New Years Eve

I've never really been one to have New Year's resolutions.  Perhaps this year my resolution will be to have one next year.

The Quiet of the Morning

In the mornings, after my wife has gone to work, the quiet routine of my father and I is pretty clockwork.

He flips through the newspaper and curses his body as well as the daily stories.  He drinks cold coffee.

I flip through my phone and get caught up on whatever, silently checking my bank account etc.  I drink hot coffee.

Worms and Bugs

When the weather gets this cold, I can't help but think of all the earthworms and bugs out there.

How in the hell do they stay alive through all this?

They must be miles in the ground to not freeze to death.

Warmth

The cold outside can always be nullified by the warmth of the mind and spirit.

Today, I shall leave my winter coat at home...

Spam

I eat roughly one can of Spam a week.

Some people find Spam a little on the weirder side, but do not realize that it is nothing more than steam pressed pork/ham.

Pepperoni or hotdogs have substantially weirder ingredients, but do not get such a bad reputation.

I feel as bad for Spam as I enjoy it.

Gurgling

The heating system in our home has been exceptionally gurgly as of late.

Pretty sure it is air trapped in the pipes, but it kind of sounds like mini waterfalls and someone's stomach who ate too much on Thanksgiving.

Absence of Dark

Lying in bed this morning, I thought to myself...

If darkness is the absence of light, is there such a thing as the absence of darkness?  Or is darkness the only true constant state in the universe that light needs to exist?

Also about Age

The need to go to bed at 10:30 is a new phenomenon for me.

I chalk that one up to me growing older.

Accidental Insurance Fraud

Unknowingly, I was involved in an insurance mistake at work.  Through an error at Blue Cross Blue Shield, I was never properly processed into their system.  I had been paying into the pool for eight months, but never actually receiving coverage (luckily I didn't have to use it).  When it was discovered, I was promptly resigned up, and informed I would receive a retroavtive payment for what I was paying for but not receiving.

Kind of a nice bonus right before the Holidays!

State of Mind

Purchasing a new vehicle was entertaining this weekend, as was taking it to Missoula for a concert.

Got one of two deer butchered, got the Christmas tree up and house decorated, and got a little headstart on Christmas shopping.

A little productivity does wonders for one's state of mind.

Pickle

I've found myself in a pickle.  My grandfather gave me an older truck that I got fixed up but continues to have issues. My brother and I got snowed in at Boulder last weekend during the final weekend of hunting season, forcing me to leave the truck there.  The truck will not idle, dying at every stop.  We managed to limp it home late last night, but I need to have it fixed yet again (the ball joints went bad the weekend prior, and took a week to get fixed to allow the vehicle to steer).  My grandfather (who currently doesn't have a driver's license) let me borrow his Honda Pilot all the while to get to work.

He is now convinced that he needs his Honda back.

I do not want to upset the man, I love him dearly and respect what he has given me.

I gave my last car to a friend to help him out of a financial pickle of his own (a decision I sort of regret at this juncture (I've always been too nice for my own good)).

So now I need to get the Honda back, get the truck fixed, and figure out a way to get to work until the dust settles that hopefully doesn't involve walking 8 miles in the freezing cold.

Cricket

For three days a cricket has been chirping nonstop in our basement.  I know he's just down there singing a love song, but I do feel bad for him.  Both myself and the spiders that dwell down there would like to find him...