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Sunday, December 31, 2006
Some Great News!
Some quick book reviews to end 2006
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Thoughts and Resolutions
I'm falling behind on this blog again.
First off there's the day trip I took with Lu that should be posted, then some momumental news dating back to the 6th followed b y more great news from the 22nd that should take up quite a few posts.
I also need to update everyone on Xmas - like anyone care's - because it turned out to be a great holiday, even if I did put on some pounds.
There's also current events like Saddam's hanging (good riddance, tho' I can't get very excited over seeing a human being die by another's hand) and some book reviews to round out the year.
But instead I choose to post on New Years resolutions.
Here's my list from both 2005 and 2006. How did I do?
Repair the videocamera/christmas tree stand
I did fix the tree stand.
Finish my dang book
Nope.
Boost revenue at my business 10% (minimum), with an overall goal of a 33% increase
We did better than '05 - and '04 and '03, 'matter of fact, but we failed to meet this goal.
Move into a better neighborhood, with more room for the kids.
Yup! More on this later.
Take my first real vacation in years; hopefully, a 10th anniversary cruise
Done
Pick up XM radio so I can binge on MLB games this summer
Yessiree.
So out of six resolutions I succeeded in 3, got partial credit on 2, and failed in 1. Not a bad outcome, really.
As for the '05 list, which I also vowed to complete in '06:
I did quit smoking (yea!) and lost some weight.
I did learn new things
I kept all my teeth
And I had some good moments with my son.
Having failed at it year after year, it looks like I might never actually write a book, not between work and family and whatnot. And time spent writing this doesn't count as time I should spend working on it - this is a breeze and a relaxation thing.
That's ok. Life is pretty good as it is.
Sigh. Actually, you know I still want to be a paid writer . . .
Anywho, here's my 2007 Resolutions:
1. Continue losing weight, and stick with it.
2. Finishthe $3%#$ book
3. Transcribe all the interviews I've done over the years
4. Keep all my teeth
5. Find happiness in my employment
6. Learn something new
7. Try to live by my adage "Try not to be an a**hole", as I notice I've been a jerk a lot of 2006 - I blame the job.
8. Spend time with my family whenever possible, and actually 'be' present, not just physically there. I've zoned out a lot as of late.
9. Here's an iffy - see Gettysburg
10. Resolve or minimize my anxiety, etc. issues
11. Host a belated 10th anniversary/wife's 30th birthday bash
12. Take up a physical activity
Ok, a dozen is more than enough.
If I don't post again in '06 - Have a happy and Safe New Year!
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Gerald Ford 1913-2006
I myself am too young to have any memories of the Ford administration, although he was President for my crib and toddler years.
He served his country faithfully for decades, and seemed to be what my Grandma used to call a 'good joe'. It's a shame that history will probably only remember him for his pardon of Nixon and nothing else from his many years as a public servant.
May he rest in peace, and my sympathy to his family.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
An Odd Xmas Feeling
I'm feeling very . . well, not anti-Christmas. It remains my favorite holiday and I'm glad it's coming. I'm just very tired, emotionally/financially/physically and it seems like the holiday just keeps pounding away at me this year.
Case in point: today, at my lowest ebb, I still had to spend a decent chunk of my day prepping for two - yes two - Christmas parties we're hosting in the next few days. Okay, so I did 5% of the work and Lis did the rest. It was still exhausting.
And when exactly did we become the social center of Milwaukee?
90% of the fatigue can be explained by the activity of the last six weeks, which resulted in some great news. but I'll get into that at a later time.
8% is because of a disconnect I feel this year, ironically because in those six weeks Lisa stepped up and did all the decorating, cards, shopping, wrapping , and planning for Christmas. I didn't do a dang thing.
I'm glad and grateful, but it puts a distance between me and the holiday.
2 % is probably, sub-consciously, is the fact that it's the first Christmas without my Grandma.
Ah, Blah Blah.
To change the subject, here's a copy of my Xmas list.
I put it here not in the expectation of having a reader buy me something, but because I think, when looking at it years down the road, it gives you a pretty good idea where a person's life stood at that time. The exception might be '04, when my list included 8 or 9 mafia related items.
That was just a freak Sopranos/Godfather kick I was on. :)
I have my library card clear so no books are necessary. Someone could pay off my bogus Blockbuster bill if they like lol
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
It's a Wonderful Life on Candy Cane Lane
This past Saturday Lisa and I went to the home of a dance classmate of hers for a It's a Wonderful Life party.
The party itself was a very nice, casual affair. At 3:30 the whole group walked down to the Times, an old 'Magic of Hollywood' era theater where the movie was showing on the big screen.
I'm sure a few folks were influenced by one too many glasses of wine, but the audience, by and large, reacted to the scenes as if seeing it for the first time. There was genuine laughter, shock, you name it. That was unexpected.
The print itself was crisp, clear, and beautiful enough to make you wonder why they ever switched to that new-fangled 'color' film.
[out of place memory: as a youngster, for awhile I thought color was invented in the 60's. Not color film - color, period. I thought they filmed it 'normal' but the world was gray. How's that for crazy?]
And of course, I teared up a good three or four times. Nothing to be ashamed about - Sonny Corleone cried at movies too - and the movie remains, by far, my favorite of all time.
Definite Desert Island viewing.
Afterwards we headed back to the party for a minute, then dined at Real Chili, a site not condusive to a diet.
From there we picked up our kids and headed to Candy Cane Lane.
Candy Cane Lane is an area of homes in Milwaukee, three blocks long by maybe four or five wide, that decorates their homes Griswald style for the holiday. They attract quite a crowd, and it's all to raise money for the MACC fund - Midwest Athletes against Childhood Cancer.
[you'll have to forgive the photos of the night. The best houses (the brightest) don't photograph well]
Most folks choose to drive the route, turning off their headlights as a courtesy and joining a crawling motorcade of what can amount to a hundred cars or more.
Why?
Every year we choose to park and walk the kids through the streets. You feel much more involved, more Christmas-like, and get a better view. You certainly have more to remember than you would after an exhausting ride through the event.
You also run the risk of frostbite some years, but this time we got lucky with temperatures in the high thirties.
No whining and no complaining. The kids even took turns in the stroller of their own free will.
It was like taking strangers I tell ya.
Lu constantly pointed out any reference to Jesus, hollering out "I see Baby Jeezus!". She also said, when spotting the Grinch, "There the meanie!"
The only naughty act was Parker's tendency to yank the hair of whoever sat in front of him.
A dancing/talking snowman grabbed their attention for a good while
Two odd incidents:
There was a child, maybe 6 or 7 years old, who had obviously gotten her parent's idiotic permission to ride standing in the moonroof of a car.
"You're naughty," Lu yelled to her, full of exaggerated menace.
"Go home," the girl yelled back.
"You, you're naughty," Lu responded.
We squashed that fast.
Second not so Christmas moment: a woman was annoyed we didn't move the stroller out of her way fast enough and swore. Lisa let her know that wasn't cool, though the incident overall was nothing major.
But not the norm for the event.
Lis and I have a long standing tradition of taking our own photos, dating back to our beginning. With rare exceptions, they ain't pretty. Here's that night's effort:
Quote of the Day
My wife and I were watching It's a Wonderful Life Saturday. When it came to the part where George see's his wife Mary as she would be if he had never been born - a lonely, buttoned-up wallflower with glasses and a frumpy coat, I turned to her.
"That's what you would have looked like if you'd never met me," I said.
She snorted.
"You mean that's what I look like because I met you," she said.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
42 Days
As of 6 p.m. tonight, it's been 6 weeks/42 days/1008 hours since I last had a cigarette. Actually, 1008 hours since I last so much as held a cigarette in my hands.
Which is something, considering that even in the 'breakthrough' quit of earlier this year I didn't go more than a week without stealing some 2nd hand smoke or bumming a drag from someone.
It's still hard, especially after a meal. As my wife says "it's the period at the end of my sentence" and its absence is felt.
On the other hand, I'm mildly confident. It is getting easier, and I've begun to think of cigarettes as a crazy lover you no longer see but occasionally miss. It's tempting to link up for a quick one, and lord know's you'd enjoy it - but in the end you say no, because it isn't worth dealing with all her psycho c*** later.
In other words, it isn't worth going through the agony of quitting again just for the sake of a cigarette.
I'm still eating too much to compensate, but that too is slowing down. Heck, I even ignored the desire to watch TV and instead hit the gym for a good 1/2 hour tonight.
Maybe there's hope for me yet.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Two Unrelated Pics
Here's a bland pic of Parker in the tub. Because of the kooks in the world I won't put the rest of the pictures online, but check out the eyelashes on this kid. Believe it or not, he gets that from me.
Secondly, here's a pic of my girls entranced by the computer. In additon to Barbie.com, Disney.com, etc. we've now discovered how to play videos on AOL.. They've watched two Mary Kate and Ashley Christmas videos, and one of the Smurfs.