As the final couple of classes fade off into the sunset, I’m thrilled with the new selection. Taking more Algebra (it continues to get a little franetic now), Photoshop to enhance my skills, introduction to basic coding (looking forward to that), and Javascript. What self-respecting coder doesn’t know how to use Javascript? Next term (January 2009) should be thrilling. No, seriously. I’m looking forward to actually creating some working programs.

That leaves us with the Christmas season in full swing. Man, I just love Christmas. I love the hussle and bussle. I love scrambing for a parking spot, watching people get franetic in the mall, dodging perfume snipers, and being nice to clerks who have been inundated with angry dorks all day. Reminds me of a recent example.

Strolled into Hollywood Video to rent a movie or game. Got to the counter and the clerk informed me I had an oustanding balance around $50. I was a little shocked but I played the outraged customer, demanding a full blown investigation into the fees. I then grinned at the guy, who wasn’t quite sure what to make of me, and I said I was kidding. I’ll pay it all. He seemed shocked and repeated my statement back to me. “Yes,” I said patiently. “I rented ‘em so I’ll pay ‘em off.” I literally saw a lightbulb go on inside his head and then started furiously typing away on the keyboard. After a moment, he nanchalantly announced he’s wiped off 50% of my fees and I only owed $25. “Uh,” was all I managed initially but he picked up my confused and fill in the blanks with, “I’ve removed half your fees because of your good attitude.” The statement hung there for a second as I processed what had happened. He seemed to catch my pause and restated his magnanamous gesture. Finally catching up, I think him kindly and wished him my first Merry Christmas of the season. Not a bad start to December. Not bad at all.

We arrived in Heathrow Airport, London, England and were met by friends. After catching up on a little sleep, we began our day-trips into London. We saw all the main sights including the London Eye (fascinating). After three days of training into London, we picked up the rental car and took off to tour the countryside without any predetermined plans. We had no rooms booked and no one waiting on us. For the record, that is the way to travel.

We hit Peterborough, my childhood home, Cambridge, a teen hang-out, then struck west. We hit Stonehenge, Bath, and Portsmouth. We grabbed a ferry to Cherbourg, toured the D-Day beaches of Utah and Omaha. We saw the town of Arramanche, the American cemetery, Batterie De Longes, and Point Du Hoc. For me, the beaches were a major highlight of the trip.

We drove across France, grabbed a second ferry at Calais and arrived in Dover. We then saw several local castles including Bodium, Leeds, and ended up touring Windsor Castle before catching our breath and heading home.

All in all a fabulous trip, full of great memories, fun stories, and lots of food.

The first laptop I purchased was an Apple MacBook Pro. Looking forward to enjoying everything about the Apple experience, I brought home the first one and found a problem with the workmanship of the navigation pad. I was annoyed. Not a deal breaking development but when you plunk down the kind of cash Apple wants, the computer better be close to perfect. I returned it, and picked out another one. For about 24 hours that one was fine, until I put it down on a flat surface. Low and behold, the computer wasn’t, uh, level. Yeah, it rocked back and forth. I checked the underside and noted all the rubber feet were correctly placed, but sure enough, the thing just wobbled enough to make it annoying. So, you guessed it, I returned that one too. However, I decided not to pull the trigger on a third one: I just wasn’t feeling it.

Then I turned my attention to Dell. The M1550 was my first purchase. Dell shipped it out promptly, gave me a substantial discount, and the computer arrived well before it’s initially declared date. I unpacked it, and enjoyed the 15″ of goodness. It was fast, it was mean, and it was … uh, HUGE. Woah. Missed the mark on that one. The laptop could have been a desktop replacement. I realized I’d made a mistake and Dell was very, very understanding. They assigned a special “Resolution Expert” to my case. They returned the laptop at their expense, didn’t charge me a restocking fee, and refunded my credit card promptly. Aside from the snafu, I was quite pleased. So, I pulled the trigger again.

This time Dell shipped out the M1330, a much smaller, lighter, but just as mean and fast as the previous model. Okay, we’ve finally arrived at the destination I’ve been looking for all along. Small, powerful, sleek, and with all the goodies, this laptop (on which I’m typing right now) should fit the bill perfectly. Plenty of storage space, plenty of speed, and oodles of charm. It took a while, but I think I’ve finally found my new best friend. Dell, meet Max. Max, “say hello to your little friend!”

Packers vs. Seabags
It is no secret I’m not exactly a Seabag fan. I think their team is solid, they have good defense, but without any resemblance of a running game, hard to win in post-season. Conversely, the Packers have discovered a running game, have all the remaining tools in place to get the job done. I was very impressed with the Packers and one must begin wondering if they are the dreaded team-of-destiny for this year. Now most teams falling under that category end up losing too quickly, but I was happy to see the Packers stomp on the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of the Seachickens. Best part of the game? The snow storm. Nothing like watching professional football during inclement weather. Go, Pack, Go!

Jags vs. Patriots
Honestly, I found myself rooting for the Jags. Not because I like the team. Not because I hate the Patriots. I think I ended up rooting for them because they were the underdog and kept it very close in the first half. Adjustments and the sheer strength of the New England Patriots overwhelmed the Jags, but, still, a moderately enjoyable game. Though really, do you see ANYONE beating the Patriots? One thing was very, very annoying: Phil Simms going on and on and on and on about just how good, how special, how impressive, and how deep the Patriots are. Man, that got old quickly. Yeah, they’re good. Got it. Get over your man-crush on Brady, would ya?!

Colts vs. Chargers
I watched the entire game and never found myself rooting for either team. Since this was the third game of the weekend (post-Patriots), perhaps I’ve realized just how futile any effort will be against the Patriot juggernaut. Colts looked hapless. Chargers looked lucky. Both looked unremarkable and out-classed in comparison to the Pats.

Cowboys vs. Giants
Oh mercy. Did the Cowboys look horrible. Actually, they looked pretty good in the first half but didn’t kick it into a second gear for the second half. The Giants half-time adjustments were excellent. I wanted the Cowboys to win because I wanted a Cowboys vs. Packers NFC championship game, but Romo looked off-center. The entire team looked out of sync. Giants earned it. ‘Nuff said.

All in all, a pretty disappointing weekend. Perhaps it is because I feel like the NFL season is over. All that remains is for the BEST team in football to check the final two boxes, and win the Superbowl. I don’t see anyone coming close to the Patriots domination. They are a great team, with incredible offensive weapons, a stalwart defense, and exceptional coaches. Shold they go 19-0, setting records, never being beaten during an entire season, it would be one for the ages. Soak in the details because you probably won’t see this again in your lifetime.