oddly sympathetic for the 'Horns

Given the scenario that Oklahoma would get the chance to play for titles over Texas on a tie-breaker that is unfair / arbitrary / so-incredibly-close-the-distiction-is-trivial (pick your poison, I haven't decided myself), I expected my thought to be, "Bwaaah-ha-ha-ha-ha." But I feel surprisingly sympathetic to the disappointment in Austin. Too bad. It could have just as well gone the other way.
But when I think of the way Colt McCoy begged for the late hit flags in the OU-TX game, and Mack Brown's WTF-is-ABC-thinking-to-let-this-happen phone call to the broadcast booth during action, it relieves me of excessive anxiety.
I just changed my mind. Screw 'em. Bwaaah-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Thanksgiving

1. Sweetpea, my best friend and Tatters, my astonishing son, and even Bo, our retarded, neurotic, gay wonder dog
2. My supportive and loving families, in-laws included
3. My unbelievable friends I do not deserve, including those I have only met here
4. My comfortable house and suitable transportation
5. The opportunities my nation of residence offers
6. My saxophones, owned and borrowed
7. To have been raised a Sooner
Merciful God and eternal salvation aside, that's my list. Take away anything else, I wouldn't notice.

Schedule:
Wednesday AM: Put up a little over 6000 outdoor Christmas lights (absurd, yes; fun, yes)
Wednesday PM: Mom's house, brother and family will be there about noon
Thursday AM: Get non-AM oriented family up and about. To mom's again to help cook the feast.
Thursday 11:30 AM: Thanksgiving feast
Thursday 1 PM: To father-in-law's for seconds on stuffing
Thursday 2:30 PM or so: To Sweetpea's maternal grandparents' to visit and ignore the food
Thursday whenever: Back to mom's for hopefully many, many games of spades and whiskey with my brother
Friday AM: Simple brunch at mom's, see brother off.
Friday PM: Finish the lights I probably didn't finish Wednesday AM
Saturday: End of season soccer party noonish, watch Sooners anihilate the Pokes at night, otherwise play, play, play. We painted the house last weekend; we deserve it.
Sunday AM: Christmas music season begins at church. The saxer will be saxing.
Sunday after lunch: Proceed to Kansas City for stupid monthly meeting Monday AM.

Between Thanksgiving, and ramping up in earnest for Christmas, this is easily my favorite weekend of the year. I wish the same, profound joy to all my friends. Excepting, of course, young Mr. Hanni, specifically Saturday evening from kickoff to final gun. And may even that sad burden be somehow eased for you, and the rest of your Thanksgiving be warm and fuzzy.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

1. Weight Watcher's double chocolate muffins
2. Snackwells devil's food cookies
3. Rice Krispy double chocolatey bars
4. No fat or low fat chocolate pudding
5. Hot fudge sundae at McDonalds

I need additional heart friendly chocolate fix suggestions from my friends.
Any suggestions?

Hello dear friends...

1. How cool does our president elect look in a suit and his shades? I keep thinking he's about to shoot aliens with a flame thrower or something.
2. K's grandmother had a stroke and is recovering fairly nicely. Your prayers, please.
3. Randi Rhodes is our Ann Coulter. I can't figure out who our O'Reilly is, but I'm sure to be embarrassed when I figure it out.
4. Sweet Pea's little hoop-dee got its first wreck last night. The family is fine, aches aside. Hyundai Elantra gets the highest crash rating possible in Madsaxer's book.
5. The pergola project is stalled. Can I get it primed before this weekend? I hope to paint the house (and the pergola) this weekend so it will look great with our almost Griswoldian Christmas light spectacular.
6. Forget wisdom, judgement and choice of associates for just a moment. W is behaving maturely lately.
7. Oklahoma will win out. They will beat Tech 66-49. They will beat OSU 69-28.* They will beat Missouri 42-24 in a frigid Arrowhead Stadium. Then they will play in the national title game and beat Alabama 35-10. Mack Brown will whine. He will have a point, but it won't matter. *Would have been closer before this team was disheartened in a couple of high-grade losses.
8. J has been inspired by a loosely scientific experiment involving a McDonald's cheeseburger in the works at fellow-blogger Kurtis' crib. Thanks, Kurtis. We're expecting a big raspberry from the 5th grade science fair jury, but you never know...
9. Cigarettes have crept back into my life. Crap. Nothing I do makes me feel stupid like returning to the scene of that crime... The battle is lost, but the war is not over.
10. We recruited a tenor sax player, and I have been joyfully re-assigned to the baritone at church. HONK HONK!!! It's almost Christmas time, the most wonderful church music time of the year.

I got the red state blues...

I heard this essay read on the radio. I am sorry, but I cannot attribute it to a particular author, and can only paraphrase.

"There are two Americas. One that in our worst times and best times want to make them better. Those who are optimistic. Those who want to help the least unfortunate among us. Those who believe that us corporately can be happier and live better without endangering our individual potential. The second America are those who are chained to the notion that accomplishment is only valid if it is by an individual, those who believe that the unfortunate should be punished, those who cling to an illusion of superiority via bigotry and dogma, and who loathe those unlike themselves. I find myself increasingly unconcerned for that America, and increasingly willing to proceed without them and leave them to wallow in exactly what they inexplicably desire."

I thought: RIGHT ON!!! And then...

Hey, that's my state. That's most of my church. That's my whole family. That's most of my friends. That's my wife and my mother. That's a lonely life for madsaxer in my America. So what to do?

Hope the Clintons and Obamas can be presidents often and long enough to counter the damage done by Reagans and Bushes? Honestly hope that my guy is a better president to you than your guy was to me? Yeah. That's a start.

I know the science-haters (no global warming, 6000-year-old Earth...) might hate the sound of this at first. Evaluate what happens the next eight years empirically. It stings when your party loses. You can move, riot or secede, sure, but short of that you're along for the ride. Maybe things will improve. Watch what changes and what ensues. Was it what you expected? Was it what FOX said would happen? Look for pleasant surprises. Note the failures. Base your future vote on the data you collect.

May God bless the United States of America.