There we go... sweet shoes... I told you so...

I remember him having that tool set... I think I broke the hammer... I broke a lot of shit of his...

Note... on the stack of records in the corner... on top... oh, yeah... Stan Kenton Christmas... of course.

Also note... groovy professor owl.

Last note... again... apparently recovering from falling down... I must've done that a lot, too.

Here's a pic where we kind of look alike (after a bit of restoration), I guess... roughly the same age (click it to see me in all my navy jumper glory)... with her dad... and one of our cats (Woody) going for "de rrreebon..." Apparently, I am in the midst of trying to pump up... or falling over, possibly... Wish you could see the shoes... they were awesome.

I think she looks like her mom, but that's just me.

I am told that she and I resemble each other... or at least when I was a little kid like that, anyway... um... sans the blonde hair and all, of course... I guess I can see it.

This time of year drives me crazy... I wish I understood it... Well... I do understand it, but I wish I understood it better, I guess... I have very much of a love/hate relationship with the holiday season. I love the memories I have of being (a lot) younger and all the fun I had with my family... and I guess I hate it because so much of that family is gone... I mean, yeah, my brother and my mother are both still alive and all that... but I haven't seen my mother since my dad's wake, about three and a half year ago. My brother may come around for Christmas, this year... I've only ever seen my almost three year-old niece once and that was for about 20 minutes... Hell, I don't know... I don't get presents, anymore (I usually end up buying myself something small for Christmas every year and that's about it)... I think one of my friends is coming up for Christmas (one of my best friends in the world, whose wedding I wasn't even invited to).

I swear, I'm not a grinch... I really love the idea of Christmas... I find myself looking forward to it, every year (only to be kinda slapped in the face a little by the reality of the situation)... I have fun, whatever I'm doing... even when I'm working my ass off... but damnit... come on, already.