Christmas

So the big day has been over for all of 24 minutes, and I feel the need to reflect. I had a great Christmas with my family. So here's the recap:

Got up, Jen and Will came over, and the whole family exchanged presents. And boy am I up to my ears in new technology. I have a boatload of new iPod accessories, 11 new DVDs, some nice clothes (yay for new Hendrix threads!), and an M-Audio recording interface for my iBook. I'll be recording my own music in no time! I also got some really cool Hokie stuff from Jen and Will - I can't wait to beat UVA...at checkers!

I helped Will initiate his new XBox (translation - beating his ass at Halo 2), and then we set to work on fixing my poor desktop. It's been having issues for some time, so we formulated a game plan. Partition the drives, allowing me to store data separately from the operating system, so I risk nothing if I need to reinstall the OS. Partitioning also opens a new door for me - Linux. I will finally have a Linux OS on my computer. I'm using the future tense here because my desktop was so screwed up that even after partitioning, some of my drivers were still MIA/nonfunctional. So we spent about 5 hours sorting that out, doing the partitioning twice more, and then we finally got it all up and running.

So Linux will have to wait. But we'll be getting that installed sometime this week. Rock on!

I just watched the complete Hendrix at Woodstock performance on DVD. Mind-blowing. Utterly amazing. I have a new desire to pick up my Strat and play like I used to. No more of this mellow acoustic stuff, I want to blast the roof off with volume, play blindingly fast, behind my head, with my teeth, et cetera.

OK, maybe not that overboard, but you get my drift. I'm pumped about having the time off to re-learn some of the classics. That, and the M-Audio box has revived my interest in guitar gadgets. The little thing is sweet!

Watching Hendrix also reminded me just how lucky I am. It's a bit of a stretch, but bear with me here. During the Woodstock show, he busts out the most anthemic version of "The Star Spangled Banner" imaginable. It's sweet, it's bitter, it's angry, it's powerful. For those who haven't heard it, you need to find it and listen to it. Don't just hear it. Listen. Jimi pulls the most amazing sounds out of his guitar - bomb explosions, air raid sirens, screams, weeping, it's all there. It was his way of protesting a war that only the minority of Americans supported. Irony at its best. Destruction within majesty. Which brings me back to the present. We are at war, whether we like it or not, and the nation stands divided once again. I feel so fortunate that it really hasn't affected me personally. None of my loved ones are in Iraq, Afghanistan, or God only knows where else. I feel blessed too that there are people in those places willing to fight and die for me, their fellow American, whether or not they believe in the cause either. It's principle.

Whether we agree with the war or not, we can agree on that. We are proud of, and thankful for, the fighting men and women of the United States.

Today I sat in my living room today - warm, well-fed, and loved, and it really becomes clear. The room could have been devoid of gifts, and I could've been just as happy.

Merry Christmas. God bless.