'Twas The Night Before Christmas

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care . . .

Christmas Eve, 2007. Hard to believe it. Both the day and the year have come so fast. I still have vivid memories from childhood of my family going to Oklahoma City for the Christmas holiday. It was always Christmas Eve at my paternal grandparents' house in the Capital Hill section of OKC, then Christmas morning at the maternal grandparents' house in Bethany, Oklahoma. One thing I remember was that both sets of grandparents had at one time or another, one of those aluminum Christmas trees that were popular back in the 1960s. Since these trees were metallic, you couldn't wire them up with regular lights, but they had their own allure of a spotlight color wheel that sat on the floor beside them and projected different color of lights onto the shiny branches. The light was a spotlight with a plastic wheel of four different colors that rotated in front of it, thus constantly changing the hue of the light on the tree.

Since in those days we lived in warmer climates, it was always a treat for us kids if it snowed while we were in Oklahoma. That meant snowball fights, snowman building, and snow ice cream. Yum!

Now I am the grandpa, and it is up to me to help build lifelong memories for my grandchildren. Time moves on whether we like it or not.


Santa ornament from the USPS

Another thing I have concluded is that life is to be enjoyed, not put in a box and stored away. A perfect case in point is the above picture. A few years ago, the United States Postal Service issued a series of Christmas stamps featuring the head of Santa Claus wearing hats of four different colors. To go with these stamps, they also sold sets of ornaments matching the Santas on the stamps. At the time, I bought several sets, thinking that they might be worth something to collectors someday. Well, this year I looked on e-bay and saw that these ornaments have not increased in value. In fact, they were selling below what I paid.

So, I decided we would open them and enjoy them. Why save everything away and never get to enjoy them. Life goes by and all the good stuff gets hoarded and saved. Now the Santa ornaments adorn our tree and go well with all the other items we have on it. So I say, take out the good stuff and use it. Don't save the good dishes for company . . . family is more important than anyone, so why not share our best with those we care about?

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Flakes A'Comin' & Santa Too!

Denver 5-Day Forecast from myfoxcolorado.com

I mentioned in the last post that we have snow forecast for Christmas Day tomorrow. A few of the forecasts are wavering on that a bit, but it looks like we'll at least get some intermittent snow showers. The radar shows a nice storm to the west over Utah heading this way, so we can hope. I also washed my car today, so I imagine that'll mean we get more than we want!

Another pleasant thing was that today my employer let us leave early, allowing me to get a little last minute shopping done. Now time to clean the house up for our kiddos to arrive tomorrow for the fiesta.

On another note, Santa is already making his rounds, as it is already night in parts of the world. Remember, you can track Santa along with the good folks at NORAD by CLICKING HERE. You can see video of his progress at NORAD's You Tube page by CLICKING HERE.

He even has visited the International Space Station (see video below). This further proves Santa's magic, as you can hear the sleigh bells and his jolly "Ho, Ho, Ho!" in the vacuum of space!

Tomorrow Night Santa Makes His Rounds

How did it get to Christmas so fast? Every year it seems that once Halloween comes, the rest of the year flies by. This year it looks like it will be the kind of Christmas that Bing Crosby would have loved, as we are expecting a nice snowfall on Tuesday.

The kids will all be coming over, and that will be the best part of the holiday for me. We will be having a very non-traditional dinner, as one of my daughters-in-law doesn't like ham or turkey, so this year we decided to have a Mexican Fiesta! Feliz Navidad! We will be having chicken enchiladas, a taco and fajita bar, Mexican rice, and a virgin Margarita punch. Sounds like a nice change of pace. Who says you have to go with the same thing every year?

Besides, I think I must be part Mexican somewhere, because whenever the lovely spouse says, "What do you want to eat?", my usual reply is, "How about Mexican?" ¡Aye, caramba! ¡Comida Mexicana es muy, muy bueno! We even bought a string of lights that looks like red chili peppers, so we will be ready.

Almost Needed That One Horse Open Sleigh

Well, I know the video quality is crap because it came from the camera on my cell phone, but you can ride along with me. The morning started out beautiful, with clear blue skies. But right after lunch, just as the TV weather forecasters had predicted, the snow started to fall. This is a little bit of my commute home this evening. The background sound is from XM Radio's Special Xmas channel, a station featuring the weirdest, most demented songs of the holidays. The song that starts about :30 into the video sings about Santa doing the mambo. Truly, there are no redeeming qualities to either this post or video...but it is just an experiment at uploading from the camera phone to You Tube.

Isn't It Ironic? Don't you think?

Here is a story that is a real bit of real life tragedy and irony. Ken Hendricks, 66, a real-life, self-made multi-billionaire who built his fortune in the roofing supply business died last night. How did Mr. Hendricks meet his demise? Well, the roofing magnate was checking the roof of his garage when he fell through, suffing massive head injuries that proved fatal.

The really sad thing about this is that Hendricks seemed to be a down-to-earth guy. In an interview with Inc.com last year, he said about his $3.5-billion wealth, "It doesn't make any difference to me: I can't spend it. I'd have to sell the company, and I'll sell the company over my dead body."

My condolensces go out to his family and friends.

Life & Death on a Cosmic Scale

A black hole in one galaxy of 3C321 attacks its companion galaxy - NASA image

Scientists on the Chandra X-Ray observatory project have discovered a rare occurrence; a black hole in one galaxy firing a stream of deadly radiation at its companion galaxy. The smaller galaxy in the 3C321 system is right in the cross-hairs of the black hole, which is bombarding it with a stream of energy so powerful that it can destroy planets, solar systems, and certainly any life that may be in the way. Scientists say that this influx of energy will stimulate the formation of new stars and planets, even as it destroys the old.

This got me thinking about how this cycle is repeated over and over on many scales. The late astrophysicist, Dr. Carl Sagan, noted that we are made of "star stuff". The heavy elements that make up our earth and our very bodies, were formed by the explosion of older stars. Without their destruction, we never could have existed. On a smaller scale, the atoms in our bodies may have been part of a dinosaur or a tree, and in the future may once again be part of some other life form.

Still I wonder just how many civilizations may be in the path of this cosmic death ray? How many sentient beings may be utterly obliterated by such an event? We will likely never know, but it does serve as a reminder that nothing lasts forever. Not us, not our species, not even our own planet and sun. Everything we hold dear will someday be displaced by an uncaring, unending cycle of destruction and renewal. At some point, our sun will explode, sending the atoms of our solar system into space to perhaps become part of another planet or star.

The reality of how the cosmos operates is far more awe inspiring than any religious mythology created by the human mind.

Sad News

I just read that singer / musician Dan Fogelberg died this morning at age 56 of advanced prostate cancer. I always loved Dan's music, and am sad to learn of his death.

http://www.danfogelberg.com/news.html

Squirrels Love Peanuts

Snacktime for little squirrel - Click photo for larger version

We got another snow storm on Friday, but yesterday brought a beautiful, blue sky as a canopy over the white landscape. My son and daughter-in-law put some peanuts out for the blue jays and squirrels, and this little guy was ready to make a meal of them. I like this shot, because not only is the squirrel's fur and bushy tail clearly in focus, but I managed to get the depth of field narrow enough to blur the background and keep the focus on the subject. There is an entire family of these little creatures that come out to eat, and they are much fun to observe.

I Am An ID-Ten-T

Saturday turned out to be quite unusual. Let's start out with the washing machine saga.

We have been struggling to get a correct diagnosis and repair on the washing machine for at least three weeks, and last weekend, a repairman came out and found the pump was just clogged with assorted things which likely came out of my pockets. So, since last weekend I had all my laundry caught up at the laundromat, it was time to finally do my first post-repair load. I gathered up a pile of underwear, t shirts and white socks, put them in the washer, and thought I was ready to go.

Now understand that we have had this very same machine for 7 years, and it's operation is very familiar. Anyway, I turned the timer dial to the right setting, pulled the knob out to try to start the machine, but the knob comes right off. I try to pull the shaft that the knob attaches to, again without success. I tell the lovely spouse, and she calls the repair people and gives them a demand to come out before the end of the day.

Anyway, the repairman shows up, walks into the laundry room, and when I show him how the knob comes off, he chuckles and says, "Oh, this isn't like most machines. You don't pull the knob out. It has a 'Start' button. You just push that!"

Oh my gosh. What a perfect ID-Ten-T error on my part. (This error is used by computer support people for a stupid user...spelled it out ID10T). I felt so doggone foolish. Like I said, I have used this machine for 7 years. What kind of misfiring neurons did I have going on?

The other unusual thing is that we rarely go to the movie theater, but yesterday, we did. Since our grandchildren are staying with us this weekend, we had already planned to take them to see Alvin and The Chipmunks at Southlands Cinema. I usually watch movies at home, but maybe 2 or 3 times a year, we will go see one. As a side note, this was a very good movie to take kids to see. Nothing objectionable at all, and my grandkids liked it a lot, especially my 9-year-old granddaughter.

The bad thing is that before we were done, it was about $55 for the 2-hours. We got matinée tickets for $5.50 each, but with one drink each for the 4 of us, plus a medium bag of popcorn and 2 orders of nachos, the grand total soared. Man, that is some big markup on that junk! But of course, grandkids get what they want...that's the rule, you know. They are made for spoiling. Anyway, since we don't do it often, I just paid it and enjoyed the time with the kids. Plus, when we got home, we had a good time watching funny You Tube videos, like screaming frogs, and the series my grandson loved...Chad Vader, Day Manager, the videos about Darth Vader's less successful brother who is a grocery store day manager.

So, I am up early today, as usual, so I suppose I will make a run to the store and get pancake mix. Kids have to have grandpa's pancakes for breakfast, so I can't disappoint! Or I may just make some from scratch. Either way, they'll love them, just as long as they aren't Buckwheat cakes. Grandma made those for them one time, and let's just say, they were not a hit. These are kids who are very picky eaters, so plain pancakes it will be. Hopefully I won't have the same trouble with the stove that I did with the washing machine.

Friday Night Thoughts

Fireworks at the Nativity?

Somehow I need to find the time to go back and read the Christmas story from the Bible. I don't seem to recall a verse saying something like . . .

Then wise men from the east came, asking 'Where is he that is born King of the Jews? We have seen his sparklers, roman candles, and bottle rockets, and have come to worship him.'

or perhaps . . .

When the couple arrived at the inn, the innkeeper said, 'There is no room here. You can take your wife to the stable'. Yet Joseph saith unto him, 'Innkeeper, I have $1.3-million dollars. Can't we have the penthouse?'

No, I don't recall such verses, but apparently something similar must appear in the version used by First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. You see, the church is putting on a lavish Christmas pageant that costs $1,300,000 to produce and perform. The production uses live camels, fireworks, and Broadway producers. Whatever happened to shepherds wearing their father's bath robes and angels with tinsel and foil halos? Megachurches have gone way over the top. When you ask "What would Jesus do?", I imagine it would be to find a better use for $1.3-million. But we do know how he so loved a good fireworks display!

Heretic!

Well, speaking of religion, I am for this week a heretic from the most holy of holy religions in the Denver area. As any Coloradoan can tell you, the undying worship and adoration of the Denver Broncos IS the state religion. While I like the Broncos, I found myself rooting against them last night, as the Houston Texans spanked the ponies 31-13. What had to make it a sweet victory is that the Texans head coach, Gary Kubiak, was an assistant under Mike Shanahan while with the Broncos. To make it even more interesting, the Texans' quarterback coach is Shanahan's son Kyle. When I was in Houston, the Oilers were my NFL team, but since those turncoats moved to Tennessee, I have to be on the bandwagon for their replacement, the Texans! After all, as much as I love Colorado, I still feel like Houston is my Hometown.

A Federal Case?

In other sports news, Congress is looking into alleged use of performance enhancing drugs by Major League Baseball players. Some of the names that have been implicated have disappointed me, particularly that of Roger Clemens. Still, with the U.S. involved in two foreign wars, the mortgage crisis, a recession, and global warming all going on, why is this a case for the Congress? It seems more like MLB should be cleaning up its own house, but it is a private enterprise, so why is this the most pressing thing on the Congressional agenda?

Yet Another Nutcase Goes Berzerk

The carnage in America continues with deadly shootings at two Christian institutions in Colorado yesterday. Early in the morning, a young man killed two and injured two others at Arvada, Colorado's campus of Youth With A Mission. Then in the early afternoon, 70 miles away in Colorado Springs, a gunman opened fire in New Life Church (Ted Haggard's old church) and killed one person before a security guard took out the gunman. It is currently unknown if this was the same assailant in both cases, but I am hoping so, since if not, there is still a defective human being at large in the Arvada case. I read that the Arvada Police have reason to believe they are connected, and I guess ballistics analysis should help support that theory or refute it. In any case, while it is sad that anyone dies, the guard at New Life likely saved many more people by killing the gunman. My condolences go out everyone affected by these unconscionable acts of violence.

Update: I just heard on KCNC-TV in Denver that a second person in the New Life shootings has died in the hospital overnight.

Band or Building?

Here is an interesting coincidence I just had to take a picture of. The quality is not that good since I took this late in the day in poor lighting, so I converted it to black and white for visibility. In any case, there is an office park in Englewood, Colorado called Meridian, and one of the streets there is Maroon Circle. There is a new office building going up there, and here is the construction sign. I just thought it was funny, as the building is named Maroon 5. That also happens to be the name of a popular music group. What next? Buildings like Dave Clark 5? Fab 4?