Redeemed - Barnes & Noble

On Tuesday I got the following items with the $25 gift card Dad & Ma gave me for Christmas:

• The latest issue of JUXTAPOZ magazine (art).
• The latest issue of Art New England (art).
• The novel "Dies the Fire" by S. M. Stirling (it tells what happened to the people in the present, 'concurrent' with his 'Nantucket' series).

Amazonian Haul

What I bought with the 3 Amazon gift cards I received for Christmas (from Dad & Ma, Sarah & Jon, and J & Stacie):

• Replacement blades for my Norelco razor.
• Replacement filters for my sink faucet Brita.
• "Black Widow: The Finely Woven Thread" - Edmondson & Noto (Marvel Comics)
• "The Emerald City of OZ" - Shanower & Young (Marvel Comics)
• "Lost Cat" - Jason (Fantagraphics)

X-Mas Deco

Thanksgiving Inertia

When the calendar hits November...

...all the turkey can do it wait.

October Drawings

From last month:

Jack O'Lantern

Kinny-modo

Orange Sleestak

Labor Day Weekend - To Do List

A list of potential activities for this weekend:

I'll post an 'after' photo late Monday night or Tuesday morning.

Father's Day

I got up at six for a 7:20 tee time with Dad, Kevin and Jon at Templewood Golf Course. It was a sunny dry day, and we all had a blast. Jon had to leave halfway through for the twins' soccer playoff; Dad & Kevin kicked butt all day; and I had a few really good putts, but my long game was off all day (topping, woods, etc...). It was four hours of good exercise.

Ma made fried chicken for lunch, so we hung around there until 2 pm, and after I drove Kevin home, I hung around his house until 3:30.

Happy New Year

I was up reading until 3 am last night, so I didn't get out of bed today until just before 11 am. I had cereal and coffee for breakfast. I spent the 'morning' reading "Nightwing" comics while I watched/listened to the "Happy Endings" marathon on VH1, and parts of the Winter Classic NHL game. Lunch was a roast beef sandwich, chips and iced tea. Supper was a turkey sandwich, a turkey wing, and half a cucumber. I spent some time drawing in the evening, and around 10:30 pm I worked out.

Christmas Eve & Day 2014

Eve: I arrived at 4 pm, and Ma had laid out an array of cold cuts, cheese & crackers, veggie plates and desserts for the impending family gathering that included everyone except Jason's California branch. I watched "Around the Horn" with Dad, Kevin & Jon; people ate at their convenience; I hung out with the kids in the back room; and we exchanged gifts from around 6:30 - 7:00.

I gave Kevin's boys Legos (plus "O.M.A.C." to Jared and a large-size Lego Stormtrooper flashlight to Drew); I gave Jackie & Helena & Georgia 100-page sketch books and special thin colored pens; I gave Celia pens and 3 canvases; and I gave Hayden a year's subscription to Surfing Magazine, plus a cool skull-shaped bottle.

I received the following from Dad & Ma:

• $50 AMEX card.
• All-natural Mexican candy canes.
• A 4-pack of Peet's coffee (8 oz. grounds). So far the Holiday Blend is good, the Garuda Blend is very good, and the Uzuri African Blend is okay.
• $45 GC to That's Entertainment.
• $25 GC to Barnes & Noble.
• $15 GC to McDonald's.
• A book about houses from Yankee Magazine.
• A handheld sliding game.

Also, I got a little tree from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and fifteen $2 scratch tickets from Kevin & Holly (net winnings: $12); $30 from Sarah & Jon; and a $50 Visa card from Jean Marie.

As usual, the evening flew by far too quickly. I stayed until around 9:30, and left at the same time as Sarah's branch.

Day: I spent today drawing, watching television, reading, and playing Lego Marvel Super Heroes on my PS3. I was going to go to Sarah's (along with Dad & Ma) for the afternoon, but I was enjoying the quiet (not to mention the coffee and candy canes!), and didn't feel like going anywhere.

Okemo Thanksgiving Getaway

Wed - drove up in the now, arrived around 11 pm. 

Nearly slid down the mountain in my car!

Thu - Ma's awesome Thanksgiving dinner.

Fri - Sarah's kick-ass pancakes & bacon breakfast. 

Headed home around noon.

Great holiday trip.

Read; drew with all 3 girls; played pool w/the twins; 

played LEGO Marvel Super heroes w/Hayden.

Football all day Thursday with Dad.

Off to Vermont!

Thanksgiving is once again in Vermont. 

Dad & Ma, and Sarah & Hayden & Celia all got up to the house in Ludlow (on Okemo) earlier today; Jon is at the Celtics game with Helena & Georgia, and I am leaving in about 20 minutes (just before 8pm).

New Year's Eve

I wasn't feeling it, so I stayed in. I have next weekend off, so I will 'get out & about' then instead.

Christmas Eve

Last night while my family was having dinner at my parents' house we all went outside to see the full moon with an amazing halo around it. My photo does not do it justice:

Humanity-Free

...That is how I am spending my New Year's Eve:

Junk food (Cheetos, pepperoni and Coca-Cola), several episodes of "Freaks and Geeks", and R.E.M.'s final cd, "Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage 1982-2011".

See you in 2012...

Christmas Day

I set my alarm for 8 am so I wouldn't sleep through the day. When I got up I fed Mr. Ween, made coffee (the always amazing Peet's Sumatra), and had a pear, scallops wrapped in bacon, and a few Christmas cookies for breakfast...

...and then I frittered the day away in front of the television, reading, and online, ignoring the world after a hectic holiday retail season. I used my $50 Amazon gift card for the following items:

• "Flight" Volume 4.
• "Flight" Volume 6.
• R.E.M.'s final compilation album.
• and the "Flyboys" DVD.

Christmas Eve

I got up at 5 am, worked 7 am to 4 pm, and after showering and wrapping the last few presents for my family, headed over to my parents' house for Christmas Eve dinner and the exchange of gifts.

Ma had made a small roast beef and a big ham, plus gravy and a big spread of chips, dips, fruits and vegetables. Sarah brought scallops wrapped in bacon and a variety of cookies and brownies she'd spent the day making. Dinner was a feast!

When it was time to exchange gifts, I am pleased to report that all of mine went over well with the recipients. Jared & Drew tore into their Lego sets immediately after all was done. Sarah & Jon were thrilled with their Gibbett Hill Grill gift certificate. Dad thought the chiller cubes (to keep the ice coffee cold, but not watered down) were a cool idea. And Kevin practically drooled over the 3 steaks I'd wrapped with his electric grill brush. Hayden's binoculars and Celia's canvases (and the twins' "Oz" graphic novel hardcovers) were received happily as well.

On my end, I received the following amazing gifts:

• a $30 gift card to Amazon from J & Stacie.
• a $50 gift card to Amazon from Dad & Ma.
• 3 bags of coffee (see photo) from Dad & Ma.
• a $30 gift card to Best Buy from Sarah & Jon.
• a $30 gift card to The 99 from Kevin & Holly.
• 3 pure 1 oz. bars of silver from my dad (to go with the one he gave all four kids decades ago).
• A book of Sting's lyrics from his Police and solo careers from Ma.
• A few candle holders and a bunch of Yankee Candle 'Fireside' tea lights.
• And amazingly, from Dad, an author's library edition of Mark Twain's "A Tramp Abroad" - signed by the author! How cool is that?

It was a great family evening of food and fun, and as always, over far too soon...

Happy Birthday to Me

I turned 43 today.

I closed up shop at my one-year experiment, Voyage 42, and am back to an ongoing blog. I've decided not to pick up where I left off at the blog I kept before V42, and to begin anew here, which makes sense since I've been establishing Kenozoic as my online moniker for well over a year now.

I had cereal & coffee for breakfast at 6:30, went online for awhile, and then read issues 2 and 3 of "Legion of Super-Heroes" before showering and heading over to Dad & Ma's for Thanksgiving. I watched the Packers/Lions game with Dad, then all three of us ate dinner with Jean Marie. Dad & Ma gave me a birthday card with a $50 bill inside, and then I had a huge slab of chocolate cream pie. I left around 4 and headed home to wind down for tonight's early bedtime in anticipation in tomorrow morning's 1 am awakening (to be at work for 3 am, and Black Friday's 4 am open time). Comics, television, and bed ended my day.