Let's see. Lesson one, kids, is to pay attention to your firefox tabs. I just accidentally deep sixed about 800 words by not watching what I was doing. Grumble, grumble.

Lesson two? Breathe regular. I'm in the middle of a well deserved long weekend. I took advantage of that and caught a mid day yoga class at the elmwood studios. I'm sailing along and got a little discombobulated and spent a little time getting recombobulated. When we hit the final sit up series, I nearly dropped like a stone. Never been tagged by a dizzy spell like that before. Made a slick recovery, but had a headache for the rest of the day for my troubles. Woke up this morning fine, so I don't think I blew any fuses.

Prior to that, I made a stop at the current location of the DMV to get enhanced driver's license information for me and permit info for my darling eldest. That makes me cringe.

Insanely nice time at the 24 on NYE. Thanks again to PMT for letting run amuck in their confines. It was great to meet (e:iriesara) and her man for the first time. Great to see our noted world traveler (e:ladycroft) and her man. Thanks again for the book, LC. I was actually thinking about that one last time I was in Talking Leaves. I enjoyed every silly minute of the shenanigans.

It was a nice breather. I think I journaled about my own Dad being the latest to need Roswell's services. He was biopsied earlier in december and had type b lymphoma. Roswell, with either a twisted sense of irony or humor, relayed this news on Christmas eve. So, we have that to think about. His treatment regimen cranks up in earnest in a few weeks.

Poured my self a drink. Anyway, also had to ask the folks to think about something else. i didn't go to their house on Christmas Day, but they did invite my brother-in-law's sister. Of the three times I've met her, the phrase raging asshole popped into my head and once out of my mouth. So, I put the question to them about if Sister Crankypants merits an invite, how about letting the mother of your grandchildren out of the penalty box? I have hated being the conduit for activity since my divorce. I drank the one big happy family kool aid right away and truth be told, it seems to be working, but too damn slowly. She and I have always been able to talk and her family went through great pains to show me that I was still a part of the team. Mine has been a little slow on the uptake. They are getting there, but a more stubborn bunch of irishmen I don't think you'll ever see.

I put the question to the rents to just extend an invitation. The ex might not take it, but the extension might make my world a little easier. She was there for 15 of them so it isn't like this would be something new.

Want to do it for the kids sake as well as our own. We already lost her dad this past year and my mom had her own drama last fall, so it seems sort of silly to wallow in leftover nonesense. Me? I'm just sick of being the perpetual middleman.

My daughters seized on all this to rag on me about my apartment being too small. They have a point, but I don't have first and last to give somebody at the moment. Lease runs through April. If any of you are renting a 2 to 3 bedroom place, let me know. I might be in the market.

Lesson three:go get another drink, class dismissed.

Here's the video I wanted to highlight in the post I just screwed up. Check out this take on 97 Rock staple during the Kennedy Center Honors. I don't know why the Kennedy Center folk felt compelled to let Joss Stone handle "My Generation." Dave Grohl did a nice job with "Who Are You." Rob Thomas did a harmless version of "Baba O'Reilly, but Betty LaVert stole the show with this

It's funny because you can see on some shows like this. Audience types are prone to playing to the camera, but the honorees box was into this one. Very cool. Reminds you of how powerful music can be when it done right.

Here's the original for reference

Still one of my favorites.

Just spent 30 minutes working on a post and clicked on the wrong tab for a Youtube clip. Sonofabitch!

I'm tired.

While the holidays are great, they also exhaust me. There is the mad prep, the juggling of egos, the balancing of which out of town visitors need to see the kids next, the guilt (imagined or otherwise), so it was with a sense of relief that I walked from my mother-in-law's place back to mine on Thursday night. Without prompting, the kids pronounced themselves "happy" and I think my ex and I both exhaled at the same time. I took them out to my folks on Christmas eve to be feted by my folks and siblings. She did likewise Christmas Day for dinner. The five of us got together Christmas morning and I think it was my favorite part. Nobody was on their best behavior and I mean that in a good way. That was fun, getting to see them show off their new wares.

Work on the 26th was surreal by comparison. Everything is open, but a large contingent of my department takes a good chunk of their holiday this week. The commute is a quick one, and downright deserted on Friday. Ten minutes this morning and that's including a stop at Spot to caffeinate.

I'm not complaining, but it is good to be the marketing guy. You get a lot of gifts that, well, swish. Two bottles of Bully Hill's finest from one of the radio groups, two bottles of local stuff from one of the tv stations, a case of guinness from my brother in law, and a case of Sleeman's Dark Ale from my own brother. My mom gave me a couple pounds of coffee. Together that is a metaphor for something. I'm just not sure what.

Order my Secret Santa thingy, what will officially be the last Christmas gift of the season -- Hope it makes it in time for the festivities for Wednesday evening.

The clock across the hall is chiming different christmas carols at the top of the hour with all the style and verve of dentist office muzak. Is it bad that I want to take to the parking lot and run over it a few times with the little bull dozer?

Yeah, probably.

Would have thought for sure that yesterday's winds would have hit my block. They did last year. I seem to remember wrapping the final presents pre-christmas by flashlight. At the height of yesterday's gales, I was searching for a good football game since the Bills were playing and number one son was gaming on my pc. We like our power.

The alarm clock went off this morning and my first thought was toward a nap.

I'm tired. Think I'm long overdue for sammich from the old Pink for dinner.

But I'll rest up for the (e:strip) balldrop (no, not a euphemism)

When you go to Bikram Yoga, they recommend that you do not eat 2 hours before the start of class as the class is pretty demanding on all your systems. When I go, I sneak a little snack in the afternoons most times. Didn't do that today, was running around etc.

So, about 50 minutes into the 90 minute class, during one of the quietest parts of class, my stomach announces in a large voice that it is yiddish

OYOYOYOYOYOYOY!!!!!!!!!!

It's hard to stretch constructively and laugh at the same time.