As part of my Christmas booty this year, I got some DVDs. One of them is a very cool TV series called Long Way Round. It's the story of Ewan McGregor and a friend of his. They decided to ride motorcycles around the world, starting in London, going east through Europe and Asia, then fly from the northeastern end of Russia into Alaska, and then ride through Canada and the United States into New York City. The series follows their trip through some of the remotest places on earth: Kazahstan, Mongolia, Siberia. The scenery is fascinating. They also visit famous cities like Prague and Calgary, and these Russian cities in the middle of nowhere, which fascinates me how people can live their whole lives packed in a city surrouned by empty remote countryside. It's also fascinating how they meet sheep herders and farmers in the middle of places like Mongolia, where there is nothing else for miles around! One touching moment is when they go to a UNICEF camp in Russia and meet children who were victims of Chernobyl. Seeing the world like this opens ones eyes and horizons.

The series ran seven episodes on the Bravo network. I missed it then, so I'm glad I had the chance to pick this up on DVD.

Well, this is my last blog post for 2005. I made ten posts total this year, an average of one every 36 days. I'm some slacker, huh. :)

I'll try to improve my frequency next year to at least once every 20 days. There's a New Year's Resolution right there!

Now that the Christmas season is upon us, it's time to find unique and interesting gifts for the people you love. Of course, I have a weird sense of humor, so I like to scour cyberspace for gifts that are unusual, odd, or in questionable taste. :)

First, I must thank Dave Barry for this first suggestion: Rubber duckies with the heads of the members of the rock band KISS! Shout it out loud, indeed! Nobody should have this much fun in the bath. It's safer than jamming on your guitar, too.
http://www.kissmuseum.com/mall/ducks.asp

Thanks to the Ship of Fools website, I have found a number of religious-themed items that are either funny, odd, or just plain tacky. Every year they compile a list of such items they call the Twelve Days of Kitschmas, which you can view here (if you dare). I mean, who doesn't want a cross-shaped Ipod? :)
http://www.shipoffools.com/kitschmas/index.html

Have fun with those ideas. I would like those KISS rubber duckies, if anyone is feeling generous to a complete stranger. :)