Random Christmas Eve thoughts

Here are some things rolling around in my brain:
1. The Stankees just signed Mark Teixera (sp? - who cares) out from under the Red Sox. This makes me mad. But then I think about what the Yankees have now. $118 million commited to 5 players. Here's the rundown:
1 player who can no longer defend his position and is losing his bat, 1 player who frosts his tips and disappears when it matters, 1 player who is a .500 pitcher and injured most of his career, 1 player who is 300 lbs and 1 player who is good, but melted away in this postseason.
Then I look at the Sox. By the way, I am tired of all of the "the Sox are just like the Yankees" talk. Look at the farm system. Pedroia, Youkilis, Lester, Masterson, Ellsbury, Lowrie, Delcarmen, Papelbon, Bowden. Also consider that Boston did not pay luxury tax this year. In fact, Boston didn't even have the 2nd biggest payroll. Yes, I understand that Boston has money and can afford to eat 10 million dollar contracts and offer obscene money to any free agent. However, they run their team much differently than the Yankees. Get over it mid market teams. I think I am happy with a lineup of Ellsbury, Pedroia, Ortiz, Lowell, Bay, Drew, Lowrie, Youkilis and Varitek (hopefully). I would like to see them go after a guy like Ben Sheets on an incentive-laden contract. And Rocco Baldelli, the pride of Rhode Island. Anyway, I like my team.

2. Christmas shopping has been a struggle this year. My creativity has melted away.

3. I saw the "Re-Gifter" last night. It was good. Obviously, there are always some critiques, but every year the Christmas play gets better. Every year some more of the campy, churchy crap is removed. And this year it was replaced with some really great material (not that it was all gone). This latest series (Salvage) has really been good for me. I love the thought that God sees me as treasure even when I look at myself as trash. It has encouraged me to look at others as how Christ sees them, not as the world tells me to see them.

4. I have been kind of bitter and easily frustrated lately. I can't understand why people do the crazy things they do. Not bad things, but just how they go about their every day lives. I really need to stop worry about other people's crap. I mean, I love them. I just need to be okay with the inconsequential stuff.

5. Why won't the dog stop pooping and peeing everywhere?


Merry Christmas Eve!

Bad Driving

I know...everyone complains about bad driving. I should just shut up and be a servant and not worry about it. And I know that I have had my fair share of dumb moments behind the wheel. But I don't care. Every morning, as I leave Hamilton! on 129, I am amazed at some of the things people do. You see, as the road turns into a highway, the speed increases. It goes from 35 to 50 to 65. Each increase is basically separated by a stop light. It is also uphill. Now, I can understand if you don't have the greatest car and are unable to increase speed at a normal rate. However, every day there is at least 1 car that continues to go 35-40 until a 1/2 mile after the highway starts. And they drive in the left lane. It is absolutely stupid. Today, the person in front of me was going 30! Now, I can understand if you are afraid of high speeds. But get in the freakin' right lane! Of course everyone started passing on the right, so I was stuck. Now, I don't mind this occasionally. But what really irks me is that I know that this driver was going slow because of the rain. Which is stupid. It's rain! Yes, you may hydroplane if you hit a deep puddle at a high speed. But almost every vehicle on the road can go 70 mph in the rain with no issues. So frustrating. Don't even get me started about idiots who put their hazards on in the rain in the left lane! Are you warning me that there is rain or that I should avoid you because you may blow up at any second?
Okay...I've vented. I am not an overly aggressive driver. I don't really speed and I try to be courteous. I just don't understand what some people are thinking. Or maybe I do and that's even worse.

The first post always sucks...

Last night I put up Christmas lights. Yes, I know that there are only 9 days until Christmas. I just felt like doing it. Of course, in the great Cannon tradition, I put them up with the worst weather we've had all winter happening. Although this house will be great for a massive display, I held off. Someday, I will go Clark Griswold on the house...but not this time. This was just a few strands thrown up quickly. It was actually nice to be in the cold weather, rather than running from my car to a heated building. After a while, it didn't feel that bad anymore. I even took off my gloves for a little bit.

I like to use a variety of lights when I decks the halls. I use strands with globe lights, stars, balls, medium sized bulbs and the miniature bulbs. I like the medium the best. Those lights go on the tree, no questions asked. Also, I use multi-colored lights. All white lights are too Martha Stewart.
Anyway, last night, I was plugging in the miniature lights and about 5 strands had either a bulb out (killing the rest of the lights) or a fuse was out. The funny thing is that they actually wrap two strands together and give them each a fuse. So each of these superstrands really were half lit, as they bulb or fuse problems in one of the strands. Really annoying. Luckily, I have an infiite supply of lights and was able to finish without using those strands.

Here's my thought on this, and it's pretty basic. I am able to get certain "strands" in my life lit. In fact, I look pretty good at times. But there are huge pockets of my life where there is a bulb out or a fuse blown. Most of the time, I just look at the lit bulbs and go "all right, I look great!". But if I really look, I see the lights that are out and realize I look tacky and thrown together. When it comes down to it, am I willing to let God strip the strands off, replace the bulbs, pull out the fuses or throw it out all together?