Merry Christmas!

It's been a very cool couple days. Last night I figured out that one of the local bookshop shows artsy-fartsy movies every night, so I watched Elegy, then walked home under the bright stars of Orion. For some reason it was the only constellation I could see as I walked along the Nam Khan River, but it was really bright. Very beautiful.

But the coolest thing of all is technology. I got myself signed up for Windows Live Messenger and managed to have a video visit to my Dad's family's annual Christmas Eve bash. Seeing everybody's faces brought me to tears. They sang "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" when the camera first popped up, and there went the waterworks. But after a moment, they were all their Taylor-y selves and we spent the remainder of the time cracking up - especially with my uncle wandering in and out of the shot wearing the turban I got him in India! It was cool not only to talk face to face with everybody, but to see the party going on behind them as usual. It was the next best thing to being there. Technology is truly amazing. So thanks, Larry, for going out to get the webcam to make that possible. It's one of the best Christmas presents I ever got. And tonight I get my other Christmas present: a phone call to my Mom and her side of the family.

It just goes to show that the flurry of wrapping paper and food is really just icing on the cake; there's not so much as a strand of tinsel here in Laos, but my day is made because I got to be with my family for Christmas...I hope all of you out there are lucky enough to have the same.

Merry Christmas!