January already!

Hi, Becca -

Sounds like you are taking out your post-holiday agression on the Christmas tree! (Well, I guess there are worse ways to express it!) ;)

It's so fun that your kids still believe in Santa Claus. My nieces and nephew do too -- I really missed seeing them this year. It's so much more fun when you are around kids. I gave my oldest niece an EasyBake oven and I hear she made a terrific mess along with about 7 cakes for her dad. Was really sorry to have missed that! Grin.

John and I had a whole week off together. We didn't do much, but it seems like we're always running in different directions, so it was a great luxury to have so much time. We went to the park, the beach, a few parties with friends, a couple of museums, hung out in coffee shops, saw a few good movies, went out to dinner.

Saw a fantastic show at MOCA in Koreatown here called "Ecstacy" -- it's all about perceptions and viewing things in different or new ways. For one of the exhibits, you walked by yourself and shoeless into a completely bright white room with a coved ceiling. The door was shut behind you so there was no auditory stimulus. The effect basically is that you feel like you are floating in a white fog. All of your peripheral vision blurs and you can't tell where the ceiling and walls and floor begin and end. On one wall hung a vividly colored painting of the Arizona desert -- all red browns, greens and yellows. It made the painting really pop and details in the artwork you might not have noticed become very stark. Some other cool art there as well - like huge mushrooms spinning from the ceiling (click on the link above for a pic) and some light/space visual effects that are neat. Definitely worth a visit if the exhibit comes to Indy or Chicago.

Didn't get to see any new live music, but spent a few hours at Amoeba (big warehouse music store) and picked up a few new tunes. (I know Eric loves that place, too! Schmer, when are you coming down to see Jon Brion with me?!)

Hoping we call all plan a get together soon.

So where is everyone else? Lisa, thanks for the great Christmas letter. I'm working on a reply. Derrick - what did your family do for Christmas this year? Amber, how are the kids? Schmer, Robin, where are you?

Oh, I saw Mike Bencie left a note on the blog, but it hasn't been posted because he doesn't have access yet. Schmer, can you fix that?

(And Becca, Newton was just starting their speech program that year... don't know if it ever went anywhere or if they still have it, but you never know...)

Love the holidays...glad they are OVER

There's nothing quite like burning your Christmas tree and wreath in the backyard...the real variety of course. It personally gives me a great sense of closure to the crazy holiday season...Die you tiresome water-hogging beast...DIE!

How did everyone fare over the holidays? My youngest son declared it the "best Christmas ever, even if I didn't get most of the stuff on my list"...Santa Claus overrode most of his decisions. And it actually worked out pretty well. 3 out of 4 of his favorite gifts were not on his list...SCORE! One of them was an authentic NFL jersey - Indianapolis Colts Edgerrin James. My 8-year-old, it seems, wants to be a running back when he gets older, and the Edge is his man. I have to beg him not to wear it every day.

Melissa - North Newton has a speech and debate program??? Who knew?

Overall, though, we had quite the holiday season, eating and drinking with friends and co-workers every night of the week pre-Christmas. NYE found me at Julie (Anton) Braveman's house with all 3 Anton brothers...it was quite the evening.

Hope everyone is happy and healthy and sticking to their resolutions...