I finally got a real gaming laptop this year, a Lenovo 7 Pro with all the fixin's, and it's the craziest thing I've ever seen. Slim, all-metal and relatively light but with vapor chamber cooling, a QHD 16" screen, and a top-end CPU + GPU. This thing is about as high-end as you can get performance-wise and yet it can still double as a business system.
That said, my favorite things I did this holiday season are:
1) Sitting down to watch Christmas specials with my now-University aged kids - love the classics (esp. the Dean Martin/Frank Sinatra Special) but my fave is probably the White Elephant episode of Regular Show - watching Muscleman get his comeuppance to Burl Ives' Holly Jolly Christmas never gets old. I also finally found the last Love Boat Christmas special (S10), which was a big hit with everyone.
2) Having my youngest back from 1st-year university - that's one tough transition as a parent.
3) Almost getting a hernia taking my own Toy Mountain to Toy Mountain - after the 4th trip back to the SUV it got kind of stupid and people were asking who I was and if I owned a business.
4) Seeing my oldest (who is a co-op science student with a real gov't job) finally have the money to proudly give her own set of presents to everyone.
5) Continuing to give to the food bank.
6) Being magnanimous to those I care about.
7) Even with the horrible weather on Christmas Eve, having a part of my extended family over for Christmas Day.
8) Reexperiencing Barbra Streisand's zany Broadway version of Jingle Bells - it's truly one-of-a-kind and no one ever believes me when I tell them how crazy it is.
I hope everyone had a great holiday season and here's to an even better 2023.
