This is where we are spending the weekend to celebrate New Year's Eve and our First Anniversary.

The first picture is the front view of the Lodge, the second picture shows the side of our lodge where our room is.  Our view is of the river.

I had my last session with my physical therapist last Tuesday and today my shoulder is bothering me again.  Why?  Well...because I haven't done any of the home exercises I was given to do.  This makes me realize the therapy doesn't end when my insurance company says it ends.  It ends when my shoulder no longer bothers me.  So I'm off to start my own PT program.

I have family coming over in a few hours.  We're doing a 'grab bag' gift exchange.  Everyone is to bring something valued at the agreed upon price.  But I'm at a loss as to how to work it.  Maybe throw names in a hat and draw names, and the order they are drawn is the order of the pick.

Any other suggestions?  It's just going to be 8 people (all adults).

We went to see TSO last night at the Palace of Auburn Hills.  Roger recorded some videos.  This was the best of them.  It was a great concert!!!

• Got most of the gifts wrapped.
• Almost done shopping. Still have to get something for my recently divorced brother and Roger's brother, who is also starting over.
• One more PT visit
• Back is giving me fits (reminiscent of when I had a herniated disc 22 years ago)
• Got to go to Chicago next Wed and Thur
• Office Christmas/Holiday luncheon Thur
• Got lights up outside
• Guitar Class final exam is tomorrow (and I didn't practice all week.)
• Liver doesn't like Cholesterol meds, so off them. Going vegetarian.
• Going to join a gym after the first of the year
• Finished my first training video, and boss put it on the company web site.
• Best thing about working from home: Wearing my PJs all day!
• Worst thing about working from home: Inertia

I really miss being part of a choir.  I am not hypocrite enough to join a church just to be in the choir.  There was an ad in the local paper a while back for a local chapter of the Sweet Adelines - a women's barbershop group.  I called them and the woman wasn't very encouraging.  She was a little snippy because I didn't know that women's barbershop parts were labeled the same as men's (bass, baritone, tenor and lead).  I told her that I could read music and sang both alto and soprano in high school.  She said they didn't have any sopranos in barbershop.  Then she said I was welcome to attend a practice.  But it was 3 hours long and standing.  And that most women came in and when they found out it was standing for three hours, they quit.

Sounded like she didn't really want me there.

A few days ago I did another search and found out there was another chapter closer to me.  I looked at their web site and their performance schedule for December was impressive, including a performance at the Whiting Auditorium in Flint (which is the big concert venue around here!)  I checked the other group's schedule and they had NOTHING scheduled for December.  nada.  Zip. Zilch.  (I wonder why.)  So I found the contact information and sent an email to the lady who was the membership coordinator (or something like that.)  I was encouraged by her email:

Sheryl:

WOW!!! You sound like you fit the mold our chorus.We rehearse every Wednesday at [edited out]. from 7 PM - 9:30 PM. We are having a Global Open House for the month of January, please come.

[snip]

You are more than welcome to come to this Wednesday rehearsal if you would like. We are learning a new song, " When You Wish Upon A Star". Come and try it... it will be fun.

 I think I have found my choral group   I'm going to their rehearsal this Wednesday.  I'm really excited!  I just hope I can do as well a capella as I can with accompaniment!

Normally I'm all gung-ho about Christmas.  Excited for a month, playing Christmas music exclusively, etc. I am just not into it this year.  We did some shopping, but I am just not 'feeling' it.  We got the tree up, with lights and garland, but stopped there because I wasn't feeling good when we put it up.  I haven't felt like doing anything with it since.  I don't feel like wrapping the gifts.  I don't feel like writing out Christmas cards. I don't even feel like listening to Christmas music.

The last time I felt like this I was really depressed.  I don't know what the deal is now.  I don't think I'm depressed.

This picture keeps popping up in my related posts because I used it recently.  And every time it does, I keep thinking that this is the most universally accepted picture of Jesus.

So how does someone born in the middle east turn out looking so Anglo?

Or could it be that he really looked more like this?

(This is what archaeologist and historians believe he probably looked like.)

And because he was a middle easterner, if he were alive today, would the TSA be doing some profiling on him and give him a hard time if he tried to fly to the U.S.?

Every other Tuesday, Cindy comes to clean.  So Monday nights I make sure there are no dirty dishes and that most of the clutter is picked up.  I'm not paying her to pick up after us, I'm paying her to do all the cleaning I don't want to be bothered with (like washing the floors, scrubbing the bathrooms and stuff.)  My house is pretty big and it takes her about 6 hours to do the whole house.  So ALL I ASK of the people living here (Roger and his two sons) is that they DO NOT leave any dirty dishes in the sink once I've cleaned up the kitchen.

It never fails.  EVERY SINGLE TIME I get up on the morning Cindy comes, there are dirty dishes in the sink from one of Roger's adult sons making popcorn.  (The pan, all greasy, with the greasy glass lid, the bowl they put the popcorn in, and the dish they used to melt butter.)

Roger just said something to his son about it (This is not a child. This is a GROWN MAN of 25) and he had a hissy fit.  Started bitching about Cindy not dusting his window sill and then stormed out to the garage, came in a few minutes later and stormed up the stairs to his bedroom and slammed his bedroom door shut.  WTF???  25 years old and acting like a 10 year old????  Is THIS why he is still living with daddy?

And seriously, what does Cindy dusting or not dusting his window sill have to do with anything, especially considering I am the one paying her, not the man-child that is my step-son.

Last day of November and last night we got our first significant snow of the season.  I could SWEAR we usually get snow that sticks much earlier than this!  Here is a picture looking out my back door.  I know of a couple of Xangans who were here last summer and may not recognize the view!