Holiday Post-Mortem

I hope all of you enjoyed, or at least survived, Christmas, and that all of you received good gifts and tidings-or that you got what was coming to you.

Also, thanks to everyone that showed up at YD's Holiday Bash, which due to circumstances beyond my control didn't quite get the attention from me it should have. Oh well...maybe next year.

The day here wasn't too bad. Having divorced parents complicates the travel planning a bit, so I ended up having to go back to the old hometown on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Now we're hip deep in plates of cookies and leftovers. The Better Half's sisters are coming to town from Ohio over the next couple of days. When TBH's mom passes on, I suppose we'll go there for a day or two and ease the logistics problem for them. Besides, there isn't a bloody thing for them to do out here.

Of course, I did the usual 'ate too much' thing-try going to three places for meals and see how that works out for you. Most of my family have given up exchanging gifts-why pass the same $50 back and forth?-so at least we've eliminated a lot of pre-holiday shopping.

I did pick up the usual swag, which I'm quite happy to get-a 'Golden Age of Flight' desk calendar with all sorts of cool warbird pictures, and gift cards for the two Major Bookselling Chain Stores here. So some of you need to get writing (Looking at you, Birmo and Murph). Also got a couple of Starbuck's cards. Caffeine is the gift that keeps giving the whole year through.

I also picked up a copy of Trainz Railroad Simulator-a nice program that in effect allows one to build their own model railroad on the computer or run the scenarios on the disc. I ran a Queensland Rail engine (Trainz is a Australian product) into a turntable pit on the first try. I guess QR will want me to pee in the cup and suspend me pending a review of the incident.

The big thing we have to deal with now is TBH's elderly aunt. The dementia is kicking in a bit now. We saw her at the nursing home and she was pitching a fit and trying to remove her clothes and tossing books around in the common area. Sad when the mind goes and the dignity is gone. How fortunate that we place so much focus on the sanctity of the physical part of existence and can't muster the resources for proper end-of-life mercy. Well, I suppose that's a debate for another time. But we do hope that The Powers That Be issue the recall order for her sooner rather than later.

And if you're feeling cheery and bright, I recommend a visit to your local nursing home to experience the place. That ought to bring you down some. The people that work there don't make anything like enough money to compensate for having to work with the people that inhabit the home. I'm not sure people were meant to end like that.

So. Enough of that, then. How were your holidays?

yankeedog out.