THE GODS OF CHRISTMAS

Self-portrait with The Child, Friday 19 November 2010.

It appears that the gods of the secular version of Christmas have appeared even earlier this year than of those prior. The malls and stores are inundated with holiday merchandise. It makes me want to stay home more so than ever.

DREAMS OF BETTER DAYS

Clouds above Lighthouse Park at Brown's Point, Tacoma.

It is amazing how the lives and drama of other people can affect one's self. Marriages of friends and family are crumbling around me. A young woman is struggling with recurring brain tumors. Work is full of change, with new employees and new challenges. My body isn't always cooperating as it should. Electrical signals are short-circuiting from spine to legs, right arm, and face. Fatigue and exhaustion are nipping at my heels. At least it isn't depression right now. I can thank God for that.

I am still reading, still viewing art, still drinking beer, and still wandering. It all seems very small and insignificant right now, though.

I am writing, but its themes are death, mortality, and fatherhood. I am struggling through it. I wrestle with it daily as it gives birth to itself and I merely write down what I witness therein.

I dream of forthcoming better days. I dream of midsummer evenings watching the skies for cloud patterns at dusk and meteor showers at twilight.

I dream of the buzz of dragonflies as they hunt mosquitoes.

MOTORCYCLE DREAMS

The child is napping after a wonderful lunch of "carrots and peas, pasta and cheese" casserole. I am taking advantage of said napping to get the yard ready for the impending rain. I am mowing the lawn when I hear snippets of siren from a police cruiser and then a low rumble. My first thought was that Mount Rainier was having a mudflow. Then I saw motorcycle after motorcycle entering Puyallup, which soon became hundreds of them. The police cruiser was racing ahead to intersections and letting the motorcycles through. The whole dream lasted about five minutes and then the rumble and roar was gone. Then I was back in the yard behind the lawn mower again.

[I also got to use my chainsaw, which was rather fun. The neighbor behind me is a 90 year old woman who is unable to get around very well. She has a spruce tree that is too close to the chain link fence that separates our yards and it was beginning to damage the fence. With her permission I removed the tree. When I topped the tree, the weight being removed from the trunk pushed the ladder I was on back a few feet before it dropped against the tree again. That was pretty scary because I thought I was going to take a fall. But, I finished removing the trunk, cut the entire tree up, and cut out and buried as much of the stump as possible. You can no longer tell that a tree was ever there.]

SOUTH PARK DREAMS

The wife is home sick. The child is sick and now sleeping. So, what am I doing? I am attempting to do some research on a couple of articles that I am writing. I am also planning out a few upcoming poetry submissions.

I should be taking great advantage of some time alone. I keep finding things to distract myself, however. One such item would be this South Park rendition of me, wearing my glasses, of course. You can create your own South Park character or version of yourself here. Have fun!