2012 Goals

Not really resolutions, per se, but I do have some goals for this year. And I know this is late in coming but we've been busy. Seriously, my main goal is to get January over with and to never have another month like this one. Other than that, here's what I want to accomplish this year:

I want to run a race each month, March-November. I'll start with a little 5 miler in March and work my way up to the Niagara Falls half marathon in October again. I'd like to find one when we go away for a weekend here or there as well.

I'm only reading books that we owned on January 1, 2012. I'm doing this because we own way too many books that neither of us have ever read. It means that I got a lot of books for Christmas (some more than once) but I should still be able to make a dent in the unread shelves this year.

Baseball. Hopefully the husband and I will make it to at least 2 MLB fields that we've never been to. Pittsburgh and Toronto are on my list since they are so close. And I want to hit several games here in Buffalo. Bring on summertime!

I want to cook more. And bake more. I'm open to ideas as to what to learn to cook. And if you're close by I'm more than happy to share my successes.

And I guess I want to be a better person. I should love more and genuinely care about others. We'll see how that one goes.

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Highlights of Thanksgiving 2011

Staying up past midnight the night before, baking Thanksgiving desserts--maple pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin roll with cream cheese frosting, cranberry apple pie.

Starting my day with an 8k through the streets of Buffalo.

The delicious smells in the house upon arriving home from said 8k.

Stewart's turkey, stuffing and gravy.

My dad telling me he used to be proud of me (this was his reaction when I told him that I started my day by running 5 miles).

Ashlee's mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, veggies, rolls and more.

After dinner nap.

Knowing that everyone loved my desserts.

Spending almost all day with the Husband.

Knowing that I can sleep in as much as I want tomorrow, and then take a nap.

After meeting Kevin's parents once, being told to look them up if we ever find ourselves in Tennessee.

Only driving the mile-ish to the Campbells. I love being home for holidays. And by home I mean wherever I live (though I am insanely excited for Christmas in Idaho/Utah).

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Interested in Tax Law? I know I'm not.

One of my favorite sculptures of all time is Rodin's "La Porte d'Enfer," or "The Gates of Hell."  No photo of this epic work can do it justice.  It depicts Dante's vision of the Inferno.

What always fascinated me about the sculpture is the placement of the Thinker above the door.  I suppose his presence could signify how any attempt to replace the divine Word with human understanding is doomed to hell-fire and torment.  

I would suggest an alternative interpretation.  Perhaps the Thinker is actually an accountant; hell seems like an apt place for most of that ilk (sorry Heiffer).  Moreover, perhaps his punishment is not to sit on a stool with poor lumbar support.  Instead his punishment is to spend eternity contemplating the U.S. Tax Code.  I can think of no worse torment.

Now back to my Federal Income Tax homework.  May God have mercy on my soul.

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Dr. Stewlove: or How I Learned to Turn off F-book and Start Blogging

I really won't have anymore time to blog now than I did before I shut down the f-book. Law school ensures that my paucity of free time is spent reading judicial decisions. It's gotten so bad that "The Hobbit" has become my toilet book. You may scoff at this for many reasons, but let us be frank here for a moment.

The toilet is the most comfortable seat in the house. It allows your nooks and crannies an opportunity to escape their confinement; I believe that there is an inverse relationship between the wearing of trousers and the power to contemplate the sublime (it is this relationship that makes wearing a kilt a necessity for deep thinkers). No one wants to disturb you on the toilet...or at least not me (this is both from the stink and the lack of kids). Lastly, the longer you spend on the loo the less likely people are to bother you about it (I'll leave it to your mind contemplate the full import of that sentence).

That said most people find it rather disturbing to talk about their toilet books. It has become so taboo that the N.S.A.T.R. (the National Society for the Advancement of Toilet Reading (It's a thing, seriously)) has released a study saying that 83% of all reading is now being done in bed and using a kindle. This movement from the toilet to the bedroom has caused an epidemic of both constipation and bed sores. It's time that we all turn this tide, grab a book, and settle down for a prolonged poo.

This just goes to show two things. First, if the most creative writing you do in over a year regards the application of U.S. naturalization law to a Nazi war-criminal, you lose your muse and end up writing about defecation. Secondly, Facebook is a giant societal dookie.



I knew you missed my blog posts.

~The First

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