Merry Christmas!

We woke up at 5:30 (yes, a.m.) to do Christmas. Heather made the drive over from her house, and Mom and Dad were up and dressed for work. I got a wireless laser mouse (which will make giving presentations to my students so much easier), Command & Conquer: The First Decade, gift cards, and a big book on sushi (from Heather). Mom and Dad left soon after for work, leaving Heather and me to tinker with our new toys.

I headed out at about 8 to set up some I ASSURE YOU, WE'RE OPEN-esque signs along the town's main drag. It's much harder than I expected to stick metal bases in the ground when it's frozen. After a little grunting, I worked it out, and headed over to Mom's shop to have breakfast with her. Christmas rush doesn't really start in the Springfield shops until 8 or 9, so it wasn't that busy. I headed over to National afterwards, though, to find the shop packed out. I ordered a biscuit and gravy, and watched Dad, Mike, and Nick--probably the three best grill operators of all the shops--handle the waves of orders easily.

After that, I went back to the house, but couldn't get the front door to open. Not wanting to go back and bother Mom and Dad at work, I headed over to Heather's house. We took a drive around her town--Battlefield--and decided to check out nearby Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, aptly named for the Battle of Wilson's Creek, one of the first major battles of the Civil War. Being Christmas, it was closed; we'd sort of expected it, and were trying just in case.

I went back to Mom's shop to have lunch with Heather, making that the third time I'd eaten at a Waffle House that day.

I met Heather and Megan later that afternoon, and we saw Benjamin Button. I loved it for the same reason I love every movie I see--the escape--but I didn't think it was amazing or anything. It was a good movie, but not worth all the Oscar praise it got, in my opinion.

After the movie, I went back home and relaxed with Mom and Dad.