Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Christmas on the Edge of the Earth

Christmastime has come to the Rock, and it’s not even on a two-week tape delay! It’s very strange to be celebrating Christmas a) in 87-degree weather b) without my family. But I found a nice place where you can rent a family for a few days, so I’ll be okay, but it won’t be quite the same. I’ll be staying with a family from my church that happens to have a few kids my age who are coming home from college in Texas for Christmas break. It won’t be the same, but it should be pretty good (even if they don’t have any air conditioning).

People really go all-out for Christmas. I have some really incredible pictures of some awesome all-out elaborate light displays, but I can’t post them because I still have no Internet at home. Thanks, Blue Sky(1)! There’s also a really awesome music-and-light show in the area that I got to see. I just remembered for about the 5th time in two weeks that we were supposed to film that for TV, but forgot.

I was also lucky enough to get two boxes that my family sent that were full of Christmas presents and junk mail. I’m really excited about opening the presents. Somehow, I’ve developed enough willpower to keep from opening them early without anyone around to stop me. There’s also one more box headed my way with the biggest present, but I don’t know if it will get here in time or not. There’s actually a possibility that it arrived on the plane Sunday night and hadn’t been delivered to the post office by the time we last checked on Monday afternoon(2).

Anyway, it’s an eye-bleedingly late 10:30 PM here, so I need to get to bed. But I’d like to add a bit about how the car search is going. I originally planned on getting a moped, but quickly learned that it’s a terrible idea because A) It rains cats and dogs here frequently.(3)B) There are big spots on my street that flood easily and frequently due to all this rain, and I don’t think a moped can get through them very easily. One in street-lagoon in each direction, actually. Pictures once I get the chance. C) I like to be able to carry equipment with me, and not just letting it stick out of a bag on the side. D) I like to be able to carry passengers with me, and not just sticking out of a bag on the side. For those of you who were looking forward to hearing about me driving a vehicle as awesomely dorky as a moped, don’t be discouraged! After waiting way too long to get the basic info on a truck that was sold without me even seeing it, I have come across, and I am not making this up, an old pickup truck with blue flame decals and no stereo! ROCK ON!

P.S. I should also like to add that I referred to American Samoa as “the Edge of the Earth” in the title, because that’s where it appears on most world maps. That is, when it’s not cut off entirely(4).

(1)The latest on that is that they told me late last week that I was 13th on the list and that they try to get 5 houses done in a day. I may have it connected before Christmas, but only if they do installs on Christmas Eve and haven’t gotten behind.
(2)That would be normal here.
(3)Which is why there are so many stray animals running around!
(4)I’m looking at YOU, Where I’ve Been map on Facebook!
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