The day

It was a good, full day. We got started later than in past years, but had a nice breakfast. Thereafter, it was present time, and I served as distributor of gifts. The gifts all seemed to be successes, so it was a good Christmas in that regard. We then watched a little basketball, breaking it off for hiking and other endeavors. Upon return, we got back to sports until it was time for dinner. This was very good.
Christmas certainly changes as a family gets older. There were many around today, whereas years ago it was just the four of us. More ruminations may possibly come tomorrow.

Christmas

It looks to be as good a Christmas as ever for the family. There's plenty of food and plenty to do with those I care about. Very little gives me pause apart from the many changes that take place here in between my visits home.

Should it interest anyone, I will say that I got a haircut. It's very short right now. The mustache has been trimmed, but lives still. I also had my first professional shave that I can recall. I can't say that it's likely to recur, but was pleasant and worth doing at least the once.
More about the holidays likely to follow.

Coming Home

After some three weeks or so since going off to Connecticut, it's back to my family, but this time in Phoenix. I am still just at the outset of the trip, but did arrive this morning at the Greyhound station near the airport. The trip was a fairly good one by the standards of that bus carrier. Getting to the LA station was easy enough, coming though it did on the heels of doing my Christmas shopping. Once there, I got onto my bus alright. They overbooked the first bus, and got another together fairly rapidly. Unfortunately, that bus turned out to have some kind of damaged side panel, eventually putting us forty minutes behind schedule. We arrived in Phoenix late by the same margin.

Since then, it was breakfast with Mom and a nap. We'll have to see where the day goes from here.

Thanksgiving

I finally got into the mood to recount the Thanksgiving trip, which was spent with the greater part of my mother's side of the family. Happily, I still largely remember it. The day before my flight, I was injured during the making of a comedy video. I was at the time concerned about possibly not being able to make the trip on time, but I was fortunately able to receive medical treatment the same day and make my flight in the morning. Two of the people in charge of the aforementioned video were kind enough to drive me to Los Angeles International Airport. This is not a very good airport, both functionally and aesthetically.

A Spenserian Sonnet

When I came here I became my own man
My words are my own and so are my deeds
I left my birthplace to do what I can
God willing I can fulfill all my needs
It came to pass that I planted the seeds
The challenges are legion and I fear
I go my way but know not where it leads
I think I've won the respect of my peer
Though for my poverty I shed a tear
Still I forge on and my time will come yet
Be it most distant or be it quite near
I pray, God, for the wisdom to not fret
Shall I be like the Spartan mother's son
And with shield show that I lost or I won?

Filling In The Gaps

To get back into the swing of things: Thanksgiving was really very nice. Flying is always a minefield, and managed to only step on the edge of one in getting the last flight on my return delayed. There was nothing to complain about, really. I'm only human; I'll suffer through about anything if a free Heineken is offered as a salve at the end.