Welp...

Its been quite a while since I last posted on here. I completed the Lavaman Triathlon (along with the Newport Beach Tri as well) and it seems that the rest of the year has been pretty much a complete blur. I've done some pretty amazeballs things, not the least of which has included an incredibly eventful summer in Los Angeles, some killer events, trips to Disneyland, Palm Springs, and (soon) Vegas. And the HOLIDAYS are coming. My favorite time of year, when its OK to gorge yourself on smoked (or fried - my FAVORITE) turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing (gimmie summadat deliciousness!), and the ever-so-tasty miscellaneous sweet treat. It is really the only time of year when its acceptable to go out in public wearing red and green in the same ensemble (God rest the poor soul who attempts this combination in August), or to attach little individual fire hazards to your house in the festive spirit of Christmas, to insure that Santa knows someone lives there. Yes, I do love the holdays. :-) Everyone is in a great mood and it really is the season of giving.

When I was a young lad, and not so aware of the spirit of giving but more of the spirit of receiving, I looked forward to Christmas because I always wanted something new and fresh. I was a spoiled little shit. One of my favorite gifts (well I had several favorites, but this one seems to stay in my memory) was this Lionel train set that my parents bought me (actually, I believe the fat man himself HAND-MADE this from scratch - thats my story and I'm stickin to it). It was one of those train sets that collectors buy (actually, this picture is almost the exact set up I found when I awoke at 6am on Christmas morn, complete with wrapped presents with bows, Christmas tree, and a bright red caboose).
It later made a cameo appearance at my high school Winter Formal. I received a race-car track one year,
which my father and I spent the good part of Christmas day setting up on the piece of plywood that acted as the support under the mattress on the bottom level of my bunk bed. When I was older, into late middle school and completely awkward in my own body, I got a computer and when I came out on Christmas morning the screen saver was on. Remember those old scrolling screen savers? You could insert text into it and it would scroll all day long? Well, I woke up and it said "Merry Christmas Chris." I think my heart skipped a beat.