Today I actually got some work done. While Anastasia and I had a lazy morning and a nice breakfast together (man do I love being able to have lazy mornings with my girlfriend), she then went off to run errands for the rest of the day and I sat down to make some progress. I got a reasonable number of emails out, did some continuing design work for one project, some development for another… I don’t really think I need to go into detail with which projects I worked on and so on. I might link to them once they’re live, but everything I was working on today was all stuff which is still being alpha-tested.

In the middle of this however, Anastasia and I went shopping for my present from her (thank you so much!) which was some preparation stuff for going to Seattle – duvet (Americans call them ‘comforters’), pillows, some towels, that kind of thing. As soon as I get my housing sorted out in Seattle (here’s hoping for a nice apartment) I ought to be well set up.

Well, Merry Christmas to everyone! I know that most of the people that read this will already have had their Christmas, but my Christmas is still going for a few hours yet before I head to bed.

Today was just another day in the sequence of family gatherings, really. It started off with Anastasia and I going to see her Aunt Connie and Uncle Vince, along with their two children, Trinity and Vincent. The whole Vincent thing is a tradition – Vince is number four, and his son is the fifth. They have four generations of Vincents still alive, yikes. Anyway. Food, conversation, Shrek Monopoly Junior – this visit had it all! They loved their presents we got them (a lot of candy, a movie voucher for Vincent and a Princess Dance set-thing for Trinity).

From there we went to Priscilla’s house, where I was told there would be more relations and another meal. However, instead I found a lot of box-lifting and stacking and moving. Luckily I was ok with that. ^^ Anyway, we got presents as well (I got a nice warm cashmere scarf, a shirt and some more ginger candy that I like). The reason, it turns out, that the relations weren’t there was that they were all sick. Given that Anastasia and I have already had the sick-thing, I think we must’ve just had it early.

After that we came back to the house to sit down since we were both a bit out of it after all the cleaning up at Priscilla’s. We had a little bit of food after a while and then curled up and watched that traditional Christmas movie, Wing Commander. Not a hugely eventful Christmas Day, but this ‘Christmas’ has dragged out over three days already.

Apart from the stuff from Priscilla, I got manga, a calendar, some money, a small dragon, a book, a melancholy Buddha and a scarf.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all… er… Happy Boxing Day.

Today’s most tiring event would have to be the football game. Off we went to Raymond James Stadium with a friend of Anastasia’s named Joe. It was a really important football game, as dependent on the results of this game were the Bucs’ chances of going to the playoffs. A couple of other games had to go particular ways as well, and we still have to win the next game, but right now we’re the NFC South Division leaders. This was a really tight game. First Atlanta got a touchdown, then us, then we got another one… it was a seesaw game. Towards the end of the last quarter the Bucs were down, however we managed to pull off a fabulous return and even the score out at the end of ‘regulation time’. This means overtime! Another quarter with sudden death – first one to score wins. We have a funble and the Falcons have a chance for a field goal. The Bucs block it in a spectacular fashion, and then drive back up the field one first-down at a time (with some notable penalties which made for some long runs) for a field goal attempt which we blow. It slowly comes back up the field and the Falcons blow it again. We drive it back up again for a final field-goal attempt with 15 seconds left on the clock (15 minute final ‘fifth quarter’) – we make it. The crowd (which has been standing up for the last hour or so) goes absolutely ballistic. That’s 60,000+ people, all going nuts in the one place. The yelling and the atmosphere in that place is incredible.

Anyway.

After the game we rushed back home, got changed into nice clothes and then headed out to Anastasia’s great-grandparents’ place (her mother’s father’s parents) for a family get together. Lots of family. Aunts, Uncles, cousins, great-Aunts, great-Uncles… lots of family. Anastasia has a big family. Food, chatting, the usual talky-talky kind of stuff.

Afterwards I came back and then chatted to my family for about an hour and a half… Dace had a screaming chicken. My family was mostly drunk, but in good spirits (they had been drinking since breakfast). It was so nice to talk to my family (and not do charades).

For those of you who have been bitching about how my blog isn’t interesting enough, get over it. I don’t think your lives would be filled with adventure if I read about them every day either. I’m sure there will be plenty of ‘more interesting’ stuff once I hit Seattle and can tell you about what I’m studying, the new people I’m meeting and so on.

Well for the start of today I was due to show Jess a few things about how to play pool, since I kinda caned her the last time we played. Shoulder all over the place. Yeesh. Those of you who know my OCD tendency of showing people how to do something when I know and they don’t will recognise it now. ^^

Anyway, when we got to the pool hall, it wasn’t due to open until I needed to be back to head out to the first family gathering, so we went elsewhere. First we went to the mall for a bit and I met Jess’ friend Summer, whom I had seen and talked to online a couple of times but had yet to ‘actually meet’. Cool chick. Anyway, from there we went back to Jess’ place for a bit and just generally chilled out, talked and played some chess. I think Jess was just being nice in playing with me, though. ^^

Ok, I just saw this ad on television – why on earth would you put a computer into a toothbrush?

Anyway, after we got back I got changed into some nice clothes and Anastasia and I went to her great-Uncle Rick and great-Aunt Sylvia’s place for the first family gathering. We were the first ones there because we didn’t get told that it was shifted to later. Naturally. However, this suited Anastasia because she’s the punctual one.

This was a pleasant get together (I was the oldest one at the kids’ table) with Anastasia’s cousins and aunts and uncles and so on and so forth. Good food, good times. We hung out, we chatted, I managed to amuse some of the younger cousins as well as apparently winning over some of Anastasia’s more protective uncles. Afterwards we went home so I could get some work done and just relax for a bit before getting some rest. I did a little bit of work, Jess came over and I cleaned out her computer. I exorcised the demons and that computer was clee-ah.

Today was our very late Christmas shopping day. Naturally this is done right before Christmas. ^^

First we went to Wal-mart, then we went very briefly to Target (walk in, walk out – the gift we had planned to get there someone had already picked up for us). After that we went to Toys-R-Us, then the mall, then to Borders (I love that place), then to Walgreens then finally home again. That was the short version of a very long day. Needing to get parking, finding the stuff, the queues, etc.

That’s about it. Grilled teriyaki chicken and stir fry for dinner. Next time we’ll do the shopping earlier. I think. I hope.