We finally got a snowfall worthy of the name — about eight inches’ worth over a couple of days, just in time for solstice.
Lacking a gym membership and possessing the feeble upper body of the geriatric cyclist I suffered through multiple repetitions of precipitation redistribution between other chores — running VeloNews.com, cooking, serving as staff to cats, fetching the holiday vittles from Whole Paycheck, some last-minute gift-shopping and a welcome visit to the backcracker (though she probably found it less so, as I make her earn those BMW payments).
The VeloNews.com thing has been particularly irksome. I haven’t worked five days a week for 20 years — not at the same mind-numbing task, anyway — and frankly I don’t know how you poor bastards stand it. We’re still minus a web editor, and I’m minus a 2012 contract until said executive gets hired, so with eight days remaining on my 2011 deal with these people I’ve been spending more than a few of our very short daylight hours revisiting many of the late George Carlin’s fabled Seven Words.
A couple things caused me to dial down the volume a bit, though. While motoring around in the snow the other day I noticed some poor sod in a hard hat, up to his tits in a right-lane ditch, digging away as the heavy holiday traffic slalomed around him. As working for a living goes this makes pixel-pushing look like sharing a hot tub with Elle MacPherson, Scarlett Johansson and a couple flagons of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque.
Then my friend and colleague Hal Walter reported in from Weirdcliffe, recounting a tile-and-carpet project that turned into your basic 17-day nightmare, forcing him and his family from their home as appliances and furniture were torn from their proper places and stacked in the living room while various artisans were hired and fired. At least I get to be pissed off in my own house.
And finally another friend and colleague, Charles Pelkey, who has been enduring weeks of chemotherapy for cancer, had another health scare. While taking his latest infusion he developed a dysrhythmia that sent him to the ER for a battery of heart tests; seems potentially fatal dysrhythmias are a rare side effect of the drug Taxol and his oncologist wasn’t taking any chances.
Happily, the problem disappeared when Charles got on a treadmill and elevated his heart rate. And better still, the doc decided that enough was enough already and gave Charles a get-out-of-chemo card — he had been slated to continue treatments through the holidays and most of January 2012.
Me, I take an aspirin now and then when I get a brain cramp.
So it looks like I don’t have anything to bitch about, goddamnit. But wait … I can always bitch about not having anything to bitch about! It’s the best present ever!
Here’s hoping y’all have nothing to bitch about, too. Happy holidays to you and yours.
Mad Blog Media 
Here’s hoping all of us have a great 2012. Hearing these stories about folks like CP and that guy in the ditch reminds us that a lot of our crosses are not that heavy to bear.
Went over to the LUG page. I have a close friend whose partner is one of those cancer patients who, like the lady who was in the hospital with Charles, hopes to make it through the Christmas season, and it will be touch and go if that happens. By comparison, I have very little to bitch seriously about in spite of my constant bitching, and have been blessed more than most folks in this world.
All the best, everyone. Even to you Right-Wing Republicans reading this….after all, there is always redemption, as Ebenezer Scrooge showed us 😉
ditto what Khal said, except for the Right-Wing Republicans.
Send some of that snow this way! We could use the warm-up! It was minus 2 this morning- and I went a-pedallin’ anyway! Damn, it felt good. It has been a Long Time!
I hope all goes well for your buddies, Pat.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Y’all!
You suck so bitch all you want.
Hey! Count your blessings. And let’s dedicate ourselves next year more to being bricklayers, rather than brickthrowers.
Cheers and Happy Holidays…..stay in Zones 2 and 3 for atleast another two months! 🙂 JD
Well, I have a bitch, too. I no longer work with O’Grady, so I don’t actually get paid to hear him bitch anymore. It’s a purely voluntary effort these days.
Merry Christmas to all of you … even you Mr. O’Grady, you cranky old SOB.
Happy Holidays to all.
Just a little of the white dust on the ground here in Wisco, still waiting to use the new snowshoes!
Merry Xmas, everyone. Be kind to the loved ones, while they are still here.
…an eight inch dumper ???…oh, now i see what you mean…snow…
…i was so enthralled with the extra 35.372 seconds of daylight today, the first day after the solstice / equinox, that i lost track of everything else for a moment…
…& mr pelkey,, i’m glad to see you in decent enough spirits that you’re once again “pissing into the wind”…
…wishing you all you mad dogs & english majors a happy, healthy new year…
Here’s to bitching, be it about the plenitude, scarcity, or anything in between of bitch-worthy gripes
Happy Saturnalia!
Happy Holidays to all. We’re trying to bear up under the strain of being in Sicily where this afternoon we rode outside for 3+ hours in glorious sunshine, through olive groves and fields of grazing sheep to return to our apartment on the sea front where the wife’s busy making orange-scented risotto and swordfish with tomatoes, olives and capers for dinner. I have NOTHING to bitch about – for today at least!
Now we all have something to bitch about. Larry and Heather have it too good!!
Just wait until I post the photos of today’s ride and the dinner on the CycleItalia blog…then you’ll really have something to bitch about……you’re welcome!
“Treetops glisten…”
Right on cue, you have a White Christmas, Patrick.
” It’s December the 24th –
And I’m longing to be up North.”
According to Wiki, tomorrow is the 70th anniversary of the first public performance of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”.
“May your days be merry and bright.”
Patrick, I hope your work situation brightens and Charles’ path gets brighter and brighter.
Happy holidays to all!
First public performance
Happy Holidays and good health and humor to all. Thanks to Mr. Obama for bitch slapping the Tea Baggers. I’m sure they’re all in their bunkers plotting some imaginary grievance to remount their soap boxes with. Good times….
I always say northern New Mexico is the best place to be at Christmas, and it’s proving true once again. Pajarito Mtn is open, even after getting scorched by the Las Conchas fire. The hubby and progeny are all hurling themselves down steep hills on various shapes of wood, so peace reigns on earth. I gave that up for long steady slogs on snowshoes. I’ll be up there in a couple hours with my snowshoes and head up the mountain the hard way.
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and Happy New Year.
Stop by on the way back from the mountain for a glass of wine sometime, MD and kinfolk.
All the best to one and all. Just cleaned the driveway, checked out the car for an upcoming road trip, put Handel’s Messiah on the stereo, and opened a beer.
And now we present for your viewing pleasure our annual Holiday Blasphemy:
I still have sneaking suspicion that the light at the end of the tunnel is the oncoming train. best wishes for everyone anyway.
Dear Patrick and Fellow Travels,
Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, etc. While ‘he who writes’ has rediscovered the irksomeness of regular work the joy of unemployment is an ever expanding gift (while the savings hold out) for me.
More time with family, more time with friends, more time hiking with the dog and definitely more time on the bike.
So here’s my the wish, that you all may have more time.
My wish for Christmas is a wonderful 30 – 40 mile ride without wearing 20 layers of clothing. Otherwise, I’ll be bitching about the colder temps. Hmmm…we’ll see what weather Santa brings to us in Texas tomorrow. As far as work…well I give that my best 10 hours daily M-F. A few more years and I may be able to swing an early retirement route. That would be fantastic beyond words.