In the time honored tradition, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - 2006 has been a blast, yet I foresee a truly sublime 2007 - sincere best wishes to you all…

…my love to my dear Mother, Bruce, Andy, Faye, and my gorgeous nephew, Alex.

I’m sat here in front of the telly, again, and being pleasantly entertained by TLC’s documentary entitled “World’s Tallest Man”. Decidedly enjoyable, and indeed educational, my joyous square-eye fest was instantaneously ass-fucked by the last ad segment. You know me and American ads - a paranoia-feeding pool of wankers that prey on the weak-willed.

[let me set the scene]

There’s a couple having dinner, and the woman’s narrative retorts into such inane drivel as, “I just can’t sit still”, and “my legs are itching to move”, and “I just feel I need to move my legs.” She then goes on to say, “my brother told me I have ‘Restless Leg Syndrome’, and it can be treated easily.”

I was then treated to a grainy showing of her sitting comfortably, thankful of the drug they’re peddling. At the end of the ad, I’m afforded the all too frequent www to visit to “learn more about my problem” - so I type into Firefox, www.restlessleg.com.

What do I find? A one-page site full of links to a whole host of “ailments”, from migraines to herniated discs.

Say it with me.. restless leg syndrome. Go on, entertain me. Restless… leg.. syndrome. What the fuck. Restless leg? Wouldn’t that constitute just being generally fucking tired? YES!

Wankers. Oh, and moronically stupendous.

Sat on the sofa and mulling over 2006. My fingers entice me down an antsy path toward an emotional ache that my heart knows only too well. It’s 10:31pm and there’s fuck all on telly, yet here I am attempting to embellish upon my humble blog the deeply profound feelings pertaining my grandmother’s passing this year.

Death is a natural fact of life. I respect that. I accept that. I embrace. Alas, no level of fundamental understanding takes away the tightness in my chest, the feeling of sincere loss, and the curious wonderment of “why didn’t I hug her more?” that runs through the fabric of my being every day.

I bitch and moan about the fucking subway ride in the morning… that probably won’t change, I’m a whining prick - deal with it. It hit me today while riding the godforsaken shit trip that is the C train, that I’ve become much closer to a part of my family that I seldom experience. Since my grandmother left our lives I’ve received emails and indeed comments on my video post, that moved me - my uncle David that I hardly keep in touch with - an email from my Uncle Stuart that falls under that same category, and I even receive emails from my Aunt Susan who feels now compelled to send me those “send this to 10 other people for it to come true” emails - cute.

I remember the day of the funeral - an event that I thought about on the plane to England. Dread, shear dread. But I look back and have fond memories of that day. Seeing cousins that I hadn’t seen in 10 years. My Uncles David and Stuart that hugged me like they’d never done before, and a beautiful group of other family members and friends that were there to celebrate, and moreover, say farewell to the backbone of our family.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about Doris - one of the most amazing people that graced my life with such unconditional love that one produces a grin when remembered.

Talk about trippy. Every 30 minutes in Grand Central Station, the powers that be present a terrific light show known as the Kaleidoscope Show. Get your arse down to our beloved train haven and check out the most amazing light show imaginable - it’s a frigging trip. Stand in the middle, look up, and chill.

Walking through Grand Central late this afternoon, I meander through the grand concourse’s tiny shopping area by the main entrance at 42nd Street, and come across a cool little stall called Kee-Ka. Their website explains the idea behind Kee-Ka:

At Kee-Ka we create fun, unique, and meaningful gift experiences. We celebrate the timeless wonderment of self-expression and gift giving. Our products are packaged in award-winning little brown boxes that are self-sealable, ready to mail, and taking over the planet.We are locacted in Williamsburg, Brooklyn from where we design our products that are available in retail stores across the globe from New York to New Zealand.

…and if you’re wondering Kee-Ka means baby talk in every language on this planet.

Needless to say, my wee nephew is about to be spoiled rotten.