Well, I made it -- with minimal travel stress, in fact. (Can't say the same for Diane, who spent Christmas eve in a hotel room in Chicago.) The warm December here in the Sunshine State reminds me of the bitter winds up north, thankful that I get to heat up for a few days before heading back. Of course, I miss D and Madtown already, but it's good to see my HS friends too. (Haven't seen Meg and family yet, but that will happen soon.)

My brother hooked me up with David Cross, which I've been meaning to check out for some time -- it's pretty decent, classic Cross style (not every word hilarious, but his style is very listen-to-able). Thanks also to Jesse for connecting me with Euphrates, an Iraqi hip-hop group. I was expecting a mediocre flow and interesting musicality -- instead, I was blown away by their excellent lyrical style and powerful drumbeats. It's everything I didn't get from KRS One's latest, Kristyles (yechh).

Made my first round of the Gainesville shops today; found a book of Bankei at the local used bookstore, as well as Vol. 1 of Hothead Paisan. (Would have rather found the Complete works, but hey -- what're you gonna do?) Also snagged a Simpsons comics omnibus (the 100th issue was a biggie) and a big Squee comic, whose first page is -- Return of Filler Bunny! Woot! Good times. ("Mee krob?")

Haven't hit the music shops yet. Perhaps tomorrow I'll report back on what I find there. Meantime, I'm having a jolly good time reading Everyone In Silico by former AdBusters editor Jim Munroe. Cultural SF where people voluntarily join the Matrix, from the resistance's point of view. Nice stereotype-twisting. (One main character is an elderly grandmother who is searching for her "missing" grandson who has absconded "voluntarily" into the world of Gamerz -- turns out she's a buttkicking former special ops warrior.)

So yeah. My teeth are nearly not in pain. I've been sleeping 'til 11:00 AM. I've got lots of time to read. Life is good, even as I miss D. Happy holidays, everyone! (TPCQ: "Thanks for supporting Rock for Kids.")

TimeWaster™

Guinea pigs are cute. God bless you, ABS!

Today I'm listening to: Euphrates!