Jerk

Christmas Trees are Assholes

How awesome are Christmas trees?

None. That’s how awesome they are. None awesome.

We bought a big tree. Bigger than usual. Partly because we waited an extra week or so to go tree shopping and the pickings were a little slim. Also though, it was a really nice tree.

We bought it on Saturday, and the kids and I put it onto the stand right away. We decorated it on Sunday, and everything was well. About an hour after we finished it fell over. It hit the bay window but didn’t punch through. The tree stand though. Toast. One of the legs was bent completely into the wrong direction. the upper ring was snapped off. It was a bad fall.

I got the tree back up by precariously balancing it on what was left of the stand. Jen ran out to buy a newer, better, stronger stand while the kids and I took off all the decorations that we’d just put on. When the new stand arrived the kids and I started from scratch and put everything back together.

I think that the decorations looked better before the fall, but that might just be because the tree is a total asshole. I’m just waiting for it to fall over again. What a jerk, right?

Tree Time

The law states that the owl ornament must be the second highest object on the tree, after the star. This year I actually hung the owl from the star.

The Christmas Season is Here

I don’t like Christmas. Well, that’s not entirely true. I love Christmas. I just hate all the crap that leads up to it. My step son asked me why I get so stressed out around Christmas time. I told him because, for adults, Christmas is just the most stressful time of the year. It’s just the way it is. I usually try putting off the prep work for as long as possible. This year my family was okay with that to a small degree. The house remained Christmas free until December 10th. The season, however, is now officially in full swing.

There is a tree in the living room. It’s not decorated yet, but it will be today. Probably by lunch time.

Trips to the mall have been made. Mostly to help the kids get the various gifts for the various people they need to buy gifts for. Thus far we’ve been pretty unsuccessful, but amazon.com should fix things for everyone.

Speaking of which, amazon.com has been accessed and put to good use. It’s not over yet though, far from it.

We still need to finish the shopping and decorating. Then there is wrapping and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. Then there is cooking and cleaning and probably more decorating. Then Christmas eve we have my wife’s family over to do gifts with them. Then Christmas day itself comes and all of the stressing out and preparations are over and we can just enjoy the holiday.

Then we have to clean up. Yikes!

HoHoHo!

Not You

We didn’t buy this tree.

Moon

The moon as seen from my desk at work.

Music

I just finished chopping up my recording of last Sunday’s band practice. We kinda own this song now. Recorded on my iPhone 7 Plus with the iTalk app.

Greg Lake

Out of the three members of Emerson Lake and Palmer, only Carl Palmer remains.

I woke up this morning to find out that Greg Lake, vocalist, bassist, guitarist, all around great musician, had passed away after a battle with cancer. It was yet another musical kick in the teeth from the hell beast we call 2016.

I spent much of my day listening to ELP and the first King Crimson record. All of Mr Lake’s finest moments.

This year is an asshole.

Rest in peace, Greg Lake.