We made it safely and I have been quite busy. The holidays were fun and lots of food was ate. I got an ice cream maker from Josh and books. Cool!

It’s cold. High of 44 today.

Return of the King was great. I loved it but had to go to the bathroom so bad by the end of it. They cut some of the scenes I was looking forward to and changed the story some, but it was still a really damn good movie. Josh and I are going to try and see Big Fish sometime soon. Otherwise we will wait and see it and the other movies we want to see, when we return home.

I miss my family and the kids, but it is a needed vacation. The girls told me about their gifts and it was quite cute. I’m sure they will be bringing them over for us to see when we return.

I’m going to make some tea and get warm. It’s cold.

You may have noticed a new look. I’m in the process of redoing the site, but a roadtrip has been called. Therefore, this will be it for now.

Enjoy.

I’ve been neglecting my holiday habits this year. I was delayed in buying the presents for Yule and I’m late sending out cards. I got in the holiday spirit after I got an address check email from Pamela. I’ve got most of them done and I am also doing holiday post cards from amazingmail.com I have 23 more postcards to use by December 31st (I got a great deal on a lot of them a couple of years ago). If anyone wants one, email me (pcards at miftik dot com). First 23 people get them!

Josh and I took the kids for a walk around the block. One street has a ton of Xmas lights up and the kids really liked that. They all picked the house with the white only lights. Some people went way out of their minds when they set up some of the decorations we saw. Wacky stuff.

Well, time to bake the donuts. Just kidding. Actually I need to stamp the parents’, grandparents’, and great-grandparents’ cards. I’ll make Josh seal the envelopes. Ick.

My nephew has this habit of “brushing” his hair down forward after a bath. The past few times he has been wearing button up shirts. He has a necklace now that matches his daddy’s and when he doesn’t wear the shirt completely buttoned up, you can see the necklace. All together he looks like a guido. I sometimes call him that and he looks at me dead serious and says , “I not a geedo” which makes me smile the biggest smile in the world. It cracks everyone up who hears it. Kids are so darn cute sometimes.

This morning while taking a morning walk, I realized that I have to completely move and redesign two sites in the two weeks or so before our annual road trip. I need to get a whole lot of Xmas shopping done today and tomorrow. Friday is shot due to appointments by everyone meaning I need to work. Ugh. Maybe I can get a little bit of shopping done then.

The move wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the fact that I am trying to get just about everything into a database. That’s a lot of stuff. Six years worth of content at one and about four years at another. It’s going to kill me for sure. I’m going to be moody as all get out.

Fun links:
The Official Rock Paper Scissor Strategy Guide found via snye.de
Mr. Picasso Head found via geekgrrl.com

Ok, now to go shopping.

So I’ve been sitting here listening to the Return of the King Soundtrack. I’ve been reading funny and amusing things, nothing sad. However, right now I have tears forming in my eyes. I am not thinking of anything sad. I’ve always thought that a good song has to make you feel subconsciously, some sort of emotion so strong that it bursts into your consciousness. Very few people/bands have ever done that. Danny Elfman, Howard Shore, Bjork, and Radiohead have done that with me. I love the music put out by these artists, but they have each had at least one song that makes me feel either happy, angry (but it a positive way), sad, or empowered. I also have to add that Billy Boyd has a really nice voice when he wants to, as does Viggo Mortensen. Viggo is just good all around. Let us not forget how much I really like his art books.

In other news… Checking of film production notes… Why is there going to be a Miss Congeniality 2, Mission: Impossible 3, Oceans Twelve, The Ring 2, and a Zorro Sequel. Can’t they leave well enough (or bad enough) alone? Sheesh. Also in the same production notes, O, what’s with all the epics? Boy, you’re gonna be worn out by 30. I hope note, but slow down.

Well, I guess that’s enough for tonight. Time to feed the hound cat.

“At the end of 2003, an estimated 40 million around the world were living with HIV/AIDS, including the 5 million people who acquired HIV in 2003. The epidemic claimed an estimated 3 million lives in 2003. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most affected region with 70% of people living with HIV/AIDS.”

“Current projections suggest that an additional 45 million people in 126 low- and middle-income countries will have become infected between 2002 and 2010, unless the world succeeds in mounting a drastically expanded global prevention effort.”
source: UNAIDS Questions & Answers

In high school I was quite involved with AIDS Awareness. So much so that some individuals began to think I was gay. Kids there didn’t know about AIDS, they didn’t know that it not only affects gay men, but straight men, women and children too.

In my senior year, the Psychology teacher and one of his classes decided to form an AIDS Awareness group. After much trouble with the school board, it was established. I wasn’t in that class, but I joined the minute I heard about it. We weren’t able to do tons, but it was a start. We went to a national conference in Washington D.C. for a weekend. I learned a lot from that conference and I still have the binder full of information in storage, eight and a half years later.

After high school I still did some volunteer work, but I haven’t lately. Around here, there seems to be an abundance of volunteers here. I want to get back into helping though. It’s a good time to start.

Links:
Stop Global AIDS
UNAIDS
CDC Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention
In Their Own Words
AEGiS

Reading:
Be a Friend: Children Who Live With HIV Speak
And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic
The River: A Journey to the Source of Hiv and Aids
Encyclopedia of AIDS: A Social, Political, Cultural, and Scientific Record of the HIV Epidemic
The Amfar AIDS Handbook: The Complete Guide to Understanding HIV and AIDS
Being Positive: The Lives of Men and Women With HIV