Randomness

I have a lot of stuff going on in my life and in my friends' lives right now, but none of it is really safe to publicly blog about. Hence the virtual silence around here of late. So, in no particular order, here's some random stuff bouncing around in my empty head:

* I have to decide whether to go to the trouble and expense of getting a Christmas tree this year. I had one in 2006, but did not buy one last year and didn't really miss it all that much. I still have a million ornaments that match perfectly and look beautiful, but do I really want to take the hours upon hours it will require to decorate the tree, only to worry about the cat knocking it over? (Yes, that has happened before. Many times.) I've been in kind of a bad mood lately because of the aforementioned unbloggable stuff, so maybe a forced infusion of Christmas spirit would help. Or maybe it would just make me homicidal and poorer. You tell me.

* Speaking of my lack of Christmas spirit, which I struggle with every year, I tried to make a Christmas list the other day and just failed miserably. There are so many things I'd like for Christmas (a new job!...oops, did I say that out loud?) but precious few that I can actually provide to friends and family trying to decide what to get me as a gift. What I really want from my friends is their companionship, support, and happiness in the coming year. That goes a lot longer than any gift. And for my family, I want prosperity and health. It feels really lame saying "oh yeah, and a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer and cashmere gloves" at the end of a list of such far more important concerns.

* Sometimes, I can be a real pain in the ass. Even when I might be right. I need to remember that.

* I can't decide whether to have a holiday party, a Super Bowl party, both, or neither. I haven't had a party at my house in almost 2 years, since a falling out between some close friends that has made me wary of holding any event to which I would want to invite both. But the hostess bug is hitting me hard, and making me want to bring new people together from the many friends I have made in the last 2 years, and the holidays seem like a natural time to do that. I also always love an excuse to craft a menu and cook far too much food for people.

However, I also worry that everyone is booked up with other holiday parties already and wouldn't be able to come anyway. Decisions, decisions. So, readers...tell me. Are you already booked for every weekend day between now and Dec 25th? If so, the Super Bowl is a really easy, natural time to have a party and my last one was a success. I will almost certainly try that again this year, especially since my Pats won't even be sniffing the playoffs this year from the looks of things.

* Speaking of football, I am so impressed with the way the Falcons are beating expectations that I am thinking I need to start going to more professional sporting events here in town. The Falcons are pretty good, the Hawks are pretty good, hockey is fun even when your team sucks, and the Braves at least have the chance of being decent. Yet, our sports teams are among the lowest attended in the professional leagues. It's time for those of us who enjoy watching and rooting for these teams to start showing our appreciation by putting butts in seats. Who's with me?

* But my college team, that's one that is not getting my butt in a seat for at least another 9 months, if ever. I haven't blogged about the woeful experience that was the Florida-Florida State game because I don't know if I can ever put into words just how much it sucked. We got our asses kicked by our arch rivals, it poured rain on us for much of the game (and for virtually our entire drive to Tallahassee & back), and my phone got wet and shorted out even though it was in my purse the whole time. SUCKED. My seething anger at Bobby & Co. might be blogged someday, but not today.

* Saturday night, after I was in a mood and needed something cathartic, I went to see the incomparable Francine Reed at Blind Willie's blues club. Oh Lord, was it what I needed. If you have never seen Ms. Reed live and in person, you owe it to yourself to check her out. Here's a video of her doing my favorite song she performs, Ida Cox's "Wild Women Don't Get the Blues."



And with that, I guess I better just get wild and crazy, because I really can't stand to have the blues anymore.