The genius of Amazon is apparent every holiday season. I just finished Christmas shopping for most of my tribe in about an hour, sitting at my desk sipping fine KY bourbon (Noah’s Mill, if you must know). That beats the hell out of driving around from store to store and clawing through merchandise. And then figuring out how to ship items to a family spread over three time zones. The family members and friends who got gifted toward the end of my two finger pour may have made out a little better.

It’s “raining” in Fallbrook today. I should be happy about it, but I put “raining” in quotes because it’s a pitifully small amount. About .06 inches over eight hours. We’re still in deep, deep drought.

All three of my brothers and I will be in one place on Sunday, in Ashland, KY to wish Merry Christmas to Dad and Phyllis. That convergence doesn’t happen often enough. Here we are at my Dad and Phyllis’ wedding, also in Ashland, in 1999. A motley crew. We haven’t changed all that much since 99, other than Dad. The last few years have been tough on him, health-wise.

This CNN headline today had me doing a double take. Camels ejected from beauty contest for Botox…it’s a strange world out there. All those years in the desert have made the Middle Eastern tribes…different. But to each his own.

I’m pretty bummed out about not being able to see Khraungbin, again, this time in Louisville on Sunday. In theory I could, but I’d have to leave my brother in the lurch. Bad form. I missed them in San Diego, and now in Louisville. This must be some kind of karmic payback, but I don’t know what I did to incur the cosmic debt. I’m listening to/watching their 2021 tour on Youtube as I write, and while it’s great it’s also adding to my ennui over missing them.

One more phrase jumped out at me on the CNN front page: “Nocturnal Tornadoes”. A solid rock band name, for sure. CNN says it’s something folks in the Midwest need to watch out for tonight, but hell, I’d buy a ticket.

Final thought. I spent about an hour getting my chain saw started and then cutting down some dead tree stumps. I have to say, when did wielding a chain saw become something that felt like a hard, hard workout? I know I’m in bad shape, but…yikes, an hour doing routine yard work has become a “well, I’m through for today and now it’s time for a nap” kind of event. Getting old is definitely not for sissies.