The Dreaded Holiday Form Letter

Faithful Reader(s):

While it is not outside of the realm of possibility that I may find the time and the resources to post between now and 2009, my itinerary for the next several days is chock full. With that in mind, let me extend gracious holiday wishes to all, including salutations for the new year. Please kiss yourself (drunken and sloppily, please, for purposes of verisimilitude) at midnight on New Year's Eve, and imagine it's from me!

Sincerely,
ATR

Ice, Snow, Volleyball

After dodging weather bullets twice this week, with storm fronts that passed through too late or too early, or that didn't pass through so much as pass by, we here in Cornopolis got an early Winter Break, as a layer of dry snow atop a layer of sleet atop a layer of ice was enough to call school for the day. It was a pleasure to go back to bed at 5:15 this morning (after feeding the dog), since Monkey and I stayed up pretty late last night to watch the Women's Volleyball Final Four. The Husker women took the #1 seeded Penn State Nittany Lions to a fifth set before bowing out of the tourney. It was a pretty amazing match, since Nebraska fell behind two sets to none to a team that hadn't lost a set all year, let alone a match. The Huskers stormed back to take sets three and four, and took a 10-8 lead in the final set. The Penn State women were just too much, in the end, however, taking seven of the last eight points to win the last set 15-11.

Unfortunately, the match before, between Stanford and Texas also went to a fifth set, with Stanford coming back after being down 2-0 to advance to a Championship rematch with the defending champions of State College. So the Husker-PSU match didn't end until 11:30. And that is way past maximum bed time on a school night!

But, it all worked out in the end. And, so, winter break is upon us, not a moment too soon. We'll be heading back east next week (weather permitting), and then we'll spend a few days resting up and turning a year older, before school ramps back up again on January 5. Between now and then will be a lot of flying, driving, visiting, toasting, consuming, football, basketball, and Holiday cheer (or maybe that's what all that previous stuff adds up to).

Update Four: Cuttin' Heads

Friday of last week, Ripken Ozark had some elective surgery. He's had some benign bumps on his body for some time, but recently, the size of one and the appearance of a cyst on puppy dog's head led the vet to surmise that some removal would be a good idea. He was pretty groggy on Friday, after four incisions, over twenty stitches, and some powerful anesthesia. But, being the good dog that he is, he has needed only a few reminders not to lick or scratch, and he takes his antibiotics (much smaller this time than the horse pills he had the last time he had stitches) like a champ (with a little cheese persuasion).

He spent his first day by himself today, and it appears that he is well on his way to recovery. His stitches come out in about eleven more days.

Wish the pup a speedy recovery!

Update Three: The Dude Abides

Last weekend's visit by the Boys of Atlanta (I was gonna call them the Baha Men, but they're from Miami) led us to the fabulous Parkway Lanes for some rolling, some oat soda, and (we thought) some burgers. Alas, the grill closed early, so we had to settle for some last minute pizza (they sure do roll up the streets early here in PoP (it was only 10pm, and the pizza joint was a-closin'!)).

Beside the unbegotten burgers, the night was a joy. Bowling is that past time that is a great deal of fun when you do it. And you say, "Hey, that was fun. We should do that more often." And then six years go by.

But, we had a good time, and Monkey snapped some pics. Time for a beard update. A sideways view, this time.

Update Two: It's Gotta Be The Shoes

Is it cruel to throw your shoes at a lame duck? Is that really fair? I suppose it is when that lame duck is responsible for the generally unfounded, ungrounded invasion, destruction, and total clusterfuckation of your country. Even if that lame duck ousted a dictator (trust me, only a by-product of the plan), it still managed to turn your homeland into a battleground. And the end is not in sight. The paper yesterday says troops may be in Iraq for "decades." Yeah, well, tell me something I don't already know. Mr. Blackmon?

Update One: The Weather

I walked out this morning to start the car knowing it was going to be in the below zeros, but, DAMN! It was painfully cold. It was burn your lungs cold. And the Civic gave me a scare, when it didn't quite fire up on the first turn of the key. Or the second. It was so cold that the steering wheel was squeaking all the way to school. That plastic composite does not like the cold.

Leaving school this evening, it was more of the same, without the hard starting. Tomorrow, a warm 14 degrees, but with snow! Woo Hoo!

Central Standard Guide to What's In for 2009 (The Second in a Multi-part Series)

Sorry to leave you hanging for so long. Monkey and I were entertaining some Southern boys for the weekend. They left for Dixie on Sunday morning, firmly convinced that there is no place like Nebraska.

Here's some more up-to-the-second style tips for the coming year.

IN: Cambodian
OUT: Thai

At least, that's what I heard.

IN: Stermps
OUT: Stamps

Well, unless you want the terrorists to destroy your mail.

IN: The Wishbone
OUT: The Spread

Because, everything runs in cycles.

IN: Cool
OUT: Nucular

Need I say more (and George say less)?

IN: College Basketball
OUT: College Football

After January 8, all thoughts turn to March.

Central Standard Guide to What's In for 2009

As a highly sought after arbiter of taste, it is my duty to keep my readership aware of the most trendy things for the new year. After all, who wants to be seen wearing last year's beard, or an outdated button-down Oxford? Who wants to visit the greasy spoon that is so declasse (I have no idea what that means)? Or listen to unpopular music from the 90s...omg!

So, I will spend the month of December irregularly updating you on what is in for the coming new year, and what is out from the old year. Let us begin.


IN: Spain

Monkey and I are in love with Tempranillo, a hot Spanish wine. Had we any money in reserve, we would be off to Seville, Barcelona, Madrid, in a heart beat, truly living the Hemingway-esque expatriate life. Alas, it is not to be. Last year's boffo trip to Italy put us out of the running for any but domestic travel (and that, mostly by auto) for the foreseeable future. But, until we are uncorking some fine Spanish wine on the shores of the Mediterranean, this is the place to WANT to be.

OUT: Italy

Mi dispiace, Italia. However, that was sooo last year.

IN: 40

It's the new 20! How many MIPs can I rack up before I turn 41?

OUT: 30s, 20s, teens, tweens, toddlers, infants, newborns

As Tony's boss tells him in Saturday Night Fever: "You don't fuck the future. The future fucks you."

Stay tuned for more....