Happy 2008...

...from me to you. Let's catch up on everything that I encountered in these past two weeks.

There was one true holiday moment I experienced in doing last minute shopping on Saturday the 22nd. I went to Downtown Jim Thorpe for some gift certificates for my cousins. With or without snowfall, the entire historic downtown is so charming. When I came out of the Inn at Jim Thorpe, a group of about 20 adults were caroling. Flurries were flying, people were happy, traffic was brisk, and the sights and sounds of Christmas were everywhere... straight out of a storybook setting. I took a few seconds to look around, and I was convinced that Christmas would soon be here.

I'm a native of Wilkes-Barre, and I'm back up there often. I went with my Mom for some last-minute running around on Christmas Eve. I had mixed feelings about seeing the downtown just moderately busy. I suggested we hit Boscov's because traffic wouldn't be bad. I was correct. Yes, people were on every floor, but it wasn't the usual hustle and bustle I was a part of 25 years ago. My great grandmother and I would take the bus to town and spend the day shopping and having lunch. Those were fun times. I wanted to be a bus driver growing up... I always think of "Sugar" when I see a bus in Wilkes-Barre...

Speaking of family, I thought it was awkward when Dad's alarm went off and the phone rang at the same time... 6:15AM on Christmas. My Great Aunt Vicki passed away that morning. She lived as full a life as you could imagine. Up until this past Spring, she had lived on her own in Wilkes-Barre. She moved closer to my cousin, and celebrated her 89th birthday in August. She suffered a heart attack about a month ago, and couldn't fully recover. Despite a hectic personal schedule, I was able to get to the viewing and see a lot of family on my Dad's side. It was fulfilling.

Christmas Day was spent with family. My Uncle Dave and I were altar servers and my father was Subdeacon for Christmas Mass. Our families were there, and I enjoyed it. We went back to my parents' house for brunch... Mom and I make some mean french toast :) Then, up to our cousins Paul and AnneMarie in Mountaintop for a relaxing dinner.

Bowling dominated the 10-day stretch... Stanton Lanes in Wilkes-Barre on 12/23, Rose Bowl in Allentown on 12/26, then a trip to Pittsburgh on 12/28. I had been looking forward to that trip for quite some time. It was definitely worth it. The only problem was the hotel's walls weren't soundproof, and I had a hell of a time falling asleep. I think I watched 3 or 4 TimeLife record collection special infomercials... they have just about every collection imaginable... I think the ones I saw were music for insomniacs, the greatest hits of the first half of the first week of the first year of the first decade of the 70s, and technocountrydiscogrunge. Yes, I'm kidding.

The Saturday after Pittsburgh, I was pretty much in a fog. Apparently, I typed up a commercial for RC to record which advertised Sausage McNuggets. I was really out of it.

My 33rd birthday was Sunday. After more bowling at Back Mountain, and seeing my family, I hurried home to beat the snow.

Monday meant more bowling... this time, really close to home at Strike Zone Alleys in Pottsville. Full results are in the Wednesday Republican & Herald.

...then came the party on New Year's Eve. I doubt my buddy Matt remembers anything he said or drank. We had a good time. I tried boilo for the first time... or apple pie as my buddy Toomey called it... excellent! Granted, I don't drink every day... for that matter, I've had 6 or 7 drinks all year, but if I know I'll have a Designated Driver, I'll have a few.

New Year's Day was a wash... I caught a cold, and still kinda feel yucky. I did watch the hockey game held outside... I'm glad it went to a shootout, and wasn't surprised that Sidney Crosby had the winning goal in the shootout.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and have a wonderful 2008. It will be busy for me!

Buckle up,
TS