Christmas Thoughts

I hope that everyone who is reading this (all two of you, just kidding...four) had a great Christmas. I have to say that I am glad that the prelude to the holiday is over. I have nothing against the holiday itself. I have trouble with the chaos that leads to it. The painstaking work of getting everything ready. The gifts, the food, the house etc. etc. It is maddening, excessive, and expensive. I am exhausted from preparing for guests in our home after three straight weekends of cleaning and moving junk from one random location to another random location. I am looking at my bank account plummet faster than the stock market the day it crashed. I have to calm my nerves with mass amounts of Jell-O so I can keep from panicking over the balance sheet. I have to say to myself repeatedly "I have enough to pay for groceries. I have enough to pay for groceries. I have enough...to pay for...only cheese and moldy bread for the next three months as I pay off the credit cards after paying for that piece of jewelry my wife/ex/girlfriend/significant other wanted/needed." So I am left wondering whether or not we are honoring the birth of the son of God or the holy trinity of Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. It is this question that leads me to go to church for the only the second time in a calender year (just guess the first time) so I can get perspective on why I am subjecting myself to the insanity of the days and weeks that lead up to the holiday. However, the day of reckoning finally arrives and I enjoy it immensely. I enjoy the visiting with people I do not see on a regular basis. I enjoy seeing the joy in my (step)daughter's eyes in the morning. I enjoy eating ravenously. I enjoy giving the gifts. I enjoy the receiving the gifts as well. Finally, most of all I enjoy truly honoring the holiday for what it was meant to celebrate.


Other random thoughts:

* I am on-call again tonight and counting the hours until the shift ends. Not a good sign. At least the moon is no longer full, which means nothing in the grand scheme of things.

* I am watching the Motor City Bowl. Now why is a team allowed to play in any bowl game if they have a losing record in their conference? How does that work? Purdue was 3-5 in their conference. They do not deserve to go to a bowl. However, the bowl is in Detroit so maybe it's not that great of a reward anyways. "Hey men! We're going to play a game in Detroit the day after Christmas!!! Weeeeee!!!!" For Central Michigan it is a home game. Joy!

* My favorite line from the bowl game tonight by one of the commentators: "I am really impressed with Detroit." Joy double!! This is like saying you are impressed by the number of dogs killed by "Bad News Kennelz."

* People asked me what other albums I liked this year beyond The National's Boxer. Well, Arcade Fire (Neon Fire) and Bruce Springsteen (Magic) all released solid new albums this year. Their albums were close to the top slot. Honorable mention goes to Radiohead's album In Rainbows. I will post my favorite songs from the year in a future post.

* A co-worker corrected me concerning my statements regarding when Tom Brady (NFL's version of Zoolander) starting using HGH. I said he started in college. My colleague reminded me that it was in high school. Thanks for the reminder, Scott!!!

* Apparently a tiger escaped it's habitat at the San Francisco zoo and killed a young man and injured two others before being "dispatched" by SF police. Now, am I only the only one that is surprised that this does not happen more often? I mean we put wild animals behind bars so people can ogle and tease them day after day and we are shocked when one escapes and kills someone. I am not in any way suggesting that the loss of life is not tragic and horrific, but I am surprised that this does not happen more often. Wild animals were not meant to be kept is zoos or aquariums which is why I never go to them. If I want to see animals in the wild I will go to them.

* Purdue just won the bowl game 51-48 with a field goal with no time left. I wish I cared.

* It is now nine hours and four minutes until the on-call shift is over.