Friday Miscellany

Good morning, blog fans. There are so few of you I could just call you all by name without using my daily allotment of commas, but it is easier to just address you all at once. Makes me feel like there is a throng, or at least a plethora of people reading, even though it is likely more like a few, or a couple. Anywhoo, Emily and I are traveling today and as such I have put more effort into preparing for that and creating strategies on how to do as little work possible while maximizing my play time. So I think a little Friday Miscellany is in order.

Emily's Quota Christmas party last night proves that when the women are 60 (or more) and I am the only man around, I am, The Man. It was a nice time and we had to leave too soon to go to a band concert. This was one of our former youth group kids who is all growed up and in college at Hope, in Holland. She is in Concert Band which is made of of students and town folk, with many of the pieces conducted by students. They only practiced an hour and a half a week and it was a long show with a lot of music. Kudos for all your work! Thanks, Molly for inviting us.

Today is Maureen's party for 40th which is what is drawing us to the ugly side of the state. Bowling and fun to ensue! Can't wait, Moe! Let's rock the house, or at least rock the, um, bowling alley. They have a bar, right?

We will have to leave early from that party and go to a party for some of the people who work for me which I am really looking forward to. It's not often enough we get to spend time together outside of work and these are all pretty cool peeps. Plus some Shields pizza to boot and you got a party. I almost feel popular this holiday season... we are booked and double booked a lot. I'll be glad when it is over, I can stop sucking in my gut.

While in Detroit, we're staying as ever with Greg and Dave, or as I like to call it the GruleyTowne Deluxe Suites, where ("You already have a key and know where we keep the sheets, so if we see you, we see you, if not, catch you next time") luxury has a name... and that name is GruleyTowne.

We will come back home Saturday in enough time for me to hang the greens so to speak, provided the weather is acceptable. I just realized the first thing I packed is the extension ladder and it is now behind all manner of summer stuff in the garage. Curses. Anyway, this year we are eschewing lights in favor of large natural wreaths that we will hang and spotlight. It is a look I have always liked and I think we have the house for it. Plus it promises to be easier to put up and take down, so I am all for it. We spent a fortune on the wreaths for a fundraider [sic] so we may as well use them.

Next week is terribly busy for me so don't look for a post a day. Emily is endeavoring to that difficult benchmark and I laud her for it. It is just too hard to come up with things to say that often. Sometimes, I need a day off. In fact, I need to bring my Apple Hard Drive to Greg's so he can pull some old writing off for me... it's time for a greatest hits album so I can take a minute off. Of course, this stuff is now 13-15 years old so I may read it and just burn it. Who knows, maybe I can make something of it.

I managed to get the Christmas letter out to the editor on time. It went through 30 drafts. One had a particularly epic ending, but Emily said we can't tell people we climbed Machu Picchu if we didn't. So it is a little more prosaic, and flatter than I would have liked, but it is done. It fits the tone of the year and that is what it is.

What's worse? Showing up overdressed or under dressed? I typically go for overdressed. Thoughts?

Atticus is climbing my head (or as I call it Mount Baldy- which would be funny to my Aunt Fran and Uncle Jack if they read the blog because they actually live Mt. Baldy) and screaming in my ear looking for food so it is my cue to close. Be well, good people of the blogosphere (really, not a word in the "Blog Spot" dictionary?). I shall catch you on the flip. Whatever the hell that means.