Barely getting the the family gifts wrapped on time this year, so the cards will have to wait. If you don’t think I have your correct address, go to www.truffin.com, click on “Email Mr. Truffin” and update me.

In the meantime, I give you this message from G.K. Chesterton:

“People are losing the power to enjoy Christmas through identifying it with enjoyment. When once they lose sight of the old suggestion that it is all about something, they naturally fall into blank pauses of wondering what it is all about. To be told to rejoice on Christmas Day is reasonable and intelligible, if you understand the name, or even look at the word. To be told to rejoice on the twenty-fifth of December is like being told to rejoice at quarter-past eleven on Thursday week. You cannot suddenly be frivolous unless you believe there is a serious reason for being frivolous.
–from “The New War on Christmas” by G.K. Chesterton, 1925.

Those of you following me on Twitter or Facebook have no doubt grown tired of reading updates of my recent week spent on the Big Island lounging about in the luxury that is Hale Honu (Thanks Dan and Laura!).

However, our seven days in the bliss were not without their troubles. No. There are big, sneaky cockroaches in the coconut palm crowned world of sunshine and surf. Ken has already documented some of these. I include his list here:

–The first key Cindy got didn’t work on the rental car.
–The second restaraunt we went for sushi didn’t serve lunch on Saturdays.
–Sherry scraped her leg on a rock.
–It took us most of the first day to figure out how to heat the spa.
–The second time the group went snorkeling we saw only a lot of fish instead of a huge number of fish.
–Cindy was the only one who saw a live Honu.
–The remote control to play the DVD player in the minivan was missing, meaning we could only play one episode of “The Shield” on our drive to Hilo.
–Ken forgot to pack pants. (Contrary to what is being widely [and Ken thinks libelously] reported, he did not forget to bring pants. Ken was, in fact, wearing pants on the plane. (Todd can vouch for the LA–Kona flight but makes no claims for Ken’s other flights.) Ken claims th just didn’t have any additional pants (except swim trunks).
–Ken lost my Star Sidewinder playing Safari golf in Hilo.
–One of the games we played didn’t have instructions, forcing us to make them up.
–The local mailbox store had a note that said Western Union was “temporarily unavailable” and when we asked when it would be available again they said “next year.”
–The time difference meant that people occasionally called or texted us at weird hours.
–Sherry had an allergic reaction to some mascara and had to wear sunglassess for all of one whole day.
–Ken fell asleep half way through Don Cheadle’s “Traitor” and so didn’t have brownies until the next day (when they were no longer hot out of the oven).
–After going through a whole meal at the Kona Brewery, Cindy was informed that Beer-a-misu was no longer available (even though it was still on the menu).
–The multi-disc DVD player that is hooked up to the home entertainment center with stereo sound only has a next disc function (instead of skip disc function) on the remote, meaning you have to either get up and walk to the unit or let one disc load for 10 seconds if you are on disc 1 and actually want to watch something on disc three.

In addition to these trials, I would add:

–Some shelves in the kitchen were too tall to reach comfortably.
–The controls for the two-headed shower took a few minutes to fully comprehend.

Further, upon arrival home from said week in paradise, we discovered that our toilet was clogged. The toilet is now sitting in the middle of the bathroom as we await a second repairman to come rout out the clog and replace the toilet.

No, I didn’t take any surfing lessons, but yesterday Cindy and I spent some time visiting Pele at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. A pleasant surprise was the short hike to, through, and back from the Thurston Lava Tube.

Todd at the end of the Thurston Lava Tube

I’ve been trying to put together some kind of fancy schmancy wrap up for the November Poem A Day project, but I’m busy and fried.

Obviously the daily posting of the poetry being generated fizzled. I’m not terribly concerned about that.

In the end, I generated over 20 poems and fragments that I can possibly use. I didn’t generate 30, but I was pretty close. Closer than I ever was to completing NANOWRIMO. I’m feeling pretty good about that.

Also, while I didn’t consistently produce something everyday, I was thinking poetically everyday. I was observing closely and germinating everyday. Then I’d have some spurts of ripping off two or three ideas in one go. The poetical thinking on a consistent basis is something I thought was a good thing.

So, overall, I’m quite pleased.

So, I recently used our upcoming trip to Hawaii (YES, Hawaii) as an excuse to “invest” in a new camera. I’ve been inordinately please with our Canon digital P/S, but I missed the creative fun and quality of my Pentax K1000 SLR. So, after doing my usual due diligence and wrestling with spending $$ on, essentially, myself, I narrowed down the choices to the Nikon D90 and the Canon 40D. After taking a hard look at the costs for establishing a kit that would satisfy me for awhile, I began to notice a small, insistent voice pestering me. It had the sound that one of my friend’s little brother would make when we wanted to play football and he wanted to be included. I turned around and found the Canon Rebel XSi. Sure, the Rebel was a step down the product chart from the 40D, but I had to get brutally honest with myself about my level of photographic involvement: I’m a hack. I have pretentions of artistry, sure. But, when it comes down to it, I’m a hobbyist, and the incredibly well-reviewed and regarded XSi had all the power I could ever really use. I also was reminded of some advice I remember reading somewhere that encouraged one to spend money on lenses not bodies. And here’s where the money comes in: I was able to get a Rebel body, two lenses that cover the gamut from 18-250mm, an extra battery pack, UV filters, and a rather nice camera bag all for less than the cost of the D90 or 40D.

So, there it is. I’m a Rebel, and I’ve got a mass-produced, commercially available, internationally branded camera to prove it.

Here’s two un-retouched photos from the new shooter. They were taken simply by setting the fool-thing to “Auto” and snapping the shutter:

Sir Knightley (the cat)

Take your I-Pod in your hand:

1. Put your Music on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
“Do You Hear What I Hear?”

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Merry Christmast Baby (Elvis)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Dear Valentine (Guster)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Thou Art Gone Up On High (Handel)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Every Valley Shall Be Exalted (Handel)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
If a Song Could Be President (Over the Rhine)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Please Be Patient With Me (Wilco)

WHAT IS 2+2?
Christmas is a Birthday (Burl Ives)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Go Down Easy (Over The Rhine)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
All they that see Him (Handel)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
O Tannenbaum (Vince Guaraldi)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
The Holly and The Ivy

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
The Bells of Paradise (Laurence Juber)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Opehlia (Natalie Merchant)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Who Will Guard the Door (Over the Rhine)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Silent Night

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Amelia’s Last (Over the Rhine)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Fuper flumina Babylonis (Chant Noel)

WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Away in A Manger

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Rejoice Greatly (Handel)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
It’s Never Quite What It Seems (Over the Rhine)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
What are you doing New Year’s Eve (Harry Connick Jr.)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
In Bittersweet Winter (Laurence Juber)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Hush Now (Over the Rhine)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Winter Wonderland

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Hodie Christus Natus Est

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Hark, The Herald Angels Sing

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
And With His Stripes We Are Healed (Handel)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
I’m On A Roll (Over the Rhine)

Thanks to Jeffrey Overstreet for this link to U2’s new Christmas song, which is being used to promote (RED)WIRE–a digital music magazine dedicated to helping fight AIDS in Africa.