Home > Columns > Christmas 2004
Christmas 2004
Posted on the
line: January 23, 2017
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Perhaps this hasn't happened to you. Perhaps you are more advanced than me and own an alarm clock that gives you enough options to properly ger your day started. Or, perhaps you have a simple clock that just makes a noise and you don't need to be bothered by things that worry me when planning my waking up process. Perhaps you don't approach waking up as a process at all. I do. In fact, I believe I often spend more time planning the details of waking up the next morning that I did my own wedding. A lot depends on the quality of your wake up as your whole day could be doomed if things are not time properly.
For those of you that don't have FM receptino (or AM for that matter), then my problem is likely not your problem. But for those who have the clock radio se to an FM station, you know how crtical the choice of station is to initiating the wake up sequence. you really need to consider this "waking up" as critical to your day as a precisely coordinated NASA shuttle launch. A critical mistake could lead to disaster far beyond bad hair days.
In case you are now thinking..."Thank goodness, this year's letter is not about Christmas music. That boy finally grew up"... think again. You see, on Monday, November 8th, our radio station of choice, a critical part of our mutual morning "launch", changed its format from "Lite Rock" to "Christmas, 24/7". Good Grief. Of course, we listen to the radio for maybe 5 to 10 minutes each morning - just enough to help us transition from sleep to delirium to mildly breathing oxygen, so it too us a few days to catch on to the format switch. Once I realized why I was so grumpy for several days in a row, I knew the jig was up. I had to act. DEFCON 1, in my parlance. I've contacted this particular station on a few occasions in the past on matters regarding the programming, so I contacted the program director with this short message, succinct yet full of despair:
"For at least 10 years, WTPI has been our station of choice for our morning alarm, as well as 'night breeze' in the evening after work. We now have to find a new sation to listen to until Dec. 26. I can't tell you how disappoint the switch to all Christmas music is. I must be missing something, since it seems everyone complains about how early Christmas music starts every year, but a great station like WTPI switches to a 24/7 format. It seems just too early, and too much.
Now I know many of y ou love and cherish this seasonal music, and look forwward to listening to it every year. However, surely some of you will at least admit that November 8th is just too early. We were still having temperatures in the 70's so how can "oh the weather outside is frightful" even make sense to a sober person, let alone someone coming out of a benadryl-induced stupor.
Well much to my dismay my hope for a radical reversal in their programming decision was quickly dashed. A few days later, I received this reply:
We understand completely if you're not in the mood for holiday music yet. But lots of our listeners are using us to get into the spirit of the season. We're here for you whenever you are ready. The Continuous Lite Rock with Less Talk returns on December 26th.
Thanks
Well, at least they still offer the promise of "less talk" so that I have that to look forward to. Since then, our life has been in a tumultuous upheaval. I'd love to say Danette has joined me in this boycott, but it turns out the choice of radio station was something of a concession in the "give and take" that is our wonderful marriage. She was siletly elated to learn of my displeasure, but bless her for keeping her emotions in check in my hour of despair. The upside to this story is that our new alarm clock statino really has nothing to offer, and I find myself wanting to get out of bed just to get away from what I now affectionately refer to Danette as "your music".
Danette has shifted completely in the world of fine arts, as she now
attends school at the Herron School of Art, part of Indiana University. This
was more suitable to her desire to work in graphic arts and/or in
advertising (visual communications for those in "the business"). She also
became the envy of her fellow students by landing an internship at one of
Indy's more prestigious ad agencies. While they got someone to do grunt work
for what amounts to gas money nowadays, Danette was able to expand her
understanding of the type of work she can look forward to at the end of her
second degree.
Reductive Charcoal Still Life, Alles Original
As of this writing, she has completely broken from her old accounting
jobs that she's hung on to for safety sake. She has thoroughly enjoyed her
time in school, despite the massive amount of time she has spent on her
paintings, drawings and
sketches. If she improves a little bit each
semester, you can expect sto see some truly remarkable art work in teh
future, and perhaps some Christmas presents from her "gallery".
As for myself: I normally, as many of you know, don't look forward to
Christmas (yes, the birth of Jesus is still pretty amazing, but after
midnight mass, it's pretty much downhill). However, I have a few reasons to
be excited about Christmas this year First, I just saw that TBS will be
playing 24 hours of "A Christmas Story". Cool. Second, our noew all but
defunct" Indiana Pacers are in a "Basketbrawl" rematch with the Detroit
Pistons CHRISTMAS DAY! What could be more appropriate? The reamining four
players who were NOT suspended are expected to play. But, as has not become
tradition, the fifth player will be drawn at random for 10 minutes before
game time. Third, the day after Christmas has the Detroit Lions at home
against 'da Bears' in a game that has important "playoff implications".
Typically marketing scheme.
Value Study: Lighthouse Hill, Edward Hopper
All this is to stress the idea of what a stranage year it has been:
* We have new neighbors: Jess and his wife Julie. Their son's are Jordan, Joshua, Jason, Jeremy, and Justin (their last name seems irrelevant). They outlined their roof with lights so bright we've had to wave off more than a few 737's that mistook the house as Indianapolis landing approach. They probably watched Christmas Vacation for that trick.
* And howa 'bout weather: The sun hasn't shined here since Labor Day. Despite being cloudy and rainy, it's been unseasonably mild. In fact, I don't think our summer had a day over 90.
* Bush won re-election. Who knew.
* Doesn't anybody else think there's a connection between the Shuttle Columbia disaster and our subsequent invasion of Iraq?
* Saying "The Detroit Lions" and the words "playoff contention" can still be used in the same sentence without reference the term "oxymoron". Who knew.
Magellan on her new throne
* After 14 years of marriage, we bought our first piece of actual furniture. We've sat in it a total of 10 minutes, but the cat loves it the most.
* This is the year I fell in love with SpongeBob. After being labeled a "poopyhead" by my niece for my clear ignorance of all things SpongeBob, I decided I needed to find out what the hype was all about. After going years without seeing a first run movie, Danette and I found ourselves at the theaters oepning weekend. We were the only childless couple in the audience. A couple of thirtysomethings having the laugh of the year over the antics of a yellow sponge and a pink starfish ("I am ready, promotion. I am ready, promotion").
* Does anybody wander through life having never heard a word or a concept, only to hear of it at least twice in the same day? Coincident? I think not.
* Celebrity sighting: We saw Wolf Blitzer in Reagan National Airport. I said to Danette: "Does that look like Wolf Blitzer?". She said: "Who?". Upon further review, it was in fact him, and Danette spotted the "WCB" initials on his garment bag. And while I tend to treat such people with respect for their privacy, I did have the urge to walk by him and whisper "THIS is CNN!".
* My one and only suggestion for 2005: Buy satellite radio -- Sirius (I own stock). * Another weekend is planned at Gethsemeni, the trappist monastery in Kentucky so brace yourself for another round of Monk fruitcake.
All told, it has been a busy but rather low key year. I have invested a great deal of time and money into the lawn. This is waht happens to you when you fail to get your Ph.D. before the statute of limitations runs out. Our yard was infested with dandelion insurgents when we bought the house, so I committed to a two-year plan to eliminate the terrorist weeds. I had haped that by Spring 2005 the lawn would emerge weed-free and patch-free -- fence to fence of lush thick green green grass. However the Shiite squirrels launched an attack on one of our bird feederes and spread several pounds of birdsee onto the lawn below, making it easier for other squirrles to enjoy thew new found fall bounty (never mind the gazillion acorns from the oak tree 10 feet away). The result is a fresh patch of scorched earth created by their pouncing and digging and clawing for every last morsel of seed. So, I have the next four months or so to fume over that mistake. Revenge against the local squirrel population has consumed my very existence. I hope they sleep well this winter. Danette and I wish you a Merry Christmas, and a wonderul and prosperous 2005. We hope we get the opportunity to seen you this year soon.
This just in: the Lions failed to make the playoffs. Looks like some things never change.
Peace,
Patrick & Danette