With Used Cars...Timing Is Everything

 Something arrived in the mail today...something most people look forward to getting, something they love to receive.

The title to my car.

It's all ours.

And, it's all broken.

Usually, our car is driven sparingly. We use it when I need to go somewhere and my wife needs the van, and perhaps most importantly, it's great in the snow. I drive the car mostly in the fall to go back and forth to my side gig. I was driving back from working down south last month then a noise--a very unpleasant and sad noise--came from the back end of the car. It was so loud we parked the car and made an appointment to have it checked out.

We drove the car to the shop, they gave it the once-over, and concluded the bad sound came from bad things. The transmission was dying. 

Funny how timing is everything.

The week in which we find the car is inoperable is the week in which we made our final payment.

I knew when I bought it three years ago that we were taking a chance. We also knew we wouldn't be driving the car much. Plus, it's a Subaru--a brand noted for its dependability. I've never had a car drop a transmission before so I didn't see/hear/feel the signs. Maybe it's been going out for some time--I wouldn't know.

My wife and I test drove a few cars to replace Donk, the Subaru. We found that many--costing over $10k--were in worse shape than mine, well...except for the transmission, of course. We're going to try and save it, give it not a new heart, but new muscles.

I'll keep you posted on the progress. But, there's one good thing, we at least own the car.

Well Done, Utah...Well Done

 This post may be premature, but that's okay. The regular season is over and the University of Utah football team has had a great season, even though they still has two games to play, one in three days, the other at a time and location to be determined later.

Two games to play...

Yes, there have been ups and downs--still, it's been another incredible year.

I became a fan of this team when I was a student of the school. Back then, they had some good years, but most of them were so-so. The big goal for the program was to be WAC champions. This was no small task, mostly because BYU was also in the WAC and they usually won the championship. Times sure have changed.

Throughout the year, Utah has been in multiple Top 25 lists, and they've been listed among the top programs in the country. It's still strange for me to see a graphic with the nation's most storied programs and among them is Utah. It still blows my mind.

Sure, they have not won it all, and they might never get there, but for a little school in the West being talked about with the Michigans and Floridas and Oregons of the country, it's a true measure of the success of the team, and more specifically, Head Coach Kyle Whittingham.

Most everyone has already given Utah a "L" for Friday's conference championship game. I hope they win, but even if Utah doesn't, I know they'll play tough and do their best. As a fan, that's all I can ask for.

Yes, even with a couple of losses, it's been a great year and I'm still glad to proudly wear a "U"

A Fitting Tribute...

 I saw somewhere that newspaper comics writers were going to dedicate one of their posts to honor the legendary Charles M. Schulz, creator of the world-famous Peanuts cartoon on the anniversary of his birth.

Luckily, we subscribe to to a newspaper that prints comics and I was able to read many of those touching tributes.

They were great.

I am of a certain age where newspaper comics were consumed on a daily basis. Depending on how old I was, I would get the paper and turn immediately to the comics page. If I recall correctly, Peanuts was located in the coveted top left corner of the page, the fist comic you'll see if you read (as many of us do...) left to right, top to bottom. I grew up with Charlie Brown and the peanut gallery. The movie, A Charlie Brown Christmas came out the same year as I did. I've never lived in a world without Charles Schulz's art, and I'm thinking many of you haven't either.

When you consider the impact this man had on our society--and especially those who do what he did--it's easy to understand why all those cartoonists would honor him in the manner in which they did. I'll bet many of them became cartoonists because of him, because of the way he made them feel as they grew up.

Last Saturday was the one-hundred year anniversary of his birth. Next February 12th will be the twenty-third anniversary of his passing. Even after almost a quarter century, the man still impacts those cartoonists...

And the rest of us, too.

Give Thanks...For Birthday Candles

 Tonight, we gathered and celebrated birthdays (plural...). We lit candles on a delicious red velvet cake, sang a short and sweet tune, then the candles were extinguished with a blast of air. Presents were opened, cake and ice cream was consumed...a good time was had by all.

I'm grateful for another year of birthdays. 

I'm also grateful for family.

With Thanksgiving over and Christmas around the bend, it's time to take in a deep breath. My son's birthday is a perfect time to do that. It's not as cold as it's going to get. There's still time to not only get Christmas gifts, but make plans on how to get them. 

We live in strange times. So many people are not with us this year that were here just a year before, my sister being one of them. So many have personal stories of a loved one they've lost. That's one of the great mysteries of life--the not knowing the future. Some would say it's the greatest mystery we'll ever face.

The fires danced atop the candles illuminating smiles around the table. The light and heat soon disappeared. Hopefully, they'll be reignited a year from now and I hope to be among those in attendance, too.

Untangling Yarn...Untangling Life

 It was something on my "To Do" list for a while. The box sat in our bedroom waiting for attention for several months. But, it wasn't completely ignored. I brought up a big plastic tote to transfer the yarn from the big cardboard box to the big plastic tote. That counts for something.

I decided today was the day to tackle the project.

It wasn't until I dug into the box that I discovered it was a tangled mess--not as bad as it could have been, but bad enough that I almost shelved the task for another day.

I think it was the college football game I had playing on the TV that helped me make the decision. The game was good (Michigan/Ohio State...) and I thought I could try and see how much decluttering I could do.

I jumped in. Most of the skeins and balls were not tangled. That helped. I dug into the box, separated those unattached from those attached, then sat down and went to work. Several times I seriously considered taking a pair of scissors to the mass of entwined yarn and calling it a day. Sure, several feet of yarn would be sacrificed, but if that's the cost of saving time, so be it.

Funny, that didn't happen. I decided to try and work it out. I took one ball of yarn and pulled to see if I came loose. Not all did, but a few separated themselves from the tangled mess. If I met resistance, I stopped and tried another. Soon, I had freed several balls of yarn leaving only the most tangled left. 

One by one, I separated another ball from the others until only three remained...then two...then finally none of the yarn connected to another.

Freedom!

It reminded me about life. I know it's a simplistic way of looking at things, but it works, in a round-a-bout way. I thought about destroying something to make quick work of the problem. If I positively had to have everything separated in a few minutes, I would have done that. Since I had the time, I sat down and took things step-by-step. I cleared the easier things first, then when I got to the tough ones, I had a much easier go of it.

Currently all the yarn is jammed into the tote waiting for the day when the lid is lifted and crafts can begin. Maybe, when I need to lift the lid on my life's tote, things will be a slightly organized. 

One can hope.

Let The Games...Begin!

I have an confession to make...

I'm a soccer junkie.

 It just so happens, right now is the worst/best time for a soccer junkie.

This week the World Cup began in Qatar. Because not everything revolves around America or its fans, the games are broadcast early in the morning here and run until the early afternoon. If I want to watch the first game of the day in the opening round, I have to get up at 3am. 

I mean, I'm a junkie, but not that much of a junkie.

I'm a fan of two different teams, the Americans and the Danes. The Americans have played two games--two draws--and need to beat Iran to make it to the knock-out round. The Danes play France tomorrow morning. Don't know if they'll beat the defending reigning World Cup champions. Then again, I thought America would be blown out by England. 

Shows you how much I know.

Even the most crazy soccer fans in America can't hold a candle to your average fan across the world. They're nuts, but in a good way. I wish we supported our national team the way other countries support theirs. 

There's a good chance, both of my teams don't advance. It's very possible. Of course, watching the tournament isn't as fun, but being a junkie, I've got to keep watching until the final whistle sounds and then goes quiet, not to be heard again until four years have passed.

Alas, the life of a soccer junkie.

A Pretty Chill Thanksgiving...

 We did things a little different this year.

My brother contacted us about a month ago and asked about this year's Thanksgiving plans. We hadn't made plans and we told him as much. Before you could say "Reply" he sent a text asking if we'd like to celebrate the holiday with them.

Of course we would.

Next, we received a follow-up text asking if we wouldn't mind having dinner on Wednesday night instead of the traditional Thursday as millions of others would do so more of us could attend.

Of course we would.

Yesterday, we loaded up the minivan and headed down. The drive was nice and we spent an evening talking and eating incredible food. As things do, we broke up the party and headed home. It was a wonderful experience, something--especially considering last year--I hope to cherish.

This was the first Thanksgiving without our sister. My siblings and I don't get together every year. Had we known it would be the last time she'd be with us, we'd have gathered together for sure.

Because we had our big meal last night, today was weird. No turkey, no big meal that requires days to prepare. We sat around watching Christmas movies (at least, the ones we could get through...). It was pretty chill. I suppose we shouldn't focus on the food, but the family. That's the most important part. Growing up, I saw my siblings every day--sometimes I had to find excuses to take a break from family. Now, you have to put forth effort the see each other. Funny how things change.

No, it was a different holiday for us. I'm thankful for family. It's the most important thing.