Let's Play A Game

I know the last thing you want to think about right now is politics.  We just went through what most people consider one of the strangest elections anyone can remember.  My views haven't been a secret in the past, and they still aren't.  I'm not going to go into ideology here.  I am, however, pleased and hopeful with the results.

This post is going to be a game.  It has been my experience that people will behave in certain ways because of the way they think.  They will display stickers or make purchases based on their belief system.  Many may accuse me of stereotyping and I'm ok with that.  There are reasons for stereotypes, and that will be proven with this post.

This pic is one I took shortly before the election.  As soon as I saw two of the three indicators (I've purposfully left one out for the game)  I knew exactly what type of person owned this car.  I want to see if y'all can make the connection.  Based on what you can see in the pic I want to know if you can tell what make and model of car this person drives.  I am not trying to say that this car or maker is bad.  I drive a car made by this company (hint) and I have 230k miles and still going strong.  But when you put the other things together, too, it all makes so much sense.  I could have given you the school sticker and the model of car and then asked what candidate's sticker would have been on the car and the results would have been the same.  You get the idea.

There are other conclusions we could make about the owner of this car, too, but we will leave that for another time.  If you want you can leave your conclusions in the comments.

El Toro Negro

Just Bag It

It's that time of year again where we are beginning to think about the Christmas season.  The mornings are cooler, leaves are falling and Walmart is in their third month of displaying Christmas trees and snow flakes.  If we are kids we begin to think about the gifts we want.  What is the latest and greatest video game?  Another toy gun?  Maybe a remote control car?  And if your my eight year old, you start making lists of the "as seen on TV" items you want.

Adults have it a bit different.  We have to make lists of people we really don't want to give gifts to but society says we should.  The list (by no means exhaustive) will include (or you will be ostracized for life) your hair dresser, hair shampooer, hair receptionist, nail salon professional, postman and UPS man and FedEx guy, pool man, gardener, lawn boy, handyman, mechanic, the eight teachers each of your children have and their aids, all school administrators, the school librarian, lunch staff, cross walk guards, school security guards, your minister and everyone at church, your meter reader, and your barista.  Daunting to say the least.  Given the magnitude of the list it is no wonder that gift wrapping has become the area we cut to save time.  That brings us to the gift bag.

There was a time, in the not so distant past, where people would take the time and energy to wrap a present.  With love and feeling we would choose the perfect paper.  Perhaps the one with frosty the snowman.  Yeah, thats the perfect one for her.  Then we would meticulously measure, fold, cut and lovingly tape in order to get the right representation of just how much we care for the recipient.  This was no joke!  Mess up and you either have to begin again or risk being ridiculed at the next PTO meeting or girls luncheon.  But mistakes were seldom allowed to slip through.  We just cared that much.

All thats changed now.  We either just don't care, have become lazy, or are overwhelmed by the sheer number of people we have been convinced we have to give a gift to.  Or maybe it's a generational thing.  I like to think that we just care too much.  We just don't want to upset anyone.  So we trade the time for the bag.  And the toilet paper.  We can't forget the thin, colored, toilet paper looking stuff that we stick in the bag with the gift.  We use this because it makes it appear as if we spent more time on it than we actually did.  It's all a misdirection.

There are, however, people capable of making way more out of bag gift giving than they should be able to.  There are tutorials and detailed instruction lists on exactly how to place the toilet paper in the bag so it looks fluffed and acceptable.  No kidding.  Just youtube it, I mean, pinterest it.

This gift bag giving has spilled over into ever other gift giving occasion you can think of.  Yes, it has invaded all aspects of our lives.  I just try and close my eyes to it all.  But let me tell you one thing I do know, if you do happen to get a hand wrapped gift, be it Christmas or another holiday, you should consider yourself very loved.  You were worth the time and effort.  You are special.  And what does it mean if you didn't get a gift wrapped present from the people you consider your friends?  It might just let us know who our real friends are and that perhaps an unfriending is in order.

El Toro Negro

I Don't Need the ***

One thing I never thought I'd do is text.  When it first came on the scene I thought it was dumb.  People getting these huge bills for the thousands of texts they sent each month.  Why couldn't they just dial the number and use their voice to say what needed to be said.  I'd have never thought that I would be one who prefers to text over call.  How things change.

There are no more per text charges and people can not only send words in their texts, but balloons, voice, music, pictures, invisible ink, cartoons and even play games, all right within the text.  Along with all these advancements has come the jargon, the abbreviations and made up words specific to texting.  They are mostly made up by kids, I assume, but I guess I use them too.  Then the auto correct and the humor that can add to a conversation.

Speaking of auto correct, it often doesn't get the word right.  While this, for some, adds humor, for others it's frustrating.  They can't stand to see a word sent that isn't exactly right.  Add to this that most texters are typing fast on a tiny electronic touch screen and you get typos, usually "sent" before they are realized.

Enter the *

I see this from time to time.  Someone sends me a text.  I get the text, read it, understand it.  Quite simple, you'd think.  Then, very shortly after the first text, comes an additional text to the first text, and it starts with an *.  It goes like this.  The sender wants you to know something.  They compose their message and send.  They then take a half a second to read what they just sent and realize they (or auto) sent a word that wasn't right.  And then ***

I'm thinking there could be a couple of reasons for the arrival of the *.  

The sender might just have a disorder.  They can't stand to have anything grammatically associated with them that isn't correct.  Never mind that they are conversing with a childhood friend or their spouse.  Not their boss.  Not a potential boss.  Not the President.  Just one of probably hundreds of little snippets of thought, most likely of little lasting consequence.  

Or the sender could be worried about your ability to figure out what they are trying to say.  You might not be of sufficient mental acumen to read past the omitted apostrophe or missing space between two words to understand.  And you must understand.  It is critical that you know, that you do not misunderstand, how they feel about the latest hollywood breakup.....  or something equally as important.  

I'm not trying to say that accuracy in spelling and grammar aren't important or that an * isn't needed sometimes, but there is a place a time for worrying about it, and your everyday text (or blog) isn't one of them, at least for normal people.  I don't need the ****

El Toro Negro

Some Like It Hot

Some like it hot and some don't.  Me?  I like it on the cooler side.

I built a house a few years ago on some land my parents gave me.  Ten acres in the country.  It was a chance to include any options that I wanted.  There was a guy named Mike that was more or less a consultant for me.  I asked him questions about house building.  He made suggestions about house building.  Two suggestions I'm glad I followed.  1) Put in a zoned A/C system and 2) use spray foam insulation.

A zoned system is just what it sounds like.  I have three zones in my house.  Upstairs, downstairs, and my bedroom (also downstairs). I can set them at different temperatures, and I do.  I keep my bedroom on the cool side, especially when I sleep.

Spray foam insulation is great at maintaining my desired temp.  It allows me to keep my house cooler than I might be able to afford otherwise.  Sure, it was a bit more money to install, but the electric bills have been great.

There is just something wonderful about climbing in a bed, with blankets piled on, when the room is cold.  Not those junky blankets, but the heavy ones that are noticeable when you are under them.  My mom made one such blanket for me years ago.  Maroon and white.  It is perfect for winter bed cover.

Sometimes, when I first get in, I have to thrash my legs from side to side to warm up the bed slightly.  Some might say it looks a little weird, but I'm sure we all do it. Another thing I like about cold sleeping is when I move my body, or more specifically, when I move my legs (after the initial warm-up).  It's like moving in and conquering a new territory.  My legs are cold again and the sensation is fresh.

Sometimes I don't move.  I can't move.  I am just a still as I can be, on my back, enjoying the cold.  Maybe it's like that calm you get before you freeze to death.  I have heard that after a while, before you die, you just want to go to sleep.  Maybe it's like that, but you don't die.

My wife will disagree, but you just sleep better when it's cold.