Two days in a row of big-ish family gatherings. I know i wasn't very cheerful or outgoing or fun while out to dinner tonight, but...I don't know. I just couldn't do it.

After a while, i feel a shift from "i'm just not happy like whoever else, and that's ok" to "i don't get it, they're happy...wtf is the deal with me?" Soon as that happens, it can be a difficult rut to break out of. Not really self-pity, but just being more acutely aware of one's (perceived)shortcomings and differences from others.

Ah well. Trying to focus on other things and move on.

christmas was good. Jen really impressed me. We'd been talking about how we wanted to get a dvd player for the living room since the bedroom one died and we moved the only working one in there, and she got a really good one, i think. Plays cdr/rw, divx, vcd, pretty much everything, plus upconversion for when we move up to the bigger/flatter tv in the living room, as we'd like to come tax time. Beyond that, also got a 4gb ipod nano, and found a perfect little clear plastic case for it tonight.

Looking in the stores, though, i'm going to need to do some research on tvs before we do anything. I had no idea there were so many options, but...what can i say. Technology moves fast, and i'm old and slow on the uptake.

Work goes well. Paid some bills and approved expense reports and inventoried projectors today. it's nice doing stuff that really feels like it has a purpose, vs, just answering a phone and doing work a monkey could cover. None of it is really exciting or glamorous, but i'm enjoying it thus far.

I am tired, though. Looking forward to this weekend.

Jen's watching episodes of season 4 of the office online, despite my explanations of the writers not getting residuals and that being a cornerstone of the strike. She's going to be a grouch in the morning, and i want her to scoot off the desktop so i can load the new ipod up for my filing tomorrow.