"
"Ho, ho, ho, bub.
Ξ December 29th, 2004 | → Comments Off | ∇ General, Philosophy |
‘Tis the season to avoid public venues and major thoroughfares like the plague.
My mother and aunts were going on about how much time they spent going shopping pre- and post-Xmas.
Me? I slammed out all my Xmas purchases in under an hour, from the comfort of an armchair in the school library.
Some belated thanksgivings are in order:
The Internet - Googling for the Bugatti Veyron, Johnny Depp, car rental market caps, Florentine dress patterning, and wasabi salad dressings.
My laptop - without it, how could I take my work and classwork with me?
My wireless card - 802.11g rocks my socks. With it, I can take my online classes just about anytime / where I want.
My modestly-sized SUV - OK, so it ain’t a Prius. But it fits in compact spots (with clearance for the driver’s door), and doesn’t have to back its fat ass out of parking garage entrance ramps due to low clearance like the buggering H2 I got stuck behind this morning. Mr. Prissypants was all, “Oh! A curb! I can’t take my bloody expensive behemoth over that 4″ lip!”
At the same time, I don’t have to worry as much about bellying out my truck, like this BMW 7-series I saw did… Apparently, he’s used to parking by braille, and doesn’t it just suck when the concrete stop got nudged off the edge of the lot, which has a 7″ drop-off?
The CD player that came with my truck. Music is my refuge from all that cross-town schlepping.
And lest ye suspect me of being materialistic.. I saved the best for last:
Family - they’re not what I want, but I’m not what they want either. Mostly, though, they are what I need.
Friends - Who else would volunteer for the Deathstar Cannonball team for an orbital assault on the swimming pool during Houston’s first snowfall in 10 years? And we brought this upon ourselves, as opposed to having millions of gallons of dirty, salty water imposed on us.
On a more serious note, through them (directly or indirectly), I have learned a dreadful lot about human nature, psychology, and the accommodation (or manipulation, if you will) thereof.
And ultimately…
My wholeness - Sound of body, sound of mind. Mostly. I have my senses, I have my wits, I have 4 limbs. I savor the scents of fresh laundry, of pretty girls, springtime after it rains, and fish sauce in the kitchen. I can skate, I can juggle, I can dance (well, OK, no I can’t), and I can fence. I have two brain cells to rub together, and occasionally they come up with something clever.
Being alive is enough to be thankful for. The rest of it is pure icing.
..Like all the socks I’ve been getting for Xmas. Just like I asked for.
And it’s also nice that e.g. my sister Linh Thi helped to reinvigorate my anemic wardrobe. Now, to resuscitate my moribund dating life…
…For which, after listening to what some of my relatives seem to think is important for me to seek in a girl, I would probably be best served by a fistful of darts and a phonebook.
Thank goodness I’m not relying on them to save my social life. Only I can prevent forest fires! Er, or something.
