Jeff and Leslie came over around 11:15 Christmas morning and we started opening presents. There were lots of great presents to go around, and I got some really nice ones. Jeff game me a really nice messenger bag that has a battery in it for charging devices. I got lots of the things I had asked for as well. Kim got me a really nice fedora. Mom and dad got me some books, socks, gloves, shoes, and other useful things. We had a big dinner and the food was delicious. Like any good holiday dinner there was way too much food and a good bit of leftovers for eating over the following days. We played some Cards Against Humanity, since I had gotten the rest of the set for Jeff. As expected Dad really liked the game, and Mom was appalled at some of the answers. Mom still liked it more than expected. After that, Jeff and Leslie left. I then got my parents and Kim to play some of the games I had made. They had some good feedback.
This was a really nice alternative look at Ender’s Game. I really like the character Bean, and did in the original book as well. I’m looking forward to reading more about him in the next books.
Dad, Mom, and I went to the Ru San’s near little 5. We stopped by the Best Buy beforehand. Kim joined us, but Jeff and Lesley weren’t able to. Dad was strange and said I could only order one thing, so I ordered a three course dinner with a huge sushi plate as the third course. It was all tasty, and dad picked at the first two courses. I ate all of it and I really liked it.
I had a nice walk to lunch with Brian and Brittany. We ate burgers at a place called Farm Burger, that gets lots of it’s food from local sources. I got some tasty sweet potato fries, and they got some homemade root beer. We went back to my parent’s place and I showed them my Thailand photos. Brian and Brittany were kind enough to try out my game. They seemed to like it and I’ll have to push it out more widely once I get a little bit further in the game development.
This was a good Diskworld book. I prefer the other’s I’ve ready, but I’m still to run across a Diskworld book I don’t like. The story in this was a bit more coherent, with more of a point and purpose. I think that took away from it a bit, with the writing style not lending itself to serious stories well. I’m going to wait for a while before continuing on the Diskworld books, and it will be nice.
This was a pretty good movie, and they went way off the path of the book in this one. I was a little upset at how small a part Beorn played, but I suppose he doesn’t really fit in too much to the rest of the story, or the Middle Earth mythos. I hope they still have him as one of the epic fighters in the final battle sequence. I really like the parts they added in with Gandalf, as it is really cool to see a lot more of something that was only vaguely referred to in the book. I went with Jeff and his friends, and enjoyed the experience.
I got to Atlanta and got to see my parents new house and it is pretty big. I’m helping them fix it up the way they like and that has meant three main things so far; moving things around, investigating the vacuum system, and putting the workout mats in their workout room. I’ve seen both my brother and sister; and cooked tom yom for the whole family plus Lesley. They really liked it and Kim asked for the recipe. I’ve been able to get some work done, but not nearly as much as I was hoping. I’m enjoying the time with the family, but missing Steph.
This was a great continuation of the first diskworld book. I very much enjoyed it and love the characters. The way strange things always come up that should have been there all along is also amusing, and with the style of the books isn’t annoying. If suddenly all rocks become trolls at night, then that doesn’t seem like all that strange an idea; even if they didn’t become trolls any of the previous nights. The ending to the story is epic, and seems to be a little final. It is a shame since I really enjoy the characters in these two books. I look forward to continuing my romp through the diskworld books when reading other things gets too heavy.
The morning of flying to Atlanta I took a little bit too long to pack, which meant I saw the train pull away from the station as I walked up the ramp. Luckily Stephanie was a lovely selfless person, and she picked me up and took me to the airport. I certainly owe her one for that, and should pack earlier in the future. Once at the airport I had a quick lunch and went through security. The flight was uneventful, and I got a lot of good book listening in. I like that there is no requirement to shut off devices anymore. I picked my checked bag up and hopped on Marta. At Lindbergh station Mom and Dad came to get me, and they took me to their new house. It is very nice, and quite big for the two of them. It isn’t as big as the previous house, but it is still quite large. There are some nice touches to the new house; lots of stained and cut glass, big windows everywhere, a nature preserve behind the house, a sauna in the basement, three large porches. I got a good bit to eat, and it was delicious. There is something special about my Mom’s cooking, where you can taste an extra flavor of love that she puts into everything. I stayed up a bit, but got up decently early. I’ll have to see if I can make it to the evening or if I need a nap due to the jet lag.
It's an Exciting World 