Three Christmas Wishes (non)HNT 2012

OK, boys and girls! ONLY ONE WEEK UNTIL THE RETURN OF HNT! And really, even less than that, with Christmas just before then. In other words...plan ahead! Remember--if you're no longer blogging, or don't want to post anything half-nekkid anymore, I'll be opening up OHNT to host pictures. Just don't wait until the last minute!  And a personal request--if you want to send in stuff for OHNT, if you could get pics in by the end of the weekend, it will help me time-wise.  And if you're inclined to send in a regular OHNT (anonymous) pic, I'll be running those too!

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In spite of the absence of HNT during the year, the Three Wishes theme deserves to continue, now for the EIGHTH year!  The premise was simple (or so I thought)--pick three bloggers/HNTers that you'd give Christmas wishes/gifts to, with unlimited means and resources. The catch--don't pick three of your closest blogger buddies. You'd be sending them ecards/chats/texts/emails to send your Christmas wishes anyway. No, the hard part here was to pick three that you might not even read, other than on Thursdays. Three that struck your fancy enough to let them know they're a hair above the rest of the masses. It also required a bit of research into that person's blog so that your wishes/gifts were at least appropriate. This was a whole lot easier in the old days when there were so many doing HNT.
That was the old days.  It's so much harder now, since so many HNTers/bloggers have abandoned their blogs.  So, since it's my theme, I can adjust the concept as necessary.  Ah, it's good to be Os!  So here's my three (in no particular order):

DaisyGirl - She's had less than a spectacular year on the relationship front.  It's been tough, and frankly a little painful to read about over at FB.  Even though there's plenty of friends online that love her to death, it isn't the same thing as having the flesh & blood version to wake up to.  So my first wish is that her knight in shining armor shows up this year.  Preferably unexpectedly and in storybook fashion.

Aughra - Back in 2005, Aughra was the recipient of one of my wishes.  For most of the year, we read about her unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant, so my wish for her was that her husband's swimmers and her eggs would all get along and make a baby.  Lo and behold, her son was born 9 months later!  I hadn't realized that I was that good!  So this year, I figure it couldn't hurt to send her a wish again this year.  In late July, she was diagnosed with cancer, requiring fairly immediate surgery.  But being the badass that she is, she's not letting this get her down.  Hell, she was walking on her treadmill three days after surgery!  And she's already run a 10K and a 4-mile Trail Run since then!  Even after her rounds of chemo, she's still more fit than most of us!  But my wish is that the cancer is totally gone by this time next year.  And that you pick out a great set of new boobies! (I was going to wish a subscription to Playboy so she could shop for the right ones, but apparently her hubby has already been contacted about that...)


Autumn - Autumn has been really busy this year, heading her local cancer Relay For Life committee, and raising her two boys as a single mom.  She posted in May that she had to face that unenviable moment when puberty and grown-up activities collided head-on.  As a never-married old guy, I can't even imagine what that moment would be like, but I had great faith that she and her ex would be able to navigate those troubling waters.  Then just last week she posted a picture of her oldest boy (15) and his date to the school dance.  Oh, man, is she going to have her hands full!  He's a very handsome young man, and he's going to have beautiful girls dripping off of him for years!  So my Christmas wish for her is a complete set of fly swatters to beat the girls off of him.  Multiple colors so that each girl will have their own designated swatter (always have to think of hygiene, you know!).  I'll work on upgrading them to the digital versions by the time the younger son gets to that age, so you can keep track of how many swats it took to get rid of each of them, how often you had to use it, etc. 

So there you go.  As for the rest of you that actually come by anymore, you get the wish of a very Merry Christmas!!  And don't forget to come back next Thursday to check up on the HNTs!

10 Days to Go!

OK, boys and girls!  ONLY TEN DAYS UNTIL THE RETURN OF HNT! And really, even less than that, with Christmas just before then. In other words...plan ahead! And remember--if you're no longer blogging, or don't want to post anything half-nekkid anymore, I'll be opening up OHNT to host pictures. Just don't wait until the last minute!  And a personal request--if you want to send in stuff for OHNT, if you could get pics in by the end of the weekend, it will help me time-wise...

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I had a whole post in mind about the shootings in Connecticut.  But what can be said that hasn't already been said.  Over and over and over...  Frankly, the misinformation from the media; the vitriol shown on FB between friends on both sides of the gun control issue; the ridiculous postings of Morgan Freeman's "quote" that 1) was not his quote, and 2) somehow seemed more noble because he supposedly said it; and the fact that it happened so close to Christmas--all these things have taken a toll on all of us.  I've got nothing more to add.

Except three things.

--I went to a Christmas brunch this morning with all the family.  To my pleasant surprise, the CT events were not discussed AT ALL.  Not even a request to not discuss them.  But I caught myself watching a little girl following her mother into the next room where Santa was holding court.  Cute as a bug, wearing her Christmas best.  And it hit me--she was probably 6 or 7 years old.  A sobering moment for sure.

--For as horrific as this was, the age of the teachers and probably most of the parents is under 30.  And to an old fart like me, they're still kids too.

--For the really old-time HNTers around here, you might remember Spinning Girl.  She's a junior high teacher in CT.  Whenever I hear about anything about CT, I automatically think of her.  So I emailed her on Friday, to let her know I was thinking about her as a fellow educator.  She replied that she actually attended grade school at Stony Hook Elementary, and the principal that was killed was a close friend of hers.  Sorta brings it home...

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Christmas cards are coming in!! With any luck at all, I might get to reciprocate!

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I think I'm going to do the Three Wishes non-HNT this Thursday. Just because we're not half-nekkid anymore, doesn't mean I can't make some wishes! I'll probably re-post the Favorite Christmas Movies and Music lists with updates. I can feel Christmas coming at me full force!

T minus 3 weeks!

I can only say that for the next few minutes though. That's right! ONLY THREE WEEKS UNTIL THE RETURN OF HNT! And effectively, even less than that, with Christmas just before that. In other words...plan ahead! And remember--if you're no longer blogging, or don't want to post anything half-nekkid anymore, I'll be opening up OHNT to host pictures. Just don't wait until the last minute!

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Just part of the 2011 donation to Toys For Tots!

Don't forget to head over to Ashly's "Toys For Tots" drive.  The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program has been around for years.  Ashly is in the fourth year of soliciting donations for this great event.  She's taking in donations until the 15th, and then heading out on her shopping spree.

The accompanying picture here is one of the many that she posted from last year. She photographs all the toys she purchases, so you know she's not just pocketing the money.  I know it's hard to just send cash to someone you barely "know", if at all, but if there's anything I do know, it's that she doesn't keep a penny of donations for herself!  She's also an avid participant in the process, spending plenty of her own money too!  Click on the link to go to her site and read her post.  She's got a donation link there, as well as lots of pics from the past three years of toy-buying.  Any amount helps--she's very good at balancing quality and quantity!  If you want to feel good this holiday season, donate a few bucks!  Or lots of bucks!  Go.  Now.  Do it!

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I love just about anything written by Tchaikovsky. I love playing just about anything written by Tchaikovsky. I cannot put into words how happy I am not to be playing "The Nutcracker" this season! Sure, there's a financial hit I'm taking, but the lack of stress and enjoyment of the season is easily outweighing that concern!

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My tree is up and lit and decorated! No presents underneath though. But it's the gifts that can't go under the tree that are the most important, right?

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I've been looking back through my archives. Lots of surprises there! Did you realize that the first OsTour trip to Nashville happened SEVEN years ago this month??? Seems like yesterday...

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Still trying to take care of the bet I had with Gucci on the Grizzly/Bobcat game. I won't back out of it. Just lacking inspiration...

No time...

I finally have some stuff to talk about, and no time to actually type it out. In other news--don't forget about the one-day return of HNT on Dec. 27th!!

justanotherrow

justanotherrow..

Some stuff

I'll start off with the pimping part of things.  First off, a reminder that HNT will make a one-day return at the end of December, marking a full year of retirement!  On Dec. 27th, we'll run it, just like the old days (I even have a MG lined up)!  Post on your site, let us know you're up, and go visit everyone else!  If you're no longer running your blog, or you don't want to post it there, I'll post pics over at OHNT too.  You can either have me post it anonymously, or I can list your blogname.  It's up to you!

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Just part of the 2011 donation to Toys For Tots!

The second bit of pimping is for Ashly's "Toys For Tots" drive.  The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program has been around for years.  Ashly is in the fourth year of soliciting donations for this great event. The accompanying picture here is one of the many that she posted from last year. She photographs all the toys she purchases, so you know she's not just pocketing the money.  I know it's hard to just send cash to someone you barely "know", if at all, but if there's anything I do know, it's that she doesn't keep a penny of donations for herself!  She's also an avid participant in the process, spending plenty of her own money too!  Click on the link to go to her site and read her post.  She's got a donation link there, as well as lots of pics from the past three years of toy-buying.  Any amount helps--she's very good at balancing quality and quantity!  If you want to feel good this holiday season, donate a few bucks!  Or lots of bucks!  Go.  Now.  Do it!

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So... The holidays are upon us.  I've already seen the Grinch on TV (the original, thankyouverymuch).  I'm actually looking forward to Christmas this year.  It will be a nice ending to a sort of depressing past couple of months.  Not to say I'm in a state of depression.  But it's not been the best autumn of my life.

Just look in the sidebar there and see the sad state of affairs for my football teams.  The total of losses from all three teams this season is more than the total of all three teams for the previous 6 years!  The Griz had their first losing season since 1985.  Carroll missed the playoffs for the first time this century, and ended their streak of conference championships dating back to 2000.  And Capital High was expected to play in the championship game this year, and barely made it to the playoffs, where they lost their first game.  Not that I am a super fan of these teams, but when they've been winning as much as they have, it's a downer.  Of course, I'm not thrilled by the fact that the Griz lost their game against the Bobcats.  That means I lost my bet with Gucci, so you know what that means.  Look for the result here in the next week or so...

Other things bringing me down?  A slight change in meds has been making a little tired.  I can nap at the drop of a dime, anytime, anywhere.  And I had a nasty 10 days after my August road trip where I had some sort of stomach flu that drained me.

Maybe it's because yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of my dad's sudden death.  Still seems like yesterday.

Maybe it's because I found out last month that a high school friend of mine had died.  But she wasn't just a friend.  She's the one who explored with me just exactly what "first, second and third base" are.  And we never went to a baseball game together, if you know what I mean.  Granted, we had lost touch over the years, but still...

Maybe because of the ridiculous amount of snow we got right after Halloween.  We broke snowfall records here, with one storm dropping 17" worth of snow.  Blew the old record of 5" right out of the books.  I don't really mind the snow, but that much this early??

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Of course there's some things to improve my mood.  There's five full weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and that's a wonderful thing.  I'm used to only having four, with two or three of those wasted away with symphony rehearsals and performances.  This year, we'll be done on Dec. 9th, giving me three entire weekends!  As an added bonus, we won't be doing the Nutcracker this season, so the additional headaches associated with that are gone!

Of course, since there's the maximum days possible between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, that means even more Christmas music!!

And then there's the new season of "The Walking Dead".  Ignore the grossness, the gore, the undead (all of which are excellent!).  The writing is pretty damned good, and they aren't afraid to kill off major characters in mid-season.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I shed a tear or two when Laurie died!

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Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!  Even those of you who found it necessary to celebrate it last month!  If you're traveling, travel safe!  And be sure to take time out during the day to give thanks for the things you've been blessed with.  Then get back to the turkey and football!

Change of Plans...

Remember the post from a couple weeks ago where I said it would be my only political discourse.  Well, things have changed.  Much of it is still the same and still applies.  Including the following:

"Anyone who votes a straight party ticket simply because of party affiliation should have their votes voided. Doesn't mean that it couldn't turn out that way, but base it on research and knowledge. Stupidity and ignorance should have no place in the polling booth."

But let me backtrack...

We are in the midst of "Montanagate" here.  We're talking break-ins at state offices, illegal campaign contributions, lawsuits, conflicting judicial rulings and injunctions, and in general, a return to late 19th-century politics.  And the timing of the main break-in seems to coincide with the broadcast of "Big Sky, Big Money" on PBS.   The PBS link will take you to the full video.  It's almost an hour long, but well worth watching.  It shows, in no uncertain terms, that in Montana, the election process is about as corrupted as you could imagine.  And the corrupt influence is well-financed by out-of-state money.  Primarily conservative money.  Not completely, but there's really no other place to point fingers at.  You really need to read/watch the link.  There's no simple and short way of stating things.

For weeks, I've been checking out candidate's positions and I've now decided that I will not be voting for a single Republican candidate.  Yes, I've done the research for the major candidates, but the local races are going to suffer.  I have a real problem with a Republican candidate for county commissioner coming out to say that they are against Obamacare and will do anything to bring it down.  WTF??  This is the way that most Republicans are campaigning around here.  Forget talking about subdivisions or emergency services or zoning law changes.  His only qualification apparently is that he opposes Obamacare, and thinks he can do something about it.  Sorry, that ain't gonna cut it.

I have re-evaluated the two major parties, and how they match (or differ) from my own views.  And the G.O.P. has lost.  Big time.  The Republican party has become party of bullies.  Hell, maybe they always have been, but I've never really had much of a political sense.  But from what I can tell, there's not a single one of them worth voting for.  And I'm hearing from many long-time Republicans that they're not sure what to do either.  They don't want to vote Democrat, but can't support the extremism that they're left with.  It's sort of a catch-22 for them.  As for me, I'm voting for Democrats, and a couple of independents. 

So I was looking ahead to writing some sort of monstrously long post, but found that someone wrote a blog post that said exactly what I was feeling, and much much more.  You can find his post here.  It's even more monstrously long than what I would have written, but written by someone much more knowledgeable and eloquent than I.  So if there's any of these links that you should check out, it would be this one, and go about halfway through it where starts with "1. I believe in fiscal responsibility."  From there to the end is a great read.  And I would add to his list that I could never vote for any Republican candidate that thinks that what is happening in Montana is okay, or doesn't condemn the actions of those involved.

After you read his post, go back and check the other links above.

And regardless of whether you agree with me or not, be sure you go vote on Tuesday.

And don't vote for Republicans.