Holidays Away

This will be my first Christmas away from the family.  It doesn’t seem like much of a mile marker but we’re a tight-knit clan and I’m not sure I’ve ever missed Christmas with Grandma and the gang in my 29 years on this Earth. 

 

When Samantha and I decided on the very dramatic honeymove it seemed lovely symbolism of starting our lives together; not just our own branch but our very our own sapling of a family tree.  Honestly this still holds true and I wouldn’t change it for the world but there are some pangs as a cost.  Rather than watching younger family open toys, older family open oddities and whiskey, eating too much and falling asleep on my grandmother’s couch I will be visiting with friends in Oregon.  I’m sure it will be a lovely affair, and I’ve said this in many a call and card, but know we miss you all.

 

On the plus side this trip will take us through the Cascade Mountains!  I will later entertain you with actual photos of the trip but for now I’ll just post a map.

 

I’m looking forward to driving through Shasta National Forrest.  I don’t know that they have the redwoods there but here’s hopin!  There will be two other top-secret destinations to be shared at a later time so look forward to that.  Know that they sound awesome in theory.

 

But back to nostalgia!  As this is my first away I thought it would be a fantastic time to share my favorite Christmas memories.  Mostly I have a running memory of putting up my grandmother’s tree and decorating the basement for the Christmas party.  If you asked me now I’d tell you I certainly did this every year for a decade on end but it’s more likely it was a 3-5 year stint.  Still though, I really took ownership a few times there and had a blast listening to carols and laying the train track around a tiny Christmas town. 

 

As to a specific memory I’d have to say the year I needed dental work of some kind done.  I was young and I was in terrible pain and laid up at Grandma’s house.  I don’t remember what had happened (I swear I was a regular brusher!) but it was awful.  I remember feeling like I’d be in trouble for poor hygiene but really my parents were more concerned with my comfort.  They brought me an early gift of a Flintstone’s NES game to take my mind from the pain and I believe a dentist came in on Christmas Eve or Christmas Eve’s eve from vacation to care for me.  I loved that game and while every kid loves attention I remember feeling cared for more than fawned over.  Warm fuzzies abound.

 

I’m gonna try something a little different and see if we can’t get this a little more interactive.  So you go ahead and share below:  What are your favorite Christmas memories?  Or what will you be doing this year?  What do you wish you’d be doing instead?

 

I look forward to hearing from everyone and if I don’t get another chance to say it, “Have a holly jolly Christmas/Holiday season!”

The Death of Boredom

I hate to be another one of those guys but remember the land pre-smart phone? Pre-cell phone even? It’s an odd sort of memory as it’s more akin to remembering how you felt your first day of school than remembering anything specific. There’s a general feeling but in ways it is too subtle yet immersive to be clearly defined.

The big difference for me has been the introduction of omnipotence as a figure in my life. Having immediate access to the collective of humankind is breathtaking. What we do with that is another story but that we have it at all is a bigger deal than we realize. I remember when I got my first smart phone I immediately decided that this was the next stage of human evolution. No longer would I struggle to remember how to get to a destination, the names and lives of our world’s most famous philosophers, necessary math equations, or the like! What a brave new world this would be!

I didn’t realize how quickly knowledge became trivia. Rather than spending my free time immersed in the great works of great men and women I read grammatically questionable quotes superimposed over pictures of cats. I made sure I knew in which other films I’d seen that actor and the goofs on set. I read countless headlines but no stories.

The death of boredom was a helluva thing and I’m not sure we realize the consequences. Personally I can say the death of boredom was also in many ways the death of passion. Boredom was what drove me to seek out and question. The search for the knowledge gave it value, made it a treasure to be had and shared rather than a fleeting image to be forgotten. Rather than scanning headlines for funny pictures and quirky events I wrote. In the deafening clatter of our connected world it’s hard to remember my own voice.

I keep trying to integrate the experience through blogs and the like but I’m terrible at updating because I find that without my voice I have so very little to say. No true reflection is happening. I’ve become a passive participant in my own life. What’s frustrating is how hard I fight this and how often I am failing. We’ve moved to California! We’re at the heart of so much! Every weekend there are movie premiers, hiking trails, kayaking trips, mountain climbs, community festivals, art openings and so much more! I can tell you with both pride and shame that in the last few months I have attended one gallery, gone on one hike, and watched the entirety of Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Supernatural, Bones and several episodes of other shows. It’s not even for enjoyment so much anymore as compulsion. I don’t even give my full attention; I play with my phone and wish I were doing something better.

Maybe that’s the problem. I don’t really give anything my full attention anymore. Not trying to make grand announcement just thinking aloud really. All of this because thought to myself, “You’re kinda addicted to your phone… I wonder if there’s an app for that,” and while I love the irony I’m also frustrated because there was no need to wonder when I could just look. I miss fantasy and open ended debate. Wikipedia you’ve ruined my world.