An Observation

I am looking at the date of my last blog and it has been almost three months! I don’t know why it gets so sporadic at times but I have an inkling that it has something to do with how crazy my job gets around May and June. Toss in a couple of trips and me finally getting into Facebook, and you have a recipe for laziness in the blogging world.

I also think my desire for writing has dwindled. I don’t have the spark, like I used to and I also think the reason for my past writing has been erased. I used to write for salvation’s sake; saving myself from going completely crazy in the not most tenable situations for sanity. That need has disappeared. I do enjoy writing and I enjoyed the short story genre but I can’t help but notice in the last couple of years my audience has dissipated and there aren’t just a whole lot of folks asking, “So what are you writing about these days?”

So perhaps there is a time we put the puppy to sleep. I won’t delete the blog but I do think I won’t be writing on it very soon.

And as I stated in the previous paragraph; I doubt anyone will notice.

Twenty Days until the Man in Red Arrives

Santa Claus. We all love the man in red, despite being a corporate coupe by Coca-Cola who not only changed his dress from black and white to red and white, they also added about 100 pounds to the image which is probably what you would get if you drank Coca-Cola at every single house around the world while delivering toys. Not to mention excessive burping and whizzing…

Santa enthralls us and we love to terrify little kids every year by forcing them to sit on the lap of a hairy man wearing an unfashionable suit. Better yet, we want our children to divulge their deepest desires to this man and hope they will look “cute” or “precious” through all of their tears while we get cheap Polaroids of their mental health scarring experience.

Santa… gotta love him!

So here are some of my favorite Santa movies…

Miracle on 34th Street (the original)
Bad Santa
The Santa Claus
Reindeer Games

On the 3rd day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

Ah, the Christmas gift. We dread it, we want it, we tentatively give it… and we wonder why a holiday that is supposedly religious brings so much angst with it? Maybe if we think about the gifts we have received in the past we quickly understand the angst; our gift, received or given, is the barometer on which we find the weather condition of our relationship with the giver or the receiver. Let me give you a couple of examples!

The fruitcake; who really likes fruitcake? We don’t know what those UFOs (Unidentified Fruity Objects) really are and we suspicion they may be left over chunks from a long lost and forgotten jell-o mold leftover from some Lutheran dinner on the ground event last June. What does this gift say about the weather condition of your relationship? Foggy with a chance of sleet and ice.

A license plate; yup, I really did get one and it was a serious present! I think that pretty well said the weather conditions of our relationship were stormy, with dangerous tornadoes lurking about.

Perfume; depending on the make or quantity, this gift could say that the weather conditions were fair, with a chance of warm sunshine or it could mean conditions are hazy, with limited visibility.

A pistol; this present says it all – the weather condition is blue skies above you, a light wind to keep you perfectly comfortable in a paradisaical element. If you are wondering what to get that special person in your life, think Smith & Wesson!

The gift certificate; this gift could mean the weather conditions of the relationship are uncertain… is there a slight hint of turbulence in the air which is why the gift card so the giver has options to handle an unknown possibility or is it the conditions are favorable because the giver understands the fickleness of the receiver and appreciates the honor being given to them by letting them choose the weather for the day? I think this forecast depends totally on whether or not you feel there is a connection between you and the other person or whether this is an obligatory gift that they just happened to make good on.

See? Gift giving is like predicting the weather. You have no idea how it is going to turn out but you want to guess at it anyway. Despite the uncertainty, you still find yourself standing outside in the turbulent gift giving air, just hoping you don’t get wet.

Wake up call

I have a friend who has been struggling with a personal crises that no one should ever have to face. Today he took me up my offers to talk to him if he ever just needed to talk. He called while I was on another line and when I became free, I called him back. The conversation took me back to my own time of struggling when the option of continuing on in this world was losing its viability fast. It was the phone call of a friend that kept me straight and reminded me of my worth and the people who were depending on me.

This was a wake up call. Too many times I glance at the number and say, “I’ll call them back later.” Sometimes there is no later. The chance is missed. The opportunity squandered. The friendship betrayed.

Cat Poor

Somehow the title just makes you want to sneeze, doesn’t it? To be besieged by felines and assaulted by loose long hairs that attack your clothes, furniture and various casseroles is an experienced every American should experience so they can appreciate the allure of living in a third world country. Wonder what the cost of living is in Belize…and if they eat cats there. For all I know, I might already be a Belizean rancher and not know it.

Retirement

My dad is finally retiring from his accounting practice at the young age of 75 although he will be 76 in a month. He has let the family know he will now be working only 40 hours a week and will be taking weekends off. You’ve been warned.

There are days I just want to sigh

Have you ever found yourself in mid eye roll when you realize the other person is watching? You have to come up with that excuse that gets you somewhat off the hook although you know that they know that you know you were caught in the act.

“Wow, my contacts are stuck and I can’t get them loose. Maybe if I keep rolling my eyes, they will lubricate right on up.”

“I thought contacts were supposed to stay in one spot,” they say accusingly.

“Well most of them are but these are AccuVue II Nomadics. They are new and are supposed to move around in your eye to build up strength in your inner corneal realm where a centrally placed contact allows the ether regions of the cornea to experience a slow atrophication of the corneal rims which is why we all lose our peripheral vision first.” By this time they have a glazed eye look to them and you move quickly to the next subject after you let out a big sigh.

Well I think today was one of those days. Dang these AccuVue II Nomadics….

Thursday 13 for 9/11

Thirteen Thoughts About 9/11

1. I’ll never forget the fascinating horror of watching it all unfold.
2. I’ll never forget the gut twisting feeling of wondering what was going on and who was attacking us.
3. Some visual images will never leave such as two towers burning, falling, and dust-smoke skies over New York City.
4. Life hasn’t been the same.
5. Four planes stole our security forever.
6. I’m not sure we will ever be as free as we were on September 10th.
7. The wars and response to terrorism has had a larger impact than the actual attack on 9/11.
8. I miss being able to walk through the airport 15 minutes before your flight leaves.
9. Homeland Security has an impossible job with the length of our borders.
10. I wonder when the next round will occur. I can’t help but think someone somewhere is planning another attack. I don’t believe it will be with planes but it will be highly visible.
11. Do you remember the day after? No planes in the sky? How weird was that?
12. Seven years later one thing has remained constant… there are more than enough crazies out there ready to step in for any crazy we take out.
13. The people who lost family and friends on that day will never completely heal. My heart goes out to them.

Sarah Palin

I was one of those many folks who scratched their heads and wondered out loud, “What the…” when McCain announced Sarah Palin for his running mate. Oh puhlease…. why not announce Jessica Simpson? Then as the media reacted and the public reacted I began to think that this move might actually had some brilliance behind it. Let’s look at the picture…

She is successful in politics and gives kudos to any woman who has done well in the political world… She can appeal to the woman voter…

She carries and shoots guns, pretty to look at, hunts with her snowmobilin’ husbandand and there isn’t any doubt about her original gender… You just made it easy for the Southern males to vote for her!

She kept her baby with Downs Syndrome – living proof of a right to life hockey mom. I’m thinking that brings in the religious right.

She doesn’t hide her past mistakes. Wait… that will bring in… that will bring in… hmm… I’m thinking that will keep the Kennedys from voting for her but not sure who it will bring in.

One thing is for sure, bringing her to the ticket has sure taken the spotlight off of McCain and

Read Through

Last night Slvr and I hit the stage a runnin’… okay, we sat down with the rest of the cast and read through the play. Tonight we read through it again and then start in haste on memorizing lines. I don’t think I have over 40 lines to memorize so it won’t be so bad. I have been away for so long, I have to admit I am a little nervous.

The play was written in the early 1900’s so there are some racial slurs involved. The cast is torn on whether or not to pc the play or leave it be as you are displaying a historical perspective of the time. Glad it isn’t me making the decision.