Monday Musings...
First off, I'd like to trust that everyone spent a wonderful Christmas wherever the four winds led them, even IF it was at "Homestead Heights", as my Dad used to call it. There's nothing wrong with being a "homebody".
And there's nothing wrong with keeping the holiday more "intimate" as a result.
Here, at the bastion of sanity, otherwise reffered to as the "Bobby G. Fortress of Reason", we had a pretty decent Christmas.
We had a duck (with orange sauce, prepared by yours truly) for dinner.
Now, if there is one problem with serving duck, it's that the leftovers don't last AS LONG as with a turkey (dammit).
They DO leave a lot of grease in the roasting pan, so always make sure you drain it off with a baster or have a deep enough pan to catch all of it.
Otherwise, you might have "company" for dinner in the guise of the local FIRE DEPARTMENT.
(and I'll tell you...those boys can EAT)
Funny thing about gift-giving between the Missus and I...we don't hog-wild, and it's certainly not because we "have everything"...far from it.
No one ever does.
We just get more meaningful things...things that come more from the HEART than from the Hip-National Bank.
We DID get a huge bag of dog food and one of cat food for the local SPCA...trouble was, they were CLOSED on Christmas Eve...go figure.
They WILL reopen tomorrow, so we'll be dropping off the (belated) goodies for all the waifs on four feet.
That's fast becoming one of our "traditions" for the holidays.
Another tradition is watching Garfield's Christmas...and Scrooge (1951 version)...and White Christmas.
(And yesterday's viewing of all THREE of the Lord of the Rings movies didn't hurt much, either...lol)
Somehow, watching the whole gratitude and redemption thing seems all too appropriate at Christmastime, and it should be year-round.
Now, when it comes to "gifts" in our part of town, there are those that obviously DID NOT GET what they wanted...such as a MUFFLER for that POS minivan up the next block. Must have been naughty.
And we also had our share of boomcars even ON Christmas...you'd think that such idiocy would take a freaking day off...but no.
I would have thought that Santa had gotten them a few CITATIONS to stick in their stockings...again, no.
One asshat was riding around and doing wheelies along the street in the snow on his (street-illegal) ATV...
Now HE was asking for a gift from the jolly elf and his helpers, but not a creature was stirring...not even a B shift police officer (obviously).
After a time, you do get used to not seeing the patrols in the ghettohood that you KNOW you should be seeing.
I mean, *I* see all the crap happening, so I know it's there...why not the police?
Makes 'ya wonder...
And wonder I shall again this New Year's Eve, when the sound of GUNFIRE will be heard (usually) around 15 minutes BEFORE midnight, until at least an HOUR AFTER midnight...and I (again) never see ANY FWPD patrols in the area.
That's a "typical" ghetto New Year around here.
Lots of idiots with lots of (illegal) guns and lots of drugs and booze for "seasonal courage" doing what low-lifes (by choice) do naturally...causing alarm among the few normal people still left here.
I'll be watching as I do every year for anyone using a firearm in my area...a RESIDENTIAL area...with all the houses that don't stop bullets too well.
That's OK, though...it's another "tradition" - go outside on New Year's Day and visually inspect the house for bullet holes...LOL.
Now...how about that EAST coast blizzard?
I've been following this, because I'm from Philly (where cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, and hoagies reign supreme), and this is looking pretty serious.
NYC streets are barren, and as far south as S.C. are feeling this storm smack them right in the kisser.
It reminds me of that blizzard we had back in the winter of '78-'79.
That was really fun (not).
I was snowed in over at my girlfriend's house (in Echelon, NJ, about 40 minutes from home), and it was the first (and ONLY) time I saw snow come UP past the windshield on my Torino!
I had to dig out JUST to get the damn door open...forget driving anywhere soon. Luckily, the car started right up, and I had more than a 1/2 tank of fuel...to go NOWHERE.
We DID manage to get my girlfriend's sister's old 1966 VW Beetle dug out enough to start it.
The weird thing, is that it started straight away, and it climbed ON TOP of all the snow, so we could DRIVE somewhere else...astounding.
Amazing little car...with the worst interior heating system on the planet.
Yeah, that was a helluva storm system.
And this current one is right up there, too.
When they roll out those huge construction FRONT-LOADERS to clear streets...it's SERIOUS.
When the quickest way to get around town is walking...it's serious.
When Dad "commandeers" Johnny's SLED for toting provisions from whatever store is still open back home...it's serious.
Hopefully, the idiots will stay off the streets out East, and allow the cities to do THEIR jobs, and that the citizens will not panic, but keep their heads about them and realize that this is ONLY nothing more than "global warming" in action...(rolls eyes).
Yeah.
We here in the Midwest got off lucky...and we're staring at temperatures tickling 50 degrees by week's end.
And naturally, we'll all be waiting for that "other shoe" to drop, meteorologically-speaking.
Weather changes here by the MINUTE some days...ask anyone living out here.
In the meantime, if you're not snowed in, I'm sure you're scarfing up ALL those post-Christmas sales, right?
We maxxed out last year on cards, gift wrap and extra lights, so we're good for this year (and the next, it would seem).
Still, there is usually "something" out there we might want to add to the pile...somewhere.
This is one of those weeks where the living is relatively "easy"...for a change.
The last gasp of 2010, as it were.
According to author Arthur C. Clarke, this was supposed to be the "Year we make contact", as per his followup novel to the first book, 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Well, if "they" (the contactees) came, they probably left here laughing their alien asses off...wouldn't surprise me, especially if they followed (earth) POLITICS.
So, in keeping with that theme, maybe we'll take a look back at this year (in between the crime and other things happening around us) and see if we're prepared to LEARN from the PAST, in order to make the proper changes in our PRESENT...so we can preserve our FUTURE.
(wow, Bob...whatta concept)
Yeah, well if we don't do that, we will be destined to REPEAT it (again), and I don't know about you, but I always hated repetition like THAT.
Kinda gives one something akin to Carpal Tunnel of the BRAIN, hmm?
So take care if you're suffering bad weather...pace yourself, and don't go anywhere if you don't have to.
Common sense should be job-one.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.