On the way to work today, I passed a minivan on the Turnpike and glanced over to see the driver petting a bird on his shoulder. A white cockatiel or parrot or something. I couldn't look too closely, naturally, because I was, you know, driving.

So that was interesting.

It's been an interesting three days, in fact. The temperature outside is in the 60s, yet there is Christmas music on the radio. I've listened to some of it, trying to get into the spirit, but it just seems to early. Maybe because the calendar reads Nov. 24. While I have a problem with the over-commercialization of Christmas, and I can't stand seeing the decorations come out in the stores in late October, once Thanksgiving passes, I consider the Christmas season to be upon us. I have endless fond memories of advent calendars, wreaths on the doors, carols in church every Sunday, the advent candles in church, get-togethers and cookie bakes, secret Santas and gift exchanges.

This year, I want it to mean something. I want to savor and enjoy it. I want to look back and remember December days for good reason. So we'll see how that goes.

Walking around New York yesterday didn't quite get it going. It was warm out and the Rockefeller Center tree wasn't lit yet. It seemed weird to turn down the Promenade and see the angels but not the tree shining among the crowds yesterday afternoon. Wearing a sweater and leather jacket, I was sweating. There wasn't even a chilling New York City wind to cool us off as we trapsed around Manhattan. Walking along Fifth Avenue certainly made it feel like the holiday season, what with all the crowds and pushy people in the stores. I even bought my sister a gift, which I'll probably make her birthday gift, in an unexpected late stop in a Chelsea boutique. It's a scrapbook with a sketch of the Eiffel Tower on the front, perfect for when she moves back to the States in three weeks.

So Wednesday I laid in bed after Casey went to work and went back to sleep until 10 a.m., the time I'd asked her to set the alarm. I got up and burned her a CD, which she's just finding out now, unless she came across it in her CD book, slid in right next to the previous two I'd made her. (I lied and told her I burned copies of some of hers for myself.) Her mother and sister arrived around 4:30 and I let them into the apartment and helped them bring things upstairs and get settled a little before I jumped on the PATH and subway and met Casey outside the Public Library. We ate at the ESPN Zone (her suggestion, I swear) before the Ben Folds show at Town Hall.

Ben totally rocked the hizzie, playing most of his new album, but throwing in some spectacular favorites from the old days of the Five. Clem Snide opened and played a decent set, and when they played "Moment in the Sun" I resisted the urge to yell out "Play 'Next Year'!" (look Casey, correct use of single quotes) in reference to the replacement of the theme song for Ed. "Rockin' The Suburbs" closed the first set, and "Song For The Dumped" brought the show to a rousing end. Wo-hoo! And there was a Christmas tree lit up in the PATH tunnel on the way home.

Thursday, after spending my first night in my new place, I drove an hour home to cover my alma mater in its annual Thanksgiving Day football game, then made it back to Casey's by noon. I talked to the folks in Massachusetts on the phone on the way up, and spoke with Jess in France later that afternoon. With the cooking well underway when I arrived, I retired to Casey's room to write my story and file the stats and avoid the Buffy marathon on FX.

After dinner -- the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries, some green beans, bread, and gorgonzola pea pasta -- I managed to nap in the butterfly chair until Casey vacuumed behind me and then we went off to see "Harry Potter" afterwards, with plenty of previews beforehand preventing a start from anything close to the posted 6:15 "curtain." I enjoyed the movie, though I don't think I've ever touched a Harry Potter book, and I followed it along just fine, even without knowing the name of Harry's owl. The movie's fine, I think, for those who haven't read the books, as well as for those who have. It may, in fact, be great for those who haven't read the books, but just fine and good for those who have. Casey and her mom both wanted more in the movie from the book, and I asked if they wanted a six-hour film. They said they did. I said I would've stayed home if it was.

We watched Ed before falling asleep and awoke Friday to head into the City. The Met was the plan, but with the weather so nice, Casey's mom preferred to stay outside, so we walked through Central Park from the museum down to 59th Street, past the Alice in Wonderland statue, the end of a filming session for something called "The Magician," and the zoo. With Fifth Avenue so crowded, we decided not to step into FAO Schwartz, and crossed over to Martini's for lunch. ("When I see you, I want to quack.") From there we went back up to the MoMA Designs store, then down to Rockefeller Center to see the rink, the tree, the NBC Studios. Then back up Fifth through the crowds and into a few stores before taking the subway down to Chelsea.

Exhausted back in Jersey City, we watched Sleepless In Seattle on TV, followed by Wayne's World, remembering all the lines we used to quote regularly. We considered watching Sleepless II (aka You've Got Mail), but ended the night with some archived Adult Swim before bed.

After the ladies left, I hung out with Casey a little before heading down to Little Silver for some lunch and to pick up a few things from the house before coming into work, where I had more than 100 e-mails to delete after three idle days.

And although stupid Fred here at work taped over Survivor even after I asked him to bring in the tape for me, the Williams-Sonoma in Shrewsbury has the Harvest Market glasses that every other store seems to be sold out of. So I had them hold me a set until tomorrow, when I'll have to stop in before work.

And with No. 11 Washington at No. 1 Miami on ABC at 8 p.m. tonight, I have to follow Notre Dame-Stanford online in a few minutes. Ah well.

I'm beginning to lose my focus here (or perhaps I lost it a while ago), so I feel it's best for me to get back to work and, maybe a little later, go downstairs to heat up my big plate of Thursday leftovers for dinner.

But I'm not really that hungry. Huh.