The Myth & The Majesty

Guess what? I have a brother-in-law. And he's in the country at last. In a week that's had a lot of good news already (and it's only Monday!), this is the best of it.

It has been a year of waiting.   Waiting for a new job for Dad. Waiting for Mia Sorella to move back to the States. Waiting for a house to sell, a house to be built, a brother-in-law to move. And while my year is ending with little difference in my day-to-day life -- same house, same job, same general status -- an awful lot feels different. Now we wait just a bit more for Shorty and Miss M to join us and we'll have an almost complete Christmas. Merry Christmas, all, from our tree to yours.

There are ten days before Christmas. I'm so close to being done with my gift shopping. I'm coming off an exceptionally good week, headed into a couple quiet work weeks and insane personal ones (because of course they will be, it's Christmas). All I want to do is curl up and cut into my book list. Maaaaaybe need to work up some motivation to get a few other things done as well. But first, I finish my seasonal reads. Starting with the second half of this one.

I spent a little time by the creek yesterday.   It actually started because I wanted a picture for my Christmas card ... and then continued just because it could. There are some serious bonuses to living around here. Even the confusing weather can be one.

I can tell it's Christmas season by the sheer number of packages appearing in my mailbox.   And, you know, the lights and decorations and the fact that it's December. But let's stick with the online shopping for a moment.   Oh, xkcd. You have a comic for everything .   I love online shopping. I love the prices. I love being able to peruse and come back later. And since a "quick run to town" will almost always end up being at least a three-hour deal, I love the convenience.   But most of all, I love that it keeps me from spending money.   Kind of counterintuitive, but hear me out.   I have come to realize that I am a reckless consumer. Not just "stuff" -- there are also lattes, snacks, and the ever-present catch of "just one more thing for Shorty and I'm done." As I consume ... just about everything, a trip into town very quickly turns into a late-morning coffee, the necessary shopping, lunch somewhere, and if I

Today, I'm sending you over to Wait But Why. Tim wrote a piece on friendship as you age that ... well. It pretty well summarizes something I've been dealing with since I moved out here. When you’re a kid, or in high school, or in college, you don’t really work too hard on your friend situation. Friends just kind of happen ... Once student life ends, the people in your life start to shake themselves into more distinct tiers.     The tiers ... they make so much sense.   I don't live in a place that's particularly conducive to making new friends -- and particularly not new friends that are in the same place in life. Most of my friends are married and having kids, something I can only sort of relate to ... or they're not my age. His article put a good chunk of that into perspective and may actually alter the way I communicate with some people. (Or, you know, inspire me to actually communicate. I've been terrible for awhile with that.)   Just cli

We don't exactly do Black Friday in our family. It has a lot to do with the fact that Black Friday deals aren't usually offered on what we're shopping for -- I mean, half my Christmas shopping list (and half of my own list) is socks. People don't line up for socks. It also has to do with the hours. We're going to stay up late playing cards on Thursday. We're not going to get up early on Friday. The end. This year was no different. Our grand plans for the day were to go hiking and then head to Miner Brewing Company for their deal -- free growler for the first twenty growler fills. Our kind of special. Which we did. Followed by lunch. And then a somewhat spontaneous decision to do just a touch of shopping, partially because this was the first time in six years that Mia Sorella had the chance. Which led to Best Buy. At this point, I was dead tired. It was 4:00. It was getting dark. I wandered in for five minutes before retreating to the Exploder to tak