December Weekend: Company Christmas Pary, Shopping, Fun Christmas Party, Ping-Pong, Babysitting

This post is a recap of my last weekend. It will be extremely boring for anyone except me, when I read back on this five years from now. A very succinct version of the following post can be read within its title. There is no need for you to waste any more of your time reading this. But for those of you who do...

Friday night was my company Christmas party. It was the first "corporate" party that I've ever been to, and it was exactly how I imagined it would be. We started the night with everyone standing in line for the open bar, trying to get in as many drinks as possible before the bar closed. Then we all fawned over our top sales executives as they accepted yet another plaque. Dinner was actually delicious, and a good carrot cake always puts me in a good mood. Then we listed to the CEO congratulate the company on another good year and heard about all the growth we're having. This was followed by live music and the chaotic flailing of arms and legs, as white collar America tries to "get down." Then came the awesome door prizes that I am destined never to win. And that Christmas bonus that I was told would come to those who showed up to the party? Let's just say after spending six dollars in gas money to get there and back, five dollars for a 50/50 raffle that I lost, and three dollars in bar tending tips, I came out of the night about negative fourteen dollars.

Saturday was mostly spent buying Christmas presents. I was reminded why I hate shopping so much. It was hectic, busy and stressful. The good news is that we have all of our shopping done now. That really is a relief. I'm also very thankful to have a wife who helps with the shopping. And by "helps" I mean, does everything while I complain about how much I hate crowds.

Bed Bath and Beyond is a freaking nightmare. I am not at all claustrophobic, but that place just made me feel noxious. All those smells mixing together created some sort of cinnamon-sweet pea concoction that made everything seem edible. Add to that the feeling of being cramped in there like cattle, pushing our way to the check out counter like Play-Doh through the Fun Factory, and you'll have some idea of why that place made me feel insane. I'll leave it at that.

Saturday night we had an awesome dinner at Luke's. Everyone pitched in sides and Luke & Janna did the rest. My favorites were the home made limoncello and smoking the hookah. It was great to get together with everyone and I'm really grateful that Luke and Janna opened up the home for us. Missed not having Rab there though.

Sunday was much more relaxing. After church I got to try out some Dog Whispering techniques on the in-laws' dog. It actually worked and I was feeling pretty proud of myself. That's a post for another day though. Then Phil and Brian came over for a few games of speed pong. That's always a good time. Then Phil took me to see the rundown house that the church is going to tear down. It was disgusting. I cannot believe that people live in that kind of filth and stench. I honestly don't know how to describe it. There was junk everywhere on the floor, walls and ceiling falling apart, windows broken and covered with plastic, food everywhere, the list just goes on and on. It was incredible. I can't imagine how someone gets to the point where they can live like that.

Then we got to babysit our nephew Sunday night. He slept the whole time, which was awesome. We watched The Pledge, which had the worst ending of any movie I've seen in a long time. Don't watch it. I'm tempted to ruin the ending for you right now, just so you won't waste your time with it. As a matter of fact, I think I will. Jack Nicholson knows the real killer is still out there, but on the fateful day when he is going to finally catch him, the killer is randomly killed in a car accident. So Nicholson is left to wonder if he was wrong after all and ends up insane. Terrible.

So now I'm back at work for another week. Tough game tonight for the Colts. I really hope they win. It's funny how when the Colts are winning, all of the "fans" say, "Well, the regular season doesn't even matter, they'll still get beat in the playoffs." But when the Colts are losing they say, "See, I told you they suck. Their defense is terrible and they just got lucky when they won those games." What happened to the regular season doesn't matter? Anyways, I still love watching the Colts and am thankful to have a competitive team to root for. I'm old enough to remember when watching a Colts game was a huge waste of time on a Sunday afternoon.