hi there. i'm back. don't get too excited. i didn't do anything interesting while i was gone, aside from facing the crowds of mad shoppers intent on stimulating the economy the day after christmas at south coast plaza. or experiencing a very, just, well, odd christmas...had a great time in joshua tree, climbing. not the joshua trees. the rocks. i think climbing joshua trees is illegal. if not illegal, painful. the sky there was just amazing. took some pictures, in hope of capturing the brilliance of it. gonna get them developed tomorrow. i have experienced enough southern california to last me for a long long time. funny - i lived there for ten years and loved it, and now can only take a weekend or so at a time. it was a l o n g drive back to sacto today. zzzz....zzzzz...zzzz...more tomorrow. gotta get caught up on my internet reading. i was without it (aside from a small stint on christmas) for a week. a week! i was starting to get shaky. withdrawals. :)

anyone see the simpsons tonight? the kids travel to school in a terrible snowstorm...

marge: but how will they get back?
homer: the internet?

hee hee. hope y'all are preparing for some new year's fun. :)