Unless you can catch that stuff from moist towelettes or Mr. Clean Magic Erasers.  See, I knew there was something inherently dangerous about being too clean.  Now I have proof.  And I’m happy to note that there is absolutely no risk of the "too clean" syndrome breaking out anywhere near me.  Not now, not ever.  You’re safe here.  Tell everybody.

So, anyway, with that out of the way, I’m cleaning.  Not taking down the tree or anything useful like that.  But I am cleaning.  Because my home was starting to resemble the olde english description of a "Peste House".  Um, yes.  And I’ve done 4 loads of laundry since we got home last night.  And I’m mystified as to how two buttons spontaneously exploded off of our Duvet cover when it was in the wash last Tuesday.  That there is truly one of life’s mysteries.  And I’m not on CA time anymore, but it absolutely beats the sh(* out of me what day it is.  So confused. 

And yes, vacation was wonderful, up until we had to come back.  Listen!  Hear that big old sucking sound?  That’s life right now.  Because we came back to shades of gray and wet, and no Pinkberry, and no Trader Joes.  Yep.  Suckage.  So, now it’s time to go do the marketing, and maybe a date night movie thingy.  Maybe.  Or maybe we’ll just stay home and eat Chex Mix and pretend it’s still the holidays.  We could watch Elf.  Except that Bob already smells like Beef and Cheese.

Oh well. 

Yay!  It’s a brand new year on the east coast! May you get the change you need.  The year you deserve.  The life you want. Meanwhile, should auld acquaintance be forgot, and all that hoo hah!  We’re in our jammies and hoping to stay awake long enough to usher in the new year out here.  Now, I know the entire frickfrack blogging world is doing some sort of recap crap, and if you thought that’s what I was doing… well, you’d be wrong.  But, because you’re whining, I’ll let JibJab do it.  Mainly because I’m really not feeling the sing and dance shiz.  Jammies and no socks, remember? So cccchhhheeeckk it out!

There are streaks of pink in the eastern sky and 2008 is entering its death throes.  Another annus begins here, tonight, on the edge of the world, and I am at peace.  But, of course, I’m contemplative today, thinking about the year that was and the year that will be.  Oh, and drinking coffee.  That too. Because life and coffee and a view like we have here can really bring out the contemplative from my usual frenzied pace.  Because this is when the quiet thoughts come sneaking in.  The questions.  The pondering.  And this past year is assuredly one to consider.  Loss.  Change.  Beginnings.  Endings.  And everything in between.  But this is the stuff that all life is made from.  The details are in the living.  And 2008’s gifts to us were many.  Our family is larger now than it was before.  Our bonds are stronger, we’ve been tested repeatedly and we’re holding tight.  Bridges are being built to a different future with an unwritten story.  Lessons have been learned. Walls are coming down.  Life is leaving old trauma behind and allowing the healing to begin.

And it is because of all this that I fairly bristle with curiosity at what is yet to come.  What 2009 will bring.  What will come next.  Chapters ending and beginning, dreams coming to fruition.  Our lives.  Intertwined.  Our Choices.  Roads to choose and paths not taken.  Only the future knows where it all leads.  We have only the option of living it.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to do just that.  Live.  You should do the same.  Beginnings and endings.  The stuff of life.

Grab hold with both hands and hang on tight because- ready or not-  2009 here we come!

And we’re here, in LA, for a week, for a break from Winter and a visit with The Bob’s family in southern California.  Basically I think we pushed away from the Christmas table, hurridly threw the giftwrap scraps in the trash, and rolled our suitcases into McGhee Tyson just a very few hours later.  And now, 300 years later (or so it feels), after a brief in-out visit to The Great White North Minneapolis, we’re in the land of fruits, nuts, & flakes.  Already had an In-N-Out Burger and some potato crack fries.  And, of course, already had a fight with Hertz, and we’re now driving our usual - a black Lincoln Navigator with an inoperable Sirius Radio.  Um, yeah.  Reserved a normal car… they fracked that up… and just to make the experience complete for us, they threw in a two hour wait for free.  So we got an upgrade, and we got a $100 gift certificate.  But, at this point, I have to mention that I’m coming to the realization that our loyalty to Hertz is somewhat idiotic and more than a little misplaced?  Yes, yes it is.  Since this is the fifth time in two years that we’ve ended up with a Navigator when we booked something else.  Yes. Misguided and misplaced,  that’s us!

And as for Christmas, since we’ve flown right past that, it was a little bit of both - merry and happy.  Santa Claus be’d very very good to me, for true!  Got my Macbook… blogging from it as I type right now.  But wait, there’s more!  Because I apparently was the right mix of naughty and nice, he threw in a little lagniappe in the form of a Kindle.  As in an Amazon Kindle.  As in a sold out Amazon Kindle.  As in somebody in my family made me simultaneously the happiest and most envied person in my circle of friends.  Thanks Bob, Mom, Jim-Bob, Thi Thi, Bub & Kaylea!!!! Both my new babies came in real handy today… until I finally fell asleep an hour before we landed in LA.  And, of course, I had to laugh when I looked down our row and saw two adults, one teen, three Ipods, two Blackberries, two laptops, one RAZR, and a Kindle, all simultaneously in use.  Yep, that’s us! The Geekersons.  Coming soon to a wifi connection near you.

So, that’s the update.  I’ll post as I can.  But understand, we’re on vacation and at least semi-incommunicado, or at least as much as you can be with all our monitoring devices turned on.  Enjoy your holiday too!  Spend some time with the family, even if everybody is texting across the room to each other. M’kay? Cyabai!

And we’re nearly ready for the big time.  Not our vacation yet, unfortnately, but we are just about ready for Hanukkah.  Sadly it actually started tonight, but we aren’t doing a big to-do until tomorrow night, so I’m not suffering too much guilt over that one.  As for Christmas, I’ve rolled fours it would appear.  Because I have approx 4 things still to buy - one for Jen, two for Bob, and one for Jim-Bob, and due to disorganization, I have 4 gifts left to wrap, because I forgot about them.  And I still have to hit the Likker store for 4 bottles of something, anything, as long as it’s pretty strong, because that’s important too, right?  Right.  So three days, 4 each of the major tasks left to do, what could possibly go wrong?

While you make that list, because this is night one of the eight crazy nights, watch this!  And yes, Hanukkah is cool, ice cold, just like us, because it’s frickin’ 16 degrees outside!

Thank you Sherry, for yet another adjustment tool that I apparently need this year more than you even knew.  As I type we currently have a dead Penguin in the yard, I’m running around the house with gifts and wrappings, we’re both high-jumping the laundry piles, and we’re also trying to determine where that "unclean" smell is coming from.  In short, I’m driving both of us crazy because there’s still so much left to do, still so much left undone.  And it’s stupid.  Really stupid.  Because none of that is important, really.  Well, okay, maybe the unclean smell, but that can be fixed with a dog bath and bedding wash (oh crap, two more things to do!) 

But, I think I really need to keep in mind the message that the most important thing we take with us from Christmas/Hanukkah 2008 is memories.  The undones aren’t what we’ll remember when we look back (well, okay, yeah, I will, but that’s just me).  For all of us collectively the memories we’ll keep in our hearts will be of the funny stuff that goes wrong, and of being together.  The year the tree fell, the year Joseph went walkabout from the Manger scene, the year our stockings were stuffed with small bills, and the year the Coconut Pies were more than a little scrambled.  Memories of love.  Memories of family. Together.  Laughing.  Talking.  Remembering. 

That’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.  That’s it.  So take a breath, sit down, and remember.  And know that Sherry’s right.  Almost  works, for everything but love.  That you have to do 100%… everything else is overrated.

ZOMG!!! NPR you rock!  I just wish you’d have done this story a month ago.  And for those of you who think I’m babbling, although you’re probably not wrong, this time there’s actually a point.  As in, did any of you know there’s a convention on Thanksgiving Weekend at the Christmas Story house in Cleveland, OH?  Um, no, neither did I.  How I missed this world class event, I do not know, but you can be sure that I won’t miss it again.  Because next Thanksgiving the Bob and I will be in Cleveland - The Mistake by the Lake- eating Chinese Turkey and hiding under the sink, just like Randy!  I’m sure we’ll also throw in a visit to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, but first I’m going to Higbee’s window.  I’ll let ya’ll know if we see any pink nightmares or anything.  And, yes, the house has a website… surprise surprise!  Next year, look for my inflatable FRA-GI-LE Leg Lamp… right between the penguins…

It’s a major Award!

Yes.  Because this week Life she has sneaked up and whacked me with a skillet.  Yep.  A large skillet.  Thankfully not a hot skillet.  But a full skillet of life lessons nonetheless.  See?  I’ve got a scar from it now.  Right on my head.  Yesterday, in between gnashing and ranting, I actually said this, loudly, with limited success.  So much drama.  So.  Much.  Drama.  Yep, there’s so much that I said it twice.  And I’ve hit another Christmas wall… no gifts are wrapped yet.  So, because I’m hitting the wall on Christmas, repeatedly (don’t even ask about Hanukkah - that’s TEH EPIC FAIL of all time) I’m considering another route for us.  Do you remember Festivus - a holiday for the rest of us?  I think that’s what we’re celebrating this year.  However, I’m thinking that the airing of Greivances may need to start earlier than the 25th, like maybe today?  It’ll take a while I think.  Meanwhile, for those of you who are confused or uncertain as to what my new holiday is all about:

Found this on Craigslist tonight, thinking it would fit right in at our house.  Misspellings and all. 

Mainger scene - $30 (Knoxville, TN)

---

Reply to: sale-xxxxxxxxxxx@craigslist.org ^[?]
Date: 2008-12-13, 7:35PM EST

this Mainger scene is a blow mold lighted figurine set includes stable animals. Missing the baby Jesus, aparently someone felt they needed ours for their set and they borrowed Him and forgot to return Him. $30.00.

Really, I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.  Don’t believe me, click this linky-doo!  I’m thinking this is way better than a Slanket!  Santa? Me wants it, no baby Jeebus and all!

Either way, the message is the same.  Whatever you celebrate, do it up right.  And since this year was the first that we did a Chrismukkah Bush, here’s a Hanukkah carol by my second favorite Jew - Adam Sandler.  And, for inquiring minds, the reason we finally combined the trees is because there’s no such thing as "separate but equal".