The X-mas spirit finally hit me as I was able to sneak out of work today after about 5 hours. It was dead and after being a nice co-worker and running outside in the cold to grab some starbucks for the room, they let me go. I guess it was the eggnog latte that sugared up my brain for this holiday. So when I was leaving work we had the radio on and that Wham/George Michael X-mas song was playing and just totally infested my head. You know the chorus:

Last Christmas I gave you my heart
The very next day you gave it away
This year to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special, special...

It was about this time last year in which I had a utterly miserable Christmas with my Ex. Ironically I think I did end up going to Vegas but it was only for about 36 hours I think on my Dad's B-day. Well the next day I after I arrived home she dumped me. It's a long story but to be honest I wish she woudl have done it before the Holidays because it was really strained and looking back it was arkward and sucked.

So this year I ended up meeting my best female friend Deb for a blended starbucks beverage shared a X-mas gift and just had a nice conversation. Which was fun as she had her family stuff to do.

Then I hurried as I remembered the message from my Aunt/Uncle in Canada inviting me over for dinner. I was a bit late but I arrived right when they were finishing up and I just had a bit of a Polish traditional item, herring. I chomped down the still warm meal and then just enjoyed my 3 adolescent cousins and my aunt's immediate family. To my surprise they actually bought me gifts! It was a very nice and pleasant surprise, since they know that my family doesn't do the exchanging of gifts thing. The one shirt they my cousin A* gave me I am actually going to take with me and wear in Vegas.

For the first time in years I actually experienced a normal Christmas Eve. Yea in about 9 hours I'm going to off to Vegas but still to be in a festive envirionment was great.

As I write this I'm just reliving an old Florida Tradition and watching/listening the Mass from the Vatican on NBC. I remember coming home the last time I actually went to church and catching the JP2 in his fraile state. I am actually missing him this year and it feels strange to say since I haven't been to church in years.

The other trigger of a Ghost of X-mas past was drivng up through Canada and listeing to Star 102. They had some "X-Mas from Disney" Staring Terri Hatcher of Desperate Housewives. Pretty much the show as old time Christmas songs and some product placement. What does Johnny Depp and The Pirates of the Carribean have to do with Christmas? THe really creepy part was they were actually selling the idea of taking the family to Walt Disney World in Florida for the Holidays. They were just pounding how great and remarkable WDW is for the Holidays ect.

Back when my the last of my grandparents passed on we actually did what they were selling long before they ever came up with this marketing campaign on radio. I just remember being in some newely built hotel in Walt Disney World. I don't think I was quite 18 but I had a great fake ID back then. What I do remember was I had bought a pack of Salem Ultra Lights at the gift shop and ended up going out back to this Jacuzzi that was part of our room. It is funny remembering the begging of my sister not to tell my parents that I was smoking.

The other part of htis holiday that has me all nostolgic is the music. Now what I really can't get enough of is the old school artists.

I had this old 33 as a king that had Gene Autry doing Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer. Bing Crosby, Do you hear what I hear. Dean Martin, White Christmas. Burt Ives, A Holly Holly Christmas. Margaret WHiting & Jimmy Wakely, Silver Bells.

To me that is part of the music. Listeing to stuff from artists that you wouldn't listen to at all during the year. Remembering relatives from long ago from Christmas long past.

Other notables I love hearing this time of year. Bing Crosby and David Bowie doing Drummer Boy. Anything from The Carpenters, Karen is just haunting with her voice. that cheesy Paul McCarthney X-mas song isn't that bad simply having a wonderful Christmas Time. Although to me it just doesn't hold a candle to that John Lennon song, So this is Christmas.

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

I just want to get out to Las Vegas so badly right now I can feel it. My parents left this morning for Florida and they'll be there when I arrive on Monday. Right now I am trying to plan out my suitcase but as it stands right now I am just trying to get myself to just carry-0n but I am not leaving myself any room for anything I may aquire when I'm out there. The shopping out there to me is just as good as the gambling. Strolling through Nordstrom and Nieman Marcus is just as fun since I have no clue where the nearest location of any of those stores is to Buffalo.

But I am just trying to figure out what to bring since I may attempt to go clubbing. On Sunday there were these 2 guys from Germany playing Poker and they were wearing these nice Hard Rock Cafe T-shirts. So I asked them if they've been to Vegas since I'm staying at the LV Hard Rock for a couple of nights. They told me that they picked them up at the one in Tampa and are going to be there at the end of Dec the same time that I am going to be there. So I gave them my # and we shall see if they call. Hopefully these guys will turn out to be wing men or at least good for splitting a cab. This could be quite interesting.

On another note I'm a bit disappinted that I will no longer be able to listen to Randi Rhodes :-( It's too bad that Air America is not in Buffalo any longer, although she was really the only show that I listened to on that station. Al Franken was hit or miss sometimes and the other shows on that station were not captivating at all. I remember when I first did a wiki search on her I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw her picture.

She was not at all when I expected, in fact I thought she looked like a knockout. Then again I think I may have a secret fetish for women from NYC. There is something about that accent. Couple that with someone that most likely has a strong secure personality and crying, "Oh, Gawd!" when they're turned on it just makes me melt. On a related note when I turned my phone on this morning I had a voicemail from A* the NYC chick that I spent the weekend with back at the end of August wishing me a early Merry Christmas; That was an excellent start to the day.

For some reason I have it in my head that I need to consume some retro branded wine from the 70's and 80's. It could have been the mention of the good ole gallon jug of Carlo Rossi from the (e:chat) last night. Then again I think nostalgia and memories have such a big part of the holiday season.

So I ended up hitting Premier as they were closing and bought a bottle of (WIKIPEDIA - Blue Nun). To match it off before New Years I am going to have to hit a bottle of as well.

Other than that I did have a mini date this evening. After a utterly shitty day at work [the end may be coming soon] I ended up meeting a co-worker at the Orange Cat. She's from NT and had a tough time finding the place. It was a descent time, but long term I just don't want it to happen. We get along great but there is just always going to be something missing.

X-Mas comes early for me as my Dad ended up going to the Hockey game tonight. I guess he felt sorry for me up in the suite he was sitting in and bought me some official merchandise, Sweet.