Holiday Update

We have been totally lazy in updating this blog of late, for which we apologise. It’s actually a case of having a lot to do rather than not much to say, so among the things going on lately:

• Heather is enjoying her “new” (not all that new now) job, and has just been awarded “extended benefits” (meaning services beyond the normal medical coverage all Canadians enjoy).
• Chas now has some work as a US contractor for a worldwide software manufacturer (it’s an internet thang), basically getting paid a little bit of money to do the sorts of things he was already doing: correcting people on the internet. It’s early days, but so far it’s been great fun and I’ll have more to say about it further down the road.
• Chas has also been doing stand-up comedy of late (some would say “his whole life”). Since the first entry talking about this, he’s done another gig that went over very well, and will continue with it as opportunities arise. Victoria is a really friendly town!
• Speaking of gigs, I’ve given up my volunteer role as Vice-President of the local Mac user group in order to become their volunteer Program Director.
• We recently went back out to Butchart Gardens for the first time in a while to soak up their nighttime holiday displays, which are of course not quite as glorious as the gardens themselves but are impressive nonetheless. Family members and a handful of others will get to see some of that on our annual holiday card. Everyone should see this place once in their lives, it’s absolutely amazing.
• We’re very proud of the fact that we held a dinner commemorating the first night of Hannukah with some friends up here, basically explaining the idea behind the evening’s ritual, lighting our new hannukeah (or Han-IKEA as I like to call it, it’s really small and modern and cute!). We aren’t particularly observant but it was a great opportunity to enlighten and expand people’s awareness, particularly up here where the Jewish community is small by comparison to Orlando. Our friends are very cool folks who had a deep interest -- particularly in eating latkes and jelly donuts after the lighting of the candles! Yum! :)

• Heather has a computer of her own again, which means most of our evenings are spent quietly working on our various digital projects while the Fire Log Channel pops and crackles away on our TV ... (we do love the Fire Log Channel!).
• Last year at this time, faithful readers may recall, we were knee-deep in snow (very unusual for Victoria) which lasted a full 10 days, right through Christmas. This year keeps threatening us, but so far we’ve only gotten the lightest of light dustings one day this week, and the next few days will be well above freezing. Lots of gentle rain, though.
• For those few who had our Port Angeles, WA PO Box address, we decided to drop it. We just didn’t use it as much as we’d expected to, so we couldn’t justify the cost. You can delete that from your records.
• Some time in the next week we will be doing what few xmas traditions we have at Chez Martin ... a screening of our favourite holiday movie Scrooge (aka the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol, more on that soon) and a mini-marathon of bad holiday movies that have been “riffed” by the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 gang!

We have some pictures to share of the “Lighted Truck” xmas parade, as well as the Empress Hotel’s Tree Festival, and we’ll get those up soon. But just in case we get lazy again, we wish you all a happy holiday (whichever one you happen to observe!) and a great New Year!