The Minion got back from visiting her Mom this morning, and and I are back to work — and so, with things back to normal, here’s a wrap-up of the holiday.
The mood was down quite a bit — ‘s Grandmother passed away on Christmas Eve, barely two months after the death of her husband, to whom she’d been married for 68 years. It was fitting that they’re together again after this brief period apart, but, as you can imagine, the family Christmas gathering was bittersweet, to say the least.
We did, of course, fully participate in what refers to as “the Festival of Avarice.” Nifty presents abounded. The highlights of my particular haul:
The biggie, from the in-laws: an M-Audio FastTrack Pro USB Audio/MIDI Interface with pre-amps, and a First Act ME301 Double Cutaway Electric Guitar. This combination allows me to plug directly into my Mac and record guitar tracks for my compositions, using any number of Amp and effects emulators that I have.
Holy Crap. I was gobsmacked.
A Metric Fuckton of nifty DVDs, from and some self-purchased with Yule Loot/Gift Cards, including: The Planet of the Apes Legacy Boxed Set (all 5 original films, plus a documentary), The Clash of the Titans, Superman The Movie (4-disc Special Edition), which includes the 1951 “Superman & the Mole Men” and 9 Fleischer Cartoons, in addition to the film plus extras, the Richard Donner Cut of Superman II, The 1966 espionage classic The Quiller Memorandum, 70s sci-fi goodness Logan’s Run, Miami Vice Season One, and the last two sets in the James Bond Ultimate Edition collections.
‘s Uncle Tony picked me up the coffee-table book Conan: The Ultimate Guide to the World’s Most Savage Barbarian, which is a nifty DK guidebook illustrated with tons of art from the various Conan comics over the past 35+ years.
There were other nifties as well, but I’ve rambled on quite enough. Talk to you all again soon.
First, my condolences to the missus for her loss. I can’t imagine having to go into the festivities on the heels of such a gutpunch.
Second, Uncle Tony for the win, man. All the gifts sound very cool (especially the FastTrack) but the coffee table book full of barbaric goodness just rings “awesome” to me.
w00t for the audio interface. You should definitely try out the guitar amp simulations that come with GarageBand, I was quite impressed with them.
Sorry to hear about‘s Grandmother.
It sounds like you got some new tools and toys, which is always a good thing.
Hugs to your lovely wife. I lost my grandfather last year at this time, and i know how tough that can be!
Sounds like things were otherwise good, and you guys really made out well on the loot. :)
All the best!