2 things that irritate me

If the temperature is 32 degrees fahrenheit, it doesn't matter how hard the wind is blowing it is still 32 degrees fahrenheit. Why can't the weather forecast be for 32 degrees and wind instead of a wind chill of 22. I don't believe in the wind chill or the heat index. It just caters to peoples desire to make things seem worse than they are.

I also hate dog years. Dogs don't live as long as people. That doesn't mean each year a dog lives (as measured by arrogant humans) is 7 times longer than the human year. It just means they don't live as many years as people.

I feel much better now. Thank you.

Finally a question I am qualified to answer as a parent

Desmond was asking me what the Minnesota Vikings helmet had on it. I said either a viking horn or a viking. He then asked me what a viking was. So I told him they come from the land of the ice and snow from the midnight sun where the hot springs blow. And their hammer of the gods will drive their ships to new lands to fight the horde, singing and crying “Valhalla, I am coming!” In a few years I’ll be ready when he wants to know what a Living Loving Maid is.

Football Fever

I don't really have any rooting stake in the NFL playoffs this weekend, but I'm about to. For the first time in 8 seasons I won the fantasy football league. Coincidentally, Dave is going to Vegas this weekend and I sent my winnings packing w/ him. I figure I'm on a roll w/ football prognostications so why stop. Dave told me he was trying to get all his cash organized, so he wouldn't hit an ATM at 5am thinking another $400 could get him back to even. Then his dad saw this and told him he had to stop acting like he was going to lose. D2 assured him that he would win. I can't wait to get my big payoff.

Recap

Desmond crawled into my bed at 4:30am on Christmas morning and spent the next hour telling me "Dude, I can't sleep." At 5:30 I finally told him to go open his damn presents by himself. After a few yells of "Awesome", I went back to sleep and got up at 6:30 to make sure the house wasn't on fire. When Izabella got up at the much more reasonable hour of 8, the rest of us opened our presents. I guess the kids were happy w/ their haul. Desmond likes board games better than his gameboy, and Izabella now has 2 small chairs to drag in front of the television and sit in. I got 3 sets of 4 pint glasses yet didn't get a single beer for them. We watched the Eagles beat the Cowboys at my cousin's new house in Raleigh, and one of the next generation cousins decided he wanted the Cowboys to win. He was mercilessly harassed for the rest of the day. Nothing says Christmas like adults ridiculing 7 year olds.

Maria and I went to Bistro Sofia for New Year's Eve dinner. I had a brik as an appetizer and the grilled duck for the main course. It was the best meal I had all year. We then went to a crazy party, but Maria's mom was babysitting and wanted us home by 10. We made it back at about 10:50. They haven't spoken since.

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