I hear it's chilly in Pennsylvania

Whilst everyone to the west of me is feeling cold on the outside and warm on the inside, sharing stories 'round the hearth, and thinking about "peace on earth", I am eating these home-baked cookies, wearing this awesome hat from Salvo, and thinking about when would be the best time to rip into this box of Hershey's chocolate bars sitting next to me.
It's crossed my mind lately, that (like my winters previous) time has slowed to an almost unbearable point. Maybe that was a little dramatic. It's good news though, because (like my Januarys previous) things begin to move more quickly. The phrase "seconds passed like hours" is suddenly swapped and I'm left with a bunch of old school papers in my backpack.
In a more "here's the news" sort of fashion, my Christmas was okay. No one really takes a day off to celebrate, but there was a lot of that "international Christmas spirit" (you know, peace on earth, good will toward your fellow human beings). So, I did get some very nice Christmas presents, which I hardly expected. A CD player from Counselor Maggie (most useful), a puzzle from my friend Leo (which depicts an antique map of the world, most apt), a German film which I recieved in a gift exchange from my friend Freya (it's Goodbye Lenin, for all you German film fans), and finally, a very proffesional set of watercolor pencils from my sister YoYo (it's like she's been my sister forever).
In much less recent news, a couple weeks ago my sisters took me to WuFenPu, a shopping district where they sell clothes and things found in XiMenDing (where the youth hang out) for cheaper. Long story straight to the point, I now find myself wearing very cool jeans, and most importantly, a red leather jacket. I've never felt more smooth.
Last weekend I went with my oldest sister to see my three year old niece perform with her preschool class. There was never anything cuter than those little kids (especially my niece, who is now tickling my feet). After that we went up into these mountains overlooking the ocean (both mom, who likes the ocean, and dad, who likes the mountains, would be able to have their vacations). As I looked at the gourgeous grass covered mountains and the dark ocean with fog covering the horizon, all I could think was "I made a good decision."
And even now, as I miss everyone I've left and think about how I'm going to miss everyone I've met here, I realize that as long as I live I'll never be homeless.