My holidays were good. I spent almost all of my time with family and I got a break from school. It was just what I needed. 

I got an electric razor for Christmas, I know, you may think this has the makings of the most random blog entry on record, but for me it's been a life changing gift. 

Years ago, I remember a guy that I saw everyday. I would watch as he used his electric razor, primitive compared to the one I got. He would always be standing there in his boxers--singing in broken Italian that he learned during the war at the top of his lungs--cutting his face all to pieces. I remember the stubble that grew around his chin in detail. He had the purest white hair of anyone I ever knew, and just when he would finish with one side, he would jump up and click his heals together. He always put on a show for his grandkids as they watched him shave. 

Every time I shave now.. I remember him.. The stubble around my chin is beginning to look like his, mainly because our chins are similarly shaped. My hair still full of color but occasionally slicked over to    the side it reminds me of him. He was crazy. He was hyper. He was the greatest guy I ever met. 

We would sit on his front porch for hours watching the busy main street below. He would always talk to me about everything. He was known as the jokester, the go to guy, the one that made childhood perfect. He played, laughed, and was devoted to his grandkids like they were the world. 

His death just seven years ago seems like yesterday. It's the little things that make me think about him, things like shaving.