I hope every one had a great Christmas and that Santa brought each of you something you wanted. I got what I wanted mainly because I had to pick it out myself. Some of the spirit of the occasion came rushing out of my sails when the S.O. asked if I had receipts for all the gifts I bought her………….
Me: “Yes, but you cannot see them. Then you will know how much I spent on them.”
Her: ” But I will need the receipts to take the gifts back……….I can just keep the money…….”
Me: ” No you can’t, the refund goes back to MY credit card…..” (Thinking that I should have just gone to a bar instead of Christmas shopping at this point….)
Her: “Oh”.
I believe this is what is known in the language of computer programmers as a “Do-loop”…… It does, however, re-affirm my basic theory that the instincts of the female of the species are the same; regardless of point of origin………
Did get the obligatory phone calls done and had a good time making dinner for the S.O.’s Japanese friends who came over for Christmas dinner. One of them, Akemi, speaks no English. So dinner was an interesting exercise in concentration to understand the women as they talked increasingly faster in Japanese. I must be making progress on that score however, as I understood most of the conversation. They all liked my honey mustard ham though, so the dinner can be considered a success.
Yesterday, suited up with long johns, sweaters, corduroy pants and my golf shoes and went out to play my first full round of golf in about 3 weeks. Winter golf is both a good and a bad thing. Once dressed properly with layers and layers, its really not so bad. The dilemma of course is what do with one’s hands, since I find winter golf gloves to be too thick to give me the control I want. Opted for a summer glover instead and kept my hands in my pockets at other times. Worked OK and thanks to that “winter roll” the ball gets, I actually had a decent score for a change. Actually not a bad way to spend the day. After all things could be worse:
Actually, my Christmas was too low key; I could have used a couple of more Yuletide parties. It seems however, with the passage of time, as if I will be spending the perfect Christmas the way that Hemlock does:
It’s that day again – the day every year when the Journal publishes its immensely tiresome In Hoc Anno Domini editorial, penned in 1949 by the late Vermont Royster, frequent winner of the Conservative Journalist Who Most Sounds Like A Seafood Chowder Award during the Cold War era. When I first read it (15 years ago?) I was impressed. But its quasi-Biblical style gets more wearisomely pious with each reading. On a brighter media note, The Economist’s annual double issue – the ultimate brain candy – came out yesterday. All I need is that, a bottle of Harvey’s Bristol Cream, a selection of chocolate, marzipan, crystallized fruit and real lokum with cardamom and nuts, and a warm cave where no-one can find me – and my Christmas is complete.
I agree with him about the editorial by the way, it does become wearisome after the 15th or 20th reading……..
Finally, courtesy of John Cole, its the time of year for the holiday of Festivus:
The annual airing of the grievances!.
John has particularly summed up mine especially concerning organizations that just break your heart: The Democratic party, The Steelers and the Pirates………..
Ja ne!
