Christmas remix

Well Christmas 2004 is in the books. And what a Christmas it was. For the most part, I avoided the 3 year curse. I alluded to this curse in an earlier post and now I will explain it for those not in the know.


It all started Christmas 1995. My dad had just purchased a 1995 Mustang Convertible. Coolest thing that could happen to a 16 year old boy. Being the great dad that he is, he let me borrow it to show off to my mom's side of the family. So Grant and I are driving back to mom's house about 12:30 in the morning on Christmas Day. Being that there's nobody on the road and I'm an idiot, I decided to see what it was like to drive 100 mph. I thought it was cool, the cop didn't. He tried to say I was going at least 120, which was bullshit. I told him that I never went over 100, he said 'you callin me a liar? You wanna spend Christmas in jail? That'd be a nice stocking stuffer for your parents.' Real pleasant chap. Thus the curse began.

Christmas 1998: I'm home from school and doing some running around town. Driving Brown Sugar and I roll through a red light on a right hand turn. Nothing major, cop pulls me over. Real pleasant guy, just wants to run my ID then he's gonna let me go. Turns out that due to a misunderstanding between me, the DMV, and my dad, my license has been suspended. Been that way for a year and a half. Who knew? So the truck's gotta be towed, and I have to call my dad to pick me up. It was pouring and the cop offered to let me sit in his car while I waited. I tried to get in the front seat, and apparently that's not cool. So I had to get in the back. Well the rain is really bad, so I shut the door. Pretty soon, here comes my dad. I go to get out of the car, and this is when I realize that you can't open cop doors from the inside. Dad blows a fuse, thinks I'm being hauled to jail and reads the cop the riot act. It was really hilarious to see a cop being intimidated. We finally got dad calmed down, and I was set free. My license was revoked (which proved to be an issue at the party I went to a few days later) and I was given tickets for driving uninsured, driving while suspended and something else I think. Fines came to $500 bucks. I was able to plead my case and court and get it reduced to $90. Then on Christmas eve, Grant beats me in every video and board game in the house and gloats about it. Not only did he win, he dominated me. Never seen anyone get that many 7's in a row in tiddly winks.

Christmas 2001: Just finished classes, happy to be heading home. On the drive home, the temperature gague malfunctions and I have no clue that the car is overheating until it's too late. Melted a few pistons, collapsed the radiator. Engine is worthless......total for a new engine somewhere in the $6500 dollar range.

So that's the curse.....only minor things happened this year...flights delayed a little bit and a pounding headache that made me think I had a brain bleed on Christmas, but that's about it.

Other highlights from the holiday:

*Stupid brother Christmas gift Exchange was a success yet again. I received a VHS cassette of "The Little Polar Bear" from Grant and ankle weights from Colin. I think it was a lighthearted poke at my weight, but that's alright. Grant got a jumbo checkers set from me and night vision goggles from Colin. these weren't fabulous night vision goggles, these were like from the Spy Kids line and basically they were a pair of glasses with flashlights hooked to the sides. Hilarious. Colin got a fish nightlight that was described on the box as a "Seabed underwater light move" or something ridiculous like that. I dont' remember what Grant got him. We inducted Skip with a "male nurse action figure that came with the tag line "doctors prescribe, nurses provide." I'm sure he'll come up with something good next year.