volkov

and so it's a new year. I've never been a huge fan of New Year's. It just seemed like such an arbitrary date to mark the beginning of a new solar year. It doesn't coincide with the beginning of a season or anything like that. And I don't understand the particular significance of a year gone by. time just keeps moving...it's all one piece...not a repition of years, minutes etc. But it is a good excuse to drink a whole lot and set off fireworks.

Christmas holidays went well. Work was abysmally slow, as I would expect the week before Christmas. So, I took a few extra days off and went in to work with my Marine Reserve unit on their Toys for Tots drive. It was good. Basically we set up all of our collected toys in a Salvation Army Warehouse (mixed feelings about that bunch. they do good work for people; I just don't buy into the evangelical aspect). They had their own list of families and gave them all times to show up so that they could control the flow of people coming in (rather than a madhouse free-for-all). When they showed up we just walked the parents through the "toy store" that we had set up and let them pick out a bunch of toys, books, stuffed animals, and whatnot.
We took in a LOT of toys this year so we were able to really hand out a lot of stuff. Probably about five or six toys per each kid that they had. There were certainly a few of the system abusers...who, when I took their toys out to thier car for them, were rolling in a new Tahoe or Acura...but the vast majority were people honestly in need of help. Towards the end we were just trying to get as much of the toys out the door as we could and I loaded up one guy with three or four industrial trashbags worth of toys and stuff for his kids and even his brother's kids. The guy was almost crying. When we got to his car with all the stuff, his wife in the car started crying. And of course the kids were just staring wide-eyed out the back of the car wondering what the hell the santa in the digital cammies was putting into the trunk. That's the kind of thing that made it worthwile.

Holidays with the family went as usual. Good times, but not a real lengthy visit. I love my family, most of them, but I can really only take them in small doses at a time. The other benefit of working the Toys for Tots was I was able to grab a bunch of the leftovers (still some really good stuff) for my nephew and two nieces. I wouldn't have been able to afford to buy them more than a small thing each and it was nice to be able to give them some more stuff. Wrong message of Christmas mayhap, but it's still fun to spoil the kids...since they aint mine.

The main thing about the holidays is that I've been eating like a total moron. Baked goods, turkey, tamales, and all the other things that go with Christmas. I'm going to have to run again soon....but it's so damn cold out.

I haven't been able to get out and see any of the movies I've been wanting to. Mainly because my motorcycle isn't working and it's a bit of a walk to any theater. Katy and I did go see the Golden Compass, which I liked. It wasn't aaaaamazing, but it was entertaining. Still need to get out and see Sweeny Todd and No Country for Old Men somehow.

I DID finish the Dark Tower series. All I have to say is it's an amazingly well crafted tale....that suffers from THE MOST dissapointing ending ever made. I'm not going to even spoiler it and rant...because we'd be here all day. I'll just say that after seven books and just...an enormous far reaching story....the letdown was immense. Stephen King...I'd rather you waited another fifteen years to get it right.

Watched Angel A, the Luc Besson movie last night. and it was pretty damn good.

and now I think I'll go back to my new addiction since finishing Final Fantasy 12- Total War Medieval II

yes I know
<--------------------geek.

if it improves the presentation of my depth of character, I've also been listening to a LOT of Dimitri Shostakovic and studying my Romanian and squad level infantry tactics.