Merry Christmas!! (2010 version)

Merry Christmas!

Had a great Christmas Eve.

Geogal and I both had yesterday off. Time for being lazy and time for constant noshing. (Both of us completed our gift shopping.)

On Sunday I did my annual trek to Kearney to hit the big box retailers. Unlike the previous two years there was not:

Temperatures hanging just above zero with a death-inducing wind chill

or

Snow falling and accumulating at a MUCH higher rate than forecast by the weather prognosticators

In fact the temps were just a smidge below freezing, which makes it the warmest Christmas shopping journey I’ve had since moving here from Arizona. I also had my Sirius satellite radio which meant I could while away the boring 90-minutes-one-way-drive with NFL action. Hot coffee and plenty of sugar ensured I remained engaged in the driving but created a cruddy and bizarre mood upon returning home (just a bit too many free radicals coursing through my system).

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Browsed around iTunes a few days ago, added to my Christmas music playlist. Finally they have the ORIGINAL version of Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.” Also added Johnny Mathis’ playful crooning of “Sleigh Ride.” Both are songs I’ve heard on the radio every Christmas season and as any regular reader to this blog will know, many of my happy memories are associated with travel.

Regarding the Mathis version of “Sleigh Ride,” I distinctly remember one of the times I heard it. Just a few days before Christmas in 1989, driving (with dad, mom, and younger Geosister) toward our destination in Texas. We hit Amarillo about midday and it was a beautiful bright sunny day. Then we passed by a truckstop with one of those large lit signs that indicated the temperature was 4. “Has to be a mistake,” I thought. Then the radio announcer gave a current temp. The sign was right.

A blast of Arctic air was going over the region.

It’s funny, as I was remembering that trip our local paper had a small blurb headlined: “Are you cold yet?” It indicated that while the past few weeks featured “biting cold temperatures” it still doesn’t come close to the time period I just mentioned. On Dec. 22, 1989, approximately 137 cities in the Central Plains and eastern United States set record lows. In this area of Kansas, for example, Goodland recorded a low of 27 below zero.

And that’s probably not taking wind chill into account.

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I’ll use this space to wish all of my readers a Merry Christmas. Please don’t forget what this season is really about: celebrating the birth of Jesus, who lived a sinless life and then died (taking every sin committed by all human beings past, present, and future) on Himself in order to reconcile mankind to God. If you haven’t invited Him into your heart why not do so on Christmas Day?

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As I write this I’m the only one in the house who’s up at this time. (It’s almost 7:30 a.m.) Amazingly the little girl is still snoozing away. But that’s OK, we’ll have the traditional activities soon enough. (I’ve already taken a glance at my stocking--just looking, no touching.)

The coffee tastes good, the living room is ready, and just a little later I’ll season the prime rib roast and pop it in the oven.

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I’ll leave you with just a bit of Christmas kitsch, quite possibly my most favorite novelty Christmas song:

"Awwww, the Denver Broncos?"

News of Josh McDaniels' firing can only bring to mind......The Simpsons.

What do I mean? Just watch.

Question Answered

Remember a couple of posts ago where I wondered if the Big 12 Conference had any designs on TCU?

Question answered.

Just gives credence to that earlier blog entry--it's become all about the money.

The End, And The Beginning

The End of the college football regular season. Sigh. Seems to go faster every year.

I couldn't stay awake last night to watch the outcome of the Nebraska-Oklahoma game.

Now I'll struggle to stay awake during some of these (blecch) bowl games.

And the NFL is no consolation prize. Their games tend to be bigger snoozefests than some of the college matchups.

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The Beginning of Real Winter. Woke up to a light dusting of snow. Light enough that just about all of it has melted by now.

I'll enjoy that detail as it lasts. Before I know it the roads will be snowpacked, icy, and will require finesse to navigate. Not to mention brushing powder off of the truck in the morning.

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Do I have a BCS pick? Oregon.

Listen to the hype about Cam Newton and tell me that doesn't light a fire under the Ducks. Not to mention they will be looking for January redemption after that embarrassing Rose Bowl defeat in 2010.

Should be a very good game. Brawn versus swift.

Recooping

On Thanksgiving Day I got hit with a sore throat, fatigue, and general ennui. It progressed into the weekend, then moved into my nasal cavity.

Over the past few days I've felt like a phlegm factory.

(Readers are now thinking: Ewwww, Geoguy! Too much information!)

Yesterday I finally heeded Geogal's direction and saw the P.A. She put me on a Z-pack as it appears I have a sinus infection.

Needless to say, I haven't been real active for the past week. But I have had a chance to get some reading done. Finally read H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine." I'm now recommending little Geoana read it, she should be able to get some AR points and enjoy one of the first works of science fiction at the same time.

The week prior I enjoyed a couple of books my wife got me through the local library system. One fiction and one nonfiction.

Nonfiction: Going Home to Glory by David Eisenhower

Fiction: Trophy Hunt by C.J. Box

I strongly advocate both. They do well to feed one's inner historian leanings and sense of outdoor adventure.

Always remember the laughs

Earlier this year I wrote about "It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World" having another lead actor going to that great premiere in the sky.

That flick losing its performers doesn't throw me too much. IAMMMMW was a bit before my time.

Not "Airplane." I remember seeing this one in the movie theater. With my mom, younger sister, and three cousins. I remember it well. After only one viewing I could recount certain scenes with the best of them.

So to hear that Leslie Nielson died a few days ago was sobering. Now Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Peter Graves, Barbara Billingsley, and Leslie have all left us. But, as with the previously mentioned movie, the celluloid/videocassette/DVD/Blu-Ray/insert next format here will always be around for our enjoyment.

Might just have to watch "Airplane" this weekend.