I'm Always Late to the Party, and That Is, Of Course, If I'm Invited at All. Most Times, I Just Miss Out, but This Time, I Win: Avatar, Fire & Ash

Two weeks ago, I read something that made me think I should check out Avatar, the blue creatures story that I missed back in the day because I was defending a dissertation and didn't have time for movies (even though the colonial part of the films was/is on par to the research I was doing). Future world...there's lots of energy and the natives live in synchronicity with the energies of the planet, even if they do have conflicts with one another. Bring in a future human race, and their marines, and then it becomes a story of trying to harvest all the energy of the world for human good...including the Tulkun, the Great Beasts. These are whale-like creatures that are hunted for their brains which harvest Amrita, a magical substance that can stop human aging.

Yes, much of it is fantastical and outrageous, but the metaphors resonate tremendously, including the military industrial complex and need to colonize other worlds after humans have depleted their own. Bring on the the indigenous Na'vi and the Nalutsa, and the faith they have in their "Mother God," and you have a story. Of course, there's some interspecies mingling we half breeds result between the series which actually work to fit the plot in the 3rd of the series. 

I'm laughing, because after watching the first, a good 13 years behind everyone else, I watched the 2nd, which I loved, and so when Lys, Bri, and Chitunga invited me to go to the 3rd...3 hours and 15 minutes and movies are now $25 a head...I went. Lucky for me Texas A&M fought hard against Kentucky and the games ended with 3 wins for the Aggies to take the match rather quickly. I took that as an omen that I should join their entourage at Destiny...yes, malls still exist.

All of this happened rather abruptly, after cooking ribs for my parents and doing a little food shopping with Cynde. Of course, when he movie let loose, Syracuse was getting lake effect snow so that was a fun drive home. It' all good.

And driving back from Cynde's I heard a ping of a rock hit my windshield, but didn't notice a crack until driving to the movies. When I got to Destiny, though, I went outside to scratch at it. Turned out not to be a crack, but some kind of hard, gelatinous gooey substance that came off (thankfully). I was singing the Safe Drive Safe Life song. Thankfully I won't need it.

But I do need to watch the Avatar series over again, because I like the storytelling and am surprised I missed dit the first go around. Definitely a fan, now. Love having the metaphor. 

Ah, now it's Monday. Glad I don't have to work too hard. 

Always Magical to See the Holiday World through the Eyes of the Youngest Generation. Spent the Evening with Malia Celine

We had Thai food. We read books. We danced. We looked at every holiday decoration there was in the house. We watched the animated Grinch.And we made peanut butter sandwiches. Such was the joy of spending the evening with Courtney, Kanyea, and Ms. Malia Celine. I also got to hear all the nursery school songs she's been taught to sing.

Lunch was spent with Chitunga and Alyssa who brought food to Mimi and Papi. Karal and I got a walk in and I was able to get my dad to return 450 bottle cans for $25. I also recorded the first class for December 23 and feel somewhat on top of the two-week insanity ahead.

Now it is Sunday...I wish I could rest day...I'm going to try and stay still day...but I know how I am. It's too easy to get caught in the crazy pace of holiday shenanigans, but I think my parents still get the Sunday paper so that should be nice.

NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship games today, as well as another rainless day where I'm looking forward to getting outside and moving. A day under blankets sounds more and more inviting each and every day I'm home. I growing tired of the dry nasal drip and choking dry cough. It's been old for a while now. 

Here's to the insane shopping days ahead for those who still are willing to face a crowd.

The Grannie Annie, Grandma Vera Vibes Are for Real. Major Flashbacks in the Childhood Bathroom in Cherry Heights.

Growing up, when my Grannie Annie was visiting, she'd often barge in while you were showering so she could get photographs. Not sure why she wanted us to post post-shower, but we would. Then, as Grandma Vera aged, she often fall in the bathroom, with the door locked, pushing all out so she couldn't be rescued.

Enter Papi Butch's era of dementia. He gets up in the middle of the night, locks the door, and shuts it so no one can enter. This is not good, given mom's bladder, so she thinks a little masking tape will keep him from doing it. Um, has he been kept from mowing the lawn daily or snowplowing? Nope. But maybe the tape will help. 

Favorite quote of the day..."Dad, you need to go around to throw away your nectarine peels." He responds, "I know. I know. Down the hall and take a right."

"Left, dad. Left." 

Couldn't help but laugh, even though today's fixation was on getting green lights for the miniature holiday tree in the window because he's tired of the white lights. 

I did get him to the bank and to purchase flowers/chocolate for Mom's 81st birthday. He told me, "All I have is $100 and I want to do something nice." Then he cried. Of course, when we got to the store he asked, "Why are we here. I told him to get flowers." He responded, "I don't like flowers." 

We got them anyways.

Mom now has her new iPad Air, 13'' screen, which is a nice upgrade. I was impressed at the ease it took to transfer items from one to the other, all because we set up her fingerprint to do so. 20 minutes max, and she's up and running.

Ah, but the temperatures sank and it's cold again, with windchill even more frigid.

Okay, Saturday. Here we are. 

Celebrating 81 Years of SudyRip! Birthday Happy, 2025, and I Made It in Time to Bake a Birthday on a Sunny, Blue-Sky Day.

Nice ride yesterday. Listened to Viola Davis's memoir, figured out more of the fancy travel gadgets in the new car, and enjoyed lighter than usual traffic, except for when I got to Cicero and the Walmart/Target traffic began. It is simply insane. Dumb. Irrational. Wild.

Today brings on the rain and winds, so I'm glad I'm already here. Looks like the joy of CNY weather for the next week, too. 

Karal is in her glory. In fact, when I packed the car starting at 9 a.m. she ran out and jumped in. She refused to get out, so sat in the car...in the driveway...for two hours before we actually left. She does love Clay time because she knows she'll get toast bits and almost half of what mom and dad eat for dinner (they can't help themselves). 

I received a chapter publication needing to be revised by Christmas (not much at all) and now the graduate school recommendations are coming in. It never ends.

Today, Mimi Sue is getting a haircut, I will be her chauffeur, and we'll celebrate her with cake (as she deserves to be celebrated)(and it won't be as crappy as Nikki and Adamo's first day in their new house with the sewage back-up).

I did my Final Four NCAA Volleyball games and remain impressed with Texas A&M...this run they're having is truly outstanding. They are hitting all the right notes at the right time. 

I snapped this photo from my father's man cave, which he hasn't inhabited in quite a long time. Always fun to adventure into that dungeon to see the way things used to be. It is as cold as it always was....same orange rug and musty smell....but so many years of total cigarette smoke and beer cans. Times change...and they do so quickly. This is why we must cherish the moments and days while we have them.

Hoping to Hit the Roads Today (There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays). Did the Last 9 hours of Meetings Yesterday & Came Home to Crash

There's no doubt that part of the lingering cold is total exhaustion. Humans are born to be productive, but sometimes the over production of individuals is cause for the decline in physical health. I'm very award of this and recognize rest, sleep, and down is exactly what I need (in the short time I have it). I'm waking up this morning starting to think about the trip because tomorrow looks like high winds and downpours. I"m not looking forward driving in a crap. Much prefer blue sky and sun, which is very rare for Central New York.

At Chitunga's request, I finally watched Avatar, and last night I indulged in Avatar 2: The Way of Water. Not sure why I missed out on the hype of the original, but it never appealed to me, but then I read something about a post-colonial critique and my interest increased. So, blankets up, pillows fluffed, and couch potato I became

I also had a wonderful lunch with the Volleyball coaches at Sophias at the Brickwalk. The muscles, potato, and leak appetizer and the bread were out of this world. Same is true for the baked cod I had. So much flavor. The service was questionable, parking horrible, but you can go wrong with their lunch specials and pricing.

I never got around to stringing all the lights around my house, part because of the exhaustion, but mostly because I needed to prioritize what got done and when. 

Okay, Theraflu. Do your thing. I know Karal can't wait to have a romp in the new car. We'll know how we're feeling as soon as this coffee kicks in and then a decision will be made. 

But heavenly joy on Earth is what I crave most and that is what the holiday is all about. 

A snickerdoodle just kicked in. I'm hitting the road today. 

I Didn't Make It to the City Last Night, and Sadly Won't See Ger (or the A-List of Celebrities). Instead, I Stayed Home an Edited (Plus Planned for the Winter Session)

There are no words, although I try from time to time scribble thoughts here to find words to describe the insanity. I will say yesterday was productive for meeting deadlines, picking up a few more holiday items, gathering for a quick lunch, and doing more preparation for the craziness of a winter session course with 25 students enrolled. They will hate me because they will hate the timing of the course. The first class is supposed to be December 23, but I will make it asynchronous. Not only are they dead, but I'm dead.

And being dead, I have to get to campus for back to back meetings until 2 p.m.. After that, I'm officially drawing a line and prepping for a road trip to Syracuse: audio books, presents, and the knowledge that my mother will say to me daily, "Don't you ever get a break?" 

I don't. Just Christmas Day. Last year was the first year that I successfully managed to NOT have any University responsibilities, and that ended up in a fiasco of bad weather, airports, and not being able to take the week vacation with Chitunga that we planned. I did get a weekend in New Orleans, though, which was nice. The tea leaves like to remind me that it's in the stars to be as it is. 

I pulled out more items I bought on Clearance last year including a village to eventually (I think) transition to Xmas decorations to be more like my Grannie Annie. I still wish I kept her little skater figurines, her pond made of a mirror, and the other tiny items she used to create a holiday scene. 

I also pulled out Tiffany Jackson's Santa in the City, as I love her writing and know this book is not like her others (no one ends up tragically dead...ha ha). 

Alright, I need to put this into the world and drive to campus. I'm tried of dry nostrils, sinus pressure, and morning snot. Story of my life. 

Here's to another Wednesday. 

I Didn't Have My Phone On Me, But am Thankful for the Internet for Coming Close to How Adorable a Stuck Sneeze is (Karal was Hilarious)

Karal has this routine where she likes to curl up at night to fall asleep. I'm usually watching basketball, or reading, or consuming volleyball matches, and it doesn't matter what I'm doing...when she's ready to go down, she wants onto my lap. 

But as she was trying to climb into my lap the other night, she got not one, but two sneezes caught before they came out and she made the most hilarious faces. Her lip caught onto her teeth, her nose was crooked, and she simply looked as if, "Why isn't this ha-choo coming out like it usually does?"

The look was precious, but I didn't capture it. I did, however, look up stuck dog sneezes and found one photo that was somewhat close. I am going with that. 

It really is a precious look, and with the two of us stuffed up, I can totally resonate. I jumped back into grant world yesterday after doing two interviews for faculty searches. I'm glad I crock-potted meat for the week so dinner wasn't a problem. Also helped Paul, the neighbor, to bring packages into his mother's house....she passed, he's in NYC, and he's having deliveries sent for later this weekend. I forgot he gave me a key.

I believe the arctic temperatures are going to depart today and that is very much welcomed, and I wonder if all the snow will melt before I make ti to Syracuse (sneezing dog and all).

I have to wrap up several items today and start to think about the week in Syracuse, hoping I can stay atop of the cold before it knocks me down again. 

But that dog face...pre-sneeze and stuck. that is absolutely precious.