Merry Christmas

Well that floor I was worried about ended up being quite worrisome, but that can wait until tomorrow.  Today is all about some peace on Earth and good will towards men. Not to mention the hopefully final day of everyone's holiday stress. 


 Travel safe my friends, and Merry Christmas!  I'm going to start the coffee and light the tree now.   I think Santa showed up. Fooled him again.   HA!   Thinks he's so clever with that "naughty or nice" list.

Peace on Earth and Whiskey in my Belly.

Its Friday, December 23, 2011, my heart is growing three sizes, I should probably see a doctor about that, and this is The Side.  I've still got one more item I'm hoping to get and then I'm declaring my shopping done.  Got my fingers crossed on that.


Moreso, I'm hoping that floor I'm supposed to be finishing up turns out alright.  Last thing I need is a job to go sideways on me right before Christmas.  Its one of those "we're not supposed to be even doing this one" kind of job where we kind of got roped into it.  Not cool.  Ah well.  On to something more pleasant.

NOT SO LONG AGO

How I spent Christmas changed quite a bit one was a grown.  My folks had divorced.  My dad had remarried a wonderful woman.  I lived with my Mom to help her out a bit.  My stepmother is from Maryland so her and my Dad would go to see her family on Christmas, and since they had pets I would be the one to watch their house.


Its amazing how differently I viewed Christmas.  When I was a little kid I couldn't wait to get up and go open presents.  As an adult with a physically demanding job I was more than happy to sleep in a bit.  Nothing crazy like sleeping until noon, but I certainly wasn't in competition with the sun to see which of us would be up first.  This was especially true if I had to work the night before at the bar.  While I usually got out of there early if I had to work Christmas Eve it was typically still pretty late by the time I got into bed.


I'd tend to Dad's house and his pets.  The first thing that got put on was TNT since they were showing A CHRISTMAS STORY over and over again all day.  Even when I was dating my girlfriend who went on to be The Missus I still had the run of the place since she would typically be visiting her folks in Kansas.  I'd grab a shower and get dressed to head over to Mom's for brunch.


Brunch at mom's was pretty much the big Christmas Day thing.  I usually had seen everyone in the family before Christmas day as since we'd all grown up, the logistics of getting everyone together was much trickier.  So the family Christmas gatherings were spread out.  I didn't get much by way of gifts at the time.  The things I wanted were pretty easy to come across.  I'd maybe get a game for my Playstation 2.  The food was always great as I love my mom's brunches.  She makes a breakfast casserole that I always eat too much of.


After that I typically spent the afternoon at my father's watching movies, playing video games, and drinking whiskey.  No binge drinking or trying to see how hammered I good get.  I enjoy a nice whiskey from time to time, and knowing I wouldn't have to work the following day could allow myself the indulgence without having to worry about being fully on my game.  Occasionally a buddy would come over seeking refuge from the holiday madness of his family, but mostly Christmas became, for me personally, a day quiet personal peace.


What was funny was one year every felt so bad that I typically spent the holidays alone that no one went anywhere that year.  So I spent the day running around like a lunatic trying to get everywhere I was supposed to be when I was supposed to be there.  I couldn't very well say, "Its Christmas, why aren't you people leaving me alone?"  Fortunately, the Missus also stayed in town that year, and helped me stay sane through it.


I think its that way for a lot of people once they grow up.  The magic of the season and shininess gets a little difficult to enjoy when you have to worry about scheduling everything and making sure you're everywhere you need to be.  When you're a kid, its a lot easier.  Your parents take care of all that.  You're just along for the ride.  You can look at things through the wonderful lenses of youth.  At an adult, you appreciate things like the end of A CHRISTMAS STORY when everything is done and the parents can sit quietly with a glass of wine and relax.

MUSIC!!

 These guys who made this video are hilarious. My favorite Christmas parody song.
  That's all for me. Going to wrap up a bit of work and then start to enjoy my weekend. Don't expect a huge post this Sunday, but I'll have a little something for you. See y'all then.

Merry memories

What's that under the tree?  Its seems to be Wednesday, December 21, 2011, wrapped horribly, but yes indeedy, its The Side.  And shame on you for shaking me to see what I am!  I'm all dizzy and stuff now.


Yes, the big day is fast approaching.  I'm not done with my shopping, but fortunately my wife has handled the majority of that.  Pretty much I just have to shop for her.  That can be tricky.  Fortunately a lot of stuff she likes, like video games and movies are things I like, so its kinda like getting a gift for both of us.  I'm not going to pull some Homer Simpson bit and get her a bowling ball drilled to my fingers or anything like that.


Actually, if going bowling wasn't so expensive, she might like a bowling ball.


Hm.  OK, got to go ponder stuff now.  In the meantime, you enjoy some memories.

BACK IN THE DAY

When I was a kid Christmas was pretty much about two things: presents and family.  Yeah, I did come up a good Methodist kid, and we'd go to candlelight service on Christmas Eve and sing song and enjoy fellowship.  On Christmas day, it was a whirlwind.  I never slept well the night before.  Looking back, the night before was pretty miserable.  The anticipation actually made me sick a few times.  I had a clock in my room and knew I wasn't going to be going downstairs to open presents before six in the morning.  I remember often waiting at the top on the stairs with my brother while my folks made sure Santa had come.  Thinking back now I'm pretty sure they were stalling until the coffee was ready.


My folks weren't wealthy, but they made sure my brother and I got pretty much everything we wanted for Christmas.  For me that was mostly action figures and comic books.  I did get a drum set one year, which I think is the most expensive thing I ever got.  I was pretty decent about practicing on it, but didn't really have much in the way of talent.  I was always pretty content as a kid on Christmas morning.  It was a flurry of wrapping paper and playing while taking a break in there somewhere to eat breakfast.


Sometimes my mom's parents would be staying with us, which was always great for me.  They were a lot of fun.  That brings me to family.  The majority of mine live in the area.  There were two stops to be made on Christmas.  My dad's parents, and we'd see them and whoever else was there at the time.  There'd be food, but I tended to eat light there.  I hang out a bit with my cousins.  Looking back I wish I had spent more time talking with my Gran'dad.  He's a neat old guy.  I found out all this stuff about him later, so I do wish I had taken the time to hear the stories he has to tell.


The other stop that day would vary.  My folks would rotate hosting the family Christmas gathering with my aunts and uncles that live in the area.  So either we'd be back home with everyone coming to us, or off to see everyone.  My aunts can cook like nobody's business.  We're talking about all the trimmings, and a bunch of fat and happy folks by the end of things.  This is my mom's side of the family.  So, we're talking about a bunch of very sharp, witty people who love to laugh and have a good time.


At a certain point we'd sit around and exchange gifts, but I think I liked hearing everyone carrying on best.  These were the people who put up with my nerd nature with a smile and laugh.  The jokes were always there, but never really at anyone's expense.


I had it really good growing up at Christmas time.  Not because of heaps of gifts being dumped on me, but because that was a time for family, and I'm lucky enough to have a great one.
 

MUSIC!!

This is my favorite Christmas song. This version is pretty jazzy. I'm digging it.
 
That's it for me today. Time to get to work and hopefully pick up a gift or two. See y'all friday.

Merry Movies

Bleh. Its Friday, December 16, 2011, I'm sick as a dog, and this is The Side. The kids were a bit under the weather earlier this week. That got passed onto the missus. Not its on to me. I've been chomping cold medicine to keep me going. It makes me functional, but doesn't make for the best blogging. 


 Also, I'm still getting used to the new Blogger interface, so please bear with me. I think I've got a little bit of a handle on it. Of course, if you aren't reading any of this, then there's the distinct possibility that I've completely bollocks up the thing. Guess we'll have to see.

MOVIES!

Sure, there's a few of action flicks that I could list and call them Christmas movies. As much as I love DIE HARD and LETHAL WEAPON, they're not really Christmas movies. 

A CHRISTMAS STORY. Love this movie. Have to watch it every year. Used to drive my family nuts because TNT would play it for 24 hours in a row and I'd have it on the TV all day long if given the chance. Since I don't have cable anymore I do have the DVD to fill the void. One of these years I'm going to get my kids to ask Santa for a Red Rider BB gun. So many great lines and moments in this film. From the furnace fighting, to the Chinese restaurant, the Ralphie beating the snot out of the bully. I love this movie from beginning to end. 

HOME ALONE. This movie was so huge that it nearly caused a backlash. Some people were really hating on the kid and hoping Joe Pesci and his pal would one day get him. I do like this one. With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays it almost understandable that some folks would actually forget a kid at home. Of course, there wouldn't be the feel good story at the end. Most likely a visit from CPS. 

THE SANTA CLAUSE. Whoever thought to cast Tim Allen as Santa was a clever guy. I do think having the previous Santa falling off a roof and dying is a bit morbid for the kids. That's probably why I find the sequel on TV a lot more than the first film. Still, Tim Allen and the rest of the cast really sell this flick and make it a good time.

THE REF. Put the kids to bed, Denis Leary is in the house. And this is the "No Cure For Cancer" Denis Leary, and he's playing off of Kevin Spacey. That alone gets my butt in the chair. This movie has one of my favorite lines ever: "Your husband ain't dead, lady. He's hiding."

MUSIC!

He does indeed have a brand new bag, and I hear its full of toys.

That's all for me. See y'all Sunday.

Season's greetings and pass the remote.

Ho ho ho. Its Wednesday, December 14, 2011, I have no idea what's going on with blogger, and this is The Side. Something's up with the interface, so the next few postings may be a bit odd as I figure everything out. Most likely, its due to me using the old interface which I like and I don't think its going to be around much longer. Looks like I'm back on the learning curve.

Last year, I did two weeks of posts about Halloween, which was a lot of fun. Starting off today, I'll be doing the same for Christmas. Starting things off with what usually gets me into the holiday spirit: TV specials!

TELEVISION!

MERRY CHRISTMAS CHARLIE BROWN. Got to start off with this classic. Sure, I've seen it nearly every year, but its cute story and message about the meaning and spirit of Christmas is timeless and fun. I'm a bit bummed out that they've already showed this on TV and I wasn't home, so I'm hoping they'll show it again.

RUDOLF THE RED-NOSED REINDEER. I'm a big fan of Yukon Cornelius. He's the person who taught me that Bumbles bounce. The abominable snowman used to scare the heck out of me when I was a kid, especially the part when he looked over the mountain range. There was actually a news story that this special promoted bullying. Seems some folks haven't seen this special in a while.

GARFIELD CHRISTMAS. I can't remember the last time this was on TV, but its great. Garfield, Jon, and Odie go see Jon's family on the farm. The writing is sharp and clever. It was a great fun. There were a bunch of really great Garfield specials back when I was a kid and I'm pretty sure they'd hold up just fine. Now, if only they'd get shown on TV.

T'WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. "Ker-plunk?" "Ker-plooey." I absolutely loved this one. A town builds a clock that plays music in hopes of getting Santa to come, and a little mouse breaks it because he wanted to see how it works. There's a big effort to fix the clock in time. I'm pretty sure this was one of the Rankin/Bass specials, and those were always great.

THE GRINCH THAT STOLE CHRISTMAS. Can't forget this one. Songs everyone remembers. That dog with the big antler tied to his head still amuses me. Never really watched the Jim carrey movie of this because the cartoon captures everything so well in a short, well done, and nowhere near as obnoxious package.

MUSIC!

Starting us off with one of my favorites from when I was a kid.



Time to head out to the kids' Christmas show at show. See y'all Friday.