For Christmas this year I was told to take three days off, paid, from work. The bad news is that I have nothing to do on those three days off. Everyone is out of town, everything is closed, the snow has all melted and it's raining now. By the way, how is it that the ground here in Chicago has been covered with a foot of snow for over a month now, and when it finally melts, the grass is still green underneath? Forecast for tomorrow: More snow. My first white Christmas. I'll probably spend it reading a new book about airplanes that Myriam has let me borrow. I'm flying to Boston next weekend (another paid 3 days off, I love my job) to make up for having such a boring and lonely Christmas. I have used my Christmas Eve alone today to be productive however. I finished reading a book that's been taking me forever to finish, I paid a lot of bills that I've been neglecting, and I installed a new shower head and fixed the drainage problem in the shower. Now I have water pressure, no leaks, and good drainage when I shower. That's about it. Merry Christmas to all of you!!