But ol'man river, He just keeps rollin' along

Is it Christmas already? I suppose it's pretty close, although some stores/TV shopping channels seem to think the 'season' started somewhere in mid-July (I'd like to think I'm exaggerating a bit, but I'm probably not, sadly).

That said, it sure felt like Christmas today. Coldcoldcold. Nice, but cold. Good night for using the electric blanket. But then it's hard to get up in the morning. Too warm and toasty. That and the fact I just wanted to stay in bed today. Work didn't seem too important or exciting. In the end, it was only slightly boring, as opposed to a total drag. Maybe it's the ho-humness of the slow period our department hits this time of year. Or maybe it was grandma's funeral. You know how that can be on one's psyche. If I had something more eloquent to say, believe you me, I'd say it here, but I can't seem to come up with anything, so it may be best to leave it alone for now. But Fr. Marco's homily yesterday? Pure genius. He was a little here, a little there, but it didn't really matter. The random St. Louis history was odd, but a nice bonus.

I don't necessarily think I took it for granted that she'd always be around. I tried to keep in touch, and she was usually my first call when cooking issues came up. Maybe it's just human nature to think that you didn't do enough when someone dies. And it's probably not wise to dwell on things like that, since I know we all do as much as we can with the time we have. But everyone gets so busy sometimes, it can be hard to step back and keep in touch. But that's some social commentary that will have to wait. For...when I feel like it.

So, in the end, I guess the best thing to do is to sit back, crack open a Miller Lite, and tell the stories. Or share the pictures.

And figure out how the hell to read a barometer.

Anyways.

I'd like to think that I'm a fairly level-headed person most of the time. When it comes to U2 though, I think I may be, well, a little off. The concert is in less than a month, and, to ensure as much surprise as possible, I've instituted a "U2 Exile," effective today. That means no obsessive checking of the previous night's setlist, no reading the various websites in case a rare song gets played, and listening to as much U2 as possible. Ideally, the band will change a few things in the next 3+ weeks, and I'll have as fresh an experience as possible. I've got way too many shows from this tour downloaded, so I have a good idea as to the sound of the show. The look, though, is still mostly a mystery. I've got some idea of the basics from a few pictures, but for the most part, no clue. I'm doing my best to keep it that way, but I broke down and bought the DVD of the tour filmed earlier this summer in Chicago. I broke down evern further, and watched a little bit of it (three songs, I think). I made sure, though, to watch what I figured would have as little give away as possible. I think I did okay, and probably got enough of a fix to hold me over until show time.

Back to the start: maybe it's the QVC/HSN I've been watching, or maybe there's just more of it this year, but the rampant commercialization of Christmas seems to be getting at me more than usual this year. I wouldn't call it disgusting, but it is a bit unsettling. It's a shame, really, because I enjoy the whole gift thing, but it's hard to get into it after the constant bombardment. Yeah, I know, I'm probably setting myself up for a lot of it. "Just turn off the stupid TV," you say. And yet, it's hard to look away. I like to shake my head in disgust and complain, but I just keep watching. So there you go.

I'm making up for my lack of posting with the longest post in the world, for anyone keeping score at home.

Speaking of: the Blues won last night! And Pujols got the MVP! Carp the Cy Young! The Rams..um...are still playing football!

And...that's all I got. Time to go play N.


I'll be marching around in gold pants in no time!
Dave