It has begun!

No waiting till the day after Thanksgiving for us! Oh no. My wife and I did our first Christmas shopping today! Oh I know…some folks feel the whole holiday thing starts way too early. So do I. But if you can’t beat ‘em...join ‘em! Better yet, go ahead and get there before they do!! And that was our plan. We would get in some early shopping while the shelves were full, the crowds were slim, parking was available in the same county as the store, and discount prices were all around. And for the most part, it worked. We even had time for some good Chinese food for lunch.

The only problem? We still have about a hundred more trips to go. The crowds will be ridiculously large. Shelves will be bare. “Merry Christmas” will turn into “get the hell out of my way!” And the spirit of Christmas will teeter on the brink of extinction.

We’ll get through it. We always do. Our traditions and fun times will save us. But knocking off some of this shopping while it was a bit easier was definitely a smart way to get things started.

The Giant Snowball of Blogs

It starts as just one little flake. Then it picks up a few more. Before long, it is a snowball. It keeps rolling downhill picking up more and more snow. A bigger ball. A freaking giant ball. And then...it passes the 'ball' phase totally and we're talking avalanche.

I'm talking about the blogs I read. Is is just me, or does everyone have more bookmarked than you can possibly read? I've got a few of my favorites right here on this page. And those are just a few of my faves. I've got more faves. Then I've got the 'read when I have extra time' blogs. They are interesting but maybe don't post as often. Then there are the blogs I saved cause they had one or two really awesome posts that made me laugh till I snorted...so I keep going back hoping for another one of those posts. And then, there are blogs I read for a while and just don't any longer. Just too many. And the list got even longer when I started to blog! It is like a separate little world that self-perpetuates!

So tonight I thought I would clean up my bookmarks. I got rid of the ones I haven't looked at for at least a month or so. And the ones who haven't updated in a month or so. Plus a few others for various reasons. And two things were noted.

First, I felt guilty about every one. Almost like I was dumping a friend. But they don't know. So it felt secretive and and sneaky. I know...weird, huh.

Second, I still have a LOT of blogs left on my list. Thank god LOST is going on haitus for a while. Maybe I'll use that hour on Wednesday to catch up on blog reading.

Report Card

It's been a long and busy week with all the election stuff going on. And while everyone in my house was excited about the overall outcome, that was not the biggest thrill of the week.

I've not mentioned this on here yet, but Son16 has multiple cognitive/learning/social disabilities. But with a lot of hard work and some great teachers, he is in the tenth grade and still attending all regular classes and doing the full load of work expected of a tenth grader. Oh sure, he has a wonderful resource teacher who he gets to see a 2-3 times each week. And he gets to type most things rather than write them. But overall, he is expected to do the work just like the other kids.

We're proud of his progress but we also hold our breath every day. And yesterday, when he brought home his report card, we made sure we were sitting down before opening it.

Then we opened it. And what to our wondering eyes should appear??? FOUR "A's"!! That's right...FOUR. Let's say that together, shall we?

ONE...

TWO...

THREE...

FOUR!!!

That would be "4" for those who prefer their numbers as numbers. Or "IV" for the Romans in the crowd.

Oh yes, there were a couple of "B's" on the page. Even a "C" in algebra. But an "A" in science and language arts. "A" in Aviation (not flying, just designing). Even a "B+" in Latin!

Who would have thought report card day would be my best day of the week?!?!?

Man vs. Nature

We have a lot of wonderful trees in our yard. Different sizes. Different kinds. And right behind our house is a big patch of woods, so looking out our windows we see nature everywhere. And on one side of our property there is a stream surrounded by more trees. In the spring everything is glowing green as new leaves bud on the branches. In the summer it is lush with a cooling shade. And it reaches it's peak in the fall when it explodes in reds, yellows, browns, golds, and oranges. Just beautiful.

And then those leaves fall. And fall. And fall. A carpet of leaves. Piles of leaves. Leaves from our trees. Leaves blowing in from the woods. Leaves blowing from the stream. And the battle begins. The leaves trying to cluster in the gardens, on the deck, against the house. While I try to put them back in the woods or pile them near the street for the giant leaf-sucking truck. Choosing the right time to rake is more of an art than a science. Clearing the yard too soon just means I'll have to do it over and over. Too late and I run the risk of an early snow that turns them into a thick, heavy, wet clump that is almost impossible to move. (I speak from experience having used the snow shovel one year to 'rake' the leaves!)

My Magic 8 Ball told me this was the weekend. Working along with Son19, two rakes, a pitchfork, a hand-held blower, and the big 5 horsepower blower, it took us seven hours to turn that thick carpet of leaves into The Great Leafy Mountain Range - mounds of leaves all along the edges of the yard and in the woods. Well, to almost accomplish the task. Some leaves will blow back in the yard and need to be cleaned up. And there is still one large tree in the back that hasn't dropped any leaves yet. Maybe by Turkey Day. But most of it is done.

Anyone got some Ben Gay?

Signs of the Time

One of my favorite blogs to read on local politics is My Left Nutmeg. On their front page they feature this Welcome To Connecticut sign. I love it. And I thought it might be my favorite sign about little Bush. Until Winston showed us this!

Midterm Madness and Mayhem - Part 2

There are awards for everything. The Country Music Awards. The Tony Awards. The Darwin Awards. The People's Choice Awards. The Hasty Pudding Awards. The Best Awards Awards. So tonight I present the Midterm Madness and Mayhem Awards. For the most part, these awards are just for candidates in the great Nutmeg state cause that is what I know best. But I'm sure you've got your own award winners right where you live.

Our first award tonight is The Most Over-Used Euphemism Award. And it goes to Joe Lieberman. He has told us over and over and over and over just how he can 'reach across the aisle' to get things done. That is his way of saying, if George Bush wants it done, I'm abandoning my party and voting Republican.

Next up, The Biggest Waste of Experience Award is awarded to Rob Simmons. Mr. Simmons has stressed his years of military and intelligence experience. And yet, he never seemed to use that when making decisions. He was bamboozled by the WMD argument. He supported the rush to war. He sees no way out of the war. So apparently his years of experience mean nothing.

The 'Nothing More Than Feelings' Award goes to our highest ranking politician in the state, Governor M. Jodi Rell. In her short term as governor, both good and bad things have happened. Ethics violations in government - including her former boss being sent to prison. Men being put to death in the death chamber. Child abuse. High gas prices. And the list goes on. And on every occasion, Governor Rell simply seemed incapable of taking decisive action, taking a stand, or setting progressive policy. But she never hesitates to tell us how she feels. She feels badly/ashamed/proud/angry/sad/etc. She always has feelings. But never really any ideas.

The Total Truth In Advertising Award is presented to Alan Schlesinger, Republican candidate for US Senate. His TV commercials have been perfectly true and accurate. What's the catch? He has NO advertising. He has NO money. His own party nominated him and then abandoned him to support Joe Lieberman's independent bid for Senate.

Susan Bysiewicz, State Treasurer, wins The Exploited Children Award. Her commercials start with her kids, focus on her kids, and end with her kids. "Our mom...." That's cool. She has handsome kids. But what does that have to do with being Treasurer??

One of our double award winners, Joe Lieberman, picks up The Slushie Award. He has a remarkable amount of petty cash funds that he can't account for. Well over $300,000. If you aren't sure how that stacks up to other candidates, check out this chart at Connecticut Blog.

The Sleaziest Politician Award is given to Nancy Johnson. In this category, there weren't even any other nominees. Her commercials have been vile and untrue. In some cases, they were so ridiculously bizarre and untrue as to be laughable. In other cases, they were so mean-spirited that it was uncomfortable to watch. The result, for the first time, in the last poll, she has fallen behind! Whether it is a response to the polling or just a calculated move to end on a positive note, suddenly all her commercials are quaint and upbeat and never mention her opponent. I truly hope the voters aren't fooled by this 'Grandma Goes To Washington' pitch at the final hour.

The Man On The Corner Award goes to Bill Aman. He is our local representative to the state legislature. And he stands on street corners waving at passing cars more than any politician in history! And he has become such a fixture on the corner that his campaign posters are now life-size cardboard cutouts of Bill waving at cars. So now he can be on lots of corners all the time! (Wonder if he supports cloning?)

The See No Evil Award goes to our other two-time winner, Governor Rell. While she was Lieutenant Governor, our Governor engaged in enough ethics violations - stealing money, misappropriations of funds, rigged bids for state contracts, etc - that he ended up in prison. Somehow, in all those years, Jodi never saw a thing. She never grew suspicious. She had no clue. She was obviously so uninvolved in goverment that she had no idea what was going on around her. Oh, but when it finally became too obvious and too publicized to ignore, she felt really badly about it all.

This final award does extend beyond state lines. The 'I Can't Believe Anyone Thinks This Way' Award goes to every politician at the national level who voted to support Bush's torture legislation but opposes gay marriage. I don't care how you look at it, I just can't understand how any list of human behaviors would rank torture as a more favorable thing than a loving marriage. And yet, we have a lot of senators who would rather torture someone than let them get married.

Congratulations to all our winners.

Midterm Madness and Mayhem - Part 1

We're just one week away from the elections so it seemed as good a time as any to toss out a thought or two. I'm no political junky but I do try to pay attention to current events. So I've got a few thoughts about this whole midterm muddle.

1. Every survey tells us that we, as a people, are unhappy about the direction the country is headed. We are angry about Iraq. We got tricked into this war and now there is clearly no plan to get us out. We are unhappy about the economy and the prices we paid for gas this summer. And we are angry that Dick Cheney can shoot a guy in the face with no real consequence while we can't even carry shampoo on an airplane cause that seems dangerous. And yet, I wonder how much will change? We get pissed. We rant and rave. But will we really vote for change? Or will most incumbents slip by with a narrow margin so we can continue on our merry way with no real change?
2. What if we do elect a whole new slew of politicians? Will it matter? Do any of them give a rat's ass about change - or do they just care about getting elected? The way they alter their positions almost daily as the polls move up and down gives us a hint about what they care about, doesn't it!
3. I don't know about the politicians where you live. Perhaps they are fine, upstanding characters with integrity and decency and high ideals. But if that's the case, then you don't live here! Some of the commercials on TV here have broken new ground in tastelessness. If the commercials were true, we would be choosing between terrorist supporters, porn producers, idiots, losers and crooks. Okay, some of that may be true. But I'm betting most of it is not. While the commercials have that same bizarre appeal as a car crash - we are repulsed but we can't look away - it seems the quality of them must surely be bad for the political process as a whole.

I will stand in line next Tuesday and cast my vote. I enjoy participating in the process. I like expressing my opinion with my vote. But my track record isn't so good. I usually vote for the one who loses. My values and beliefs are not mainstream. But that won't stop me. I'll be there. I'll pull a lever or scan a document or punch a chad or whatever the hell kind of voting mechanism we get to use this time. And I'll sit at home Tuesday night, watching the returns, and keeping my fingers crossed for just enough victories locally and nationally to maybe make a difference. And I hope I'm not writing next Wednesday about how futile the whole thing is and what a dumb bunch of voters we all are.