Category: Life

  • ODDS and ENDS: Rain, Overwhelmed Already, and Frozen Turkey

    ( We’ve got stars directing our fate…)

    You know what? We got rain in NYC. In fact, we received two days of rain. Being that we went, like, two months with any rain, this feels like a blessing. The rain also helps put out all the brush fires that have been happening in the parks all over the City. No lie, it has been very strange to smell smoke, like camp fire smoke, everyday for the past two weeks. Though this rain is appreciated and needed, we are still in a severe drought, which is still a perplexing situation to be in for the Northeast. Growing up in Texas, going two months without rain wasn’t an uncommon thing. Normally, the rain stops at the end of July, and if we were lucky, picks up again in September. But around here… This is odd.

    Yup, yesterday I had my first feeling of being overwhelmed with the Holidays. I started thinking about all of the events, shopping, cooking, and planning we need to do for the next two months, and… overwhelmed. I wanted to go back to bed. I wanted to watch bad tv and eat ice cream. I wanted to shut off the lights and listen to the City. I wanted it to be April. No, no, no… Can’t do that. Too much to do.

    Speaking of which… There is a frozen smoked turkey in my freezer. When I open the door, that sweet wonderful smell of Texas mesquite comes rolling out, and it reminds me of BBQ’s as a kid, especially the ones in Summer. That is what is in my freezer, and I cannot wait until I can thaw that bird and warm it in the oven. Have I mentioned that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday?

  • The Last Day Before Vacation (Unedited)

    So, I’m a stay at home dad, primary care giver for my family, sketchbook drawer, and writer. I haven’t had a full time job in close to four years, I’m not complaining about that, just an observation. But, every now and then, I do miss going into the office, and in my case, it was a studio. Not that I liked the office, but a few of my jobs, I did work with some really great people, who were fun to be around, and made going to work a not so dreadful experience.

    One of the things that I found myself missing today was that feeling of working on the last day before holiday vacation started. You know, that day before you left for Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or even a long four day weekend for 4th of July. On those days, nothing was accomplished at work. There weren’t any clients, and the staff just sat around joking, and goofing off. At one job, I found a way for us to bowl down a hallway. At another, a colleague set up the TV in the conference room to watch “Sunny in Philadelphia.”

    Those were silly last days. Joyful, and giddy. Everyone was in a good mood, and the few clients that did come around were regulars, and took part in the fun with us. It felt like we were getting away with something.

  • It’s Beginning to Feel A Lot Like Thanksgiving

    Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the whole thing. From big family gatherings, to small family gatherings, to couples Thanksgiving, to friends-Thanksgiving, and any other combination you can throw together. Thanksgiving, with roots that go back to the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, revived by Lincoln during the Civil War, and in our modern-day form of “That Day We Eat Before We Get Up Early to Shop,” this is a holiday that will continuously evolves to fit our needs.

    For me, it is the food holiday with a huge helping of all-day relaxing. In my little family, we buy new pajamas and spend all of Thanksgiving in them. We eat homemade cinnamon rolls, watch the parade, cook, snack, drink, and eat when the food is ready. There is no set time, we eat when we eat. Some years it’s early, sometimes late, but whatever the year, it is always relaxed and is what it is.

    This year, we have already bought our pajamas. The menu is planned, and we just have yet to do the final shopping. The decorations are out, and in place. The kid has a real job this year; she is putting together the charcutier board, and she is very excited. And, I am more excited about watching the Lions than the Cowboys. So, how’s that for a change.

    But, as I get older, it becomes more apparent that the Thanksgiving holiday is a limited resource in my life. I never doubt that each year I will have something, if not a great many things, to be thankful for. It’s just that I know that it will, eventually, change. Now, change isn’t always bad. Every year we have the chance to add to our family and friends, and welcome new people to our table. I try to be thankful, each year, that I have the people that I have in my life.

  • ODDS and ENDS: God Bless The Onion, Sports, Wildfires, and Christmas Gifts

    (Would it be too much to ask of you…)

    It has been a pretty dismal news cycle for like the past two weeks. And then God smiled on all of us! The Onion bought the InfoWars website. Sweet Lord in Heaven, please let this happen! There are so many reasons it should. Sadly, the judge put the sale on hold to review if the correct process was followed. So you know, the CEO of The Onion put out a statement on why they bought the InfoWars site. On one level, it’s just good to stick it to Alex Jones, as he has brought so much hate and anguish into this world for no reason other to make money. And also, if the sale goes through, I find it wonderful poetic justice that this site of so much evil will end up being a place of laughter.

    Honestly, Tottenham is driving me up the wall with all in the inconsistent play. They go and beat Man City, then turn around and drop one to Ipswich. Is this because Madison and van de Ven are hurt? Are those two guys the lynchpin of the team. I know the International Break is underway, and couldn’t have come at a better time. Let’s figure out what the problem is. It’s not like I was expecting Spurs to win the League, but it was reasonable to believe that they would qualify for the Champions League. Now, I’m not so sure.

    There are wildfires in New York City. Not around the City, as we do have that as well, but actually in the City. Anywhere there is a park, there is a chance that it could go up in flames. Last night, Inwood Park had a fire, and this morning, when I walked out the door, it smelled like a camp fire. It’s an experience that I would have never thought I would have here. Upstate, or in New England, sure I could believe it. But NYC?

    If you are looking for a fun Christmas Gift, may I suggest some Merch from My Store. These are fun, nostalgic, and quirky gifts that everyone on your list will love. Also, all proceeds go to me.

  • ODDS and ENDS: Still Cleaning, Thanksgiving, and Wrong Week…

    (You got to hide your love away…)

    I’m still processing Trump’s victory, what this says about us as Americans, and at the end of all of this contemplation, I am going to have the cleanest kitchen in The Five Boroughs. I know what I’m really doing; trying to put order back on the world of chaos I find myself in. It’s working, as any good therapy does, but it will still take time. Deep down, I sort of do hope that I am over reacting. That Trump’s term will be a big nothing burger of incompetence and gaffs, but the economy improves and we all go on with our lives. But I also know nothing is really over. And there always is a tomorrow to try again. Not the most encouraging thought, but it’s all that I got right now. That and I have some grout to scrub.

    Thanksgiving is not too far away, like less than three weeks. This is the holiday that I look forwards to the most. I love making food with my family, and taking it easy. The kid is old enough now to start making her own dish for the event. And it’s an all day event in our home; A special baked good breakfast of some sort, noshy lunch, and then the dinner when everything is ready. Each year it runs a little different, as we like to keep evolving our Thanksgiving menu, adding this dish, or retiring that side. But as I get older, it’s the time with my family that means the most. Planning together, shopping as a family, putting all the pieces together starting the night before and the day of. All that time shared together.