St. Nicholas Day

I just remembered that today is St. Nicholas Day!

Random Thoughts

Today I am missing some people . . . and that's all I have to say about that.

Against the Odds

After losing in my fantasy football league each of the last two weeks, and most recently to the hubster, I was starting off this week's game in a tenuous situation. By Monday night, all of my players were done, but my opponent had one player left. I was encouraged by the fact that my opponent's player was a wide receiver who was just coming off the injury list, and the fact that I led by over 20 points. Usually, the first game back following an injury, players don't necessarily put up big numbers. Wide receivers don't often put up numbers in the 20's either. By the end of the second quarter, my opponent's wide receiver had amassed 18 points though. I pretty much figured that I was about to go on a 3-game losing streak at that point. I didn't even watch the whole game. I fell asleep. The hubster woke me up to tell me I had won by one point. ONE point made all of the difference between being in the winning or losing column this week! Amazing.

Late Start, High Hopes

I got a late start in joining/setting up a fantasy football league this year, but I finally got it done! The hubster is already signed up to play in the league, and the invites have gone out for a few others to join us. As I do most years, I vacillated about whether I'd play fantasy football this year, or not. I procrastinated about starting our league. In the mean time, the hubster signed on to play in about 10 other leagues, and our oldest son signed up to play in a fantasy league for the first time. I was really starting to think I'd be content not to participate this year, until the hubster and son started talking about the performance of different NFL players and how it impacted their fantasy teams last week. It adds a whole new and fun dimension to watching football when the people on the screen or in the stadium are playing for YOU! I am excited! It also makes it easier to justify the purchase of the football purse . . .

Things That Make You Laugh....Hysterically

One of my dogs REALLY likes to go outside, the other, not so much. She'll go, but most of the time there has to be a purpose beyond the sheer joy of experiencing the great outdoors. Though my dog that LOVES the great outdoors wants to be there, she prefers to do it as a joint operation, and will reluctantly re-enter the house if her sister refuses to join her.

After being rebuffed several times in her efforts to get our 'comforts of home' dog to join her outside, I was going to accommodate my outdoorsy dog by encouraging her sister to go out with her. I did this by using a dramatic, excited voice and making eye contact with 'comforts of home' dog as I said, "On your mark. Get set...." But I neglected to open the door as I uttered the word, "GO!" The next sound I heard was he thud of outdoorsy dog banging her head into the door as she plowed into it at full speed when it should have opened and given her full access to the great outdoors. It probably wasn't great for outdoorsy dog, but my son and I immediately fell into fits of laughter. Fortunately, outdoorsy dog is not only very loving; she's also very forgiving. AND she has a hard head.

The Grand Illusion

I keep thinking I ought to start blogging again, but somehow, I never find the time. Somehow, I am keeping so busy in the dailyness of life - at least at the moment - that I am barely keeping up with the pace that the dailyness of life seems to be imposing upon me. There seems to be a lot of running to and fro, and when it comes to tasks to be completed, there are times when I don't seem to be getting anywhere. It's a frustrating turn of events for one who likes things to be "just so." The upshot of all of it is that, if nothing else, there is a humbling aspect to it all. I am being reminded how little control one really has despite the appearance of the control we wield in our own lives: The Grand Illusion.

Humor: When Good People Come to Bad Ends

I saw this video after posting the previous Blackhawk video... too funny. It lends credence to the expression, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" . . . or given secondary importance to her man's other interests.

Goodbye Says It All

Every Once in a While

I awoke this morning thinking about the past a bit. I was thinking about the people I connected with at the now-defunct, Journalspace, blogging site. It is kind of interesting how people connected with each other at that site. I suppose a similar phenomenon occurs at other online social networking sites, but in some ways, what I observed in the connections and bonds formed between others at that particular site seemed to be unique. Every once in a while I think about the people I knew at "JS" with a sense of nostalgia. It was like there was a magical moment in time when what the old Journalspace site had just "worked" in a generally cohesive way. In a way, it was kind of like the sense of "magic" some would attribute to their high school or college years when a group of people brought together by a common denominator (in this case, Journalspace) could develop strong ties and a closeness that would seem, at the time, lasting, but that over time, when the common denominator was removed, some of that closeness would slowly dissipate for some, perhaps most. There is magic in the season, I guess. I think that also, like high school and college, with Journalspace, when it was good, it was very, very good; when it was bad, it was horrid.

Haitian Tragedy

I've had the people of Haiti on my mind a lot over the last couple of days. There is no way to quantify what they are experiencing as anything but tragically devastating. It is on a par with the December 2004 tsunami that struck Thailand, in terms of the scope of the disaster, but at the same time, I wonder if maybe it is worse. I can't help but think of the people separated from loved ones and not knowing whether they are dead or alive. Thoughts of people trapped alive in rubble alongside the decomposing bodies of those who did not survive, in pain, and wondering whether they will be rescued, or knowing that the end of their lives are drawing near, as they feel their life force ebbing away, steal into my thoughts. I think of Haiti and the mournful sadness that swept a nation, in a flash, as they went about a day that started off as any other ordinary day and ended in fear, sorrow, and tragedy, a nightmare from which they cannot awaken. I think about people who struggle to meet basic human needs on a daily basis already, who now must struggle all the harder in the midst of calamity and chaos to try to meet those same needs and more. I think of the collective voices of people crying out to God in their sorrow, all at once, and without ceasing since the earthquake struck. My heart is overwhelmed with sadness for the people of Haiti and my prayers go out to them.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread . . .

The halls are not completely un-decked, and one tree is in a state of being semi-defrocked. There were complications that upheld the completion of the job yesterday. I didn't get back to it today. I did make a nice dinner complete with fresh homemade bread though. I made two loaves: one a glazed crusty french artisan loaf and the other a plain loaf of bread. We finished the artisan loaf; we will have the other tomorrow. I added some ground flax seed to my bread dough to boost the nutritional value. It was good, no complaints - as the devouring of an entire loaf of bread at the dinner meal attests. I also used whole grain egg noodles for the casserole I prepared. That dish was also gobbled up. It's always a good feeling when people compliment the cook by devouring the meal. Happiness.

Un-Decking the Halls

I am working feverishly to get the halls un-decked today. One tree stands dark in the corner of the dining room though the lights and star still remain on the tree. I should have that tree completely put away in a little while. I am still working on defrocking the big tree. I want all of the ornaments off that tree before it gets dark. It's too hard to see some of them hiding within the tree branches, even with all of the lights on, because the normal lighting in that room isn't all that great to begin with, and colored lights (as we have on the tree this year) just don't put out as much illumination as the clear ones do. I am going to have to haul the ladder in to complete that task (ornament removal, or "defrocking") though.

I must confess that I feel a great sense of sorrow in saying goodbye to the Christmas season this year. There were things I had planned on doing and wanted to do that just didn't materialize. It seemed like the whole period of time between mid-November and New Year's just flew past in a blur. I feel some ambivalence as we move into the new year and decade. It is like there is a sense of urgency to savor the moments and seize the day. Carpe diem!