Christmas...the Aftermath

Recovering from a right jolly day of holiday fun and frivolity. An unexpected migraine and irritated stomach aside, it was a joyous occasion. Josh and Katie were swept up in the spirit of the season. The little fella made out like a bandit in the gift department. Katie and I didn't do too badly ourselves. Books-a-plenty; novels for me and cookbooks for Katie. We also landed a slick little video camera, so look for more video postings.

I hope everyone out there had an equally magical holiday. We leave you with the man of the hour.

Home for the Holidays

Two days into our California Christmas trip and the jet lag has finally worn off enough for a brief post. Sunny and clear though it may be, it's a darn sight colder than Taipei. Wife and child still tucked snugly in bed.

Posts were a bit sparse over the last week as final prep for the trip was reaching a fever pitch. We never did finish all our pre-holiday shopping before leaving Taiwan, so I am expecting many a trip to the local shopping mecca's. This will no doubt include excursions to Santa Barbara and (my wife's personal favourite) the Camarillo Factory Outlet Center. The latter is home to Coach designer bag outlet, which signifies sort of a holy pilgrimage for Katie every time we visit the folks.

One of our camera's took a nose dive, but I'm hoping to get some pics up in the next few days.

In case you missed it...Taylor sinks Everton

Christmas Shopping and an Early Gift from Pompey

The clock is ticking on our departure back to California. This will be the first time Josh has flown, and while confidend of survival, we have little hope of emerging from the experience unscathed. I've been perusing the lad's owner's manual for hints and strategies. So far I have found little to settle my mind about the 12-plus hour non-stop trans-Pacific crossing.

Katie and I headed to Yinge yesterday for a little pre-holiday shopping. For those not up to speed on Taiwan, Yinge is town known for its ceramics. Locals have turned their calling into a nice little tourist industry. Selection ranges from cheap and cheesy to high-end works of art. Taiwan and "art" may not seem to belong in the same sentence to the uninformed who think the island is only capabable of producing electorics. On contrary, the local artisans turn out incredibly detailed and delicate works, both in traditional and contemporary styles.

Last night's footy results saw my beloved Pompey win 2-0 over Everton. It was the first time the Portsmouth beat the Toffees at home in 50 years. Matt Taylor opened the scoring with an amazing 45-yard goal followed by a flawless Kanu volley. Play up Pompey!

Good Grief, Christmas with Chuck

One of my most cherished memories of the holiday season was the annual run of Christmas specials on network television. Of course, the Rankin/Bass puppet animated programs would top any list of favorites: Rudolf, Frosty, The Year Without a Santa Clause (who can forget Heat Miser and Snow Mizer?).

I tell my wife, Katie, that I can't wait until Josh is old enough that we can sit and watch these shows together. As usual, she shakes her head as if to say there is something seriously wrong with her waiguoren husband.

Of course, the granddaddy gold standard against which all other Christmas programming must be judged is A Charlie Brown Christmas. From Bill Melendez's simple animation to Vince Guaraldi's haunting jazz soundtrack, it is pure genius. The soundtrack still ranks among my favorite holiday music.

While doing a Youtube search for some clips to put me in a holiday mood, I came across the following spoof. It's from a Saturday Night Live episode a few years ago and I believe Al Franken makes a cameo doing one of the voice-overs. Enjoy. I'll probably be getting coal in my stocking for posting this.