Tuesday, January 1, 2008

THE SHAME OF IT ALL

Do I feel shame for subjecting my very young, very impressionable, Santa believing (?), children to a Christmas spent in perhaps the most unholy place on earth, regardless of the religious persuasion involved, and even with Circus Circus (kids oriented) in the our bird’s eye view of the city from the 'patio' outside the room?  We were ‘camping’ in/out in a city that likely has many more hotel rooms unused on Christmas Eve than on any other day of the year.  For Vegas, the reality was that no one was there.  Americans will do anything in general, and I know that, but… apparently, with the exception a few ‘foreign’ dudes and myself, no ‘father’ will stoop so low as to subject his family to a Christmas spent in a place like that.

The answer to the original question is “Actually no,” not in the slightest.  We had a great ‘holiday season’.  Now that I’m home and looking at it in the rear view mirror I wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

As for the kids, Santa can do Vegas, right?  That is not an impossible occurrence, although the presents under the palm tree were few and meager indeed. But then after all, we had already had our first Christmas on December 21 before we ever left home, but that was at someone else’s house, too.

It is amazing how little Las Vegas dresses itself up for Christmas. I guess it can’t.  It surely has to be too busy getting ready for New Year’s Eve.

WALLY WORLD IS A STATE OF MIND (I think)

We took a more or less nuclear family 11-day road trip in the car.  We put over 2700 miles on the car.  We did the aforementioned Las Vegas, yes, but we also did some touring (wife fascinated with Old Highway 66), a couple days visiting in California and Santa Barbara, and then finished it all up with a couple of inspirational skiing days in Taos<> New Mexico with my sister and brother-in-law. It was inspirational for me because young Jordan (almost 8) and I had a time skiing together.  Not only that, but going to the top of a big old mountain in below zero temperatures and still being comfortable and having fun was like some kind of small victory for ME (almost 56), and I would like to keep on doing more and not see a trend continuing with less of those types of things.   To see the view from the top of a major mountain (even if it takes a chair lift to get me there now) and to not kill myself coming down said mountain were other great ‘victories’ I hadn’t tasted in a while.

DON’T NOBODY MOVE!

I still hate the chair lift.  Why can’t they be closer to the ground anyway?

Note to self: Santa Barbara to Grants, New Mexico is probably too far for me to drive in one day. 

EVERYBODY GET BUSY

The 'coaching' emails start tomorrow.  In my mind the 2008 season starts now! They (players) will be responsible for knowledge and condition upon arrival in three weeks. That is a fact, Jack.

Next Entry | Previous Entry