TKO!

I am just about down for the count. This year seems to be one physical problem after another. First it was the slashed arm from the glass window, then it was the staph infection, and for the grand finale - the flu for Christmas. When I say it was the flu for Christmas, it began at 2am with vomiting followed shortly thereafter by more vomiting. When that finally slowed it was from the other end - every fifteen minutes (briefly interrupted with bouts of more vomiting). To accompany these frequent trips to the bathroom was my increasing temperature. When everyone else woke up, I finally got some sleep - all day long. I even missed the Christmas dinner. To top everything off, my staph infection is back with a vengeance. Right now it is affecting my knee, severely. It hurts to walk, even stand - so, tomorrow I get to set up an appointment through my doctor with someone from "infectious diseases." Sounds fun, eh?

Despite all of that, it was great to have everyone here for the holidays. It's been two years since Suzy's family has all been together for Christmas. Jerry and Becky were able to do some sightseeing with Andy and we all got to visit the Holiday Train show at the Bronx Botanical Gardens. Suzy has all the pictures, so go check them out. As for me...it's nap time!

Seven things

Don't expect many of these, but at the request of my wife...

Seven things to do before I die:
1. Drink a cup of coffee brewed from beans I grew and roasted.
2. Have kids.
3. Write a book.
4. Travel to _____ (Germany, Russia, Egypt, South Africa, etc.)
5. Design and build our own house.
6. Build a kit car - Shelby Cobra.
7. Grow a beard down to my chest (much to the disdain of my wife).

Seven things I cannot do:
1. Play the guitar.
2. Tolerate bad drivers.
3. Ride a motorcycle (thanks, Suzy).
4. Speak Spanish (though I should probably learn).
5. Remember what to pick up at the grocery store.
6. Stay on task.
7. Keep my pants from getting coffee stains.

Seven things that attracted me to my spouse:
1. Her big blue eyes.
2. The way she inspires me.
3. Her creativity.
4. Her sense of adventure and energy.
5. Sense of humor and the laugh that goes with it.
6. That curvaceous body.
7. How much she loves me.

Seven things I say most often:
1. I need some coffee.
2. Hey, baby (Suzy).
3. Hey big guy (my cat Pan).
4. Come on...
5. Shoot! (after spilling coffee...yes, it happens a lot).
6. a couple, meaning TWO (in order to clarify to Suzy).
That's it...I honestly don't talk that much.

Seven books I love:
1. Brothers Karamazov
2. The Everlasting Man
3. The Man Who Was Thursday
4. The Professor and the Madman
5. Love In The Ruins
6. The Life You Save May Be Your Own
7. Myst

Seven movies I could watch over and over again:
1. Braveheart
2. The Princess Bride
3. The Fox and the Hound
4. The Godfather series, even the third one
5. Ferris Beuller's Day Off
6. Hero
7. Her Majesty's Secret Service

The Rule of Four

I finished reading (listening to) The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason and it brought back a lot of memories. The book focuses on two main characters trying to discover the secrets of an obscure 15th century text while dealing with school, relationships, and of course the evil advisor trying to thwart progress. It was a lot of fun - it touched on all aspects of Renaissance thought as well as remind me of working on my own thesis at the last minute. Perhaps even more significant than all of that was its portrait of friendships. I became quite nostalgic as it described this close-knit group of four students living in the dorm together. Back in Roberts Hall at ACC there were four of us sharing rooms. We were only translating the Greek New Testament, didn't have evil advisors, and of course nowhere near the caliber of Princeton. Aside from that I am left with a longing for those old roommates, who couldn't be spread out much further than we are now. Shannon in the army out in the Mojave Desert in California, Scott building cabinets with his brother in Indiana, Zach teaching English in Poland, and of course me up here in New York. I think Scott is probably the only one who thought he might actually end up where he is right now, as for the rest of us...I doubt it.

Lashing out at Litter Bugs!

Ever since I was in elementary school I have always been sensitive to litter (strange as that sounds). My dad was in the Lion's Club and I used to help them clean up the stretch of Highway 174 they had "adopted." It has always bothered me that people simply throw their trash out the window when it really requires little effort to put it where it belongs. I can recall an incident in East Point when a pickup full of people threw a bag of trash out the window. Momentarily forgetting that I was actually a minority here, I honked my horn and flashed my lights in a helpless attempt to convey my disdain, accomplishing nothing (other than scaring my wife).
Yesterday, another of those incidents ocurred that I can add to the list of acting out against those incessant litter bugs. Since I was at work and had nothing to do (as usual), I did what I always do - get coffee. As I was walking by a car in front of Dunkin' Donuts, someone rolled down their window and threw out a bag of trash, almost hitting me. Before realizing what I was doing, I picked up the trash and threw it back in the car. At first, we exchanged looks of astonishment, both surprised at what I had done. Then they drove off, and I went in to get my coffee. In a place where so many people live co close together, litter just chaps my hide. Oh well, just another day in Yonkers!