock that has an iPod hook-up. And, my other sister still hasn't received her gift yet. Here it is, and it's currently shipping. I wasn't able to play my hands quickly enough on PokerStars to get the gift shipped early enough for arrival before Christmas. Anyway, I expect to get it in the next week or so.

What did I get? Clothes, clothes, a slew of XBox 360 games, and more clothes. I guess no one got the memo that I actually dress alright these days.

New Year's Eve was uneventful. Mostly spent time with the family who came up here to visit me and others in the Bay Area. Probably the first New Year's Eve in quite some time where I didn't do much of anything. All for the better anyway, I guess. I feel totally energized and ready to tackle the new year. Heck, I even had fun at work today.

And, here's a quote for all you old-school gamers: It's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum... and, I'm all out of gum.