Thursday, 18 December 2003
11:59pm

I

t's that time of year again, folks! Last week some time Jeff, Cami and I picked up a Christmas tree to have at me and Cami's place. We needed it because last Saturday we had our fabulous Thanksmas dinner. Yep, half way between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I baked a turkey, Cami made a whole bunch of absolutely delicious side dishes. We invited family members, old friends and cowokers to come over and just eat some good food and hang out. I was actually rather nervous about my turkey as I had never made one before, though I do roast a chicken every few weeks, but it came out just fine and everyone was happy.
I actually got my sister to come down here. She's the first family member to visit me at this place, and I've been living here for like three years now! Last week I was talking to my mom about how I'd met Jeff's dad, and she was like "how did you meet him?" and I was like, "uh... because his family actually comes and visits him once in a while??" -- no, I'm not bitter, not at all :)... but anyway, a wonderful time was had by all.
My sister had recently purchased a new Mini Cooper S, and commissioned me to make a fun video of her and her car. I got her to come back down to San Diego again by telling her that I know a lot more cool locations for video shoots down here than I know of in LA so it would be easier for her to come down here, so she came down this afternoon. We got some footage this afternoon and also got some Christmas shopping done. We'll be shooting a bit more tomorrow, then she'll be heading back home. But once I get back up there, there's one more scene I'd like to shoot but it involves L.A. traffic, so that's why I've gotta shoot it up there.
We also stopped off in Coronado to get some nice pics with the San Diego skyline in the background, one of which can be seen below. Yes, I guess this sort of wackiness runs in the family. The car, by the way, is supremely fun to drive, with excellent, well balanced handling and razor sharp turn-in. Color me jealous for sure.

Thursday, 18 December 2003
11:59pm

S

o as it turns out, my sister got really sick last night and left for home early this morning, so we couldn't finish shooting our video. So instead, I went to the mall and did some Christmas shopping. The crowds were actually quite a bit thinner than I was expecting, but then again, I was going in the middle of the day on what is a workday for most people. I managed to find a few gifts for friends and family members. I discovered that they put in a pho place at the food court at UTC. Woah. Maybe next time I'll try eating there.
In other news, even though today is Jeff's birthday, I ended up getting my Christmas present from Jeff and Cami today as well, since we didn't know when we'd see each other next due to some certain complications. Anyway, they got me the "Eye Toy"... and this thing freakin' rocks! For those who don't know, it's for the Playstation 2. It comes with a little webcam type camera that you put on top of your TV, and this camera is the only input device for all of the games! You see yourself on the screen, and you even navigate through the menus and stuff by waving your arms in the air at imaginary icons that only actually appear on your TV screen. All of the games are of course, built around this interface as well.
It is incredibly fun. I cannot describe how fun it is. There are 11 games on the disc that comes with the camera, including some games where you punch out imaginary opponents, some which are based on rhythm and coordination (similar to Dance Dance Revolution, but with your arms), and others which require an incredible amount of hand-eye coordination. Some of the games are more fun to play than others, but it is very fun to play, and almost more fun to watch someone else play!
This is definitely one of the coolest gifts I've received, thanks guys! Oh yes, if you'd like to see what this game is like... I made a video of me playing the game (from which I gathered these screen shots), so if you want to see me acting like a total goofball on camera, check it out. Also, I think after you watch this video, you will want to get one of these yourself... it's so fun and also so funny, at the same time! Click HERE to see the video. It's a 4.5 MB Quicktime movie, by the way.