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My resolution for the new year is deceptively simple: I resolve to go out and buy a new pair of glasses. I've had this prescription for over six years and even if my eyes haven't changed any, these lenses are terribly scratched. It's gotten so bad I've caught myself squinting to compensate... and nothing good will come of that. Further incentive to buy a replacement prescription is that the finish on the frames has worn through in a few places. I suppose the frames could be reused -- these are Flexon and thus have plenty of service in them. Still, it might be a good idea to roll a whole new set. The nose pieces on my current pair have been bent enough times from blows to my face that they probably aren't going to be terribly forgiving the next time it happens.

In other news, doomsey let me mess around with his Sony PSP on Friday night. I rather liked the way the unit felt in my hands and the web browser is remarkably functional. On New Year's Eve I was at a party hosted by my former coworker JD -- and while I was there he introduced me to Lumines on his PSP. Lumines is like a cross between Doctor Mario and my personal favorite, Tetris. I knew I was lost to the siren call of this new gadget when, amidst total cacophony, it commanded my attention for over forty-five minutes straight. Today was spent shopping around online and, once I found a reasonable deal, I bought one for myself. With luck it'll be here in less than a week and I'll be able to start feeding my new addiction. But fear not, my Nintendo DS shall not go neglected!

I'll be watching you

Last night was great. When I arrived at the Asylum everyone was home but a very important package was waiting to be picked up, and we couldn't leave until it had been sent off with the overnight carrier. That was fine with me, it gave chebutykin and I a chance to exchange Christmas presents. I got a Zim shirt! Hee, I'm thrilled with it and am looking forwards to sporting it in public...the slogan of "Do not invoke my wrath!" is, as Cheb said, so very me. Around 6:48 the Airborne Express driver showed up, took the package and freed us up to go out to eat. A brief debate was had about what to do for food, apparently since I'm the out-of-town guest I had some say in the matter. Once it was made clear that I had to give some input into the decision-making process I gave two stipulations: it couldn't be Greek, and I'd rather it wasn't a chain restaurant like TGI Fridays. With those criteria Cheb and Cajones quickly made a selection and we all packed into my Expedition for a short drive down the street. I was pleasantly surprised with the venue they selected! Dinner was had at "El Loro," a local Mexican restaurant with authentic Mexican staff who speak about four words of English (and since I speak all of five words of Spanish we were at something of an impasse when it came to communicating our orders). Between beers, chips, salsa, tacos, rice, burritos and enchiladas I was stuffed at the end of the night but Cajones and I still found room for some fried icecream -- once we were able to convey that we wanted dessert and not the check, that is. Damn my inferior brain! If I hadn't forgotten almost everything from my three years of high school Spanish classes we might not have had this language barrier. Still, the food was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

After dinner we picked up some groceries, then it was back to the Asylum for media ("Cannibal! the musical" and "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" to name a few), drinks (I made a round of shots for myself and Cheb, then switched over to Southern Comfort and diet coke) and finally sleep. This morning Cheb made a breakfast of tasty pancakes and bacon while Cajones and I geeked about various sci-fi and comic-related topics. I had to leave the Asylum at around 11:15 so I could get back to the farm and take care of Ra, since my parents don't really understand how to manage his dosage and feeding. When I got home I found out that Ra had been making quite a fuss this morning, apparently he was very loudly searching the house high and low in an attempt to find me. He also gave my parents a bit of a taste of what it's like to have him in the household by vigorously vomiting upon the kitchen chair, the kitchen floor and the livingroom carpet. To be truthful I'm amazed. This is the worst attack he's had in over over 9 days. There's been only one other incident of note, and that was earlier last week. At that time he only threw up a little bit so I just chalked it up to his stomach being irritated from the long drive, and not necessarily an attack from his IBD/CP. My little black ball of fluff and harf is doing a remarkable job of coping with the stress of this trip, and I'm pleased that the medication is doing such a fine job of keeping his condition under control.

Tonight I go back to Northern Minneapolis to ring in the New Year with Cajones, Chebutykin and some of their friends in true style with the second annual "Look Ma No Pants Countdown Getdown." I've heard a lot about this show but haven't seen it for myself, so I'm looking forward to this. After 2004 has gotten underway we'll undoubtedly be back at the house assaulting our nerves with more liquor and movie fun. It's a good thing I odn't have to get up early tomorrow....