These are my daily rants, stories, and what not.
“Meow.”
“Meow.”
“I hear you Angelo.”
“Meow.”
“Yes, I know you used the litter box. You don’t have to announce your poo.”
“Meow.”
“I don’t care that you pooed.”
“Meow.”
“Why are you staring at me?”
“Meow.”
“Please stop.”
Looks back at litter box. “Meow.”
“I’m not picking it up now. I’m not a slave to you.”
“Meow.”
“Fine.”
————-
He’s a persistent kitty.
So I don’t ever take seriously making New Year’s Resolutions. I always figure if I am going to start something I should start it.
But on the other hand I understand the significance of a turning point. I remember a few years ago where a dream on New Year’s seemed significant. At the very least I woke up and felt like I had turned a corner (from what had otherwise been a downward trend). And I suppose New Year’s Resolutions set nice goals, however temporary they seem for most people.
So to that end let me make my list like everyone else does:
– I plan to continue drawing. A drawing for each day. I admit, I fall behind, but I strive to always catch up. I take my sketchbook every where so that I can draw in the minutes I have. Its important to me, and makes me feel good.
– I plan to exercise regularly. I started this one a while ago. I started biking 40 minutes a day after work. I’ve fallen off the bandwagon over Christmas Break as I haven’t kept a regular schedule. So in order to improve my exercising I need to set it as part of my schedule even when I am not keeping a regular schedule. I can do that.
– Keep the apartment cleaner. I’ve been slowly de-cluttering my stuff over the last couple months. A few small things here, a few small things there. We did some small rearranging, moved a bookcase to the bedroom (and got rid of six books in the move), organized what was left in the living room. Kitchen is next on the list. We’ve been more on top of the dishes and doing laundry.
– I don’t know, more outdoors stuff.
The thing with these goals is that I’m not reinventing the wheel, or doing anything new, I’m just building on top of what I’m doing now. And I kinda think that is how it should be.
I just read a fantastic article about how multiple candidates in the Republic Presidential Run-off didn’t meet the requirements to be on the Virginia Primary Ballot.
Doing a little digging it looks like this is the first year Virginia is actually verifying signatures collected by Primary candidates. In previous years anyone who turned in 10,000 signatures that were only supposedly from Virginia citizens were put on the primary ballot. This year Virginia changed primary law to say that signatures would be have to be verified. Not a big change, primary candidates were supposed to get valid signatures anyways.
However, aside from Gingrich, who blames his shortfall of signatures on one “paid volunteer” committing fraud, the others don’t seem to have a leg to stand on. Huntsman, Bachmann, and Santorum never even turned in signatures and a petition to be in the Virginia Primary, and Perry just didn’t have enough signatures.
My favorite part of all this is the candidates are suing to be on the primary ballot. In their suit they claim they should be on the ballot to save money for the state and party that the lawsuit would entail. Basically, we can’t meet your criteria, criteria you are unfairly enforcing this year (aka – verifying signatures that are supposed to be from Virginian citizens actually are from Virginia citizens), so we will sue to be on the ballot anyways.
Forget state rights, forget following the rules, forget that the State Political Parties create Primary Rules for their Parties (aka – the Virginian Republican party created the primary rules for Republican candidates for the state). Forget all that. We didn’t follow the rules set up by our own party in the state, so we’re going to sue to get our way. By the way you should let us on there to save money we would otherwise force you to use defending these unfair rules.
That certainly does sound American these days. Not Presidential though.
Just after midnight Sam starts stirring on the couch.
“Happy New Year’s Honey” I proclaim.
“Cross Back,” she mumbles.
“What?”
“Cross Back,” she says again.
“I don’t understand.”
“Go Backwards.”
“Still lost.”
“Walk Backwards.”
I scoot back from the couch a few feet. “Oooookay.”
“My throat really hurts,” she says as she sits up a a little.
“I’ll get some water.”
I bring the water back and she drinks a whole bunch before rolling over and falling back asleep.
My girlfriend and her cute delirious rants rock. 🙂
I made it home for several days for Christmas this year. It was awesome. I don’t know if its just my perception of previous Christmas trips home (to my parents) but this one seemed so much less hectic. I came away from it very relaxed.
I spent considerable amounts of time with my nephews and my niece. Considering I only see them twice a year its important for me to get as much time with them as I can. Rider definitely remembers who I am, and Wyatt spent several hours playing hiding go seek around the house with me. He also has this weird noise he makes instead of words. Something of an “aaaaeeeee.” Its pretty adorable. ‘Wyatt, say uncle A.” “aaaaaaeeeeeee” It rocks. I also played downstairs (in the play area) with Takara. She insisted on going down the kiddie slide over and over again as I set up two giant teddy bears at the bottom for her to run into. I was done after about ten times, but Takara kept it up for 30+ times, laughing the whole time.
As usual my family sat down for multiple board and card games. It is the expected precedent at family gathers, that at some point we’ll sit down for hours of games.
I also saw Reg, Shane, and Kevin (not bad, 3 out of the 5 friends I hung out with regularly in high school). Reg rocked the Karaoke. He even came close to hitting the high notes singing songs by the Darkness.
I don’t know what specifically made this trip so relaxing compared to others, but I think, maybe, it was because I didn’t do anything I didn’t want to. Not that I did much, but there wasn’t any running around, wasn’t any rushed feeling. There weren’t things I “had to do.” I came home, played it all by ear, had a particularly relaxing christmas morning and some good times with friends and family.
What more could I ask of in a Christmas Break.
I love traveling home by train. Less hassle than flying, less stressful than driving, cheaper than either (usually) and I can sleep 90% of the way.
However…
This morning I get on the train. As I hand the lady my ticket and say Schenectady she gives a double take and I say “I’m in the right spot right? He (the other conductor) sent me down here.”
“He did what?”
I replied again, “I said Albany first but then immediately corrected myself to say Schenectady and he sent me down here.” In my mind Albany and Schenectady are the same place, regardless he (the other conductor) said “Schenectady down there.”
The second conductors reply is what is bugging. After I tell her this she says “I don’t know why you said that sir,” with a tone in her voice that says she frustrated with me. And then let’s me on the train at her car anyways.
Don’t know what? Why I corrected myself to say Schenectady. If it was such a big deal (and I can understand sorting people by stop) then send me back to other car. The train was early, I sat on it for almost ten minutes before it left the station and only two other people got on the train at my station anyways so it wasn’t busy.
Shit like that is part of the reason Amtrak is a joke in the US. Either it’s not a big deal and you let me sit in this car (which seemed to be the case) or it is a big deal and you ask me to go back to the other car. But making a snide remark is ridiculous.
Anyways, I’m sure I’ll enjoy the rest of the train ride in peace, just a stupid way to start the trip.
