The New Year

I have a new phone. It takes pictures. It is an MP3 player. It plays games. It can send text messages. And, believe it or not, it can make phone calls. I have dumped my I-Pod and now listen to music on this new phone. It has a 2 gigabyte hard drive - that's much better than my Shuffle.

A few minutes ago 'Voodoo Chile' began playing on my new phone. I looked at the clock and noticed it was 11:57. Everyone should ring in the new year with Stevie Ray Vaughn.

12:00

Nothing changed.

Stevie Ray still rules.

I just noticed this picture on our SigEp blog:



Most of the people that visit the Garden know just about everyone in that photo. I don't exactly know when that photo was taken, but I do know that it was a New Year's Eve party somewhere in the late 90's. I am happy to say that I am still in contact with all of those guys - brothers - friends. But holy shit! Life sure has changed since then.

I have no New Year's Resolution. There are a million things I want to do in life that should not be trivialized by making an arbitrary 'promise'. Sure, I could lose a few pounds and I could clean up my language and I could drink less and I could plant more in this garden. But it should not take the flipping of a calendar to change one's life. However, if you flip the colander at the right time, the pasta sauce will stick to the spaghetti better.

Another Christmas

It is certainly sad to see one more holiday season pass us by. While our children are having more and more fun with each Christmas, I've noticed that I get fewer gifts each year. What's up with that? Just because I have kids it doesn't mean that I don't enjoy receiving presents. Sure, I am not that interested in a doll house or a tea set or an Elmo bus or princess dress-up outfits. But it's still my holiday too. Why can't I get a 1000 piece Lego set or a new Tyco race track. Okay, so the single-serve, Keurig B40 coffee maker is one hell of a machine, it's no Backyardigans train set. My point is, adults should be allowed to have as much fun on Christmas as children do.

Now, I have to go find my pink boa and pearls. I'm late for the tea party!

12 Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas my children gave to me...
an Elmo in the Christmas tree.

On the second day of Christmas my children gave to me...
two dirty diapers,
and an Elmo in the Christmas tree.

On the third day of Christmas my children gave to me...
three Blue's clues,
two dirty diapers,
and an Elmo in the Christmas tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas my children gave to me...
four screaming fits,
three Blue's clues,
two dirty diapers,
and an Elmo in the Christmas tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas my children gave to me...
FIVE HEADLESS DOLLS!!!
four screaming fits,
three Blue's clues,
two dirty diapers,
and an Elmo in the Christmas tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas my children gave to me...
six crayons a coloring,
FIVE HEADLESS DOLLS!!!
four screaming fits,
three Blue's clues,
two dirty diapers,
and an Elmo in the Christmas tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas my children gave to me...
seven stepped-on raisins,
six crayons a coloring,
FIVE HEADLESS DOLLS!!!
four screaming fits,
three Blue's clues,
two dirty diapers,
and an Elmo in the Christmas tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas my children gave to me...
eight smeary windows,
seven stepped-on raisins,
six crayons a coloring,
FIVE HEADLESS DOLLS!!!
four screaming fits,
three Blue's clues,
two dirty diapers,
and an Elmo in the Christmas tree.

On the ninth day of Christmas my children gave to me...
nine broken ornaments,
eight smeary windows,
seven stepped-on raisins,
six crayons a coloring,
FIVE HEADLESS DOLLS!!!
four screaming fits,
three Blue's clues,
two dirty diapers,
and an Elmo in the Christmas tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas my children gave to me...
ten torn up tissues,
nine broken ornaments,
eight smeary windows,
seven stepped-on raisins,
six crayons a coloring,
FIVE HEADLESS DOLLS!!!
four screaming fits,
three Blue's clues,
two dirty diapers,
and an Elmo in the Christmas tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my children gave to me...
eleven loads of laundry,
ten torn up tissues,
nine broken ornaments,
eight smeary windows,
seven stepped-on raisins,
six crayons a coloring,
FIVE HEADLESS DOLLS!!!
four screaming fits,
three Blue's clues,
two dirty diapers,
and an Elmo in the Christmas tree.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my children gave to me...
twelve peaceful minutes (da-da-daaaaaaa),
eleven loads of laundry,
ten torn up tissues,
nine broken ornaments,
eight smeary windows,
seven stepped-on raisins,
six crayons a coloring,
FIVE HEADLESS DOLLS!!!
four screaming fits,
three Blue's clues,
two dirty diapers,
and an Elmo in the Christmas tree.