Just 361 Shopping Days Until Christmas

I did not have a holiday for the day after Christmas, but I did have a "Personal Holiday" that had to be used by the end of 2014 or I would lose it. So, I took it last Friday. And we had company holidays for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The only remaining holiday is New Year's Day. That puts me back in the office for most of this week. How about you? Are you off for the rest of the year or are you having to work, also?

You know what you need? A good Christmas-related Clarity of Vision comic strip.

I guess I still owe you a good comic, right? Well, that one is all I have to offer you right now.

Speaking of gifts, here is a poster we gave our Chorale director this year. I think it is clever.

And also, speaking of gifts, here is the haul we all shared at the Christmas brunch at daughter-in-love's house on Christmas morning.

We had a nice holiday break and caught up on some TV that had been queued on our DVR for a couple of months. One dude in Louisiana spent his time calculating the g-forces on the Millennium Falcon based on the trailer for the new Star Wars movie. Top that!

Did you have any eggnog over the break? I used to, but have not in a couple of years due to my change in diet. Even now, as I transition back to a more normal diet, I have not yet introduced milk products. Once I get there, I still would probably buy eggnog rather than make it. If you want to make your own, though, you cannot go wrong with using Alton Brown's eggnog recipe.

One thing we did not do that has previously been a tradition was watch A Christmas Vacation (or at least have it on) during the Christmas Brunch. I don't know what happened. I was reminded of that again this morning when I came across a Rolling Stone article about filming it. n.b. there is some strong language in the story.

Maybe we didn't watch it because we were too busy eating this delicious spread. I do know that I ate waaay too many sweets as I return to a normal diet.

An interesting story I read last night is a Yahoo story about the decline in Detroit real estate as captured by photos takes over the last 6-7 years. Have you seen movies in the past that talk about how the Earth will gradually erode modern buildings and roads back to their natural state? These photos seem to confirm that will happen. I found them fascinating. Here is an example.

Did you watch any football over the weekend? ASU and Dallas won their games (two Dallas players even broke records). AZ Cardinals did not, so now, we will watch on Saturday to see if they advance any further post-season. I will not tell you my personal dire prediction.

Want your own Darth Vader costume (for daily wear or maybe just for Halloween)? Get the details here, and start saving up your $6,000.

Before we go, let's bring in one of my favorite types of stories. Photoshop disasters. Here are 16 Jaw-Droppingly Embarrassing Photoshop Disasters.

Hey, y'all. Thanks for reading this far. I should have more fun and frivolity for you tomorrow. I said 'should', not 'will'. There are no guarantees.