I'm really hazy this morning. You know that fog that sometimes settles over you.

The good news is I got my first paycheck with the new raise in it - you know from the intern review I did over a month ago. Yeh! More cash = good. (As if I need to tell anyone that)

I received a present in the mail from G&G Cutri yesterday. It is wrapped beautifully and under my tree. I wonder how long I'm going to be able to hold out before I absolutely *must* open it.

Last night the branch Christmas pary was fun. In our gag-gift exchange, I received a grill set inside a golf bag. I'm not going to comment on how often I grill since I've stopped eating meat. I gave a rubik's cube Homer Simpson head (which is harder to do than it looks).

I all left the party with a story for my "small world" files (you know, stories about me running into Kris Koster at a train station in Munich, and J.R. and Joey at a street corner in Florence...). I was talking to a co-worker's wife (at our party in Houston, TEXAS), and she asked where I was from, and I mentioned I went to high school in Florida. She said "Oh, really, I lived in Florida for a while. Where'd you live?" And I said, "Boca Raton, its in Palm Beach" (Figuring the conversation would end there - you know, Florida is a pretty big state and all). She said "No kidding! I was a school teacher in Delray Beach!" At which point the coincidence dawned on me and I replied "I went to Atlantic High School in Delray Beach!" Which was where she taught!! We rapidly exchanged names of all the teachers I had - and she new most of them (Then I made her feel old by telling her what year I graduated - but if I had been only a few years older she probably would have been my chemistry teacher.) And this is when you sigh and say Its such a small world...