A Neat New Year

As 2006 ends, we're off to a neat start to the New Year.

When Diane and Gina were gone the other day I sorted my closet, ditched a bunch of stuff I no longer wear and straightened the rest. I know my dress shirts don't need to be on wooden hangers, but at Ross they're really cheap and they look damn nice.

We're getting started on a bigger reorganizing project in the basement, too. When I brought up Christmas boxes I discovered the the bottom on some of them were rotting. The dirt isn't as dry as I thought. So I've declared the basement a cardboard-free zone, and we're going to get everything into plastic or onto shelves. Bought 14 18-gallon stackable containers at Wal Mart today, and Diane's begun the sorting. I'll build shelves, bring in patio pavers, organize and stack until there isn't a single bit of wood or cardboard on the dirt in there. Wood-eating bugs are not allowed. Or at least certainly not encouraged.

Anyway, Happy New Year (and New Fence!) to everyone!

A White (Board) Christmas

My Christmas Eve activities included buying and installing door stops (nothing says Happy Holidays like well-stopped doors) and reorganizing my work file cabinets. They, my desk and the previously described white board are ready for the New Year.

Here's the Board. I know it has nothing to do with Christmas, but I did have an egg nog post recently. Have a wonderful Christmas one and all!

Eggnog as Proof the Devil is Real

I lifted the following in its entirety and made no changes. If the last line does not establish demonic existance, the very idea of combining eggs and rum should.

"Many believe that eggnog is a tradition that was brought to America from Europe. This is partially true. Eggnog is related to various milk and wine punches that had been concocted long ago in the "Old World". However, in America a new twist was put on the theme. Rum was used in the place of wine. In Colonial America, rum was commonly called "grog", so the name eggnog is likely derived from the very descriptive term for this drink, "egg-and-grog", which corrupted to egg'n'grog and soon to eggnog. At least this is one version...
Other experts would have it that the "nog" of eggnog comes from the word "noggin". A noggin was a small, wooden, carved mug. It was used to serve drinks at table in taverns (while drinks beside the fire were served in tankards). It is thought that eggnog started out as a mixture of Spanish "Sherry" and milk. The English called this concoction "Dry sack posset". It is very easy to see how an egg drink in a noggin could become eggnog.
The true story might be a mixture of the two and eggnog was originally called "egg and grog in a noggin"."

An Odd Realization

Had a weird day yesterday. Went to Merced to drop off some gifts (very short sticks like the rest of you got) and visit folks. Mom was off gambling. (Diane keeps saying I should call ahead, but I just don't.) Had a nice visit with Suzie and Katie.

Then there was dad.

Went there first and spent about two hours. Julie was there for part of it, but mostly it was just him and I. And as we talked, I kind of kept waiting for him to ask questions about my life. How's Diane? How's the house? How's work going, natural things like that. But they didn't come. The conversation was about his life, his health, the child support he once paid, paying Chad's mortgage now, etc. (Can you believe that? It baffles me.)

Anyway, he and I went out to lunch and at the end of it he asked two questions: If I was still doing work in Stockton, and was I still teaching at Columbia. And I'm convinced he asked them to be polite. Certainly neither elicited new information.

And it struck me: He really just doesn't care. Not anymore. I don't believe it's social ineptitude or whatever damaged coping mechinism he's used all his life. It felt different. I honestly believe he's sort of filed me (Us? I don't know) away is some distant-past folder.

It's an odd realization. Lord knows I went through several stages of trying to understand and cope after the divorce, and I'm in a good place. But this was a bit unexpected.

Anyway, I wanted to write it down. Next time: Why egg nog is proof the Devil is alive and wants us all to go to Hell.

It's time to get rich

We've decided it's time to get rich.

Lotto winnings would be nice, but since we don't play it's not a viable option. Neither is gambling since:
1) We suck at it and
2) We don't enjoy it

So that leaves earning and investing, I'm afraid, and we're getting serious about it. In the past year or so, we divided up our old 401(k)s with our practice spouses (as required by the courts,) bought life insurance, transferred our 401(k)s into SEP-IRA accounts and have those invested in a nicely diversified and fairly aggressive portfolio of low-cost mutual funds.

Then today I opened a new savings account at HSBC Bank, an online bank that's fully FDIC insured. They're paying nearly 5% interest on regular savings accounts, which beats the hell out of the 1% (or less) Bank of America pays.

Bring on the wealth!

Modem madness and holiday hangovers

Technology abandoned me today. Or it delivered me. It's hard to tell.

Was up early, at my desk about 7:30 and found our Internet connection down. Tried to reset the modem and it refused. Tried the cable TV and it worked. This is not a good sign.

I called Comcast and they tried to reset my modem but it refused their efforts, too. Sometime alone in the dark, cold December night, the old modem died in its sleep. The Comcast guy made an appointment for a tech to come out tomorrow, but also said I could take the dead modem in to a Comcast center and swap it for a living one. The nearest Comcast center is in Valley Springs -- 45 miles away. Still that's faster than a tech tomorrow, so I was on the road by 8:05. (At 8:02 it was 24 degrees...)

Back home by 10 or so with my Brand New Modem. Took calls to somewhere in Florida (Comcast) and somewhere in India (Linksys) to get back in full operation. Took a live-chat session with LaShon (I didn't ask where she was...) to restore our e-mail accounts. Was back in business somewhere around 2:30 p.m.

So on the one hand I could complain about the pretty much lost day, but on the other hand tech support in two continents straightened out hardware and software issues and now I have three computers (Frankie's home) back on line at cable speeds. And for free. So I choose not to complain.

As for the Holiday Hangover, a neighbor had a dinner party on Saturday and invited us and two other couples from our block. There was a lot of wine and various liquors. To give you an idea of how drunk we all were, before the night was over we went carroling. And it was my idea...

Hats for Trees!

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas...

There's snow outside.

A big-ol tree inside.





And a hat on top!

Why We're Not Exchanging Gifts

My sisters and I are not exchanging gifts this year, and although they attribute it to the fact that's we've all bought or are repairing houses and at least 2/3s of the group does not have "real" jobs at the moment, I know the true reason.

It looks something like this.

Murphys had a wander-the-streets open house the other night and in a store I normally don't go to I found this figurine. And, if we had been exchanging gifts this year, I would have bought it for Sonnjea.

I know I should have learned my lesson by now. After allowing Dave to draw me into pig wars with Sonnjea and Scott, I was forced to surrender when they sent the world's most hideous hula pig one year. She's also sent me a fancy chickens calendar, so I know not to open barnyard hostilities with a natural. But it's tempting!

And if meditating cow isn't to you're liking, here are some other options:

That last one is Sam-Moo-Ri, by the way.

Anyway, we're not sending gifts this year. I'm sure it's not personal.

Happy Bears

Here are some happy Cal fans. And this was before USC lost!