Simplification

Our life is frittered away by detail... Simplify, simplify, simplify! ... Simplicity of life and elevation of purpose.

Henry David Thoreau ("Where I Lived and What I Lived For" Walden)

I don't know about having any elevation of purpose, but I'm all for simplicity. There will be no new resolutions for the coming year, each increment it is the same, lose a few of those pounds, try to eat healthier, live less wastefully, less wantonly.

While deep in the midst of ribbons and bows and shreds of wrapping paper ends, the thought is overpowering, and overwhelming ... simplify. One special thing is worth a thousand meaningless items purchased out of obligation. A child's proud grin with their Christmas cookie creation beams brighter than any sparkling lights. Precious time is a far better gift than anything you can wrap.

So I place a bow on my moments with my children, my family, my friends. Simple as that. And cheap too.

Happy holidays blogger friends!

dc

The sky isn't falling...

At least it's not falling with acorns in the north east. Apparently following a bumper crop of the seeds littering lawns last year, the acorn population has diminished to scarcity. According to an article at CNN.com, the scientists say the trees likely exhausted their energy in the previous season and are taking a year off in production. Others are curious if it is the beginning of the Happening - a trickle down effect from the lack of bees. I'd like to think it is something completely different. (*queue X-files theme) A colony of hybrid monster squirrels. Maybe that's what the Montauk monster was? We need to send the investigators out to see if they can capture a glimpse of the creature. Or at least freak themselves out by the sound of trees rustling.

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Also in the news this morning, Sarah Palin's church was torched. I may not harbor my sentiments toward any particular organized religion or another, but arson is never an appropriate method of protest. They mentioned she called the pastor and apologized for putting them in a spotlight. Somehow I doubt it was a political-based maneuver though, likely some firebug that belongs in the psych ward who got off on seeing the national coverage.

I say we sick the hybrid monster squirrels on whoever ends up responsible.

I miss my channel 2

A black screen with a warning of "carrier not found" appeared last night on several channels on the top of the horn. Then, this morning I didn't get to watch the Thurmian morning newscaster on KTUU, (he looks like one of the aliens on Galaxy Quest, we've been waiting patiently for him to bust out with a "By Grapthar's Hammer, I will avenge you.") and if this keeps up will probably end up missing all my NBC thursday night programming.

Wondering if this has to do with whatever the cable guys were up to on the top of the mountain, but it is probably something else. If it was though, I guess their impatience to fix the problem and ignore storm warnings probably has something to do with people like me freaking because they can't get their daily installment of sitcom pleasure. Yes, my name is DC and I am a TVaholic.

I guess this is a good evening to plan on tackling a couple of chores I've been avoiding, and maybe try out the kid's new boardgames... and turn off that comforting flicker once and for all. But like a true addict, I'm still holding out for the hope that it will be back on when I get home, just in time for me to watch my current boss be personified by the character of Michael. And no, I'm not a Dwight if you were curious. I'm more of a Jim type I'd like to think... but nice like Pam.

Pole licking and road crossing

So it is A Christmas Story season yet again. One of the most fundamental of traditional holiday tv fare, (along with A Charlie Brown Christmas and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer). A Christmas Story is the only one that has ingrained such a valuable public service to my formative youth. Since I watched it early in life, I realized quickly that BB Guns *are* dangerous, watch out for falling icicles, Santa is evil, and most of all... never lick a frozen pole.

I'm wondering now, how many people actually have licked the pole out of curiosity? I was reminded that not everyone got the message when sis's little one actually tried it. Why? Because it just looked like it needed to be tasted. I think I will make this movie manditory this year, maybe prevent just one more from the mass removal of tastebuds.

This got me thinking about another common sense practice that it seems a portion of youngster's must not have been exposed to. Proper methods for crossing a busy street. There are too many times to count as all three schools are let out near the four way stop, kids just walk into the road expecting the car sees them and will stop. If the crossing guard isn't present, they'll just dash up from behind you and run across, and even though drivers are on high alert for pedestrians, there is still the potential for them getting missed in the middle of a blind spot and hit. Those are the kids taking the crosswalk... now the other problem set are the ones dashing across to go straight to the coffee shop. There really should be a crosswalk there. I saw a boy yesterday, barely on the sidewalk posed for a sprinters mark. The car on one side was nice, and yielded, the one on the opposite side didn't stop, and the kid had to stop in the turn lane.

I was always taught to cross the crosswalk every time, even if it is out of the way. But, who can blame them, I'd probably be dashing for the coffee shop after school too. Maybe instead we should build them a pedestrian crossing... or better yet, a habit-trail with a slide at the other end. Wait, remembering the pee smell of the ladder tube of the old Baranof park jungle gym, maybe tubes would be a bad idea. Or just accept the fact that the kids are going to be kids and dash across the street anywhere along the sidewalk, so we must be on extra vigilent watch.