for the most sensitive among us the noise can be too much.

Again, falling asleep as I type this so... photos! Details tomorrow.

Well, my day was wonderfully relaxing. Started the day with the annual Disney Parks Christmas Parade on ABC followed by viewings of Home Alone, a Disney movie, Babes In Toyland (live action 60s version), and the Santa Clause. I went straight from the Christmas movies to the fandom stuff starting with the Doctor Who Christmas special (ALL THE SOBBING), the Sherlock minisode (ALL OF THE SQUEEING), and finishing right now with Downton. I'm holding back my opinion until it's all over but I don't have strong opinions of S4, anyway.

Feel free to talk to me about the shows! Spoilers will be abound if you haven't seen them yet. I still have to get back to other comments and messages. My work schedule this week has been particularly wacky. It's been one day off and one day there and it's pretty tiring. All I want to do is stay home and have two days off in a row. Thankfully, I'll have that next week and I am looking forward to it.

As for gifts and greetings, I bought myself the complete Home Improvement DVD set on amazon today since they were all on sale. Joy! Can't wait to get them so I can watch them. But I still have my new Sherlock blu-rays to watch. So many things to watch! Not enough time! I already need another vacay, haha.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! What'd your hauls look like?

Christmas lunch: baked potatoes, turkey, gravy, my mom's caldereta (Filipino dish), homemade spinach pies (first time I made them and they were delish), and hot apple cider enhanced by this mix I bought at the Biltmore on vacay this year in North Carolina. The cider was particularly good. Nom nom.

Does everyone have something planned? I sure hope you do! For the past couple of years we've been in Vegas for the holidays enjoying a ridiculous amount of room service and gambling and shows but decided to skip that this year for a traditional Christmas gathering at my Uncle's house. And I can't wait for it!

As for Christmas Day plans? Sure, I have them. They're called -- the ABC Christmas Day Parade, Elf, Home Alone, and Home Alone 2, a new Doctor Who episode, The Muppets Christmas Carol, Babes In Toyland... okay, I won't have time for all of these but Christmas isn't over until New Year, damn it! I have movies upon movies to watch and a very minimal amount of days off this year.

Honestly, I can't even think right now. I just got through a whole lot of wrapping and I need to wake up early to leave work early to drive to hang out with everyone. Blog post from the house tomorrow!

Extremely tired. Been at work since 7:00 this morning and driving most of the day. But I will just say that karma is an amazing feeling. I got to see Josh Young in Evita and the man even apologized to me for missing the shows I went to. Boyfriend redeemed... plus, adorable photo alert! The whole story tomorrow.

This is a tough one as I don't really have a lot of obligations or responsibilities in my life -- by choice. I like being able to do what I want when I want to. The only obligation I have is to my family. I love my family. And they come first. That being said, it's not always an easy decision to put them first. For example, I won tickets to see Evita tonight in Orange County.

I was incredibly torn. I wanted to go. I wanted to see where the tickets were and I wanted to go. On any other day, I would've driven down there on a whim, no hesitation. Unfortunately, I made a prior commitment to my family. It's my Uncle's birthday. He'll be here for the next few weeks and tonight was his birthday dinner.

I immediately said yes to the tickets and I told my cousin I won them and that I'd be missing dinner. I even called my mom and told her I wasn't coming because I was going to Evita instead. But the guilt was eating at me. My family was going to be there and I needed to be there. I wanted to be there.

So, I sucked it up and canceled the tickets I won. I'd like to think I know where my priorities are.

I honestly cannot remember the first time I saw an episode of Boy Meets World. I feel like I've always known of it and it's always been in my life. I started my strong teen idol crush years in 1994 around the time of Man of the House with Jonathan Taylor Thomas. So I'll say I started regularly watching Boy Meets World in 1994. They were kids in school going through the joys and challenge you experience as a child and I could certainly relate to that feeling. But I can't say I cut my hair to prove I wasn't vain about my appearance! (shoutout to Topanga circa late-90s)

I grew up with that show. By the time it ended, I was still in high school but they certainly filled me with expectations I would never be able to fulfill because how perfect were Cory and Topanga? How could you ever find a buddy like Shawn or a brother like Eric? I wanted to be their friend and it felt like I was. I knew their lives, I knew what they had gone through, and I really was there every step of the way.

I didn't really know what to expect from Girl Meets World. I was unsure about the decision to take a beloved show and give those characters new lives. It's been done and it's been done successfully. The recent successful reboot of Dallas is an example of that. But, admittedly, it's a different world. Boy Meets World was filmed as a sitcom during the age of sitcoms. You watch television and it was littered with sitcoms and laugh tracks -- over-the-top reactions captured from a microphone above your head. It was the norm. Today's television sitcom gravitates toward the more of the single-cam perspective rather than multi-camera. The most popular sitcoms of the modern era are your Modern Familys and documentary-style shows like The Office.

That's not to say that television doesn't stop trying to continue the legacy of the multi-camera sitcom through shows like Girl Meets World.

After waiting in line, we're escorted into the building that looks like any other television show created for an audience -- there were three main sets configured for tonight's taping: Riley's (Cory and Topanga's daughter) bedroom on the far left, the Matthews living room/kitchen area in the center, and the classroom set-up on the far right (not used tonight or anywhere throughout the episode).

The audience was mainly comprised of mostly kids and young teens. The only adults found were in the VIP area and adults escorting their kids. I certainly felt a wee bit out of place as a 28-year-old Boy Meets World fan who grew up in the 90s. I was seated in the third row with a great vantage point of the stage.

Before filming began, we were lucky enough to view the pilot. It's been my experience with new shows (as a regular attendee to I Hate My Teenage Daughter, I saw the pilot EVERY SHOW) that they often show the pilot episode so you have a feel for the show and its characters.

The pilot was fantastic. I can completely believe Cory as a History teacher at his daughter's school. I admit, it threw me for a loop. Even now, I'm only used to seeing Cory in the classroom being taught by Mr. Feeny with Shawn behind him and Topanga seated in front. My brain was trying to adjust to seeing him from an adult's perspective. It's a new Cory Matthews. It's the story of a boy who grew up, met the world, and was now living in it. Not that the Cory Matthews we knew and loved is gone but the story is no longer his -- it's his daughter's. He's merely a player and she takes center stage.

I won't give away the pilot but I will say it's not a Hannah Montana. She's not a secret superstar parading around as a "normal" teenager. What's different about our generation and the new are television shows geared to make kids appear more mature than they are. In my shows, kids were kids. They did stupid goofy things that made absolutely no sense. As they grew, that's when they involved themselves in deeper, darker topics like sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. And watching the pilot episode, I'd say that it was geared for this new generation that deals with a completely different set of rules from the ones I grew up with.

But the pilot was only one episode and I continued to have an open mind to see what tonight's episode held.

Michael Jacobs, creator of the show (CREATOR OF MY CHILDHOOD), introduced the cast. He introduced every cast member and then surprised the hell out of me when he introduced Rider Strong and Will Friedle. Though they lined up with the rest of the cast, they didn't make an appearance on today's episode and their future is still unknown on this show. But it was incredible to see them there supporting their friends... and I may or may not have reacted like a 12-year-old as soon as I saw them. I might've gone into a fit of inner hysteria when Ben and Will hugged LIKE THE BROTHERS THEY WILL ALWAYS BE. (And bonus Maitland Ward showed up about halfway through filming!)

They filmed six scenes in front of an audience with large portions of the episode pre-filmed for us to watch. I imagine that the short filming schedule (about three hours) has a lot to do with union rules for the child actors on set. I'm used to such long filming schedules -- Will and Grace, I Hate My Teenage Daughter -- that I wasn't prepared for it to end so soon! But what I did saw was satisfying.

The majority of the episode revolved around the two kids. Cory and Topanga have another child, a son, played by an adorable, rambunctious, and talented 6-year-old who held his own among the teenagers and adults he performed with. It really hammered home that Cory and Topanga had been married for years and this was their new normal. As an older fan, it takes a bit of getting used to. For example. Feeny's no longer next door. They're living in a really nice apartment in New York. They take the subway! It's a different world with new challenges for their kids.

Ben Savage slips back into the role of Cory Matthews with plenty of ease. You look at him and you see Cory. You see Cory's mannerisms, his unique facial expressions, and the way he delivers a joke. Danielle's a little less goofy as Topanga and a lot more grown up and admittedly, it's a bit jarring, at first. Again, I feel like it's just because I'm faced with my own age slapping me right in the face. I'm no longer watching them as kids and I'm no longer a kid. Right? Jarring. But the family works well together. Cory and Topanga are parental and they're just the parents you always thought they'd grow up to be. They're very much the people you imagined they'd grow up to be.

For me, it works so far. The audience sitcom format still has its disadvantages. There will be a lot of canned audience laughter that I hope will work for this show. But it's no reason to turn away. The cast are talented, the show is well-written and tries not to be too heavy handed in terms of life lessons, and I genuinely laughed out loud several times. You know, that gives it the seal of approval, obviously.

I told myself I was only going to go see it once and that'll be it. But seeing Cory and Topanga again and seeing them as adults raising their children? I think I'm already jonesin' for visit number two.

Beautiful day today in Los Angeles.

I woke up pretty late after staying up really late last night. I haven't stayed up that late in a long time and I have no idea why. After all the crying and unexpected annoyance of yesterday, I'd have thought I'd go to bed early but that wasn't the case. So, it was close to lunch by the time I woke up and my mom and I decided to go out. We were going to get our tree anyway. We had a really nice lunch, a really nice talk, and a bit of shopping. I crossed a couple more people off my list and I'll send their gifts tomorrow. I'm still working on Christmas cards. I hope I can get those out tomorrow, too.

The tree we picked this year is beautiful. It's the perfect shape, the perfect size, the perfect height. We haven't decorated it yet. I was planning on getting started tonight but I still have the cards to do. I'll post a photo when the tree's decorated and there's something underneath. I solved my little (non) problem about Christmas gifts from my mother. I ordered a few things from amazon and that's that. I'm definitely happy. Gift taken care of! I think I have a small gift for her for Christmas and then I'm probably gonna go all out for her birthday -- present, card, food, the works. I got her a laptop bundle from Best Buy. She's always wanted one and it was so cheap! You get a laptop, mouse, case, and flash drive all for $329 + tax. Crazy, right? My first laptop cost $1,000 and it had 6 GB in it. And the only laptops I buy now are Macs so those are $2,000 but for a basic laptop with the bells and whistles, $329's a great price.

My mom and I are pretty quick about getting a tree every year. We usually see one, make sure it's a nice height, size, cut, and then that's it. Two years in a row now we've picked the first tree we saw, had it wrapped up and tried to the roof of my car in less than half an hour.

One of my favorite Christmas memories is this time we had a Toyota station wagon. We picked a really large tree and we put it inside the car, put the seats down so it would fit. I know this was illegal as hell but we didn't live too far from where we picked the tree. Me and my dad laid down on either side of the tree and held on to it while my mom drove us home. We smiled and laughed the whole way home, holding on to the branches to make sure the tree wouldn't fall out. I mean, I couldn't do anything about it if it fell. I think I was 5 or 6 years old at the time but it was fun, doing something dangerous, all of us happy.

Happiness comes in other ways now. Like today when I was driving the tree home and I drove my mom past a studio we live near. Then *N Sync's "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" started playing on the radio. I blasted the song at full volume and sang the rest of the way home. Always good to form new happy memories.

I haven't finished my Christmas shopping yet. My list isn't extensive but it's enough. I still need something for my dad, grandma, both boy baby cousins... still waiting on my other cousin's Christmas gift that should be coming in the mail any day now. I know presents shouldn't be the most important thing at Christmas. But, presents are important to me because making them happy is important to me. I love seeing how excited the kids get at Christmas. I love that my parents think I think enough of them to get them gifts. And I love thinking about what to get them. I always try to think of something that they absolutely want. It doesn't have to be something you need but why don't you get something you want? I do that enough for myself.

My mother always says she doesn't know what to get me for Christmas or my birthday. And sometimes that feels bad. She's known me for 28 years and she doesn't know what to get me? I'm so easy to buy presents for. Blu-rays, theater tickets, etc. I feel like I'm so easy and it's not the present. It's the thought that counts but she doesn't think about me. Do you know how much jewelry she gets me? I don't wear any jewelry. Only sometimes. And she insists on these gaudy rings. When do I ever wear rings like those? Ever?

I know. I'm awful. Seriously, awful. It is the thought that counts and she just wanted to get me something. And then I hurt her feelings when I don't want it or wear it. Again, I know how ungrateful that makes me sound and I feel awful for it. But, that's parents, right? They don't always get it right and as her child, I'm not getting it right. She gives me so much more during the year that a wrong gift every holiday or special occasion doesn't really matters. It matters to me that she's here and she does more for me than anyone in my life will ever do for me.

I remember Christmas used to be a tough time. I have nothing to complain about and I'm not comparing or thinking about the Christmas experience of others but I used to have great Christmases. My family used to come over and we'd celebrate all Christmas Eve and well into Christmas Day. Me, my mom, and my cousins used to sleep next to the tree with the fireplace lit on blankets on the floor or on the couches. Just because. We'd wake up in the morning and open up our presents, watch the parade on ABC. It all ended when I was 7, of course. Christmases were never really the same after that. I think we tried our best to make it like it used to be. Family still came over sometimes but when my dad left, it was like reality came crashing down and I knew things were never the same.

I was 10 when I spent my first Christmas Eve almost completely alone. I was at my Uncle's house and my Aunt and Uncle must've been downstairs. I was in my cousin's room, working on a research paper I had due when I came back from Christmas break. My mom had left to be with a friend and my dad dropped me off early so he could drive to Tennessee to marry his second wife. My mom didn't know my dad was leaving me early and she felt so guilty when she came back. But, I didn't fault her. She didn't know. I just remember this crushing and overwhelming sadness. It's really such a shock to the system when things alter so drastically -- having family over, a big house with lots of laughter and food -- to an empty house and silence.

Things changed again after I was 16. My dad stopped spending Christmases and major holidays with me. I got phone calls, sometimes. Things are still the same. A phone call every major holiday. The one Christmas I tried to make things feel right for myself was just a couple of years ago. I tried to take a photo with both of my parents in it. My grandmother was there and immediately called us all out on it, saying it was "bad luck" to be in a photo together. At 26 years old, I don't think I should've been meant to feel like what I was doing was wrong. I wanted a photo of me and my parents together. I can't remember the last picture we have as a family. They're my parents.

Things are a little better, I think. I don't feel disappointed at Christmas anymore. I take it for what it is and I'm happy spending time with my family when I have it. I think I know not to be disappointed during the holidays. Things change and things can't be the way they were. It was a happier time but there'll be happy times to come and sad times to come. Have to take them as they come and the day is what you make of it.

My very first concert was Janet Jackson at Arco Arena in Sacramento, CA in 1994. My second concert was Whitney Houston during her Bodyguard tour in the same year, same venue. Seeing two vocal powerhouses in a short period of time really set the bar for me and my concert experiences. I go to a lot of concerts by a lot of different artists. And like I said last night, I can't just go once. I have to go repeatedly. Part of my addictive personality. I wrote in a previous blog post that Our Lady Peace was one of my favorite shows. I'd say they're in my Top Five shows of all time.

I not only like going to rock shows where I can't hear when the show's over, my taste gravitates toward singer/songwriters. One of my favorite venues in Los Angeles is the Hotel Cafe. They provide a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere to see artists perform. It's a great venue that promotes artists of all kinds but I've mostly seen quieter artists there. One of my favorite singer/songwriters is Jay Brannan. I discovered him in the movie Shortbus directed by John Cameron Mitchell.

Though his big scene in the movie was sexually explicit, what really caught my attention was his voice. He sang his song called Soda Shop and I was addicted. His voice is so soft yet manages to have edge. He can sing a melody line that sounds so smooth, a voice that sings these beautiful, round notes so perfectly. I discovered that he had a YouTube channel and a website and I downloaded the four songs he had available: Soda Shop, Ever After Happily, Drowning, and Lower My Gun. I listened to those on repeat. Constantly.

As his EPs came out on CDbaby, I bought every single one of them. The very first show I went to was at this small restaurant/venue called Genghis Cohen. I didn't even get inside. I was outside, sitting on a stool by myself, near the restaurant, and I could barely hear him through the glass. He passed me several times and yet I couldn't utter a word. It was like I was frozen in place, intimidated by someone who was a regular presence in my iPod. I'm always extremely nervous around people I really admire -- whose talent I really admire and I have been let down by people I've admired. Part of me didn't want to feel the surge of disappointment I knew I'd feel if meeting him didn't go as planned.

I didn't meet him that night but I listened to his songs, a little muffled by the glass because it was blocking the sound. I wish I could say the next time I saw him it was awesome and spectacular but drunk people ruined both my mood and the concert experience. It's only in recent shows have I been really, really happy and content with the audience. The music's always been amazing but the mood and atmosphere can play a really huge part in my enjoyment. Thankfully, his recent shows have been great but I'll always remember those earlier shows where I either couldn't see, couldn't hear, and all I wanted was to be close to really experience the music.

His music has evolved since he started posting his videos on YouTube a few years ago. He's made great studio albums with backing instruments that never compromise or overshadow his voice. His last full album (all originals) called Rob Me Blind is really spectacular. Every song, every note rings so clear and so interesting like musical ear candy.

I urge you to give his music a try because it's amazing and I really, really wouldn't steer you wrong. And to end on an even happier note, though I still feel intimidated at times to say hello, I have not been disappointed when I've met him. He takes the time to meet with every single person who wants to meet with him, signs every autograph, poses for a lot of photos. You can tell how grateful and appreciative he is that there are fans there to watch him perform. Well, I'm equally grateful and appreciative that he's there to provide me with music I feel connected to. Thank you, Jay Brannan.