December 2, 2011 350!!!! No Shit!!!

This is my 350th blog entry. WOOOO-HOOOOO!!!!!!!! Feel free to jump and shout along with me!

Today the KSU student body president Nate/Nick showed me the Christmas tree he has in his office.

It leaps out at you, grabs you by the throat and insists that you sing the KSU Fight Song! (Which incidentally, I know and am glad to perform upon request. Or even if there is no request. I just sayin'!)

I've decided. The tree goes up at my house this weekend. It won't be quite this color coordinated but I'll do my best.

I hope Nate/Nick will overlook the KU ornaments.

Let's not tell him. Okay?

December 1, 2011 A New Month! My 12th!

First of all, this is the first entry of the 12th month of my blog! I am as surprised as the next guy to be honest. Who knew I could stay on topic for nearly a year? I guess it helps that there's really no topic...all I have to do is take a picture every day. No problem!

Now, about today's picture. It's a bit embarrassing, actually. But when has embarrassment stopped me from posting a photo? Never, that's when.

I've been driving our Sable for the last couple of days. My car needed an oil change in the worst way. To be honest, my car needed oil. Period. Guess I'm not as vigilant as I should be, but isn't that why I live with 2 men?

So, I drove the Sable, a car that I rarely drive. I kind of forget what it looks like. No, really, I do. I remember that it's silver and has a Kansas City Chiefs license plate on the front.

It was dark when I left the office today and I lost the car. I. Lost. The. Car.

I was on the right level of the parking garage, I knew that. But there was a shit load of silver cars on that level.

After walking to no less than 3 silver cars and being unable to open any of them, I decided to pop the trunk and hope for the best.

It worked!

I was so happy I did my "I found my car" dance.

I've done it before.

One time after I had already called my office to tell them to call the campus police and report my car being stolen. Isn't the important thing to keep in mind that I found my car and did the happy dance. Not that I reported it stolen?

November 30, 2011 Time Warp

This sign was in the Union today.

What makes this picture "Picture of the Day" worthy is not the fact that loony-toons Ron Paul had a campaign table in the Union.

No, it was the fact that the sign says "Ron Paul for President 2008".

Oops.

But, then again, recycling is good, right?

Maybe this year, though, Ron Paul would be well served to NOT put the year on his campaign material.

Another explanation could be that no one has told the Paul supporters at Kansas State that the 2008 election is over and Ron Paul was not, in fact, elected. Nor was he nominated.

I had a chance today to bring those kids at the Ron Paul for President table into this decade, but they looked so damn happy, talking up Ron Paul for President. In 2008.

Bless their hearts.

November 29, 2011 One More Thing Wamego Does Right

Wamego lights up Christmas. Lights. It. Up!!

The main street is adorned with wreathes and snowflakes. All the stores have decorated windows and it's clear that Christmas is on its way!

City Park is glorious! The trees are full of lights and snowflakes, Santa and his sleigh soar over the pond, a Christmas tree sits in the middle of the pond with its lights reflecting in the water like precious gems.

Last year my little town added this scene. Clearly, it's the skyline of Wamego, complete with a windmill. This picture isn't great (I have never claimed to be a photographer! Maybe I'll be better someday.) but it is pretty good considering that I was on the shoulder of Highway 24, sort of angled into the ditch, trying to balance the camera on the side view mirror, and shoot the picture in between on coming cars.

What I go through to get a picture of the day for you people.

November 28, 2011 End of the Day

This beautiful sunset greeted me as I left work today. I took this picture from the top of the parking garage at Kansas State.

Sunsets, like the ocean, always help me with my perspective. There is such beauty to behold if you just pause a moment and look around.

Who could see the sky lit up with orange, yellow and red and not stop to admire the wonders of the universe?

Sunsets also encourage me to pause and reflect on the day just passed. Did I accomplish something? Anything? Is the world a better place because I spent one more day in it? Did I laugh? Did I make someone else laugh? Did I pay someone a compliment? Did I ease someone's burden?

Mostly, though, I stop and count my blessings. Every single day I have something to be thankful for.

Even if it's just the wondrous sunset.

That's enough.

November 27, 2011 Christmas is Just Out of Reach

My plan was to decorate the house for Christmas today. CB was on the golf course (it's 40 degrees, where else would he be?) and it's after Thanksgiving, so it's time. Right?

I haven't decorated for the past couple of years. Not because I'm a humbug, but because Luke and CB don't seem to care one way or the other and the decorating (and undecorating) falls to me so I just didn't do it.

Christmas arrived anyway. Crazy, isn't it?

This is as close as I got this afternoon. I looked up and found the decorations in the rafters of the garage. Yeah, getting my fat ass up on a ladder was out of the question and yelling at the boxes to throw themselves into my arms didn't work either.

I decided to pay bills (I should have climbed that ladder and thrown myself off of it) and surf the net for cupcake recipes (Caramel latte sound good? What about Pink Lemonade? Shirley Temple - made with maraschino cherry juice and cherry 7-Up? Yummy!).

I'll get the house decorated sooner or later. Looks like it's going to be later.

November 26, 2011 Uh-Oh

Look what I discovered on the Sable! A dent on the passenger's door.

Guess who has been driving the Sable. NOT me. Not ME!!!!

When I pointed the dent out to CB was genuinely surprised. I know he wasn't acting, because I once got an Academy Award in this very category, so I know acting when I see it.

You want details? I'll give you details. The year was 1975, I was a Senior in high school. The drinking age was 18. It was a time of enlightenment in the land.

We had a blue Ford LTD, which I was sometimes allowed to drive, but there was no question that it was my parent's car. One evening I had too much to drink (hard to believe, isn't it?) and chose to drive home. I took a corner too sharply and ripped a piece of chrome off the bottom of the car.

When I faced my dad (scared shitless, I might add), I told him that while driving home from some activity like Bible study, I swerved to miss a dog that had run into the street and hit the curb. I was well and truly sorry and no, I did not hit the dog. Thank goodness.

No punishment was forthcoming. Whew! I did not gloat about my luck; doing so would have caused bad Karma and I didn't need Karma kicking my ass.

Fast forward to 1989. Luke was 8 years old and we were driving to Dodge to visit his Grandpa Judge. Somehow we got to talking about drinking and driving. I told him it was a bad idea and that I had damaged my dad's car while driving after drinking. I told him the whole story and we moved on to another topic.

We pulled into Dad's driveway and Luke jumped out of the car, just like he always did and burst into the house yelling "Papa Judge! Papa Judge!" Luke found Dad in his office and, after hugs all around, started telling him about our trip.

By the time I appeared at the door, I heard my little darling say "And she lied to you and told you that she swerved to miss a dog when really she had been drinking....".

Karma? Kicked my ass anyway.

My dad? Not very happy. At all.

Lesson learned? Do not tell your 8 year old anything you don't want your parents to know.