The first two things I’ve enjoyed since getting back to Indiana:

People say Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays, and they say it with complete innocence, unaware that in some parts of the country it’s taboo. I’ve gotten so used to living amongst a mixture of people that, despite my non-religousness, I had forgotten how comforting it feels to be part of a massive homogeny — I get the same feeling when there’s a blizzard in NYC and everybody, no matter class or culture, briefly shares the same priority: getting to work on time.

FIOS rules! Fort Wayne was one of the first 10 consumer markets to get fiber optic connections rolled out to homes. My parents signed up and now they get tv, phone and internet piped in on the same line for $105/mo. This week I’m enjoying 15mbps downloads.