The weather for the month of January has been surprisingly mild…and sometimes rather warm. On the first day of classes, students were wearing shorts. As the good weather extended into the weekends, I decided to go out and do a little geocaching. Ruben and others like Glenn don’t share my enthusiasm for the hobby. When neither Ruben nor Glenn was willing to go, I found myself introducing the art of geocaching to Brian. If anyone wants to go geocaching with me, just let me know! By the end of the month I reached a milestone by finding my 300th cache.
In the middle of the month, Liz and Vann drove up from Houston to spend the day with us and drop-off Liz’s dog, Kyro. For the next few week, Ruben and I agreed to keep this little guy for Liz while she’ll be away on an extended business trip. Before returning to Houston, the four of us enjoyed an evening of bowling. Since none of us are very skilled bowlers, our games were evenly matched. Later that evening, I showed Liz and Vann how to make miniature trees. It’s easy, quick, and fun. I’ve made it a tradition to ask guest to do this. Eventually, these little trees will become part of my model train layout. I know….geek moment!
I’ve been a fan of Dr Pepper my entire life. In fact, part of my office looks like a Dr Pepper shrine. Over the years, friends and family have given me items with the Dr Pepper logo on it. As a kid, I lived just a few miles from the original Dr Pepper Bottling Company (now the Dr Pepper Museum) in Waco. When I was working on my bachelor’s at Tarleton State, I found myself just a few miles from Dublin (Texas) – home to the oldest Dr Pepper bottler. The Dublin company was famous for using the original pure cane formula while other bottlers switched to corn syrup as the primary sweetener for Dr Pepper. A DP from Dublin had a unique flavor and fans of this original version all over the country figured out ways to get the drink well beyond the “legal limit.” Yes, the little bottling-plant-that-could was limited to a very small market in Texas (44-mile radius) though an agreement with the parent-company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Last June, the parent company sued the little bottling company for “diluting the brand and selling beyond its approved territory. This month, the Dublin Dr Pepper Bottling Company (which had been selling the drink since 1891) agreed to stop making Dr Pepper, and sell its distribution rights back to Dr Pepper Snapple Group. *sigh* All good things must come to an end.
During the summer of 2008, I was diagnosed with Central Serous Retinopathy (CSR). It’s a frustrating condition, especially for a “visual” person like myself. The disease causes fluid to build up under the retina. My initial attack resulted in significant vision loss in my right eye for several months. Thankfully, I found a great retinal specialist (Dr. Kuhl) who was able to seal the leak in the back of my eye with photodynamic therapy (laser treatment). I have had a few attacks since then, but nothing very significant.
No one knows what causes the disease, but I’ve learned that mine can be triggered by taking any kind of adrenocortical steroid (nasal spray) or corticosteroid (like prednisone). In the middle of this past holiday break, the evil CSR returned…and I have no idea what triggered it. This week, Dr. Kuhl scanned the back of my retina, and he’ll scan it again next month. Hopefully, the leak(s) will stop and the vision in my right eye will return to normal. All I can do is “wait and see.”
Ruben and I were so lazy during the final week of 2011. We spent most of it curled up on the couch with the dogs, watching episodes of ‘Community’ on Hulu. If you haven’t seen that show, watch it. My friend Catherine got us hooked on it. Anyway, we attended one final holiday event at Mike and Tom’s place along with Brian and Chris. It was a nice, relaxing evening spent with friends. A few days later, Ruben and I drove down to Houston to count down the final seconds of 2011 with Liz, Vann, Elsa, and Travis. Let’s hope 2012 is a much better year for us all.
On the 23rd, I headed home to celebrate Christmas with my mom’s side of the. As usual, my mom cooked enough to feed a small army. We all had a great time, especially while playing a white-elephant gift game/exchange. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to spend time with my dad’s side of the family because of holiday scheduling conflicts. On Christmas Eve I accompanied my parents to the candlelight service at their church. Christmas morning was spent again with my parents, my sister, her husband, and their two sons. Later that afternoon, we were joined by my granny, and her best friend, Jule.
As soon as the last day of final exams came to an end, Aggieland turned into a ghost town (it happens every year). It’s nice at first, but it doesn’t take me long to miss the students. During this little quiet time, Ruben and I did much of nothing. This in-between-time was pleasantly interrupted by a visit from an old friend. Brian (TAMU graduate and mutual friend with Glenn) was back in town interviewing for a job on campus. He came by the house a couple of times to cook and celebrate Christmas with Glenn, Ruben, and myself.
This has been a busy holiday season, but it hasn’t felt like Christmas until I attended this year’s Christmas Pageant at Friends Church. Over the years I’ve seen the kids of my church (who participate in this event) take on more advanced roles in the story as they grow up. It’s fun to watch them concentrate to remember their lines, giggle, and just have fun in the moment. Their joy and smiles are the best.
