Okay, right now you're thinking, "Chris...errr ... Veloche doesn't even like wine, so why is he serving cheese?" Well, you're right. Enough with the cheese. It had to be said, but Thanksgiving is now over. Now I'll get on with the more mundane items in life, which quite often turn out to be very entertaining. Isn't it funny how that works? I guess that's what Jerry Seinfeld realized when he came up with the idea for that wacky show. Too bad he just didn't blog it, eh?

Speaking of which, a lot of friends and family members are asking me, "What the heck is a blog?" Go read. =p Seriously though, "blog" is short for "web log" - which are free online journals to document pretty much anything imaginable. They're a pretty nifty idea. They exist because they can exist, because the creators can make money off of them, because believe it or not they're a good source of information, and because it is a democratic approach to net access. Even the homeless in Los Angeles have a significant web presence due to blogging (and some other programs that allow them and encourage them to speak up concerning city issues by using library computer terminals). Yay for the freedom of speech, eh?

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This week is nice. I'm off work. Hurrah! A friend of mine from Atlanta, Chang, came over last night and we played some MTG. Chang's a good guy even if he is a bit nuts. He makes me laugh. Its good to keep people around you that make you laugh. Isn't that what makes the world go 'round? My world works that way at least. I wrapped a present today for Nattsu. I know she's going to go crazy. She hates surprises. I hope you all are going to have a great holiday. Christmas Eve day I plan on driving down to my mom's. We'll have Christmas there and probably drive back Christmas night so that we can hit the party on the day after Christmas.

But I know on the 26th I'll be thinking about more than any party or what I got for Christmas. I'll be thinking about Grandma - Nana - My wonderful grandmother who passed away a couple years ago while I was up in Illinois. I couldn't leave to come down for the funeral without seriously messing up my schoolwork. :( It really bugs me. I hate the system for that. Having to miss your own grandmother's funeral or fail your classes - tough choice, huh? Not for some. For me it was. I worked damn hard to get there - to be doing what I was - to be earning that degree, and I know that Nana would've approved of me staying. That's the only thing that kept me up there - was the thought of her and her words. She always told me her mother said, "What you know you don't carry on your back." And I know Nana would've shouted that phrase at me when I thought of coming down to see her buried. I just know she'd yell at me, telling me, "I'm dead! They're putting me in a box, big deal! Go get your education!" Hehe, I love her SO much and miss her SO much it hurts. She was a beacon of light for me throughout many hard times in my life - and she continues to be in spirit. I really want to go down to Jacksonville soon and visit her grave. I'll probably do that this summer.