Christmas was quiet this year. Rachel and I did not really feel like decorating. We only had a plastic toy soldier outside, and a couple of random ornaments inside. On Thursday, we went out to dinner with Rachel s mom Pam. On Friday, we went to Pam s house to celebrate with another family. On Christmas Eve, we had snacks with more in-laws. On Christmas morning, we went out to breakfast, opened gifts at Pam s house and back at home.

So, I am a fan a Blizzard’s Diablo series. I played Diablo 2 (with the expansion) for at least four or five years. I also played a bit of Blizzard’s Warcraft series. About three years ago, they came out with World of Warcraft (WoW). The game looked interesting, but I did not want to pay a monthly fee. Well, curiosity got the better of me and I downloaded the free trial last week. It only took a few days before the game hooked me. I called Rachel and told her to buy the full copy before she left work; it could be my Christmas present.

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. If nothing else, it is starting to look like winter. On Saturday, the snow started to stick to the ground. I did quite a bit of driving, but there was only one slick spot. On Sunday, the temperature jumped twenty degrees. Had the temperature stayed near freezing, there might have been enough snow to keep me from coming to work.

As a software developer, I spend an inordinate amount of time pounding away at my keyboard. Recently, my wrists have started to bug me while at work. Several years ago, I got a couple of natural keyboards. I finally brought one into work. It should help to alleviate my pain as well as increase my typing efficiency.

I don’t know if I’m obsessive compulsive, too anal retentive, or what. But, I am not happy with my website. Originally, I maintained most of my website’s source code. I manually edited simple pages with a text editor. I created a program to input my blog entries and upload them. Software running on the web server, however, managed my photo gallery.

On a Saturday six years ago, Rachel and I were married. It does not seem like it has been that long. Like most couples, while we do have the occasional difficulties, overall things have been good. Of course, things would be better if Rachel wasn’t at work right now and we had enough money to celebrate. But, as long as we’re together, it’s all good.

Today is Thanksgiving, but it does not quite feel like it. Rachel and I went to lunch with her mom and aunt. That is about all we did today. I think it is time for a nap.

As of Tuesday afternoon, I am on vacation. I won’t be back to work until a week from next Monday. Of course, just because I am not at the office does not mean that I won’t be doing any work. I forwarded my office line to my cell phone in case of issues. And, as usual, I check my e-mail on a regular basis.

I was only halfway home on Tuesday before someone from work called. Someone called me yesterday morning too. I guess not everyone realized that I was on vacation. However, I was able to accommodate both of them.

Last night, shortly after letting the dogs out, Rachel and I heard the now familiar whimpering of an injured squirrel. We surmise that it fell out of one of the trees. The dogs only further injured the squirrel.

We herded the dogs away from the squirrel and back into the house. The squirrel was still breathing, so we were not sure if it would make it or not. Moving closer startled the squirrel. The poor creature tried to squeeze between fence posts probably injuring it further. We left it alone, hoping that it would be able to recover overnight.

Yes, the snow has finally arrived. Well, I guess "snow" is a misnomer. "Flurries" might be a better word. Whatever you call it, something was coming down at work this afternoon. I count the days until I need to start shoveling the driveway again.

Since we are not moving out of Lorain in the near future, we had taken everything out of our storage unit. Rachel has been redistributing the boxes throughout the house and has cleared out the room we had previously used for the dogs and our exercise equipment. So, once I get my act back together, I will be starting my exercise regime again.