Christmas

A lot of people have been asking me how my Christmas was, and instead of repeating the same story over and over, I figure I'll just make a short post here. Christmas day wasn't really special, I mean, we had weights at 9 am, film session at 12:30 and then practice after film until 4:30. But for me Christmas is mostly just another day. Almost a third of my life now (7 years out of 24) I've spent away from home for Christmas.

This year was a little different for me though. Clearly I'm not talking about spending it alone. It's not about having to do basketball stuff on Christmas, in college I once had to travel on Christmas day (Rainbow Classic '03). I'm not talking about spending Christmas in a foreign country. I was in a club in Vienna for Christmas last year. The major difference for me this year was that finally I had my own Christmas tree. I feel like having your own Christmas tree is like crossing another boundary into adulthood. Like learning how to tie a tie or that health insurance really is a good idea. So this Christmas I checked off another thing on my list of portals into adulthood, and I really only have one person to thank. Katie McGough. Thank you Katie, for sending me my first Christmas tree that I can truly call my own.

Here is a picture of my Christmas presents, beneath the tree. In true Christmas fashion my tree even has a star on top, even if it is missing some ornaments.

I would also like to thank Katie for her incredibly thoughtful gift of a clown bicycle horn. Since I've been in two crashes with Japanese motorists, I expect this horn will be nothing short of a lifesaver.