.
From irrepressible commentor OldGold:
How is Christmas like an ordinary day at the office?
You do all the work and a fat guy in a bad suit gets all the credit.
.
The snowplow guy, bless him, showed up (we didn’t expect him!) to remove the ice barricade at the end of the driveway, and the Spousal Unit is using his new electric snowblower on the walk. After getting a (surprisingly nice!) Frasier fir yesterday, we decided to wait to decorate it until after this evening’s traditional meal at our favorite Chinese restaurant. So I’m good for the evening…
Hope y’all are equally pleased with your Juul choices, whatever those might be!
***********
Reactions to Socks as a Christmas Gift by Calendar Age:
0-3: blurb nurg (eats socks)
4-12: oh, socks
13-18: (SIGH) socks are you FUCKING serious
19-39: oh thank god, something useful, thank god
40+: Warm feet are the solitary joy remaining to me in this dark and fallen world— The Lynch who Stole Christmas (@scottlynch78) December 23, 2017
Corner Stone
What does Trump have to do with any of this?
satby
I’m back from brunch with my kids in Chicago. The roads were fine as soon as I got on the interstate and it was a sunny, though cold day in Chicago. Lovely time had by all, everyone liked all their gifts. Younger son is going with the older one and daughter in law to her family’s Christmas dinner. I had already begged off because I would end up driving home around 10pm EST. Too late for this early riser.
rikyrah
LOL at the socks tweet
satby
@Corner Stone: Merry Christmas! How are you and your son doing today?
NotMax
ELP, with purty pictures.
rikyrah
@satby:
Sounds like a good day, satby ?
satby
@rikyrah: My D-i-L gave me socks today. Which I loved ?
Edit: it was, thanks! Hope yours was too.
Raven
All done! We had the whole family at our Airbnb loft in downtown Lynchburg. I was nervous about the size of the place but it turned out fine for a dozen folks. My gumbo was a hit and my bride made aprons from her departed dad’s shirts and very one got one and she even had pictures of a couple of the young folks with her dad wearing the shirt they got. Now for a little chillin with the pups and hit the road home early. Hard to believe that this time in a week we’ll be at the Rose Bowl!
Raven
My brother in law gave me a shiny Iraqi coin that was “saved” and turned into a fundraiser. Nice pamphlet with Bush on the cover and Lee Greenwood inside ! Whoopeee!
satby
@Raven: sounds like a great time was had by all.
James E. Powell
Reading comments by people talking about weather & road conditions brings back memories of life in my beloved home town of Cleveland. I remember “We’re leaving in 20 minutes, let’s warm up the car.” Don’t miss that stuff at all, no sir.
MattF
60+: ‘Ah, good. I’ve noticed recently that all my socks have holes in them. Makes it easier to pick things off the floor, but makes it harder to keep warm.’
Raven
@satby: Yea, she worked really hard on the aprons. She planned to make them last year at the beach but she broke her wrist and had to delay the project. Now she’s on Pinterest looking for more IDEAS!!!!
NotMax
@MattF
Too lazy to look. Do they even make darning eggs anymore?
japa21
@Corner Stone: Well he is claiming all the credit for people being allowed to say Merry Christmas after 8 years with said phrase being illegal and people being subject to jail time if they said it.
Corner Stone
@satby:
How dare you!?
*I* am doing great! We had our Christmas yesterday with my very small family, some home made tacos and chocolate pie. As is our usual routine my son went with his mom last night to sleep over at her mom’s house for Christmas morning/day. My ex has a very large (Catholic) family and they all come and go through grandma’s house so my son gets to see all his cousins. Which works for me! Ahhhh, Calgon…
We are flying to Seattle tomorrow for a few days. I had hoped to take Amtrak to Vancouver but the early AM trip is booked full all the days we’re there. We may rent a car, who knows. We’re a couple of macho bachelor dudebros so anything goes. Well, except he’s 13 so I doubt they’ll serve him vodka. But other than that, anything could happen!
brendancalling
I got no socks. $200 from dad, guitar strings from my kid, and dim sum for lunch.
The kid and I are heading out for dinner, and I’m hoping my weed connection comes through
brendancalling
@japa21: fuck him. The BEST Christmas would be one with him swinging from a gallows during half-time.
debbie
@satby:
Glad the roads weren’t able to get the better of you!
satby
@Corner Stone: Have a great trip, I bet it’ll be fun.
Raven
We drove from Roanoke to Lynchburg on the Blue Ridge Parkway this morning. https://flic.kr/p/De1xCc
scav
@NotMax: That’s a yup on the darning eggs — my mother purchased a largish wooden ones about 2(?) months ago. May have to look for a while.
satby
@debbie: Me too. Not a happy person if I have to drive on icy roads, mostly because of all the morons who drive like it’s a sunny day in July and end up spinning into my lane.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@scav: What do you do with the socks after you eat the egg?
oldgold
@Corner Stone:
I was hoping someone would pick up on that aspect of the joke.
As Shakespeare correctly observed, “A jest’s prosperity lies in the ear of him that hears it, never in the tongue of him that makes it.”
NotMax
@Corner Stone, et al.
Repeated from very early this morning.
Likely the earliest documented on audio use of “Merry Christmas” as a euphemism.
Raven
@satby: When we got to the high point on the drive the parkway became glazed with a packed snow. I took it easy and we enjoyed it.
Jeffro
STAR WARS- oh my GAWD
Chinese food: so good!
What a great day!
Gin & Tonic
After three *very* busy days trying to get the big, traditional Christmas eve dinner together after coming back from Europe Monday night, things turned out well, and a good time was had by all the children with spouses and grandchildren. But most went on their way to other family today, except our son, so it was a low-key day of doing dishes, cleaning up slowly and drinking wine. One of my oldest friends came over today – we weren’t sure if he’d be able to get out, as he just had a hip replaced, but he’s gone home now. It was briefly blizzard conditions this morning, so there’s an inch or two of snow on the ground, first time in years. All in all, a lot to be grateful for.
NotMax
@scav
Believe they are the next aisle over from the buggy whips, past the butter churns.
;)
scav
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Depends. Some people personally hide them behind driers during laundry days for luck, while others traditionally outsource the jobs to passing rabbits. You know sock pairs: Hare today, gone tomorrow.
Corner Stone
@scav: Oh my. That was so bad it’s just a hop and a jump from haresy.
satby
@Raven: I love the Blue Ridge Parkway, but some of the narrow spots in winter would make me nervous. Still, it’s a spectacular drive for scenery.
NotMax
@scav
A WoW interlude. Meet Socks.
;)
Corner Stone
@brendancalling: Dim sum and weed? Sounds like you are living your best life.
Corner Stone
@satby: Thanks! I am totes looking forward to it. A friend offered to loan his jacket to my son and it has one of those chips where if you’re caught in an avalanche you break it and the beacon tells rescue where to look.
ME: “How deep do you have to be before that thing doesn’t work anymore?”
HIM: “I’m really not sure. Why?”
ME: “BECAUSE WE’RE ABOUT TO F’NG FIND OUT!!”
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Raven: Nice view.
Van Buren
@Raven: I love Roanoke, but just thinking about the Falwells make me hate Lynchburg with every fiber of my being.
I hope you stopped at the star.
Mnemosyne
@scav:
Look on knitting supply websites — they almost always have them.
Lapassionara
@Raven: We spent some time before Christmas in Roanoke. We spent Saturday, in the rain, driving to Bedford to see the National D Day Memorial. If you are in the area in good weather, and when the water is there, it is worth a trip.
Mnemosyne
It’s our typical Christmas Day of watching our teenage niece and nephew play video games. Happy Christmas, everyone! ?
Raven
@Lapassionara: We were talking about it this morning. When my wife’s dad was alive we went there. He was a SeeBee in the Pacific in WW2. He owned a construction company in Appommattox and had a sticker on the side of his car. Those mothefuckers charged him a “commercial” rate and he was such a gentle soul that he payed it. I was furious but I bit my tounge because I respected him. It’s too bad but I won’t ever go there again.
Raven
@Lapassionara: Did you happen to go to the Hotel Ronakoke? We’ve eaten there a couple of Christmas dinners and it’s awesome.
SWMBO
@NotMax: @scav: Amazon carries them in various sizes. Joann’s carries them as well.
Lapassionara
@Raven: Not this year, but have stayed there at Christmas. Love the trees, and the food.
Raven
@Lapassionara: The first time we ate there a blizzard started as we ate. It was so cool watching it come down through those huge windows!
Lapassionara
@Raven: The locals mention “money problems” when you ask about the Memorial. I think there is a back story that hurts it’s image, for those that know it. I am interested in WWII history, and I was hoping there would be a museum too. So we went, in spite of the stories and nasty weather.
JPL
Pete Souza’s book is awesome, and I pleased that it appears to be selling well. My son had a difficult finding it to give to me, since amazon is out of stock. He went to a few Barnes and Noble stores and the one in Sandy Springs had it. They were just opening boxes and handing it out to a line of customers.
It’s beautiful!
Doug R
@Corner Stone: That horrendous crash probably isn’t helping with Amtrak capacity. There’s got to be some kind of bus or try Alaska airlines or one of those seaplane places, depending on your budget.
Mayim
@Mnemosyne:
My darning egg is from The Loopy Ewe ~ out of some gorgeous wood.
Handknits socks are worth darning ;-) especially as I usually only finish a few pair a year.
efgoldman
@NotMax:
Smart guy!
Corner Stone
@Doug R: We’ve been to Vancouver before so it’s really more of a “want” than a “need”. But I did want to see the sights running the rails up into Canadia.
They run buses at about the same rate as Amtrak but if I am going to spend the money on a bus I may as well just rent a car and do the damn thing.
Patricia Kayden
@JPL: There seems to be a large number available at my Costco’s. Haven’t opened it as yet. May save it to savor after Trump is forced out. LOL.
HinTN
@Corner Stone: It’s only a three hour drive and the scenery is spectacular. There’s a restaurant in Kitsilano that I tried in September that was amazing. Just a hole in the wall. It’s an up and coming neighborhood.
brendancalling
@Corner Stone: sadly no weed yet. But if not, tomorrow.
I won’t be living my best life until I have either left the US for good or until Donald Trump and his family are swinging from a gallows.
Corner Stone
@brendancalling: Hmmm. Well, I mean, at least dim sum is a pretty good fucking start.
Corner Stone
@HinTN: I’m thinking about it. I mean, how many hours of watching fish tossing can you really take?
HinTN
@HinTN: It’s called Cacao.
Corner Stone
At the end of the day, don’t you kind of have to admit the Who’s in Whoville were pretty much a bunch of selfish, unaware, narcissistic assholes?
Mnemosyne
@Jeffro:
I’m pretty sure it’s been determined that only sensitive ponytail men and SJWs liked the new Star Wars movie. ?
Doug R
@Corner Stone: Car rental? That’s the spirit.
Doug R
@Mnemosyne: What does it say about me if I like parts of the new Star wars movie but think it still has problems?
zhena gogolia
Our plow guy showed up too! I was touched.
I’m still coughing, though.
West of the Rockies (been a while)
Integrating new family members… we now have a Death Star tree topper – not my choice – and a Republican elephant, a bipedal, blue-suited, red-tie and American–flag-lapel-pin-having oddity my girlfriend thought was Babar! When I pointed out the sad truth, she freaked out, removed the flag, and chastised me for ruining her fondness for her “Babar ornament”.
A weird Christmas.
Corner Stone
@Doug R: We’re two wild and crazy guys. To coin a phrase.
scav
@Mnemosyne: That’s where my mom found hers. I somehow have had one for years so — for a single shining solitary once! — had a bit of knitting kit my mother was without. (I savored the moment.) But it’s good to learn they’re still available at more places than Churchmouse (and then, only at the physical store, I’m not seeing them on the website.) So thanks! Maybe catchimg up with my stack of sock and glove repair will make a good New Year’s task.
Mnemosyne
@Doug R:
Clearly you’re far too interested in nuance and balance to be allowed to watch Star Wars movies. Sorry. ?
NotMax
@zhena gogolia
Phrasing!
;)
Raven
@Lapassionara: I share your interest and this was over ten years ago. I assume they money problems were why they took advantage of a WW2 vet like that. They are lucky it was my FIL and not my old man.
Raven
@Van Buren: We get up here for the holidays and other family events. When my FIL was dying I worked out of the Panera at the foot of Falwell Mountain and people there were nice to me. It’s just a another town in America.
Jeffro
@Mnemosyne: I loved it and I sure WISH I could grow a ponytail?
3rd best SW ever!
Jeffro
Oh and we ended the night with a family viewing of DIE HARD…I am in hog heaven!!
NotMax
@West of the Rockies (been a while)
The other Babar.
:)
(Still miss that show.)
Doug R
@Corner Stone: Before I owned a car I rented one a few times. Where’s the best place for a rental road trip from Vancouver? Seattle!
laura
@satby: I gifted one of your rose soaps and got to explain that it was from a lovely woman on that blog I’m always sending you links to… it went well and, well thanks and Merry Christmas.
Lapassionara
@Raven: Yes, they were.
J R in WV
Ponytail…!
I had my last haircut sometime after 1991. I got a secure job with the state government, and gave up getting my hair cut, not that it happened often before that. I did a ponytail pulled back tight and kept my beard fairly trimmed for the next 25 years.
Then last spring we went to Italy, our first/only trip out of the country since trump stole election, and I decided to get a haircut and a close trim, just in case, avoiding trouble. There was no chance for trouble, Atlanta was jammed with people from all over the world, and I would have been the most normal person there WITH the poytail.
So now I’m trying to get it long enough (as a bald old guy!) to pull into a ponytail again, like in the old days.