[Choose your own adventure]
Today was nice until I had to go to work from 4-9:40. Not a very long shift, but work always ruins the day when it means standing around, wasting brain cells. Beforehand, I actually had time to fix up some more portfolio packets to mail off, go to the grocery, and visit Phil at his store. I felt like I halfway accomplished something.

When I came home tonight, Phil had baked a sock-it-to-me cake. We poured big glasses of milk and shoved heaping forkfulls of warm cake into our mouths. If there's any left, I'll take it to Nick's tomorrow night, where we're all gathering to welcome the holidays in our own debauched way. Should be a pretty large gathering; I think the Sidelines kids are coming.

I got my first Christmas card of the year today. It was from Angela White, a Sidelines crony from way back in the day. She used to write the most articulate (and long) columns about feminism and women's rights. She was writing about the Taliban long before Sept. 11. As a wee freshman, when I first starting reading Sidelines, I would look at her column mug and think, "Man, she must be loud and unpleasant." And then I met her and she was slight, softspoken, not at all annoying or unpleasant, and good at writing, editing, designing, Webmastering, and everything else. Now she's in law school, kicking ass there, too.

The coming week should be good: my interview, graduation, family celebration, Patrick and Amber coming in, partying with The Kids. So many important tasks. Another important chapter to add. Another series of events to photograph and seal in my memory. I'm enjoying myself.