overwrought

It is only two days into our visit to Michigan and it seems like the kids have already had too much partying and disruption of their normal schedules and routines. At this rate, we will be in for a world of hurt by Saturday when we return home.

better today

Much smaller gathering today. Just J's immediate family. Pretty relaxed overall. Got in a short run, which the growing beer gut needed. J got a nap which she needed. No snow here north of Detroit, but based on Facebook postings, Peoria must have gotten some snow.

Tomorrow J and I will get some time alone for an activity that I intend to become a tradition: post Christmas thong shopping!

anti-Christmas

Why does Christmas bother me? I think a lot of it is just the contrarian in me disliking it because so many others like it so much. Another factor, at least this year, is my distaste for large family gatherings. I do not know most of these people and have very little interest in their existence. Lastly is probably its proximity to New Year's when one takes stock of yet another year of life gone by having realized far fewer possibilities than have remained ethereal.

Objectively, I have little about which to complain and much for which to be thankful/appreciative. Instead, I am morose, jealous, bitter.

decent drive, discouraging arrival

The weather cooperated for our drive today. Rain from Peoria to Paw Paw, but none of it freezing, then dry and snow free for the remaining three hours. We arrived at J's parents house with nobody home. They were at a family party that we thankfully got to skip. J's dad called to say that they would be home in 45 minutes or so and that there was beer in the small fridge in the computer room. What do I find there? Michelob Light and Bud Light. Are you kidding me? He knows I don't drink that vapid, colored water. When he visits our house, we are always well stocked with the beer he likes. On previous visits they have had decent beer for me, but not this time. I could chalk it up to mere forgetfulness with all the hustle and bustle of the season. Or I could see it as a symptom, like the not-even-lukewarm greeting I received, of J's parents' dislike for me. Which is actually totally understandable.

Anyway, upon seeing the inadequate beer selection, I headed out to the store to get something decent. The guy at the counter informed me that Michigan does not allow any alcohol sales on Christmas Day and after 9pm Christmas Eve, if you want to buy alcohol, you are out of luck until December 26.

Chances are that during the large family party that will take place here tomorrow I will have to dip into the vapid beer, but by that point I won't care.

thong dichotomy

Among the regular attendees of the Body Pump class I go to, the chyck with the best butt never wears a thong, while a chyck whose butt is not in the top five, always wears one.

Democrat health bill condemns 180,000+ to death

Harry Reid:

Much of our attention this year has been consumed by this health care debate. And a Harvard study found that 45,000 times this year – nearly 900 times every week, more than 120 times a day, on average every 10 minutes, without end – an American died as a direct result of not having health insurance. (source)

Since Harry Reid's bill does not require people to buy insurance until 2014, he is cavalierly standing by while he believes 210,240 (which you get with one every 10 minutes without accounting for a leap year) people will die "as a direct result of not having health insurance".

If Reid and the rest of the Democrats really believe this, how can they, in good conscience, wait until 2014 before implementing the measures they claim will save us? If they don't believe it, then they are LYING.

So which is it? Is Harry Reid a liar or a cold hearted bastard who cares nothing about the death of ~200,000 people?

stop subsidizing crap

As usual, Dilbert hits the nail on the head. Precisely why there should be no NEA or NEH.

party and performance

J and I went to BTG's house last night for a party. We had a great time with the three other couples there. We played Pictionary and Apples to Apples and talked and drank. Not a big, wild-on party, but very enjoyable.

This morning we went to the Northwoods Christmas program. It was better than last year, but still not what we would have liked it to be. Too much be-boppin, jazzy, crappy music. Too much theater. The actual message was quite good, but the stuff preceding it only served as an opportunity for the theater people to show off how theatery they are.

the edge

A few weeks ago my favorite radio talk show host was discussing an aspect of not being married. He talked about how if he was married, he wouldn't be as good at his job and cited the time when Rush Limbaugh was married and the quality of his show before during and after his marriage as an example of how losing ones edge when married.

The truth of this theory has been crystalized for me in the last few weeks as the pressure (applied primarily by me) at work has ramped up. I can definitely see that I could be more focussed on my job and spend more time working if I did not have a family. At this stage of the project on which I am working, I could lose myself entirely in the work, ignoring everything except basic sustenance, were it not for my obligations/entanglements outside of work. How much must one sacrifice/ignore to be truly successful? What is the right balance between work and family, success and mediocrity?

J has been incredibly supportive as I have spent extra hours at work and disengaged somewhat from our family in order to get things done at work. I see myself now in a state which, in a pathetically insignificant way, reflects that of my hero:

Aldous Huxley: "If we evolved a race of Isaac Newtons, that would not be progress. For the price Newton had to pay for being a supreme intellect was that he was incapable of friendship, love, fatherhood, and many other desirable things. As a man he was a failure; as a monster he was superb."

As arrogant or stupid as it may sound, Newton is the standard against which I compare myself and I often wonder what potential I have squandered by being human. The current taste of somewhat singular attention to the tasks of my current project at work has wetted my self-aggrandizing imagination and highlighted again how I fail to measure up.

Schock and awe at the gym

Where's Schock? I went to the gym to suffer on the treadmill instead of being able to jog outside due to the freezing rain. The weight room and cardio room are conjoined so as I am pounding away with my excessively weighted frame on the treadmill, I notice a dude over in the weight area that looks like Aaron Schock. After I am done jogging I went over to the weight area and as I got closer, it became clear to me that it was Aaron. I said hello to him. He was very pleasant and we chatted briefly as I did not want to distract him from his workout. It was very interesting to see a US Congressman in such an informal environment. This surprise meeting improved my already favorable impression of him.

Now for the gossipy part. The dude is ripped!! Not meathead, gym rat ripped, but like a gymnast.
He is shorter than I expected. He takes his workout very seriously, he had an extensive log sheet for his exercises.

the goddess returns

Megyn Kelly was back on O'Reilly tonight! Her baby is cute and she is still totally hot, the perfect woman.

The Reversal

I've not posted anything on this blog for quite some time. I've thought of many interesting and intellectual topics I might want to discuss: health care, Iran, Climategate. I've not yet found the time to write a post about those important issues. So, what is so compelling that I am putting aside other pressing tasks in order to blog?

My toilet.

Why the toilet? Well, because today my toilet surprised me. Rarely does a toilet surprise you. Most often it simply disappoints you with an inadequate flush or a grungy appearance. Today I got surprised.

Whilst working with my 6 yo, I heard a whooshing sound coming from the first floor bathroom which was around the corner from us at the time. Thinking that J2 was screwing around in there I called out to him only to hear his voice coming from the school room where he was doing an independent art project. As I made my way into said bathroom, the whooshing had stopped and all seemed well. Upon lifting the lid I could surmise that the toilet had performed a sort of reverse flush and had sprayed water onto the (thankfully) closed lid from inside. Naturally, I was thinking WTF? I now suspect that it has something to do with the guys and trucks that are apparently doing something to the manholes in the neighborhood. This helps to alleviate some of recently developed toilet phobia.

I am currently most thankful that no one was sitting on the throne when the whooshing occurred. I am also thankful that I had shut the lid. I am hopeful that this disturbing incident will never be repeated, and I will heretofore be sitting with caution.

The Wife

post enjoyment depression

I have not done well since returning from my little getaway with J. Maybe it is the contrast between vacation life and "real" life that has shocked me into a funk. I did not get out of bed until 4:30 today. I simply did not want to be awake and in the world. I have also started to dread going back home and reengaging that life.