The morning after Christmas....

and no torn wrapping paper to throw away.  No presents to find places for.  No thank-you notes to write.  I'm happy that there are no chores to be done and yet this is once again a reminder of what a solitary life I am leading.

Not that I wasn't leading a pretty solitary life before I got sick and nearly died.  Between full-time work and part-time work and what little social life I managed to eek out, it was a pretty lonely existence even back then.  I did talk to co-workers, to students that I was teaching tax preparation to, to my clients and to my friends on-line and in RL, but basically I lived alone and spent most hours outside of work alone.  Today isn't all that much different.

But a lot of it is by choice and I have to recognize and accept that.

Things I'm pondering on this morning after the holiday include:

Is it just coincidence that in most of the games of Words With Friends I was playing last night, I kept getting no vowels other than I's?  At one point I had four vowels among my seven letters, all the letter I.

What in the world did I do to my right hand?  The back of that hand, below the fingers is swollen twice it's normal size and I don't have any recollection of any injury that would have caused this.  My left hand is fine and compared side by side, the difference is remarkable.  And it's painful when I try to make a fist with my right hand.  Guess it's a good thing I don't need to hit anyone with a fist today.

Why were all the good seats for almost every show of "Django Unchained" sold out yesterday where there is reserved seating?  I had to end up choosing a show at 8:45 a.m. in order to avoid sitting in the front two rows.  Was the demand that strong for this movie?  I guess it was.

Why in the world would anyone think Ben Affleck would be qualified to serve as a United States Senator?  He was in the discussion about who might replace John Kerry until he said he would not run.

Why shouldn't Mattel and Hasbro be terrified of the trend of kids wanting iPads, iPods and electronic gear rather than traditional toys?  It doesn't bode well for the future of the toy business.

Wouldn't we live in an amazing society if people were as generous the rest of the year as they are during the holiday season?

This Date in History:

On this date in 1776, at the Battle of Trenton, the Continental Army defeats a group of Hessian mercenaries.
On this date in 1799, 4,000 or more were present at the funeral of President George Washington who was eulogized by Henry Lee as "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen."  It wasn't until decades later that the hosts of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" added "...and first to wear a wig and stretchpants".
On this date in 1825, the Decembrist Revolt in St. Petersburg, Russia is put down.
On this date in 1846, the Donner Party, trapped in the infamous pass in the Sierra Nevada, resorts to cannibalism to survive.
On this date in 1862, 38 Native Americans die in the nation's largest-ever mass hanging.
On this date in 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie announce the isolation of radium.
On this date in 1919, George Herman "Babe" Ruth is sold to the Yankees by Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee, beginning the "Curse of the Bambino".
On this date in 1941, FDR signs a bill into law making the fourth Thursday of November the official holiday of Thanksgiving.
On this date in 1944, Patton's Third Army frees the troops who were trapped at Bastogne.
On this date in 1966, Kwanzaa is celebrated for the first time.
On this date in 1972, 78 B-52 bombers are launched from Anderson Air Force Base, Guam to attack Hanoi as part of Operation Linebacker II.  It was the largest single combat launch in the history of the Strategic Air Command.
On this date in 1982 Time magazine named the computer as "Man of the Year".
On this date in 1991, the Soviet Union is formally dissolved.
And on this date in 1948, journalist Candy Crowley is born.