I went back again two weeks later after Thanksgiving for Christmas and New Year’s, only my parents weren’t hope to greet me this time. They were on vacation in sunny Florida for two more days. That meant I was responsible for shoveling the 23-inches of snow that fell the day after I arrived. From California’s 70-degree weather to almost two dozen inches of snow. What timing! The snow and the house sans my parents meant that I got to play with my dogs outside. Here’s a short HD video of Molly playing in the snow.

I rewarded myself by seeing Avatar in 3D and opted for the IMAX Experience version to boot. A week later, I saw Sherlock Holmes. In between these two theater excursions, I celebrated Christmas with my extended family and was thankful to see my neighborhood lit-up with beautiful Christmas lights and luminaries lining all of the curbs. Here’s a quick video what driving through Swan Point looks like on Christmas Eve. I celebrated New Year’s Eve with friends and, the next day, took a trip to New York City. In 2005, friend George and I rang in the New Year by standing in Time Square, so a post-NYE visit to the Big Apple seemed like a smarter idea.

My route back to Los Angeles (really, to Burbank Airport [really Bob Hope Airport, but few people call it that]) went through Phoenix. A layover in Arizona’s capital city meant an hour wait and an extra takeoff and landing, but it also meant a more affordable ticket. Even more cost-permissive is volunteering to take a later flight to a nearby city like Santa Ana and receiving a $300 voucher for the act. That’s exactly what happened when US Air overbooked my original transfer flight from Phoenix to Burbank the day before the 2010 BCS Championship Game in Pasadena. The Phoenix airport was equally flooded with orange and red sweatshirts, as Texas Longhorn and Alabama Crimson Tide fans were on their way to the Rose Bowl.

I was happy to give up my seat for the eager college football fans and receive the $300 voucher. I know that I’ll use the ticket the next time I visit home, probably in the summer. Of course, I was regretting my decision right before landing in Santa Ana – my hands were bracing my knees as the nighttime flight tilted almost 90 degree twice and everyone (not just me) had concerned looks on their faces. Now I know what meteorologists mean by the Santa Ana winds!

With our lease ending at Avalon Media Center, the New Year meant a new apartment for my roommates and me. Two days of apartment hunting led us to Avalon Burbank. Same city and same company, but a much better complex. A large pool, hot tub, newly renovated kitchen, and gym with almost as many TV screens as excessive machines were the highlights in my second LA apartment complex. Such upgrades are naturally more expensive, but we had another roommate join us from Philadelphia, so it worked out to be almost the same price as Avalon Media Center. Having a designated parking space in the underground garage instead of having to resort to street parking and meeting new friends in the centrally located, always-social hot tub were my two favorite aspects of this large complex.