I don't consider the holidays to be all about gifts, but I got some great stuff this year. Allow me to revert back to the age of eleven for a moment and talk about my Christmas conquest...
Luis got me an iPod Nano. Awesome. I also got, from various people, $80 in iTunes gift certificates. That is the perfect gift. iTunes is a playground. I got a soft sweater and several framed photos, and Ricky got me the live CD/DVD from Green Day. My mom also got me a couple of books that I asked for: The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, and a Dictionary of Word Origins. The O'Brien book has been on my favorites list since last year when I read the just first chapter for a class, and I'd been meaning to buy it ever since. It's an incredible book. The word origins dictionary is so neat (translation: I'm a huge nerd). It identifies from what language different English words developed, and when.
Example: river [13th century] Etymologically, the term river denotes the 'banks' of a river, rather than the water that flows between them. Its distant ancestor is Latin rīpa 'bank.' From this was derived the adjective rīpārius (source of English riparian 'of a river-bank'), whose feminine form came to be used in Vulgar Latin as a noun rīpāria, denoting 'land by the water's edge.' From it evolved Italian riviera bank' and Old French riviere. This originally meant 'river bank' but subsequently developed to 'river,' the sense in which English adopted the word. A heavily disguised English relative is arrive, which etymologically denotes 'come to the shore.'
So interesting... anyhow, I got lots of other great gifts too, but rather than bore you with the details I'll just say thanks. :) Of course, the best gift at Christmas is getting to spend time with my friends and family back home.
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