Negril Notes
Thoughts - Words - Images - Music - Loosely based on my travels to Negril Jamaica

Or to be politically correct Happy Ramahanakwansmas!!

Ahh Christmas, this year I had a plan. Ninety percent of my shopping was to be done online, and I started out great. Two weeks out and my Amazon.com shopping cart was full of deals and thoughtful, insightful gifts for friends and family. Then I hit check-out and thirteen of seventeen gifts would not arrive till January THIRD! I was pissed. It really squelched my Santa spirit.

For some reason work ended early last Monday so I hit the shopping center right off Exit 7A on the NJ Turnpike. I was unmotivated to say the least as I trudged into Wal-Mart.

To coax myself into the “mood” I bought an obnoxious Christmas t-shirt for myself and hummed a few yuletide melodies as I fought my way through frantic grannies and soccer moms on steroids.

I turned down an aisle when what to my wondering eyes did appear? High atop a shelf was a really cool telescope! A whole lot cooler than the one I’d picked out online, and only a few bucks more! I was psyched! I grabbed it and crossed my nephew Thomas off my list.

Then it just hit me. I felt like the Grinch when his heart goes from two sizes to small to breaking the little frame thingy, and for the rest of the day I was Santa’s friggin’ little helper.

I bought books for Mom, CD’s and DVD’s for Kris, and tons of miscellaneous crap you buy when you go to Wal-Mart, but the one thing I couldn’t find were those white fudge covered Oreos. AWWW YEAH!! Oreos! Truly a Christmas delicacy, I mean they’re really awesome, especially frozen. Hey, maybe I should write an ode about them.

Anyway, a few hundred lighter, I hit Barnes & Noble, the Kohls, by the time I got home and laid out my gifts the bug had bitten me and I looked forward to some tax-free shopping tomorrow in Delaware.

For me, Christmas is all about giving, about finding something unique for each person on my list. I’m very anti gift cards. They seem more about getting than giving. Merry Christmas, now go buy your own damned gift!

I know some people love getting them, I guess it’s like a mini shopping spree, but for me it’s the thrill of the chase. Now I’ve gotten horrible gifts over the years, but it warms my heart to think someone took the time, saw something and thought, “Vinny would love this,” or, “Vinny would look great in this.”

So last night I cracked open a nice bottle of wine (thanks Ross & Glenn), grilled an extra piece for Mahi-Mahi for Rosie The Cat’s Christmas dinner and I wrapped and bowed my gifts.

Later I stood back to look at my outgoing pile with satisfaction, looking forward to seeing them all ripped open. For those few moments I thought, “This is definitely my favorite pagan ritual, goat not withstanding.”

Have a wonderful Christmas

Peace
Vinny

Every time I go into Philly to write I go to Starbucks. Starbucks has a great second floor cafe area with a great view of South Street to sit and people watch, but there is a sterility about the place.

So last time I was in Philly I went to the place I always went before there was a Starbucks, actually I went there up until I got the Starbucks wi-fi deal. Anyway, I went to “The Bean Cafe,” apropos name.

The place was cooler than I remembered, I’d always sat outside with my coffee (better ogling vantage point), but inside it’s a small place with well worn furniture and packed full with South Street bohemian types, all disorganized in a refreshingly un-starbucks, un corporate kind of way. Adverts for new bands, poetry readings and body piercings festooned the walls.

The counter girls were all jacked up on caffeine sporting that cute coffee shop counter girl worldliness that the Starbucks crew just can’t pull off, though these two may have actually been the real thing!

I ordered a latte, found a seat and went to work in my Sponge-Bob notebook that seemed to fit in here. The bathrooms are downstairs and were wonderfully covered in graffiti. It’s like there was a huge party where everyone was asked to sign the wall, or the mirror, or the door, or the toilet lid, or the… You get the idea.

But instead of being trashy or gross the bathrooms were otherwise spotless and the graffiti just added a layer of cool. This place has cool all figured out.

Check it out next time you’re in Philly! South Street beween 6th and 7th.

Peace
Vinny