Pre-Christmas Season Continues

On Monday, we had a team Christmas lunch together. Three of the five of us are now vegans, so we wanted a placed where we could eat healthy food. We all chose to get "Vegetarian Chickpea-Fennel Sausage Meatball Sub with Roasted Onions and Peppers, Marinara and Provolone Cheese with fresh fruit." We asked them to skip the cheese. It was really good.

We have a Project Manager party on Thursday and I still have not chosen a veggie-friendly main dish. This is not good.

If I remember correctly, Mrs. Claus was saying, "Sure, he may be jolly and old, but he's no saint."

Everyone here was really happy because Santa said, "Mrs. Claus said that? Then I'm coming to live with you."

However, they had to give up their car for Santa's mode of transportation. You can see how happy it made the family.

Let's say "Hasta la vista" to this silly theme and get back to a classic CoV.

Now, let's say "Say What?" to this unsettling report (at least, it is unsettling to me). People and animal robots that are actually looking like something from a sci-fi movie. What do y'all think?

Less unsettling is this story from Conan O'Brien about newscasters. That is not so surprising to me.

And whether you've seen it once, twice or ten times, this type of story is always interesting. Did Jennifer Lawrence really need to be airbrushed in the first place?

Did you hear that? It's the sound of work needing to be done today, so I need to head outta here. We'll visit again soon, my friends.

Countdown to Christmas

How was your weekend? Mine was busy.

Two concerts, a birthday party, a work Christmas party, looking at Christmas lights, having the GRANDS for a while, the season finale of Survivor...all of that added together means I did not get around to uploading any photos for today's blog entry. I thought I would get preemptive before you went crazy wondering about that.

One of the birthday gifts is a copy of the newest Straight No Chaser CD and tickets to see them in concert. Sounds fun, right? You don't know about them? Check out this video of their version of the 12 Days of Christmas.

Speaking of work Christmas parties, we have an org-level one coming up on Thursday. I am supposed to bring a main dish. I would really like to bring a vegan one, but am not sure what translates as a main dish. It would be nice to show people that vegans can eat some tasty stuff, too.

And before you start wondering about this, here is today's Blast-From-The-Past Clarity of Vision.

Yeee Hawww! The Cowboys have an almost insurmountable lead at halftime. Oh wait. The Packers are catching up. Wait, Romo, don't throw now. Nooooo. So much for the playoffs. Probably.

Are you ready for Christmas? I think MBH has taken care of that for us. I chose not to put up the outside lights this year. I could try to justify that by mentioning how brief the time was between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but really, I just didn't feel like it. I suppose I might have if there were another 7-10 days there, but maybe not.

At work, we have to reboot our machines at least once a week. When I plugged in this morning, it seems I must do that this morning and it started a timer that will force it if I do not reboot by hand. My time is counting down, so I will finish this and let it restart.

Thanks But No Thanks, Best Buy

We received a delivery from Best Buy on Thursday night. Interesting, since we did not order anything from them. The name on the front was not us, and the street name had three of the same letters, and the numbers were the same. So, USPS brought it here. We opened it and I got a name from the packing slip and found him by Googling a bit. I dropped it by his front porch and left without telling him. I a, sure he will wonder who came by and opened the box but took nothing.

We watched the first Sing-Off tonight. We are still two episodes behind, so don't spoil it for me.The GRANDS said something about judge Ben Folds reminds them of me. That's kind of fun to think of, since I do like him on this program.

Let's return to the amusement park for a bit.

Two kids, B and K, talk to Princess Tiana on the riverboat.

Two granddaughters, B and K, posing with Merida.

Two silhouettes, Walt and Mickey, in front of the castle.

Two cube mates talking, at least as envisioned by me 4-1/2 years ago.

[Friday Final Feelings] We have our department Christmas party this afternoon. Apparently, many people are boycotting to express their discontent with the CIO. True, many of his decisions and the recent layoffs (plus the ones last year where I was caught) seem arbitrary, but couldn't we all just get along? What about you? Would you skip a party to show an executive that you disagree with him? The question for me is...how long do I have to stay there before I can fashionably leave? It's Friday afternoon. I have a Chorale concert tonight. Of course I would like to use the party as an excuse to leave early.

Well, it is Friday the 13th, but I do not expect any bad luck. Hmm, unless I cannot leave the party early. OK, have a great weekend.

Mary and an Angel Appeared to Me Last Night

We went to see the granddaughters in a church nativity play last night, so no photos today. One was Mary and one was an angel (in the first play and a member of a a wandering singing group in the second). Children's plays are always fun, aren't they?

I met with our financial management company yesterday to see if any changes are needed as we enter the last few pre-retirement years. We did decide to add an annuity that will pay a guaranteed amount for a little assurance against a somewhat volatile stock market. It seems weird to really be planning for this (and telling you about it). And for you younger types, read this and make sure you are thinking ahead.

Hmm, It seems I shared a writing credit on a CoV back in 2009. I cannot remember doing this any other time, so she must have really refined the idea instead of me just hearing a phrase an capturing it.

Does your family have an Elf on the Shelf? Does your elf appear in any photos. Check these out. Pretty clever.

This article shows the reality behind airbrushed ads. I enjoyed reading it.

It looks like this week's SNL is new. These promo videos are really funny and I hope the show delivers on what they promise.

Do you hate robot sales calls? I do, and thanks to my cable displaying who is calling, I never answer a phone number I don't know. Anyway, listen to this guy pushing back and challenging if the voice is real or robotic.

And with that, our time for now has come to an end. We will visit again soon, and no, I am not a robot.

Good Morning, Good Morning, Good

I am writing the first part of this blog before Chorale practice as I watch the most recent Homeland. Wow. What is going to happen before the mid-season finale?

Today's post title is brought to you by The Beatles. It is some of the lyrics from the song Good Morning. Since we are talking about mornings, let's check out a breakfast from our hotel last week. Here are the girls enjoying their pancakes. BTW, yesterday was the younger one's birthday. Happy Birthday, KNW! Doesn't she look older?

Not to be outdone, here is JV enjoying his pancakes.

And finally, we are getting ready to enter the park for the day.

Did you read that Disney bought Star Wars (Lucasfilm)? I was apparently using the Force on my Clarity of Vision back in 2009.

OK, it is Wednesday morning and I have more to say.

While there are newer and perhaps more elaborate Christmas light displays, this one is short and clever. If you want to see some others, this article lists several.

Having trouble finding that perfect gift for your loved one? Who doesn't love chocolate (besides IT Sis)?

What brings the season to mind better than carols? I know you are tempted to say a new Britney CD, but you would be wrong. Duck Dynasty Christmas Carols.

I have not seen Frozen, but I do know about Hidden Mickeys. Apparently, there are some in the movie. Did any of you see them?

Has What Does the Fox Say? been out long enough for a parody? Of course. What Does the Spleen Do?

I have played long enough. I need to knock out some real work before my lunchtime meeting with my financial adviser. I plan to be back real soon, though.

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Do you ever drive somewhere (especially a familiar place) and get there, only to realize you do not remember the journey? I certainly have. What about typed something and not think about the typing activity itself? Or if someone asks you about where a key is on the keyboard, you have to physically manipulate your fingers as if typing to find the key? Scientists have determined that you type without thinking at all of the keys themselves. That's kind of funny, right?

Did you notice a minimum of activity on the blog the last couple of days. We took a quick spin over to California to have fun at an amusement park. Which park did we choose? Well, here is the official welcome we got from one of the employees there. You can see that JV really liked seeing Minnie.

Sure, I took a few photos while we were there. I remember, one day, when we.... No wait, I don't remember going to the park that day. Maybe I have photo-taking impairment effect?

And it was my first visit with the newest area in the park...Cars Land. Oh yeah, it was as cool as I had heard.

Here is one more shot of the new land. Oh, buy the way, the moon up above was done by God, not Disney. I know. I was surprised, too.

We wore our coats everyday in the park, and at night, it really felt cold. Luckily, it was not quite as cold as the temps in this place.

I ate pretty well during our visit, and I noticed that all the adults seem to be reducing their intake of soda. Studies like this indicate it is happening more frequently now.

We drove over to LA and did not fly nor take a cruise. However, many people seem to do both of those, as I noted back in 2009.

I hear the factory whistle going off, telling me to get to work. So, I will since they pay the bills. Until later, my friends.

Well, It's Cold to ME

Today's post is brought to you courtesy of Exposure. Well, actually, that is not the whole truth. Only my family photos are brought to you by this new photo display site. I got an invite to join, like the way it blended the photos and text, and since it was free, I played with it a bit. Take a look at my first album on Exposure.

Now, while I dropped the photos into Exposure, I am dropping my CoV of the day straight to your eyeballs. Enjoy.

It seems a cold front is crossing the USA right now. You can tell because even the desert will only reach the mid-50s for most of this week. That's right. We will be LESS than 60F ALL WEEK! Of course, we start wearing jackets at 70F, so cold is relative.

We just watched this cool video from The Piano Guys playing Angels We Have Heard on High. It is really fun. Go watch it.

We also just watched Captain Picard "singing" Let It Snow. It is really clever, and if you watched Start Trek: The Next Generation with any regularity, you will like the clever additions to the song that the guy that made this put in.

What's on TV right now? Local news. Do you still watch it? Every day? I do.

I'm feeling like the day is ready to get started, so let's get out of the way and let it happen. Thanks for standing here in the cold reading for a bit.

*Cough*, *cough*, *sniff*

If you are a singer (and maybe even if you are not), the Christmas season is not a time to get sick. Teacher Daughter has some sore throat thing, and I have had a slight cough and occasional sore throat. So, last night's two-hour practice was a struggle. I did pick up some Fisherman's Friend to get me through the day.

I wonder if I was feeling down four years ago when I wrote this? Probably not. I was just commenting on how creative planners are when they name conference rooms.

And from either farther back comes a colorized version of a Lucy Christmas special. Will you watch it on Dec 20 on CBS? I would imagine my mother will. I will probably record it, too.

OK, all you iPad owners. Here's a challenge for you. Create a portrait of a family member using finger-painting software. This dude did it and recreated a photo of Morgan Freeman. Watch it and see if you could finish anything like this is 200 hours (for me, probably not even in 200 days).

Since it was Chorale practice night, I did not watch any TV and I am writing this blog on Wednesday morning. Tonight, though, is the weekly Survivor get-together. That means pizza and wings for most of us and quinoa and roasted sweet potatoes and kale salad for me. Yeah, baby.

OK, let start the day. Have a great one, my friends.

Last Day of Desert Winter For a While

This year at ZooLights, they had a theme of Wizard of Oz. Why? I don't know since it doesn't really speak to the holidays. Anyway, here are the lollipops out front.

And the lion is out front, too, although he is a bit hard to see since I was actually going for the ZooLights sign.

And this represents the yellow brick road (you can tell by the background music they are playing. Listen. OK, no music is playing for you, but we heard it).

And finally, the Emerald City. Sorry it is a bit blurry. I was handholding the camera and it was dark.

And once you are in the Emerald City, you see your favorite thing...a CoV. No, they did not see this at the zoo. I added it for y'all.

And after that, even more interesting stuff for us to share. Well, that is, if I can think of any.

We just watched the mid-season finale of Walking Dead. Whew, it was a barn-burner. That means it was exciting for all you youngsters out there.

We are due to have a storm pass through and take away our mid-70s. It will be all the way down to the upper-50s by Wednesday. Where is my jacket?

Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the Michael Jackson Thriller video. Here are some interesting facts about it.

Didn't I tell you that there was a lot of ground fog (the interweb called it ice fog) in Flagstaff last weekend? Looks like it also happened at the Grand Canyon.

I like to play some in Photoshop. Who doesn't? Maybe most of you are saying, "Why would I do that?" Somebody enjoys it more than me, though. Check out these bird+dog blends.

Texas is not the only state with unique phrases. Check out these from the Northeast.

We've had fun today, right? I'm ready to tackle the challenges of the day. Check in tomorrow to see who tackled who.

One of Those Weekends

What did you do on Saturday afternoon? Some of us went to see Santa Claus via the North Pole Experience.

Before we got there, though, we had to wait... (Daughter-In-Love seems happy waiting, doesn't she?)

and wait... (At least it was a festive hallway, right?)

And the night before that, we went to ZooLights. Here is the only photo I have with any of our group in them.

And before all that, way back in 2009, I shared a CoV that you get to remember today.

Let's come back to modern days and take a look at info about the USA broken out by ZIP code.

Are you going to buy anything for Cyber Monday? I am not...unless you are paying? No? Then as I said, nothing for me today. What about Black Friday? Did any of you go out that day? Were you searching for something specific or just seeing what deals each store had? For me, I chose not to participate.

I think today is Black Monday for me because I have to go back to work. For some reason, no one is willing to pay me to just stay home and do nothing. so, Hi Ho, Hi Ho. It's off to work I go.