Happy Thanksgiving!

Our neighbors must have sensed my near total lack of free time the past few days, which has prevented me from spending time on frivolites like this blog. To help me out, they decided to get me up early by playing video games at 4 a.m. that just happened to be loud enough to cause me to pay a visit. Happy Thanksgiving indeed! (To their credit, they took my early morning visit quite well -- only now I find that sleep has fled from me -- Perhaps they'll let me play!).

We've been in our new apartment just under two weeks, and I've been working at my new job just about a week and a half. If I seem to be standing a little taller or breathing a little more freely these days one may well look to the fact that I no longer under any billable hour pressure. Of course, it might also be the fact that Mint M&Ms are on store shelves again.

Here some other recent thoughts/highlights:

• My trolley commute to and from work takes about an hour each way. Having come from a place where I was walking to work, this adds an extra two hours to my day automatically. Having assured Michelle this career move would end up being better for our family, I sure didn't gain many points on that front our first week here.
• BUT, the federal government is paying for my trolley ticket, and I've suddenly got lots of extra reading time. I've also found great entertainment value in watching security guards chase non-paying customers (including one who, apparently taking a cue from some movies and a recent TV show, lured the security guard into a trolley car and then tried hastily exiting the trolley car just before it started moving again).
• As mentioned previously, our great sacrifice in my taking this job is that we've given up DVR. No longer are we able to record tv shows at a whim to watch at our leisure, nor have we the power now to fast forward through commercials. Jared has actually taken this the hardest, who, apparently having never known the hardship of wading through commercials and living without tv on demandf, still cries whenever a commercial interrupts his programming.
• Today marks the end of this year's battle between Michelle and I over Christmas music. It ends only because she'll now (with the passing of Thanksgiving) officially allow herself to celebrate Christmas. As for me, any distinctions I made between permissible and impermissible Christmas music faded weeks ago. Now the battle becomes how much Manheim Steamroller she'll tolerate.
• Lastly, is there anything more depressing than a Charlie Brown holiday tv special? Why are these things so popular?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thoughts Post Move

We managed to survive the move yesterday, though some of our things didn't (we've bid goodbye to our desk). Boxes are everywhere, and our new, smaller apartment is in total chaos. But, the internet is hooked up, so here are some random thoughts on the process:

• Our Elder's Quorum in Irvine helped load the truck yesterday -- we've got enough stuff now to warrant a 24 footer. I promised them a quick move and lots of donuts. Gratefully, I was able to deliver on both promises. Michelle and I were dumbfounded though at how many donuts were left after everyone left. Earlier in the day I'd bought two dozen, wondering if that'd be enough. Afterward, there were probably 8-10 donuts left. Apparently not everyone eats like I do.
• U-Haul promised a "comfortable" ride. They have an interesting definition of the term -- which apparently includes shaking violently at every bump in the road.
• I think our truck, fully loaded, got 3.5 miles a gallon.
• Any time you're gunning for something new in the home, just need to make sure the old one breaks inadvertently at some point in the moving process. I'm 90% sure this is why the desk broke on the drive down (I was fond of it; Michelle wasn't).
• One can probably truly appreciate the Little Ceaser's $5 pizzas only after a long moving day and amid mountains of boxes in the new home.
• The great sacrifice of this new job, our move, and our new budget restrictions, is that we've had to give up High Definition digital cable with DVR (a Tivo like service that lets you pause live tv and record programs) -- $70 a month, in exchange for "Limited Basic Cable" -- $12.50 a month. Much to our delight, though, ESPN2 and the Food Network (along with the Weather Channel and two C-Spans) are among the channels we're getting reception on.
• It's nice to have furniture worn out enough that you're happy to keep as long as you can but, when you realize there isn't room for it in your new apartment, you can just throw it away without any reservations. (Exibit A? Our love seat)
• Finally, and perhaps the best news of all, the Albertson's across the street has a day old rack!

Tomorrow, my first day at the new job.

Parting Thoughts

With less than 36 hours before we load the moving truck and head to San Diego, and with the left side of my face still numb from a visit to the dentist, a few parting observations from Irvine:

• A late night trip to Albertson’s last night revealed they’ve got about three shopping carts full of candy corn reduced to 25 cents a bag. I surveyed things, even picked up a bag of Autumn Mix, weighed the bag in my hands, and then tossed the bag back in and walked away. Even though it was only 25 cents, candy corn season is over. (Though don’t think that wasn’t difficult).
• You’ll note I mentioned going to Albertson’s last night, instead of Ralph’s. Yes, as I’ve mentioned before, Ralph’s grocery store and I are on the outs, but that’s not the reason I went to Albertson’s. Instead, Ralph’s has been closed for two days for remodeling. It appears they’re making it into a nicer, more expensive Ralph’s. We even got a packet in the mail with this week’s circular and a pamphlet with the new layout of the store. Among the new features: three full aisles to liquor! Sadly, however, the pamphlet had no information on the new whereabouts of the day old rack. Truly, it’s time for us to leave.
  Speaking of which, I despise moving.
• CVS (next to Ralph’s) is also trying to sell off their leftover Halloween candy. I noticed two days ago they had 15 or so bags left of Halloween Peanut M&Ms at $1.65 a bag. Almost as a reflex I reached to start grabbing all I could carry, but I stopped myself. The last time I went crazy buying Peanut M&Ms – foolishly thinking I could “store” them and have a year’s supply – I ate the year’s supply within a month. It probably wouldn’t be the wisest idea anyway since I’m looking to trim off another 10 pounds or so before Christmas.
• As to weight loss, I’ve decided that that period between Halloween and Christmas is the most ideal time to lose weight. Last year I dropped 15 lbs. in those seven weeks, though I sputtered and pretty much hovered around 250 lbs. the rest of the year. This year I seem to be on a similar track. I can’t tell if it’s the Halloween candy binging that brings me to my eating senses, the anticipation of binging on Christmas cookies, or some magic in the Season itself, but at no other time of year have I found this same kind of eating discipline and drive to exercise. It’s remarkable. (Just note how I’ve been able to resist by bargain basement candy corn and M&Ms).
• Did I mention I hate moving. If I’d been wise, I might have taken a little more time off to allow us to settle in down in San Diego before starting work. I was not wise. As it is, tomorrow is my last day of work here, and I’ll be starting work there Monday. Hopefully, though, the money we’ll save will allow me to start sampling the San Diego donut shops in earnest.

Christmas Carols in July (revisited)

With Halloween out of the way and things getting dark way too early, I've felt some inklings toward Christmas music. As I mentioned last year, though, this early in November that always means trouble in our home -- Michelle simply won't tolerate it until after the Thanksgiving meal.* Elsewhere, though, my siblings have started listening to it -- and I think my Father's been listening to it since August.

So, driving to a golf lesson, and intent on defying my wife, I tried playing some of my "Christmas Music" iTunes playlist that has just about my entire Christmas collection. It was 75 degrees outside or so and I had the windows down. When Manheim Steamroller came on, though, I almost shuddered. It was too early, and my system couldn't handle it yet.

Perplexed, I asked around -- to those willing to entertain the idea of Christmas music this time of year -- and some suggested to start with the religious Christmas music: Manheim, and the other whimsical, non-religious music might be a little to "hard" for this time of year. So instead, I tried easing into things this evening [with Michelle out of the house] by trying out my "Sunday Christmas Music" iTunes playlist from last year -- lots of Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Messiah. This music is much easier to embrace, and honestly has me swept up again already (at least until Michelle gets home).

Perhaps that's the key then: save the whimsical stuff for after Thanksgiving, and start with the religious Christmas music in July.


* In fact, today she referred to herself as "the devil incarnate" in jest when referring to her zero tolerance policy. I said nothing, and there was an awkard silence for 7 seconds.

A Moment of Silence

I passed a gruesome scene yesterday as I made my way through the parking lot in our apartment complex. There, beneath the wheel of one of the parked cars, lay a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup smashed and melted. It was still in its original wrapping. No doubt this was the result of some careless child letting a prize piece of candy get away. As a result of the child's carelessness, this Reese's was forced to pay the ultimate price.

I bowed my head mournfully and respectfully as I passed, and then spent the rest of the day grieving.

The Morning After

At some point last night -- after Friday's Stake Trunk or Treat, after the afternoon office party (which is where one can really clean up if they're interested in a high percentage of "good candy"), and before actual trick-or-treating -- I realized that maybe we neither needed nor wanted the fruits of three solid hours of hauling the kids around to every house with a light on.

The thought was difficult to embrace and almost made me shiver. In the end, though, I think we were happier just hitting a few houses for 45 minutes or so, visiting the homes of people we know, and trying to keep Jared away from the "scary Halloween." Perhaps it was a breakthrough moment for me.

The aforementioned breakthrough might also explain why this is the first "morning after" Halloween in recent memory where I haven't been sorely remorseful for the volume of treats eaten the night before.