Holiday

Today is the last day, for the next 8 business days, that I will report to work. I've moved some mountains to get my assignments to a point of completion (or at least reasonable progress) before the new year. I've given cards to coworkers, arranged a small lunch for the subset of work people with whom I'm reasonably close, and pretty much have emptied the kitchenette fridge of anything of mine that could possibly spoil while I'm away from the office.

So I'll find some more loose ends to tie up, but mostly I'll wander from cube to cube, talking to cronies, listen to each of the 8 CDs I'm taking in, some of them Christmas-related, some not. And while I'm editing the Chess strategies manual, I'll listen to the 80s Broadway "Chess," which of course features some Russians and an American and all this drama about defecting and being "nobody's child." The story wouldn't work now in this post-Cold War era, but some of the songs are just stellar.

And then tonight both Catchka and my sister Caryl are coming over. For the next few days, I'll do last minute shopping for my mom and Sarah's parents, whom I expect to see over the break, and drink hot chocolate, and watch silly movies, and make merry, and all that jazz.

I'm sure that between being out of pocket myself and the fact that most of you will be busy yourselves, that activity on this blog will be limited. I hope your days are merry and bright, whatever days you do or do not commemorate.

We'll resume this discourse full-force in 2006!