Christmahanekwanzika With a Russian Ending (Virgin Mobile Thought it Was Correct Enough, So Do I)

Christmas was a blast. I finished Kevin & April's present during the night shift, got packed as soon as we got home, let Isabella take a nap (as did I), then hit the road for DL.
The first 2 days were spent mainly just hanging out at home, then Saturday came, and we tore into the presents like wolverines. Karissa was kind of surprised to see such a chaotic mess of wrapping paper and food. We got some really cool presents, and Is got a LOT.
I got a mic stand w/boom extension from Jas--also a new microphone that came with the package! Now I don't have to bump my mic stand with my guitar!
My dad got me a Naval Pea Coat, which I've wanted for quite a while now. When I tried it on, my mom made some comment about how I can finally wear something other than long black coats. My ass! I love my pea coat, but my back will always know the comfort of a long black coat. It's part of who I am, everyone knows that.
Sunday, we hit the road early in the a.m. to Mayville. Karissa's family provides a stark contrast to mine when it comes to Christmas behavior. My family gathers at least 10 to a herd, snacks & tears into gifts all at once. It's over in about 20 minutes-half hour, and we sit back and shoot the shit while playing with our loot. Karissa's family consists of her mom & sister. We eat a nice dinner at the table, then wait until early evening to take turns opening gifts one at a time.
Again, some very cool gifts. A Jack Daniel's tin (complete with a full bottle inside), a Batman Begins DVD, the Jan Svankmeier collection (he's an early animator, I'm a big fan, all you need to know), among others.
All in all, I'm really glad it's all over. The traveling wasn't so bad, but I've never slept so badly. We had to temporarily convert from queen bed to full to futon, and Karissa is a notorious covers hog. I'm still waiting for my neck & shoulders to recover.
Last night was the first night in a loooong time that I didn't have a looming deadline for an assignment or reading that had to be done. It was so nice to have the night to myself (with the exception of my work duties). I finally got the chance to watch Agony, a Russian movie about Rasputin. If you ever get the chance (or are just that bored), I would definitely recommend taking in a Russian movie. For any of their other faults, they can shoot the loving hell out of a movie. Watch this movie, Solaris (pre-Clooney version), or Ivan the Terrible, and you can see the attention they pay to their movies. The actor who played Rasputin even had his hairstyle down pat. An American version was made in 1992 called Rasputin, but I haven't seen it yet.