Where did the year go?

Sooooo....this year flew by.  I have no idea where it went.  It seems like when we are younger and in our childhood, the year drags on.  However, when you grow older, the end of the year comes up quicker and quicker.  

Before I knew it, boom, December.  I don't know how I feel about this.

Building a case for Rod

Yes people, the Detroit Lions did not win a game all year (although they did win all four pre-season games [go figure]).  So we'll get that elephant out of the room.  And yes, come next season, I will be cheering for them.  Loyalty (go figure).  I am pretty damn sure that Rod Marinelli will lose his job as a result of this season, but that would be a grave mistake.  Throughout the entire season, through all the questions and doubters, he has been nothing but class.  You see some coaches who blow their lids after one stinking lose and their teams are close to being in the playoffs.  But Rod, not so much.  He was always calm and collected while addressing the press.  Now in the locker may have been a different matter, but to the public, he was professional.  And the team seemed that way as well.  There were only a few games where the team looked like they had quit, but not many.  And they were so close near the end of the season, but they just couldn't close.  Kind of like the Tigers this year, they just found ways to lose games.  

This season is not Marinelli's fault, he inherited the team.  Detroit got rid of the reason for this year in Matt Millen.  Once the organization fired him, they were on the right track.  And the right track is going to start with the draft.  They have the number one overall pick, but they need to trade it away for defensive players that are well established and some draft picks.  They dumped Roy Williams at the right time and screwed Dallas out of three picks *insert evil laugh*.  The offensive players are there, but that is about it.  Defensive linemen, secondary players, and offensive linemen should be the targets during the draft.  

I leave you with this.  The best quote you can take away from this organization that did not win a game all year.

“You’re in this dark tunnel and you’ve got no way out, you’re waiting for light, and you see that light, what do you do? What do you do? You start digging and getting out. … I’ve always believed you stay in the tunnel and you keep digging when you expect no light. You have the same faith when you expect no light. You have the same belief in what you’re doing when you expect no light. … It’s dark and I’m going to dig through. My shovel is sharp and my pick is sharp and my will is outstanding.”

ayuda me

I never thought I would hear myself say or think this, but I got a new coffee maker!  And boy am I excited.  It beats the hell out of the cheap one I have been using for the past year.  And I also got a new thermos!  Which can hold more coffee.  I have officially made it into adulthood because of the excitement over the maker and thermos.  Dorky?  yes.  But have you seen me at work at four o'clock in the morning without coffee?  Scary.  

We didn't have any snow for Christmas this year, which is a bit sad.  We got a decent storm last year and had close to seven inches at this time last year, and it made me happy.  But this year sucked because of the lack of snow.   

And another note, I received a few itunes gift cards, but cannot think of any music to look for.  

Suggestions?

christmas time stuff

We are watching A Christmas Story right now, and there is nothing better in this movie than the nostalgic feel of the christmas morning scene.  More than the kids ripping apart the wrapping, it is the expressions on the faces of the mom and dad.  Just the joy that they have watching their kids.  

As much as people think it is all about the Red Rider BB gun, the movie is more than that.  It's about family, more than anything.  

• Idolizing the father
• Having a life long understanding with your mother
• And the fighting with your brother

And the final scene of the mom and dad relaxing with the christmas tree alit and the snow falling at night.  Magic.  

No sooner are the computer keys cooled off from my last post that I walk out of the store today and in the parking lot is a red volkswagon beattle.  Red, with fake antlers coming out of the windows and a big red ball of fuzz on the grill.  

kansas people are idiots.  

AND, all the snow that I was so happy to see a few days ago is gone.  

kansas weather sucks.

wreaths and bows

The fact that it is seven days from christmas doesn't stop me from hating on people.  Today's topic:  people who put wreaths or bows on the grills of their vehicles.  What the hell?  I don't remember seeing this in Michigan (where there is snow and feels like christmas for a few months) and have only noticed it down here in Kansas.  I can't wrap my mind around this vehicular decoration.  

Why did this trend start?  It serves no purpose.  Why not just drive with a santa hat on.  And that is another thing, people shopping with santa hats on.  Or reindeer antlers.  Stop it!  Just wear a christmas sweater.  

Why not use that wreath or bow to cover up that marriage equals one man plus one woman bullshit bumper sticker you plastered on you car?  

wrapping

I was never good at wrapping presents.  I haven't had that talent for cutting the wrapping paper just the right length so it folds up nice and neat and professional looking.  Oh no, if you get a wrapped present from me, a minimum of one side is going to be all jacked up and messy.  One side may look nice, but the other side, holy shit.  

And I suppose I could make the argument that I don't put much stock in wrapping because it is just going to get torn into come Christmas morning, but no.  Never had the wrapping talent.  The wrapping gene is missing from my DNA.  But so what, right?

first real snow

Wichita has encountered the first real snow of the year.  It isn't much, but it is better than looking at the dead grass.  We did get a little bit of a snowfall, which caused people to drive ten to fifteen miles an hour slower, but it melted away the next day because it was in the fifties.  

Hopefully it will stay cold enough.  Right now it is overcast and just snowing a little bit, flurries if you will.  When I talk to my parents, they are always telling me about the three and four and five inches of snow that fell just that day and how it is compounding on top of the feet of snow.  Having snow accumulate on the ground a month before christmas really helps to get me in the 'holiday spirit'.  Down here, not so much.  It sucks having just wind and no snow.  But now, if this stays on the ground, the snow is here and I will be more willing to listen to christmas music and finish up my shopping.  All because of snow.  

things about movies

IMDB is a fantastic website for everything movies.  however, they have a list that I have issues with.  The IMDB top 250 in which movie lovers can vote on what they think is the best movies of all time.  Now, they have the first three right, shawshank and the first two godfather movies (although I believe shawshank should be number three, not numero uno).  and then there is the dark knight.  Number four.  not so much.  I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that people think that is movie is better than cinematic classics (and I am talking movies that everyone should see regardless of movie taste).  The top twenty movies, really, are movies everyone should see, but there are some iffy ones (for example, The Dark Knight, and two LOTR movies [good movies, but top twenty worthy, I think not])

And I know that there was all the hype around Heath Ledger's performance, and that is the only reason to see this movie.  I am not going to lie to you, it was amazing.  But it was overshadowed by Aaron Eckhart and his god awful performance.  

People praise this movie but it is not as good as the 1989 Batman (Tim Burton can really do no wrong).  There, I said it.

mmmm....meat

So as I was cutting meat for dinner tonight, I came to the realization that I hate cutting up chicken.  Even though we didn't have chicken for dinner, I still thought about it because I was cutting up some steak.  Red meat is just solid and not slimy.  Chicken, not so much.  It is just slick, and rubbery.  

Steak just kind of hangs out and gets cut.  You throw it on the cutting board (with a manly thud) and it is easy to prepare.  Very primal, I feel like I should beat my chest afterwards or stab something else.  

Franz Ferdinand's Do You Want To is playing now.  Well, do ya?  

I don't know what made me think about this today, but while I was on my first break at work I thought back to the old high school parking lot.  It was big and open and when I thought of it, I had these great memories of doing doughnuts and fishtailing before and after away swim meets.  

When we would get home, it would be twelve or one o'clock in the morning and the parking lot would be empty.  After a three or four or five hour bus trip with some close friends, even that early in the morning, I would be wound up.  Just giddy I guess.  So I would jump in the truck (my beloved first vehichle) and just go spin on the ice in the empty parking lot with no care in the world.  There were not a lot of light posts, so I didn't have to worry running into them.

The other thought I have on this is getting in my best friend's truck before leaving and having a great laugh doing doughnuts.  He had this huge lead weight in the bed of the truck to help prevent fishtailing, and it was sliding from left to right banging the hell out of the truck.  And on top of that, another swimmer jumped in his mom's little sedan and was doing them in reverse.  Writing it down now even brings a smile to my face.  

good times, good times.