Category Archives: Miscellaneous

January 15, 2014

Pallbearer

By Joe

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My original plan today was to be disembarking from a cruise ship at Isla Roatán in Honduras. However, since my cruise was cancelled due to my aunt’s death, I will be serving as a pallbearer at her funeral instead of taking a historical tour of Roatán and getting in some beach time.

For those of you who may not know, a pallbearer is one of several funeral participants who helps carry the casket of a deceased person from a religious or memorial service or viewing either directly to a cemetery or mausoleum, or to and from the hearse which carries the coffin.

A pall is the heavy cloth that is draped over a coffin. The term “pallbearer” is used to signify someone who bears the coffin which the pall covers.

In western cultures, the pallbearers are usually male family members, close friends, or colleagues of the deceased. A pall-bearer in the USA will carry a casket by the handles, and at around waist height. In the United Kingdom, the casket is carried on the shoulders, and the handles are for the most part decorative. All lifting should be done from underneath the casket.

I realize that this is a somewhat somber post, and it’s quite a somber time for me and my family. I just did not feel like righting a cheerful post today, so I hope you will forgive me.

P.S. HRH seems to be enjoying being home. I’m sure after being kept in a kennel for a week, she is happy to be able to roam around some, though she’s mostly resting. Quite honestly, sleeping is what cats do most of the time anyway.

5 Comments | posted in Miscellaneous

January 10, 2014

The Key to Success

By Joe

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Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
Albert Schweitzer

The way to success with me is for a man to have a hairy chest like this guy, though a smooth or lightly hairy chest is nice also. All joking aside, do what makes you happy. With everything that’s been going on with my aunt and with HRH the last few weeks, I need a little happiness. I will be even more happy if I can bring a healthy HRH home from the vet today. I’ve missed her terribly, and I will miss her next week, but she will be in good hands while I’m gone. However, no matter what, I expect to find some happiness while I’m on my cruise next week.

2 Comments | posted in Miscellaneous

January 6, 2014

Snow Day

By Joe

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Technically, we aren’t getting a snow day here in Alabama because if there was snow, it came in the middle of the night in the form of flurries and none of it accumulated. However, we are getting the day out of school because of extremely cold (at least for Alabama) temperatures and icy roads. Since we rarely have these conditions, it is advisable that people only get on the roads if it is absolutely necessary. I will not be getting on the roads today. The school is closed and since we are expecting even colder temperatures tomorrow, with a possible windchill of below 0 degrees, we may not have school tomorrow either (I’m keeping my fingers crossed).

Instead of going out, I actually have a lot I need to get done today. I need to do some laundry, especially some of my summer clothes. Summer clothes? You ask. Yes, summer clothes. I will be needing them next week. I’m going on a seven day cruise to Honduras, Belize, and Mexico. Because I’m a poor teacher, I would not normally be going on a cruise; however, a close friend of mine and her family are going and they invited me. Since there was an odd number of them and my friend’s sister would have a room to herself and it was a mere $100 to add another person, they asked if I wanted to go. I hesitated at first because of finances, because I really didn’t have even $100 to spare. They said that if I would go, they’d take care of the $100 and the cruise would be free. Honestly, how could I pass it up? So I didn’t. I’ve saved up some money and receive some at Christmas to help pay for the incidentals (HRH’s healthcare costs have cut into that), but all in all, I think I will be okay. From what I have been told, there are three main extra costs to going on a cruise: 1) the excursions at the various ports, 2) alcoholic beverages, which I expect to consume copious amounts, and 3) souvenirs. I hope I have enough to cover these.

Anyway, there’s a lot to do to get ready before I leave. First of all, I need to get packed and make sure I don’t forget anything. Second, having a substitute for a week at school is more work than being there. Luckily, I have it worked out that I have reached a particular part in my curriculum for each of my classes to be able to show a movie in nearly all of them, and if I can be creative then I will be able to find a movie for all of them. However, in my class, watching a movie is never enough. Assignments have to be made for follow ups. I will have worksheets and essays for students to work on when the movies have finished. Third, I need to schedule blog posts for each day I will be at sea. Next week will probably be a few itinerary items, mixed in with some of my usual posts, but I’m sure most of it will be cruise or travel related. I have some ideas, so I hope that even though I will be gone and will not be able to respond to comments, you will tune in each day to see what I have in store for you. I promise I will do my best to make it fun. If nothing else, I know you will enjoy the pictures.

So it’s actually a good thing that it’s too cold to do anything today, I have a lot to get started on this week, and all of it will have to be finished by Friday.

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January 3, 2014

Another HRH Update

By Joe

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The picture above was captioned “how to know if your cat is fully charged.” If only it was that easy. HRH had been improving. She’d been up and about more, eating and drinking, and more easily using her potty, but yesterday and the day before, she seemed to have a setback. She slept for twelve hours straight and had slept for nearly twelve hours straight before that. She had lost her pep, and I knew she wasn’t getting better like she should. Since I was supposed to take her for a re-check tomorrow, I went ahead and called he veterinarian’s office this afternoon. The vet says that her bladder infection is not much better and gave her more and stronger antibiotics. Hopefully, this will make her all better.

I did see some pep in her today at the vet’s office, which was an improvement. She hissed and yeowed (Siamese, of which she is one-quarter, don’t meow and it comes out as a blood curdling yeow). She snapped at the vet and her assistant, and even bit me. I don’t blame her. If someone stuck an unlubed stick (i.e. thermometer, by size comparison it’s like a baseball bat) up my ass, I’d holler too. Furthermore, if someone pressed on my bladder to get me to pee everywhere, I’d have hollered too, not to mention the shot in the butt. By the way, the vet she saw today was not the same vet that she saw last week. Last week’s vet had just gone into surgery, so we saw a different one today. We also saw a much feistier HRH (granted they didn’t sedate her this time), which showed she had some pep after all.

She will recover and be back to her old self soon enough.

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January 2, 2014

HOW?!?

By Joe

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Yesterday, I said that “my second resolution is to be more proactive in making myself happier. Which means, I am going to live each day to the fullest, and not shy away from opportunities. It also means that I am going to be more outgoing and build my self esteem. My second resolution means that I am going to work on personal growth, and this may be the most difficult of them all.”

RB (I Just Wanna Be Happy) commented:

“Being more proactive about making myself happier”

This is an great resolution and something I am keenly interested in. The key question is “how.” How do you do this? The answer is surely different for every person, but I’d like to understand what you will do to accomplish this resolution. I think we could all learn from sharing on this topic.

I wanted to write more about this because it really made me think. I was purposely vague because I’m still considering the “the key question” of HOW? First of all, I have a major flaw I want to work on. I get very excited about things, and then, I stop and think about them and end up talking myself out of it. Grand ideas, but not so grand follow throughs. I hate this part of myself. A prime example, I will see a job announcement and get excited about the opportunity to find something better. I know I don’t always want to teach where I am teaching now: the pay is low, the kids are snobbish and rude, and there is rarely any rewards because the kids just have no ambition. So I’m always looking for a job teaching college, which I much prefer to middle and high school. The problem is, I get excited about a job announcement, but then I start to think about it more and more, until I talk myself out of applying. This is one of the things I want to change, if I am qualified, or mostly qualified, I’m going to try for the job. I may not get it, but if I don’t try, then I most certainly never will. Besides, if I don’t, it won’t be the first rejection letter that I’ve received from a job posting. So I am going to put myself out there more.

When there is an opportunity in front of me, I am going to try for it. If it’s a job, a man, a chance to get in better shape, whatever the opportunity is, when it knocks, I’m going to answer the door. I am tired of backing down. I am tired of not going after what I want. I am tired of not being more proactive in making myself happier.

I have self esteem issues. I never think I’m smart enough, or well spoken enough, or that I write very well. Being in graduate school beat me down a lot, in many ways. In some ways it was great, but I had an advisor who became the greatest hindrance to my education. He constantly told me that what I turned into him was crap. I’d take his suggestions to heart, fix everything he thought was wrong, then turn it back into him. He’d rip on that too, though I followed his advice to the letter. This would go on and on through numerous drafts until eventually, I would end up with something almost identical to the first draft. Only after all of that, would he finally sign off on something. I had a department chair that was the same way with my teaching. The thing is, and I don’t want to sound conceited here, but I am a good writer and teacher. I may not be great, but I am a succinct writer who doesn’t beat around the bush and end up with some esoteric bullshit that no one can understand. Most professors hate that I am concise and straightforward, and I don’t know why.

But what has changed my mind is this: I am a fantastic teacher and lecturer. I connect well with my students, and whether they want to or not, they leave my class with knowledge and usually with the desire to take my class again. Not because it is easy, but because they were challenged, and they learned in an entertaining way. Students learn from the first week of class that they’d better pay attention and take notes. Most importantly though, pay attention because you never know what I’m going to say next. Sometimes I get on a roll, the words are coming fast and furious (students often bring recorders or laptops so that they don’t miss anything), they leave there with a wow factor. I’ve had class go over ten or fifteen minutes past the end and the students nor I ever realize it. The point is, I am good at what I do, and from this point forward, I’m not going to let anyone get me down.

Like it or not, I’m a force to be reckoned with when I want to be, but most often I am shy and back down. No more am I going to let this happen. You may be reading this and thinking, “Joe has self esteem issues? He sounds pretty arrogant to me!” The fact is I’m not. For the most part I am the least arrogant and most humble self-deprecating person you will meet, but I know when I am good at something. I’m good at lecturing, and I’m good at cooking. Yet, I always want to seek approval for what I do well. However, what I want to change is to quit seeking approval and realizing that yes, I really am good at these things. I want to keep a journal (I’ve never been good at this, so who knows how long this will work). Each week, I want to write down something that I have done that week to be more assertive. You know what, I said I’m not good at journals, but I’ve posted daily to this blog for several years now, so maybe I’m not that bad at it. In fact, I’d love it if my readers will help me with being more assertive and positive about myself. From this point forward, at the bottom of my “Moment of Zen” posts on Saturday, I will write what I did that week to fulfill this resolution. If I don’t, call me out on it in the comments section. I am always much better when I am held accountable, because no matter how tired or sick I am, I have always posted each day (except when my grandmama was dying and I just didn’t have access to the internet enough to post). I post because I know it is expected, and if my readers expect me to fulfill my resolutions, I will do so.

So, will you guys help me with this? I’d greatly appreciate it.

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January 1, 2014

Happy New Year!

By Joe

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The year 2013 was a difficult year for me in many ways. I never really talked about it on my blog, but I had some severe financial difficulties. Thankfully, those difficulties are being resolved.

However, I am looking so forward to 2014. I truly believe that it will be a monumental year. I’m going to be an uncle again in July, and I could not be happier. I’m hoping this year will be the year that I find love. I, like many people, hope to get in better shape physically. I also hope to improve my health and well being.

I’ve never been keen on New Years resolutions, because they are almost always impossible to keep. However, this year, I have three that I plan to keep. First of all, I am going to be more positive and optimistic. I try to do this anyway, at least for those around me, but it resolve to this this for me as well. I will eat healthier and exercise more so that I build up my endorphin levels and feel better (this one might be a hard one, but it will try). My second resolution is to be more proactive in making myself happier. Which means, I am going to live each day to the fullest, and not shy away from opportunities. It also means that I am going to be more outgoing and build my self esteem. My second resolution means that I am going to work on personal growth, and this may be the most difficult of them all. My last resolution is that I am going to read more. This is my easiest resolution. For the past two years, I have not read as much as I would like to, with the exception of during the summers, but I resolve to do more reading. I’m not promising to read great literature, though I probably will do some of that, but knowledge comes from reading, no matter what I read, I always learn something.

I wish all of you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2014! Happy New Year!

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December 26, 2013

Post-Christmas Post

By Joe

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Christmas is over; Santa has hung up his suit; and I am heading home. We always end up spending Christmas Night at my parents’ house, mainly because we eat so much at Christmas dinner that no one wants to drive home. In years past, we spend time with each other on the day after Christmas, but today, we won’t be doing that. My parents will head to the hospital to check on my mother’s sister, who is in critical condition with H1N1 (swine flu) and ARDS in ICU (the doctors have seen improvement in the last few days, but it’s a slow process). My sisters family has plans of their own. I am rushing home to check on HRH.

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HRH has been acting sickly lately. I think she has a cold, and a cat with a cold is no fun. She’s been coughing and sneezing and occasionally vomiting mucus (she’s part Siamese so vomiting is a regular occurrence with this breed, so that’s not that unusual). However, she’s just not acting herself. I am going to take her to the vet this morning as soon as I can get home. HRH is 15 years old, so I know she is quite elderly for a cat. However, she’s a wonderful companion, even if I’m one of the few living creatures this world that she loves. HRH can be quite cranky with other animals and humans, but since she’s been ill, she hasn’t even bothered the other cats. She’s always here when I need her, and I am quite worried about her.

So on this day after Christmas, I ask for your prayers for my aunt to recover from her illness, my sister (who is 3 mos. pregnant) to continue to have a healthy pregnancy, and HRH to be feeling much better soon and to return to her cranky old lady status.

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December 25, 2013

Merry Christmas! Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men

By Joe

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The gospels of Luke and Matthew both describe Jesus as born in Bethlehem in Judea, to a virgin mother. In the Gospel of Luke account, Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, and Jesus is born there and laid in a manger. Angels proclaim him a savior for all people, and shepherds come to adore him. In the Matthew account, astronomers follow a star to Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus, born the King of the Jews. King Herod orders the massacre of all the boys less than two years old in Bethlehem, but the family flees to Egypt and later settles in Nazareth.

Luke’s story takes place mostly before the birth of Jesus and centers on Mary, while Matthew’s story takes place mostly after the birth of Jesus and centers on Joseph. The two other gospels, the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of John, begin their narratives of Jesus’s life in his adulthood; both mention him coming out of Galilee and John mentions the name of Jesus’ father, but neither John nor Mark gives any other details of his life prior to adulthood.

Of the two accounts below, I have always been partial to the Gospel of Luke. Don’t get me wrong, I also enjoy reading Matthew’s account, and I have always found the wise men from the east fascinating. Luke’s account just seems much more poetic than that of Matthew.

Matthew 1:18-2:12

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Luke 2:1-20

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

8 Comments | posted in Miscellaneous

December 23, 2013

Christmas Tradition

By Joe

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Today I’d my first weekday off in my sixteen day vacation. Of course, being the drama club advisor, I don’t really get the holiday off since we will be rehearsing for our play in January. I have to go in at 9 am and we will practice until about noon.

For most people, December 23rd is just another day. It’s not yet Christmas Eve; it’s not Christmas Day; nor is it the day for the after Christmas sales. However, through all of my years growing up, this was the night of my immediate family’s Christmas. The dinner on the 23rd was the most special of the year. We got out the fine china and silverwear and set the table just as etiquette describes. My mother was a believer in knowing what silverwear to use when. We would have a candlelight dinner usually of what we considered fancy foods in my house: shrimp cockatiels, followed by Cornish game hens, mashed potatoes with gravy (my personal favorite), broccoli in cheese sauce, and homemade yeast rolls. We would also have sparkling cider or grape juice to drink while my parents had champagne. Dessert would always be a cheesecake that my mother made. At the beginning of dinner either my sister or I would read Luke Chapter 2 before the blessing was said for the food.

After we had eaten, we would then open presents. By the way, there was a different set of presents from Santa Claus on Christmas morning when my father would make breakfast and our grandparents would come to see what we got from Santa. Then we would open presents from them. But December 23rd was our special day as a family. After presents were opened on the 23rd, my mother would read us two stories: “Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus” and “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

The tradition began to change a little as we got older. We didn’t read the stories after dinner anymore. But the tradition continued mostly intact until my sister got married. Her in-laws did not have traditions like we did, and were jealous. They liked to schedule their Christmas on December 23rd to mess with ours. When we tried to move it, they did the same. This juggling of dates went on for the first five years of my sister’s marriage. Finally, my mother changed ours permanently to Christmas Night, and she stood firm about it. My sister’s in-laws finally acquiesced, and our family Christmas has been on Christmas Night for the past 10 years. It’s not the same as it used to be. We have most of the same foods, but now we have a ham, turkey, and dressing in addition to all of the others except the Cornish hens. Also, I usually do the cooking these days instead of my mother. We have real wine and champagne to drink. We also don’t use the fine china anymore, but generally Christmas china that doesn’t have to be hand washed, like the real china. We also have three more people than we used to have: my single aunt, my brother-in-law, and my wonderful niece.

It’s one of the few times we all get together as just us with no other family, so it is still very special, even if it’s not the tradition we used to have.

Did you or does your family have any special traditions that you’d like to share in the comments?

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December 12, 2013

TMI: War on Christmas 2013

By Joe

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1. Which religion or faith do you belong to, if any?

I am a Christian and a member of the churches of Christ. A lot of churches of Christ don’t celebrate Christmas, although my family always has. It’s not considered a religious holiday by some in the church of Christ because there is no mention in the Bible of when it should be celebrated. Most of the churches of Christ look upon Easter as the most important religious day.

2. What is your opinion of Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays?

If I know someone is a Christian, I happily say Merry Christmas, but for those who are of other faiths or of no faith at all, I prefer Happy Holidays. When I used to work in retail. I always preferred Happy Holidays because it was shorter then saying ” Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.” Besides, the song “Happy Holidays” is one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs.

3. Holiday music on the radio? When and how much?

I love it. When I am not listening to NPR in the mornings and afternoons to and from school, I listen to the all Christmas music station. It plays Christmas music from Thanksgiving to Christmas, I’m not a fan of every song they play, but Christmas music just puts me in a good mood.

4. When do you start decorating? Do you?

I usually decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year has been so busy that I haven’t been able to decorate much. A once I don’t think I have any specific plans this weekend, I am hoping that I can get the house decorated on Saturday.

5. White lights or multi colored?

I much prefer white lights. My mother has always preferred multi-colored lights, but I think the white lights are more elegant and classy.

6. Gift cards, cash or actually shopped-for presents?

I rarely give gift cards, never give cash, and I either shop for presents or make them. One year I did a basket of homemade cookies and mints for everyone for Christmas. Other times I have designed and made jewelry. I feel like thing that I made have more heart to them.

7. Christmas cards and or family update letters are…not really for me. I’m just not organized enough to send out a bunch of Christmas cards and I find most family update letters to be a bit tacky.

8. Snow is…wonderful to an Alabama boy because it is so rare. In my lifetime, I’ve only known it to snow once at Christmastime and that was actually a few days before Christmas, but there was just a few spots of snow still on the ground on Christmas Day.

9. Have you been a good little boy or girl this year?

Honestly, I think I have been a good little boy this year. Have I been naughty? Well, only a little. For the most part, I have really worked on being a better and more caring and compassionate person, which I hope I have succeeded at being.

10. RAPID FIRE FAVORITES:
1. Food: Christmas cookies
2. Dessert: Pecan pie
3. Drink: Champagne
4. Holiday movie: Tie between “Christmas in Connecticut” and “Holiday Inn”
5. Holiday music: “O Holy Night,” “Happy Holidays,” “Silver Bells,” and “Santa Baby”
6. Holiday tradition: Christmas Dinner with my family.

BONUS
Christmas sex: What have you done under the mistletoe? Have you caught daddy kissing Santa Claus? Have you done it a santa suit? Did you come down the chimney? Just how merry have you made Santa’s helpers?

Christmas is probably the only time of year that sex is not on my mind, so really none of the above. Although I’d love to wake up Christmas morning to find what’s in the above picture under my tree

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Miscellaneous