So, I went and got the MRI. When I filled out the form they gave me, in response to the question, "Are there any foreign metal objects in your body?" of course, I had to check YES. That lead to my explanation (I have three body piercings, one in my nipple, one in my navel, one in my clitoral hood) which lead to the technician being very excited to talk to me. He had all sorts of questions, then announced at the end of our discussion that he wanted to get his wife a piercing for Christmas. On Christmas Eve, I was supposed to hang with B & D to bid them bon voyage as they went to the West Coast to camp for Christmas (!). But B wasn't feeling well, so we settled on a goodbye over the phone. I called H & B and we made a plan to have dinner together. So, I picked up food on my way over to their place. We munched on pizza, they exchanged gifts, and I gave them theirs: two t-shirts and an Eddie Izzard DVD. B's mom sent them this puzzle called Tantrix that consists of tiles along with some handwritten instructions from the mom. I wanted to see if I could do the puzzle, it was quite a challenge, and I got kind of obsessed. There were 10 levels, and I go to number 9! I'd never seen this kind of puzzle before, but I decided that it would be great for someone who sits and waits a lot at their job. We watched some of the DVD, and we were laughing out loud. Ezzie Izzard is fucking brilliant. If you don't know who he is, he's a British comedian who happens to be a (very out) crossdresser, and his stand-up comedy is hysterical.

On Christmas morning, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the bouquet of flowers that the boy sent me. They are in a vase on the CD cabinet right across from the bed. Bright gerber daisies, my favorites. I missed him even more because he wasn't next to me in bed, ready to run out into the living room to see what Santa left under the tree for him.

I spent the early part of the day with my Mom. We had planned to go into the city, but she wasn't feeling well, so we decided to stay in. We opened presents (I got lots of purple things) and had lunch, and it was nice. That night, T and I went to see The Phantom of the Opera (the new movie). I really liked it. The costumes, sets, and cinematography were off the hook, pure sumptuous decadence. The opening sequence is one of the best I've ever seen. The Phantom was miscast, it should have been someone older and with more palpable magnetism, in my opinion. Especially since there's a Daddy/girl subtext to their relationship, and he's way too young to make that resonate. There were important life lessons, too. At one point in the drama, I had this thought: "Note to self: don't show the girl I love my lifelike wax replica of her on the first date." Sure it was sappy, romantic, and over-the-top a lot of the time, but that's what I loved about it! Of course, I say all of this with the understanding that you have to love musicals to like this movie. And I love musicals. My father took me to so many when he was alive (I know, it's such a gay clich