[I’m not breaking down; I’m breaking out]

The roads were wet and crowded (just like your mom), but I finally made it to sleepy Saltillo with half a tank of gas and flip flops on my feet despite the plummeting temperatures. Phil took off for East Tennessee, where his family is renting a posh cabin with all the amenities (pool tables, Playstations and big TVs, etc.). It’s good to be here, near a stuffed pantry, lots of trees, and countless new critters running around. I haven’t been here since August. That’s just way too long.

I brought the computer to show my parents and grandmother what a sound investment they made. Everyone but my dad was impressed. He insisted that this shitty Dell I’m on right now can do everything the iMac can. But then he went on to complain about how slow it is because of the piddly games my mom downloads. So while I’m posting this, I’m downloading Spybot S&D to see if I can fix some bugs and get the machine whirring again. It lags way too much for what they use it for. You have to wait 10 seconds before the Start button will even respond to your click.

Amber came over last night and we clucked for a while but pooped out pretty early. I’m sure she was tired from class and the flight, and I was tired from class and … well … I guess that’s it. I’m lazy anyway. It was really nice to have her back on the ol’ couch, yukking it up at Strangers With Candy. Before she arrived, Phil and I went to see The Incredibles, which was fun. I lament that I didn’t go toward animation instead of print design, but who says I can’t have a mid-life crisis in a few years and branch out?