Peace, Hope & Joy...

Well I finished-up my annual Christmas shopping earlier today, the 6th day of December - that's a new world record for me! This year's shopping list was basically the same size as it was last year, I was just more proactive about it this go-round! 

I already sent my Christmas cards out last week, so I'm good to go in that department too. The Christmas tree is now up & the decorative exterior lighting has now been installed. 

There's currently Christmas music playing throughout the house - only thing missing right about now is the smell of sugar cookies baking & I've actually got a candle for that, lol. So, there's nothing left for me to do now except sit-around & enjoy this beautiful season of giving.

Let's see... what kind of Christmas movie shall I watch today? A cartoon, a romantic comedy, or maybe 1 of those made for tv holiday dramas, hmmm.... so many decisions, lol. Anyway, you can see I'm ready for the big day & poised to receive my blessing, hopefully you & yours are all set to receive your blessings too! 

Tis The Season, Already...

I usually try and wait until turkey day has passed before I start rolling-out the yuletide adornments, but fuck-it - the balsam fir scented candle is now lit, Christmas-themed movies have been pushed to the top of my Netflix DVD queue, holiday cards have been purchased & addressed.

I'd say that I'm all-in when it comes to having the Christmas spirit, lol. I just returned from shopping for Christmas decorations & supplies in Waldorf... it's my favorite time of the year! 

Though Thanksgiving is still 2 (full) weeks away & already I'm playing Christmas music, lol. I'm not the only one with the 'early' spirit though, each of the stores I visited was crowded with holiday shoppers, I felt much better among my people, lol. It's nice to be ahead of the curve, especially in an area as gridlocked as the DMV, now I've got less running around to do as we get closer to Christmas. 

So I guess I can focus solely on the gifts I need to purchase now that I've gotten all of those miscellaneous little purchases out of the way. Perhaps I'll do a little Black Friday shopping this year & knock-out all of my gifts in one day too!

Tis the Season...

Ok, I'm just about done with my Christmas shopping for the year. The short list of 4 people I was shopping for swelled to 9 over the past week, so it appears I won't be treating myself to that special gift, after all :-(

But fuckit, it's all in the spirit of the season, so I really don't mind. Although I have no children of my own, watching kids rip thru wrapped gifts gives me great joy, so I'll gladly take the extra hit in the wallet for their sakes.

You see, Ma told me guest would be staying with her over the holiday & that I'd better not show up without presents, lol. So just 2-3 more smaller items, then I'm completely done, I'll be sure to handle those before midweek hits. There's no way you'll catch this guy here dickin' around in anyone's mall just days before Christmas.

Roads in the DC area are a congested nightmare, even without holiday traffic, so best of luck to any of you last minute shoppers out there.

I did manage (well... I almost manged) to stay within my shopping budget & that even includes what I expect to spend on the final few items I've yet to buy. I find I always struggle to stay within my set budget most years.

What can I say? I guess I'm just not a shitty gift-giver. Truth be told - I wish I was, at times, since buying thoughtful gifts can be challenging when you actually give-a-fuck. Plus, I know how it feels to get a shitty gift & I'd simply rather not be thought of in that particular light, lol.

Admittedly, for birthdays & other celebratory occasions, I'll quickly grab a gift card & call it a day, all in the name of saving time, I guess. But for Christmas, if not supplied with a list, I really do like to get people useful gifts.

All & all, I'm pleased with the gifts I came up with. I didn't even go the Internet route this year. I actually put in the leg-work myself for all but 1 gift & that was only because I ran across a really good online deal.

Anyway, since I doubt I'll post again between now & Sunday, I guess I'll take this opportunity to wish all of you a very merry Christmas! Enjoy the time with close friends & family. Despite all of the commercialism that Christmas now involves, remember above all... this is a time for love, peace & goodwill, regardless of religion -- now go out there into the world & BE somebody, lol.

Stinkin' Lincoln...

I got a bit impatient & bought a new car this weekend. Initially, my plan was get a new computer & 3D television before taking-on a new car note, but my previous vehicle registration was set to expire on August 31st & I was NOT about fork over $128 to the State of MD to renew my old registration for a minimum of 2 years when I'd only have the car for another 1-2 months, tops - that's just stupid, or at least I thought so, lol.

So I got my lazy ass up early Saturday morning & took a trip to Annapolis, I'd already been researching several vehicles over the past year so I knew exactly what I was looking for. It was just a matter of which dealership gave me the best deal & since July marks the end of the model year, I took advantage of some unexpected savings as well.

After spending much of the day on dealership row, I chose the Lincoln MKZ (the front runner among my list of cars to consider - the others I considered were the Infiniti G37, Acura TL, Buick Lacrosse & Dodge Challenger). After my research & test drives, I felt the MKZ gave me the best combination of luxury, sport & TECHNOLOGY :-D

I decided I wanted to buy American, making the TL a long-shot unless they threw some kind of crazy deal my way (they didn't). I'm too used to the convenience of sedans, so the 2-door Challenger was the next car I eliminated. The G37 cost far too
much after including certain options I couldn't live without & even though the Lacrosse was close to being my selection - Buicks still just screams 'old person' to me, so I passed, lol.

After a weekend of driving, I'm rather pleased with my decision. It looks nice, performs well on the road & has all the necessary (ok, maybe not so necessary, but desired) bells & whistles. It's actually my 1st new car, all of my previous vehicles have been used, so this purchase was long overdue, glad I took the initiative Saturday morning. Right now I'm calling her 'my cougar' - as a Lincoln, she's seasoned with a well-established reputation & definitely into younger men, lol...

Gift ideas

Still trying to come up with a few gift ideas for that special tech loving guy & don't wanna resorting to the standard gift card as result? Here are a some ideas that might give you some thoughts on how to jump-start your holiday shopping:

This 1st one is probably the most common idea, so I’ll get it out of the way with right now… it’s of course, the all important Apple iPod. There are several versions of iPods available, so the 1 you’d want to target would certainly depend on the intended use of the device. But for any tech geek in training such as myself – the iPod Touch ($230 - $400), is the best option as it boasts the most features of any current iPod model. The iPod Nano starts as $140.

If “Mr. Man already has an mp3 player/iPod or mobile phone that he uses or music playback, a set of BT Headphones (which is NOT to be confused for a standard BT earpiece) is a relatively cheap gift for your favorite tech lover at $50, but can get as expensive as $300 depending upon how high-end the model/manufacturer is. A docking station is never a bad gift for any iPod/iPhone owner either.

If he reads or has the desire to do more of it, Amazon's Kindle e-book reader would be another great solution for such. The Kindle 3G retails for about $190, & there’s a non-3G (Wi-Fi only) version that starts at about $140.

Nowadays BluRay players are cheaper than ever before, I’ve seen many priced in the $120 range recently, so that’s another gift idea if he’s a movie watcher, especially if premium sound & graphics are at the forefront of his desired movie watching experience.

Playstation 3 video gaming consoles feature BluRay playback as an embedded option, so this too is a decent, albeit pricier idea ($250 - $400) if you have any thoughts of killing 2 birds with one stone.

Has he been super-good this year? If so, he might really enjoy the use of an Apple iPad. iPads feature a wide range of media, gaming, application & web browsing capabilities which are perfect for occasional or frequent use. Wi-Fi only iPads start at about $499, Wi-Fi + 3G iPads starts at about $629.

***Note: Anyone weary about buying an iPad 3G for use with AT&T’s data plan (in anticipation of the iPhone’s unveiling on Verizon in 2011) should keep in mind that Verizon already offers iPads with 3G data services & they’ve been available in their stores since about the 18th of this month, so you could always grab an iPad now & get an iPhone at some point in 2011.

If he’s an Apple product ‘head’ like myself, or simply uses his iPod or iPhone ALOT for music in the home, viewing videos, photos or YouTube, AppleTV is wonderful media extending device that combines the functionality of each of Apple’s device capabilities to create the perfect audio-visual multimedia experience & it keeps getting better with each update. Quite simply, it remains the best media extender on the market. AppleTV syncs with the iTunes library to stream media to any given TV/entertainment system.

Some of the many conveniences of AppleTV includes access to your iTunes library, the iTunes Music Store – for HD (& standard definition) tv show/movie rentals/purchases, song/music video purchases & more. It can be used to view sites like YouTube, Flickr & will even allow access to you individual account. It flawlessly handles online or streamed photos/video including internet radio & of course allow you to listen to/watch video & music from your own iTunes library. It’s not an expensive device either these days, as it’s priced at just $99 on Apple’s website. I bought one 2 years ago for $250 in comparison.

Lastly, does he have a billion components connected to the TV/entertainment sytem, complete with a remote for each device? A universal remote might be another good gift idea then, that way he can get rid of all but one remote. I use the Harmony 1100 Universal Remote Control which controls everything from my laptop to my PS3, to electric window shading (If I had those kind of shades, of course – lol).

The rechargeable remote (& included docking station) features a colorful, touch-screen & fully customizable design that can be used to display wallpapers, favorite channels & activity power-up/down sequences with the push of just one button. Updates to the remote (essential when new devices hit the market) can be found online using the included software & installed by syncing with any computer. It’s a pricey device, but he won’t need another one for 10 years - it can be found online or in major electronic stores in the range of $250 to $400, so shop around.

Black Friday...

Interestingly, both women & children seem have a way of deciding to show their ENTIRE asses right when the holiday season starts. You know, those crucial days/weeks before or after Thanksgiving when your busy deciding what you're gonna spend on who & more importantly — why. Have you been a good girl or boy this year? If not, you've got exactly 25 days to make amends for any recent misgivings, lol.

Many of you are out gettin your Black Friday shopping on today. So in that spirit, I'm at my desk at work & just completed my holiday shopping list & while there have indeed been some notable, last minute changes & omissions to this year's list, I remain confident that I've included all of those close to me who are deserving of such accolades & will complete my shopping accordingly.

I've always enjoyed this time of year, even upon becoming an adult when the amount of money spent on gifts began to exceed the amount of gifts received, lol. I guess I just love the act of gift giving and seeing the enjoyment that various people within my circle take from the occasion.

Aside from that, it's a special time of year when people seem more kind (in general) & generous just because. We live in such a self-absorbed society that it's almost a pleasant surprise each year to see that the holiday still exists. Despite the commercial extravaganza that this season has become over the years, there's still something special in the air during this time & I love it.

Hopefully, the up-beat spirits of the people roll right on into the new year! I've got big plans for myself in 2011, so I'd love nothing better than to finish-off 2010 on a high-note. Best of wishes go out to you and yours — Happy Holidays!