Resolution Progress

            At the beginning of the year I resolved to a number of goals, the biggest of these being a change in career. I have partially succeeded. I’ve move over to a new school, which has helped tremendously. And while this is not a complete career change, I feel it is a significant step.

M3 Christmas: Santa

            Okay, Santa is huge. No, I’m not talking about his belly. Mythologically, he is many people. The name Santa Claus derives from the Dutch figure Sinterklaas. But stories of gift-givers are throughout Europe (and even other locations, but they aren’t attributed to being part of Santa). There is Saint Nicholas, Odin, Krampus (a kind of opposite who gives bad gifts and frightens people on the naughty list into behaving), Ded Moroz (from Russia), and still more in Austria, Hungary, with variations on the story.

F3 City Sidewalks

            She roped me into it. I could ask how, but that didn’t matter. Never mind that Nikki could bench press a small car, I was trapped in one of the last permissible gender stereotypes: the man carries the packages.

            On Christmas Eve, no less.

            “Matthew, you’re beginning to lag behind. Come, we have one more important store to stop at. I think you’ll appreciate this one: intimate apparel.”

Holiday Plans

            Every holiday, I get asked by friends and neighbors if I have any big holiday plans. Nine times out of ten, I don’t. Mostly it’s because of a lack of resources. There have been some lean times, no joke. But more than that, I just don’t want the bother when it comes to holiday travel.

            I don’t need big plans to enjoy a holiday. So I will enjoy my holiday with some good movies, conversations with good friends, and maybe by going out to eat locally.

M3 Christmas: Nativity: The Manger

            Okay, our next stop on the list is the manger. We have to examine this because there is a misconception about this particular part of the story. Many people have actually already written on this subject, but they usually take an approach that is linguistic or archaeological. I’m going to look from a more cultural perspective.

F3 Sickbay

            “Well, here it is, Sickbay,” Flynn said to the doctor.

            “This?” Lita said. “I’ve worked in better field hospitals. Consortium field hospitals, at that,” she sneered, looking over the meager offerings.

Milestone

            Today is my mother’s birthday. She’s been here for 77 years, now. And I’m glad for every one of those days. I know she’s not going to be around forever, but I celebrate all the time she has had, and all the time she’s still going to have.

            Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you.

M3 Christmas: Nativity: Wise Guys

            Well, okay, now, the birth of Christ. This is some big stuff. And it’s important to get it right, starting with the Christmas decorations!

            Yeah, I know, that made no sense. But this is where we have to start. You see, that Nativity scene you put out, it’s wrong. Yeah, the three guys holding the gifts, they weren’t there.

F3 Residual

            Natalie sat on the cloud with me as we looked north, eyeing the swirling mass of air that would collide with the clouds.

“Well?”

“The air mass will trigger a snowfall, and then swirl into the clouds.”

 We had been playing this game since winter began, and so far I had been right every single time.

Unfinished

            Another NaNo down. I finished my word count. The title of this post isn’t referring to that. No, it’s referring to last year’s NaNo novel. I started a Matt Allen book, and still have not finished it. Usually over the course of the year I will finish out a draft of my NaNo book, but that didn’t happen this time. Throughout the year I got sidetracked by other projects (Matt included), and just could not get back to it.

M3 Christmas Overview

            When is Christmas? December 25^th, as always. Why is that the date of Christmas? That’s more complicated.

F3 Transportation

            I missed the subway. Even with the crowds, the subway was a civilized way to move people. But even though I didn’t own a card, I missed cars, too. I had always been a beat cop, on my feet. That wasn’t a problem, but my beat had gotten significantly bigger. And a squad car wasn’t an option in the Fairy Tale Realms.

Finish Line

            It’s kind of a universal human condition. When we see the finish line, we slow down or get complacent. Psychologically something is going on in our heads that when a goal is in sight, we can begin to rest. Now, every runner knows this isn’t true, but there’s still a flood of relief when that goal comes in sight. Obviously, the trick is to look past the line to make sure that you still cross the goal at full speed.