Everywhere I look, I see how President Obama closed out 2010 with a flurry of legislative victories. Good for him. DADT was repealed, and this, I guess, was all thinks to him. Although, to an ignorant sap such as myself, it really seemed he could have done much more (and much more quickly), it passed. So we’ll give him that one. Also the SALT treaty was ratified in the Senate. That’s another good thing, too. I guess. Not sure my life will be any different (will this save me money or anything?), but less nukes (assuming this will actually result in less nukes) in the world is a good thing. So that’s, um, good. And, let’s see, I think there was something else in there, too. Puppies? No, that wasn’t it. Oh, that’s right, the 9/11 first responders thing. Two-thirds of the funding was gutted (thanks to those deficit hawks), but four billion dollars is a fair chunk of change.

Hopefully the people that deserve it won’t have to jump through too many hoops to the health care they need. I’m assuming there are some sort of death panels involved, what with it basically being socialized medicine and all, but, well, most of your first responder types are socialists (socialist fire fighters, socialist cops, socialist EMTs, etc.). Except for Gudy Ruiliani, who, as I recall, single-handedly lifted up I-beams and chunks of concrete to free trapped civilians (poor man had all the hair burned off his head in the process, too – and I think he had a piece of debris whack him in the mouth, ‘cuz it looks a little funky and he kinda talks like Sylvester the cat now). All in a day’s work for America’s brave, cross-dressing, adulterous mayor.

So, anyway, woo-hoo to the Prez. Enjoy your vacation in Hawaii. You’ve earned it (heck, I hope you even get lei’d). Personally, I don’t think I’ll be able to take any time off (deadlines coming up, I’ve got the support duty all next week, and everybody else is pretty much out of the office ’til 2011, so I’m stuck with anything that comes up), and, in fact, with Xmas being on Saturday, I won’t even get an extra day off for that.

Of course, Saturday is all shot to hell, because not only will I be forced to throw away several hours of my life “celebrating” (aka, trying not to talk politics while explaining ad nauseum that, no, I don’t want to eat cookies or potatoes or whatever), but I can’t even run to Home Depot in the morning to get shit. And I haven’t had the energy to fight through the throngs of humanity this week to get shit during lunch, either.

With all the septic issues, you wouldn’t think I’d need any more shit, but that’s one of those paradox thingies. Shit is something I have both too much and not enough of at the same time. Go figure. I think it’s a Heisenberg corollary or something – you can know where shit is, or you can know how fast it’s going, but if you know both where it is and how fast it’s going, it’s probably because it’s coming up out of the drain.

Not that I don’t love this time of year, mind you. I love Christmas, and practically shit candy canes from Halloween right through ’til Ground Hog Day (which is slightly painful – but colorful, and a joyous little surprise when you’re opening up the septic line cleanout). :santacool:

I guess it’s the people I love most. Oh, I love the waste of money in the pursuit of unbounded consumerism, of course. And the music. Just can’t get enough of the music (Pomplamoose. I love me some Pomplamoose). And the fact that it’s always fucking dark – dark when I get up, and dark when I get out of work (cold, too). But for me, the holiday season is all about the people.

People picking their noses as they sit slack-jawed and drooling at green lights (hell, I don’t wanna get home anytime soon anyway – “life’s too long, Sonny Jim,” that’s what my ma always said. Until she died). People cutting me off in trafftic as they careen merrily with cell phones jammed deeply into their ears. People holding reunions and hugfests in the entrances (and the aisles) of the grocery store, joyfully oblivious to the fact that, no, they aren’t the only (or at least the most important) humans on the planet. People dragging their screaming kids around, letting them run freely through the aisles, getting in my way and knocking shit over.

I guess I’m just a people person. Ask my wife, she’ll tell ya.

Jesus must be so gosh darned proud of himself (and grateful to his dad) for having had the honor of dying a slow, painful death for these wonderful people. They were so worth it, Jesus!

:jesus:

Soon, though, it’ll all be over. So take a tip from me, and enjoy it while you can. ‘Cuz Christmas season only lasts about six months out of the year.