The 18th Christmas.
02.12.26
E17:21
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Music o' the Entry:"A Sai En", Sharon Apple
So much for the promised Seattle entry, thanks to my family and my family's foul foul Internet connection I am once again relegated to
blogging only at my apartment, which I've been avoiding like the plague, given I'm currently playing hostess to two other folks at the
moment. Indeed, for Christmas has occurred and thusly I must write of it. Christmas this year...kinda sucked, in one way. As I believe
I mentioned last entry, I have two Japanese girls staying with me
and my family for the holidays: Kayo and Miho. I also mentioned before
that I don't necessarily feel comfortable around Kayo...well, it hasn't
changed. I don't know, I just feel obligated to entertain them and
there's, uh, nothing to do. Well, actually, there's plenty to do but
most of it involves A) video games B) television C) food. Also keep in
mind that I'm a relatively solitary person...hmm. I do not know how
to properly describe it, but this is a stress on everyone in our family
(save my brother, because he never comes out of the basement) so the
feeling this year was...different. I certainly do not begrudge Kayo,
but it's definitely tensed things up about these part. But besides
the air of weirdness floating about, it was a relatively decent
Christmas. Kinda sad, the older I get the more I seem to look forward
to the food rather than the gift-opening, which was characterized further by my younger brother freaking out about opening stuff (he got
a GameCube along with Smash Bros. Melee, Animal Crossing, and the big
Sonic Megapack Game Thingy, which he's planning to return for...something, possibly Metroid Prime). Food was yummy, Christmas
Eve dinner (we do everything on Christmas Eve) consisted of kolbasniks
(not sure about the spelling, but it's the Polish version of pigs in a blanket. Another one of those words that I didn't know wasn't English
until I was about eight or so), French bread and spinach dip, super-sexy artichoke/Parmesan dip with veggies, potato chips, beef and
potato croquettes courtesy Miho & Kayo, Southern tea cakes, kimchi, and
assorted sparkling ciders. Oh, plus those weird Pirouette french vanilla cookie sticks ("Entertaining cookies", if you listen to what the makers insist on calling it). I ate too much (mostly spinach dip), got sick, and was generally pleased, save for that there shall be drastic diet changes after everyone has gone back to their home country and/or country of destination. As for gifts, I received the following CD's: Pure Moods IV, the Legend of Mana OST, hyde's "ROENTGEN" album,
Gackt's "Moon" album, and Hajime Chitose's "Haitamikaze". Books included the Suikoden III Complete Guide, the Suikoden III Official Guide, The Gift of Fear (from my mother), a Jewish cookbook,
and a Kenny G piano book (because my mother found it for 49 cents).
Other things included a WWII anti-espionage poster (it says "He's watching you"), the gayest scarf in existence (it's a bright rainbow
thing), a blue rug that says "RUG" (possibly the best caption for
a rug ever), a blue rug with a green border with little rubber duckies
floating about, Loreena McKennitt's "Book of Secrets" CD, a sushi kit,
drinking glasses featuring assorted famous composers, a vinyl lime green bag with cats on it, some more cups, and...some recipe holders
and an Amazon.com gift e-card that I haven't received yet, but is reportedly in transit (?). A LOT of stuff...too much, I would say, other than a lot of the stuff came from Value Village, a second-hand
store that my mother has fallen madly in love with and that I frequent because it has cheap kitchen supplies and I like to cook. My family spent a bit more than they usually do, so I feel my residual Christmas
guilt that's always there-I do not deserve this. This...only highlights America's economic inequality. My family is not rich, but they're not hurting for cash either. However, because of this, I am more grateful, and wish to do something to spread the wealth...
So yes, a happy, fattening Christmas was had by all in my household; the evening culminated with my father watched Star Wars Ep. II on his shiny new DVD player, myself listening to Legend of Mana, and my brother destroying me at Smash Bros. It's odd, I generally enjoy fighting games but this one is not my bag, by a long shot. Of course, this can also be attributed to that this is my first time playing a GameCube and my first time with the controller as well, but still...as for Animal Crossing, that's a TOTALLY different story-it's addictive in the same way Harvest Moon is, and it makes me sad that it's in real-time because I don't live at home any longer. I would be most happy to see it on PS2, thank you very much.
Speaking of PS2, it was recently announced that Xenosaga has acquired a launch date: February 2003. I naturally take this with a grain of salt, given it is a video game release date, but this actually disappoints me somehow. I was hoping for March or April, mostly because Christmas shopping and travel bills have taken my bank account and ravaged it so I was hoping for a bit of time to recover my funds...oh well, I'll figure something out, I should be okay. It's sad, as much as I like my PS2 there have been very few "must-have" games on it for me: Final Fantasy X, Suikoden III, and Xenosaga are the only ones that come to mind. Plus it's been misbehaving a bit, it doesn't like playing PS1 games and that's a major reason why I purchased it...of course, this is compounded by that my memory card with my pretty much everything I've done on it recently (included my big fat Final Fantasy Tactics file) has gone missing. I know precisely the last time I saw it, and it involved my car-not good portents there, kids. Oh well, if it's gone...then I suppose I'll just have to be sad for a bit and then move on.
As for the rest of the holidays, Kayo's departing for Europe on the 28th, and following that Miho and I shall spend New Year's with Matt and his family in their hometown, then returning to visit Bak-chan, hopefully Bronde, Nathan, Kel-chan, Adam, Patrice...all those who kids who see far too little of these days. Following that shall come the advent of school, which I'm oddly looking foward to. Anyway, more of what I promised to write about and what I wish to soon; a new year, month, and quarter is coming and crap is changing.
Actually, one more thing-I'm mad because I totally forgot about the Winter Solstice. It's odd, I'm becoming more and more liberated from my family's Christian traditions, to the point of flagrantly blowing them off. I still love winter, and winter holidays, so it seems like a good alternative...even in such a Christian household, there was no mention of Christ this year. I'm not sure what I think about that, part of me is glad but part of me isn't, I wonder if that was taken over by materialism. I suppose it comes down to whether I prefer religion or materialism. Frankly, neither are intrinsically good (to my senses), both can be unbelievably destructive...I do not know. Too much to say on the topic, not enough time, perhaps I'll elaborate later or perhaps not.
chronos
Ekairos
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