Monday, December 24, 2007

Christmas, Santa Claus, etc.


It's that time of year again... when we ponder the age-old question: "What does Santa Claus have to do with Jesus?"

What will it be this time?

Decided to get lunch earlier today... and wouldn't you know it? My car won't start. Cranked it several times, it just won't turn over. There was a faint smell of burnt plastic coming from under the hood. Never a good thing.

Can't be the battery, as I had just gotten a new one a few months ago, plus all the electronics in the car still seem to work fine. It's might be the starter, but that was also just replaced only a few months prior to the battery...

I guess it might be the alternator? I've had the battery and oil indicators flash on and off from time to time while I was driving, and I'm told that such is the typical indication of a bad alternator.


I'm gonna have to jump it later and pray that the car starts. After that... I hope the car shop is open tomorrow.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Last-minute Christmas shopping

Did my annual last-minute shopping today.

First, I went to Fry's Electronics. Long line of cars waiting to turn into the parking lot was really the only thing that was markedly different from usual, and an indication of other people also doing their last-minute Christmas shopping. I was able to find a good parking spot almost immediately after turning into the lot, so things were good.

I didn't find the exact things I was looking for, but acceptable substitutes were available, so that was that. The checkout line was only slightly longer than usual, thanks in no small part to them opening up many more checkout stands than usual.

Next stop, Bed Baths and Beyond. Not as many people come here looking for Christmas presents, apparently. Although I've pretty much been getting the same things for my mom and my sisters for the past three years... without any real idea if they actually like these gifts or not. Hopefully they do. Luckily, we mostly subscribe to the idea of "it's the thought that counts," so no major problems there.


So, despite getting my shopping done at only a few days before Christmas, it was relatively painless. Whee.

Saturday, December 01, 2007

On the Run


These are music videos for Jay Chou's recent album, "On the Run" (literal translation is "I'm very busy").
  1. 牛仔很忙
  2. 彩虹
  3. 陽光宅男
  4. 我不配
  5. 最長的電影
  6. 青花瓷