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.

Not as much of a Ghetto these days with a new Starbucks. There is a Starbucks in Niagara Falls and Monday was it's first day in operation. I had to stop in today since it is really the only viable business in walking distance of work that is not a bank or a bar and I just had to be there for the first day. Although I am glad that I am feeling like I lost a pound or two today by drinking that stuff I have to be at work at 7:30am today.

This is what happens when you are a lightweight coffee drinker. I think I'll just stick to my Tazo tea and Jones Cola.

Need quick sleep and a break from being way too wired for my own good.

ARG!

I always get creeped out by that little HSA Holiday Service Message that they play once in a while. Although I see the whole message of "From our families to yours..." idea going on at the same time it always made me think about their lives the other 11 months out of the year.

This may sound creepy but I always wondered about the shots of the reporters and anchors that are with their dog or stuffed holiday themed animal. The one reporter that I have always thought was one of the hottest women in the world was Ellen Maxwell. Ever since she joined ch 4 after WGR 55 went to all sports and news was no more she was always single with just a rain deer in those holiday shots. This year she is with a guy and hopefully it's not her brother. I actually feel a bit sad that someone so amazing as her hasn't found that one and only guy. What separates me from being a weirdo stalker is that I don't ever think in a million years it would be me. I only meet her once at the farewell party of the Larry Hunter show. It's more of being a nerd that I really empathize for her since here I am a guy in his 20's listen to news/talk radio.

So I find it quite ironic that I am worrying about a hot news babe finding a guy in her life when in reality I don't have anyone. Am I more of a compassionate person? Or do I consider myself chopped liver? Heck, I could be worrying about the lonely people on (e:strip).

Last night I ended up hanging in a Dive Bar in the Falls. It was a bit interesting to see a place still stuck in the 1950's but I was a bit leary of the people in the place not counting my Ex. The old guy that owned the place and his daughter behind the bar seemed like they operated the place for the love of it. The upside was the old guy was quite passionate about selling his tacky merchandise that he accumulated; it was a blast to see this walking singing Santa walk on the bar of the price of $15 dollars. The downside was this was a local watering hole for worn out people so the smoke was pretty bad. If I wanted to smell like a butt can I would have went to the pink and enjoyed great music and had interesting people to look at instead of old bar hags and senior citizens.

After receiving a call from my buddy Peter I ended up stopping by the Brickyard on the way home. It was packed but there was just a negative vibe in the air. The dude from my H.S. class was there, he had been there since 5pm and it was 11! How do these people do it I have no clue. It was typically a local night out except for a few strangers. It was just weird, my buddy was cut off due to an argument he had with his neighbor about his dumping activities on his property that apparently blew up before I arrived. After hanging out with a table of acquaintances I witnessed a fight! The last one I witnessed in this place was about 4 years ago. Apparently some old 40ish year old guy called some spoiled girl Ugly and the next thing I saw was him chocking her as they were taking it outside. Totally messed up. Where do these people come from? I'm almost happy I'm working this weekend now, Yikes.