The Death of Saint Nick's Wife

More people that I knew died in 2008 than any other year. On Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve Dolores Weibel passed away. Her husband Dick, had passed away earlier in the year. He was the reason the church had cancelled their Saint Nicholas Day Festival. The obvious reason was Dick, volunteered to play Saint Nick and he naturally looked like him.

In a perfect after life, or after world I hope they were brought together again for Christmas. Perhaps, there is a Santa. As the Holiday's fade away, I hope they find another boat to sail calm waters which remind them of their beloved Florida Keys.

God bless and sail on sailors!

Problems with the BCS

The Utah Utes deserve all the credit in the world for defeating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. USC may have a legitimate gripe too. The Trojans conference picked up for the Bowls. USC beat Penn State by 2 touchdowns in the Rose Bowl which looked like a pretty good match up. Better on paper than Texas match up with Ohio State.

The Bowls are turning into December or January Madness. The "Mid Majors" are showing up in force and they are winning. TCU beat Boise State in a battle of two teams that deserved a better bowl.

If no playoff, at least allow the Mid Majors to compete on a level playing fair. Give them more of a chance.

Kind of Green 2008

I hope everyone had a happy New year's. On line, social communities like Facebook and Myspace have given people people a chance to do the "green thing" or in other words help the environment.

Through Facebooks apps, I was able to save 285 square feet of tropical rain forest. I was also able to save 6 square feet of Ocean. I'll make that a New Year's Resolution..to save more this year. The app for saving ocean was kind of hidden in my profile. I also made two nets for families in Africa, again this was kind of hidden. Another, New Year's resolution to make more nets. I also saved 7 ounces of CO2, this was a new er app so I haven't been able to play with it a lot.

It is pretty cool, to be able to waist a little time on line and make the world a little better.

Sunday with Friends

Sunday was a rather mild day for December. The day started by meeting friends for lunch in downtown Frederick at Five Guys. Five Guys is a hamburger chain started in the Washington DC that is slowly spreading across the country with great burgers and fries.

After lunch we went and saw a movie. It was the first movie I have seen in a theater since August when I picked up my stepson. We saw "The Spirit" which the Washington Post gave a pretty bad review of, so I wasn't expecting much. With the warning, the movie came up better than expectations.

After the movie we travelled to Washington, DC where we toured the National Cathedral. It was comforting that the Cathedral was Episcopalian which made it have a warm, feeling of home. The building was neat to explore, with the prayer rooms, the chapels, several tombs, and a display of Nativity Scenes from around the world. It was great to see the small scenes crafted from different materials.

We moved from the Cathedral to China Town, where we took in a meal of handmade noodles in a small Chinese Restaurant. It was neat to see the noodle make working his craft, very similar to the bakers in the old pizzerias. After dinner we called it a day and returned home.

A Real Christmas Act

Christmas is a time of giving. In Christian theology it marks the birth of Jesus Christ and as the story plays out God gave his only son for mankind. The wise men also brought gifts for the baby Jesus. Other Holiday's around this time also are characterized by gift giving. Late December is also a time when some people give to charities before the end of the year so they can get the tax deduction.

Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat gave a house to a lady who was going through a rough time according to the AP. Here is a link to the story on Fox Sports. I appreciate a story like this since I am a sports fan. I'm tired of hearing about players griping about money, getting arrested, or shooting themselves in the leg (which doesn't help an athletes career). Many athletes do give a lot back to the community and charities.

However, the unselfish act Dwyane Wade is a reminder of what Christmas is all about. Dwyane heard about a "woman whose nephew accidentally burned down her home — and ruined all the family's possessions ." "Wade presented Dawn Smith with the ultimate Christmas gift on Wednesday — the keys to a new home, along with some furnishings, clothing and gifts to make sure her family has a joyous holiday."

Yes Dwyane is blessed to have the money to do such an act. Others are blessed to have the money but don't take actions like Mr. Wade. Dwyane Wade is blessed in his attitude. Wade summed it up "It's not about what you're going to receive — it's what you can give to others from what you've received." There is a Christmas thought. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a wonderful Holiday.

The Night Before Christmas...

The night before Christmas is here. Winter has let go the bitter grip it had been holding the past two days. Besides some harmless sleet, the ice predicted last night pretty much avoided me. Perhaps the trees kind of blocked some of it. My parents are visiting. The tree is up. My daughter enjoyed playing with the tinsel and Christmas balls on the tree.

My workday is half over. Hopefully, I'll be able to leave on time. I'm off tomorrow and will come in on Friday to work some overtime. No big plans, just hoping to enjoy the Holiday with family and friends. My co-worker is tracking Santa and hopefully I will be home before he arrives. ..

Cold Monday

It was a toasty 12 degrees this morning, with a wind chill somewhere below 0. The forecast high for today is 22 and windy. Just a little chilly..Tonight it is suppose to go into the single digits, before it rains in one of Mother Natures or Old Man Winters sudden mood swings. 50's are predicted later in the week.

Oh well Saturday night into Sundays ice storm really wasn't that bad. No worse than a heavy frost. I wore more layers when I volunteered in the warehouse on Saturday, and it wasn't as cold as it was a month ago. Though working there this weekend, I felt out of shape and older. The Holiday orders really wore me out. But it is rewarding even makes getting up at 4:30 on Saturday morning worthwhile.