Another silly thing that pleases me is the packing checklist I created this past year. It always drives me crazy when I’m getting ready to travel and I stress out over trying to think of everything I need to pack. So, rather than trying to think from scratch each time of all that I need to bring, I created a checklist. Now, each time I travel I print it out and I am sure to remember at least the basics and I don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time. I modified it the first few times I traveled and realized I’d omitted items (like a watch which is something I don’t wear daily but like to have when I’m traveling). Now I’ve added special sections for ski clothes, road trip items, tropical vacations, etc. It’s so basic, but each time I use it I’m so pleased with myself. And I don’t have to worry anymore about what I’m forgetting. Ah, simple pleasures. I love figuring out ways to do things a bit more smoothly.

My silliest triumph of 2008 was determining the EXACT number of seconds to nuke a mini-bag of popcorn in my microwave  to maximize the number of popped kernels without burning it – (2:25). I have no idea why this is so satisfying.

Have you ever had the kind of ice that is like very tiny, really light-weight cylindrical pellets which are full of air, a bit rough in texture, and really easy to bite through? I rarely find that kind of ice, but I think it’s wonderful to crunch on. It tastes great packing-out a big Styrofoam cup (the kind that comes from cheap Mexican restaurants) of cold coke . Delish!

On Christmas Eve I camped out with Catherine under my parents’ Christmas tree, just like we did when we were kids. (Cat set-up our sleeping bags, and then informed me that it was B.Y.O.P. -Bring Your Own Pillow – too funny!)

On Christmas Eve I took a drive through Westwood, Rancho Bernardo where the streets are lined with luminarias. I rolled open the sunroof and windows and countered the rush of cold air by blasting the heater and the Christmas carols as I wound up and down the festive streets. Many of the homes in that neighborhood were burned by the wildfires a little more than a year ago. As I rounded one corner onto Aguamiel street, I saw something very touching – a house which had been destroyed and was only partially reconstructed sat uninhabited, but with a lit Christmas tree glowing inside. It broadcasted a message, “Our spirit cannot be destroyed. There is still life here. One day we will be back, and we will celebrate Christmas in our home again.”