Christmas 2012

It is that time of the year, our home is once again filled with Christmas, from the fresh smell of a nice big tree to appropriately-themed music. Well, actually, the christmasy music has been playing since Halloween, which is fine (I think by the time New Year comes, I’ll be ready for an auditory break from decking the halls and techno-frosty).

A ver... vamos a checar esta serie.... ¿Están prendidos todos los foquitos?

Though hard on the grown-ups to be upbeat this season as we remember Christina’s passing one year ago, Donovan  is all excited. One of the most vivid memories I have of Christmas with my family was helping my father check the strands of lights prior to placing them on our tree. I remember a feeling of satisfaction when I would replace a burnt out light, and its neighboring bulbs would once again light up.

Hope this season is full of happy memories. Thanks for reading.

JC

From CX to Xmas season

Christmas music and decorations started to fill our home since shortly after Halloween.  Donovan is full of anticipation as these last few days tick by, and he crosses them off the calendar.  A growing list of injuries ended my (lackluster) cx season, and that has given me ample time and reason to enjoy activities with friends and family. Fun in the mud was still great this year, and even though I didn't have the success I had last year, it was offset by seeing Donovan having fun with the sport.

At full speed and committed to his choice of line as he goes into a corner...
(Photo by Janet Hill)

Diligent physical therapy and strengthening will hopefully deliver a more solid me for 2013. In the meantime, there is a dark beer and some cookies somewhere with my name on them.

Happy Holidays!

....

I have been hesitant to publicly write my thoughts in the wake of the events last Friday. Mostly b/c I was really mad. I still am. Hell, this is my little blog and I can write whatever the heck I went. Nobody reads it anyway. So here is what I think-

I am not going to try to wrestle with the mental aspect of this tragedy. I am ignorant of how a person's mind and decisions go from A to where this guy went. Boggles my mind.

Guns. Illegal. Period. It is the one thing I really dislike of the US. I'm sure I would get an earful from the hunting/target shooting enthusiasts I know. And I don't care. The 'guns don't kill people' argument is stupid. There. Said it. Take my homeland- Drug people getting decapitated? Cartel associates' bodies piled high inside (choice of vehicle), or broken & packed into concrete-filled drums? Check and check. Cars driving by, spaying homes with automatic fire? Sure, happened around the corner from my house. Drug family members targeted with car bombs? Check, saw the lovely aftermath of one of those. Large number of innocent casualties? Yep, check, just look at the statistics. Young children shot at school? Uh...wait... what? WHO targets kids? WTFF!? C'mon... For all the truly brutal crimes that happen in Mexico, this type of atrocity does not happen. There are no metal detectors or armed guards at schools. Heck, there are no "Gun-free zone" signs at schools. I'm not saying it's not dangerous, and sure, criminals probably have it (very) easy getting their hands on something that goes BANG!. My point is fire arms should not be ready to be had from your parents' closet for when u decide to loose your marbles.  And I would be foolish to pretend some parents I knew didn't own guns back then, mostly obtained illegally and for the sake of safety. Still, with that violent of a platform, this is unheard of in a struggling 2nd world country. You tell me-How does this take place in the US?