Asymptomatic

There must be intelligent life down here

Week in Preview
December 17, 2007

There is no Christmas shopping done. I think we’ve just about given up this year. My only enthusiasm for this holiday so far is for it to be over. Of the bazillion lights we bought last year to put outside, we’ve hung exactly zero.

I think we blew through our Christmas enthusiasm on the weekend after Thanksgiving when we went tree shopping, couldn’t find the usual place, and ended up with a decent but pre-cut tree. I wasn’t home when Berta and the kids decorated both trees this year. The one in the family room still isn’t done being decorated, I think. And thinking about it now, I wonder if I’m going to have the stamina for two trees worth of holiday.

Stinky Ladies
December 07, 2007

I took Nana and Riley out to lunch today, something I’m thinking of making a regular Thursday outing. Today we went to Cheeburger Cheeburger (note the surprising lack of “s”) in Frazer, and had some yummy burgers. Nana said she hasn’t had such a good burger in years, and I learned that she likes mayonnaise and fried onions on her burgers.

After we sat, a group of ladies came in and sat at the table behind me. I don’t know if it was just one of them, or the whole group, but the terribly overpowering odor of baby powder slammed into my nostrils. It was so powerful, I nearly gagged and I could occasionally (depending on wind shift) barely taste my food.

Abby's Poetry
December 05, 2007

We had a conference with Abby’s first grade teacher recently, during which she expressed mild concern over Abby’s interest in school. She asked us specifically if anything really motivates Abby, since she doesn’t seem to do anything more than the necessary work in her academics. While she’s perfectly capable of doing the work, she doesn’t really get enthusiastic about it.

Abby’s always been her own self, and the one thing that she really does get enthused about is art. Abby really likes to draw, and even her teacher remarked that she’s significantly advanced compared to her peers. She notices details that they don’t and I have noticed that she is able to put abstract images on paper that I wouldn’t even have thought of.