Merry Christmas, for Lack of a Better Title

After we already watched A Christmas Story one and a half times, I told Aaron he could change the cahnnel as long as he left it on something Christmas-y.

Only he would manage to find a Mythbusters episode about Christmas lights. Oh well, it gives me the opportunity to blog.

Our attempt at a non-materialistic Christmas was both a success and a failure. The success is that Charity seems to not be attaching too much excitment to the new topys. Like any other day, she's spending her time taking her old toys apart and banging them against each other in an attempt to make cool noises.

The failure? She got lots of presents. Yesterday I got swept up into the "Christmas Spirit" at dollar tree. Everything's only $1. But when you buy 50 items...

To be fair, about 25 of those items were overstocked Gerber Graduates snacks and juices that WERE NOT Christmas presents, but were simply good deals.

And I bought some frames for Charity's Christmas Portraits.

But the rest of the stuff was stocking stuffers for Aaron and Charity. Oh, well. Nothing was particularly "materialistic." And I didn't shop at Wal-Mart. I've actually managed to avoid Wal-Mart for the most part since I saw Capitalism: A Love Story. I've been doing most of my shopping at Aldi, which isn't much better. But it isn't Wal-Mart.

What's in the stocking?
- Coloring book, entitled Bible Stories
- Book, Thank God for my Friends
- Pack of jumbo crayons
- Two pack of slinkies
- Santa antlers (don't ask)
-  Frosted animal crackers
- Chocolate gold coins
- Jingle bell necklace

What was under the tree?
- Betta fish in a bowl, who Polly named Santa
- A large stuffed puppy with floppy ears who still remains nameless
- A Santa board book
- A Black and Decker Junior tool set, by far her favorite present


Another part of the success is the fact that presents haven't been the center of this Christmas. We read the Christmas story out of Charity's baby Bible while we ate breakfast before we opened preasants. And we've been trying to spend the day relaxing. For example, Charity has managed to pull the door off of her kitchen set and is now sitting comofortably in the refrigerator compartment. She found some sunscreen, which she is taking in and out of the microwave.

And I'm blogging, as Aaron watches ANOTHER holiday Mythbusters--this one about snowmen. (I know he's seen this episode before). The turkey breast is in the oven, and it's smelling good. Unfortunately, I did leave a Diet Pepsi in front of my stove's exhaust, and it exploded. Last time I left potatos there and found them perfectly cooked in time for dinner. Oh, well. You win some you loose some.

Finally, I have not yet worked today. I promised myself I would not work nor really think about work today. Not at least until 7PM or later. I have had so much to do lately between Purdue and freelancing and being sick that I've been stressed! So I am not working today. And then I am making a better plan tomorrow.

As a testamony to the fact that I'm not working is the disorganization of this post. To make that disorganization complete, let me end on this point--Santa brought Hamlet, our Hamster, some chew blocks. I better go give them to him.

Merry Christmas!

Earning a Bachelor of Science

There are some purchases I don't regret.  The year membership to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry is one of them. My 25 ride train pass is another. With both of these items, I can go to Chicago and have fun with about $7 in my pocket--the price of a snack and a Diet Pepsi. (I fool myself into believing that I didn't spend $55 for the museum pass and over $100 for the train ticket.) This weekend, I took my friend Jessica and Charity to see the Christmas around the world display. Did Charity enjoy the decorated trees? Well, she didn't complain too much. What she really enjoyed was the farm exhibit and the water table in the children's Imaginatorium.  I tried her to something sophisticated, intellectual, unique (the life size hamster wheel, LED light accented dress, or slices of the human body); she was fascinated by the two things we Don't have at home in Chesterton--water and cows. Either way--she had fun. That's what it's all about.

Here's a picture of Charity and me in front of the great tree in the middle of the exhibit. OK, Charity wasn't having that much fun in this picture. But it was necessary! She started to have fun when fake snow started falling from the ceiling, however. The pictures of her reaching toward the snow have been stowed alongside the picture of the spectacular usage error I found at Subway near the museum--in the pictures that didn't quite turn out file. But while Charity took her nap, I decided to see what it would be like to join the Navy.  Apparently, it didn't work out so well. INCOMING...

Although the computer simulations in the Navy exhibit were so slow I thought I was back in first grade typing with KiKi the graphically challenged keyboardist, the exhibit made me want to play Battleship really badly. I think I'll dig out my old copy tomorrow--anyone up for a game?

After a semester full of never ending grading, visiting the Museum was the best way to kick off Christmas break. Two more days of freedom, and then grading round two begins. After that, freedom!

Merry Christmas!

Tradeoffs

In the past two days, I have been more productive than I have been in weeks. I finished one web article for Filterless (Read it here: http://www.filterless.net/2009/12/04/the-ever-changing-world-of-genre-in-defense-of-internet-writers/). I'm not a very good contributor, since the last time I contributed to this web site was in July! I also wrote two poems, submitted three poems to Flatmancrooked for their poetry contest, and almost finished a Thanksgiving story for an anthology (http://thanksgivingtales.com/).

However, I have made next to no money. Why must everything be a trade off? I have something close to 200 papers to read this weekend, and one of my own to write. And instead of doing it, I am considering writing something for this magazine: http://conciselymagazine.blogspot.com/.

For now, I plan not to think about it! Tomorrow, we're going to the German Market. Merry Christmas!