Wedding Bells

We got a phone call tonight, Christmas Eve. Chris and Tandy are officially engaged. I just thought this would be a fun forum to spread the news.

Guess I better get out the tux.

Twist

Ho Ho Ho

We were travelling 1230 miles to visit my in-laws for Christmas, from Texas to Kentucky. What should have been 5 hours away from our destination changed considerably. Traffic came to a standstill and we found ourselves about 3 miles back in a traffic jam caused by an accident. An hour later the line started to move and we drove less than an hour towards Nashville and found ourselves in another jam. We learned from the first one that it could be a while and took advantage of this one to rest and relax. Good thing too, because over 2 hours later we finally got going again. I had hoped to get through Nashville before rush hour, but didn't expect to bring all the rush hour traffic with us through town. It was quite a relief after every turn to lose a few more cars until we were in the 2nd to the last leg of our journey and found ourselves in yet a 3rd jam. We decided that we had spent at least 4 hours just sitting on the interstate. Our normal 22 hour trip finally took about 31 hours.

As we open our presents this year and see our loved ones open theirs, we'll remind them that the journey is part of the gift.

Merry Christmas,

Twist

Pain in the Neck

I normally don't have a very good excuse for failure to blog. Laziness and distraction are usually enough to keep me from writing, but for the past month I've had an additional excuse. Whether from posture at home or work, typing on the computer or reading, I've had a pain in the back of my neck that just doesn't go away. I've been supplementing my diet with Excedrin, Tylenol and Ibuprofen, trying to kick they cycle of inflammation long enough to get rid of the pain, but nothing helps much. A day of typing at work causes more pain than my thyroid surgery did. The only thing I can think of that tops it is hitting my thumb with a hammer. (Accidentily, of course.)

The various pain relievers and anti-inflammatories work for about 3 hours then wear off. Ice packs help temporarily, as do heat packs. As much as anything, I'm trying to determine just exactly what behavior is causing the pain, but so far I haven't pinned it down. On a bad night, I'll wake up in pain and go looking for a remedy. I'm open to suggestions, comments, good jokes, anything that will help.

I'll figure it out.

Twist.

Midnight Rendevous

As I was preparing for bed a couple of nights ago, the dogs outside began barking. Not just my son's mutt, that stays outside, but also the neighbors' dogs. Every little thing sets them off, but they usually quiet down quickly. That night, however, they kept going.

I told my wife that there was probably an animal in the alley, but I didn't want them to disturb the neighbors or me. I grabbed a flashlight and went outside in my underwear, as it was a pleasant night. My son's mutt hid from me behind the shed, but at least she was quiet. The flashlight beam didn't show anything in the alley, but as I swung it back over the fence, it revealed the little guy above.

I suspect that after all the dogs barking at it, I was a pretty friendly face and it didn't run off. I talked to it a bit, played with its tail, but didn't feel brave enough to touch its back, then said, "Wait right here. I'll be back in a minute." I went inside and got the camera to take a couple of pictures, for which he posed well. It probably only saw spots in front of it for the rest of the night.

Once again I said, "Wait another minute." I went inside and got some bread to feed it. He wasn't sure about it at first, then gladly accepted the bread. I left him on the fence and went back to bed.

My biggest problem now is, what should I feed the possum tonight?

I'll figure it out.

Twist

Post Potter Depression

Not having suffered, to my knowledge, any other form of depression, I can only judge based on my own experience that Post Potter Depression must be the most virulent form known to man. I have read all the Harry Potter books, seen all the movies, listened to the books on tape and am finally left with nearly nothing. Mere snippets of Harry insights trickle from the crumbs J K Rowling chooses to drop since the last book was published, snippets which were better left unsnipped. I find myself going to the website only to find that the sealed door is still open, containing only the last message posted upon publication of the final tome.

My friends tell me, you can always read another book. I try, but my heart remains unmoved, my mind in limbo waiting, hoping that at least the latest movie will soon come to dvd and perhaps there will be an announcement about the next movie.

I have spent the better part of so many years reading, re-reading the Harry books available, immersed in Hogwarts. Alas, the magic is gone.

Maybe I'll start all over again....no, not for awhile. For now, I'll drown my misery by immersing myself in the dark side...you know, Hershey's, Godiva and Whitmans.

Twist.

I'm a Believer

I'm a believer, and that doesn't refer to religion or the Monkees' song, although both apply. My middle daughter L_ drives 25 miles each way to college 3 times a week. As she drove to class this week, her car made a funny knocking noise which she asked me about over the phone. She thought it might be a tire problem and a classmate told her he knew everything about tires since he works for Discount Tire. All he could tell her was that the tire would need to be replaced within the next several months.

At a friend's house, L_ and he discovered that not only were two lug nuts missing from her wheel, but that the bolts were sheared off. She took the car to have it fixed and amazingly it only cost $45.00. Quite a bargain considering it could have cost L_ her life travelling to and from college.

I advised her to tell her "I know everything about tires" classmate that he skipped the part in class about counting lug nuts.

Twist

Skills...

Napoleon Dynamite says girls love guys with skills. Bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills, ninja skills. With I guess my adventures this week might put me into that category. I travelled to a large town nearby to work with another branch of my office. I headed up a visit to close a business. The owner had emptied it out around midnight the night before and didn't open it that day. Our locksmith got out his handy lockpick gun and went to work. I took notes, although I already know how to use one. In about 5 minutes we were inside and he began changing the locks. The two police officers with us checked out the store to make sure it was vacant and safe, then the alarm went off. I worked with the locksmith to disable the alarm and returned the scene to peace and quiet. We tried calling the owner, but for some reason she didn't answer our calls. All in all, an interesting day.

Glad I don't do that often, but I wonder if I'll ever use my new skills.....

Twist