The Most Economically Stimulating Time of the Year

How did that happen? Where did Christmas come from? Christmas is miles away isn't it?
What do you mean only four hours?

On Christmas eve, I avoided the sales floor for most of the day, and tried to stay tucked away in the tech room as much as possible. We close at 5pm, and the two closers decided to walk out the door at 5, leaving a cashier and me to do all the computer signage and attempt some boxing day prep.
It was incredibly quiet walking home. Not quiet because there was no one around - quite the opposite. There were cars everywhere, and people rushing into shops even though the clerks closing the doors were telling them that they'd closed at six. But walking down the street, the cars were making a "flowing" sound, sort of like a river. I couldn't hear any taking, any loud car radios, even the police car that came through an intersection with lights flashing didn't have the siren on. No horns, or enlarged exhaust sounds, I didn't even make eye contact with any other pedestrians on the way home.

I had Christmas day off, and the weather was really nice, so went for a ride up Tzouhalem. I didn't get on well with the bike, and I haven't been for the last couple on months. I can't ride stuff I could on my old bike. On flat-ish, straight-ish single track it's great - it floats over roots and rocks and pedals very well (in the middle or big ring, but feels weird in the granny). I just can't get up or down anything remotely technical - I just keep toppling over. I sometimes manage to fall off before I've got on (literally - getting off or on the bike is like getting in or out of a Range Rover). It was quite a frustrating ride in all. On the way up, I had a terrible time climbing the single track, on the chicken runs, I has a terrible time bouncing down the rocks and roots, and when I got to Fluid and Resurrection, I just felt clumsy. Even with the fork dropped and with the bars lower and a shorter stem (which have all helped to a degree), I can't make it go where I want. I can't make use of the new berms up there.

Boxing day was crap. A million demanding customers all looking to get 75% off everything, and expecting me to talk to each of them for an hour about what to buy.

Today I went for a ride with Ted. We ran into Gail and Linda on Why Be a Roadie, and rode with them up to Little Dipper, then down Cake Walk, the bottom of Middle T, Show Time, Three Musketeers, and Toxic Tea Cup and Resurrection. I would like to point out at this time that I was waiting at the bottom of Resurrection for several minutes for Ted to catch me up. Though he's apparently suffering from the Man Flu again.