10:19 Mid Thursday Morning   Experiments On Christmas Eve Day, we (as in John, Vetti, Tom, Zeb, Caleb, and me) were supposed to go to the dollar store and get those swanky plastic swords that go "Zhwing!" when you move them. Then we were going to go to the Square and fight each other with them. It was going to be fun! But only Zeb ever responded to my attempts to contact people, so it didn't happen. Other than that, though, Christmas eve was great. Caleb's grandma came around for Tea, then we went to a church service which was only 30 minutes long! Short and Sweet. We went to the christmas story stations set up around town after the service. The christmas caroling that we intended to attend was cancelled..but lots of people were there anyway so we sang along with the courageous randoms who led us all into christmassy ish sorts of songs and carols. We ate ice cream bars and watched the last few minutes of A Nightmare Before Christmas (it was on TV) when we got home. Christmas day was gorgeous -- sunny and warm. Jeanette made breakfast of pancakes and served them with boysenberries and our choice of cream/yogurt/ice cream. Delicious. then we took all the presents outside onto the sunny porch and opened them. It was wonderful and warm. Lawrence and Jeanette gave me licorice, face lotion, and a cool towel with twister on it. Nath got me a clothes drying rack. Sharon gave me a lovely pair of earrings. Caleb gave me hankies, earrings, licorice, and face lotion. Since it was so beautiful and sunny, we decided to go to the beach. We packed a picnic, got our bathing suits on, got games and things together, and we were on our way. The beach wasn't quite as gorgeous as the city was, unfortunately. It was quite grey, actually, and too cold to strip down and run into the waves. I was too cold to even build a sand castle! Caleb's family played cricket on the beach, and that was pretty amusing to watch...except when they made me play. Lunch was really delicious. There was brie cheese and crackers and scrumptious breads, delectably flavoured tuna, cucumbers, and all other manner of yummy goods. We had a cherry pit spitting contest, which I lost quite horribly, and caleb won quite spectacularly. At home, we had dinner, read the christmas story, sang carols, then watched "The Prince and Me" which was on TV. Pictionary was played. Nathan and Caleb and I stayed up to watch Groundhog Day which was on after that, then went to bed when it finally ended. Boxing Day we went shopping like good little consumers. The mall was packed, and it was like an adventure game weaving our way through the crowds. Roshan and Lottie came round for tea, which was fun. We watched Pirates of the Carribean 2. I'm glad everyone told me it was awful before I watched it, because i had very very low expectations of it... which it exceeded so I ended up enjoying it anyway! We had another little present exchange, and they ended up getting caleb and me a Mr Potato Head family set. :D It's a lot of fun. Yesterday, Caleb set up internet to my room, which was very nice of him. Tom, Zeb, Caleb, and I went out for coffee and to see Happy Feet in the cinema. It had a good message. If only the rest of the world's problems were so solvable. I've also never seen a movie so skillfully depict a seal as being evil. Anyway, then we bummed around at Caleb's, then went to Tom's house and bummed around there for a few hours. We played pool and watched TV and ate food. It was pretty laidback, but it was all in good company. I had to be back at caleb's by 10 because Vetti came around and we went clubbing with Alyssa, Erin, and Zeb. Rather, we went to a bar and danced. Three guys came on to me. I was baffled. I am really not a good dancer at all, i just do what i feel like doing. Perhaps I'm charismatic. There we go. A nice way of saying crazy. We got home at 1 am, and I pretty much went straight to sleep. So far today, I've seen Caleb for 20 minutes at like 5:40 am just before he went to work this morning, and I spent an hour and a half sitting on the trampoline, talking to Sharon. :) Zeb's probably gonna come round for Tea, and he's staying here at Caleb's for the next few days because Sharon, Nathan, and the Parents are going tramping. In a few minutes i'll be going to town to meet Caleb in the Bus exchange after he gets off work. It's so good to be home!