Randomness, or Holiday Brain

Actually, the Unclutterer blog (look at that reading list to the left) calls it vacation brain, but I think 'Holiday Brain' gives more of a hint as to all the preparation involved.

Yes, it's that time of year again, when the childless couple starts making their rounds. Never having had babies means that we never had an excuse to not travel during the holidays, so none of the kinfolk ever got in the habit of coming to our house instead of us going to theirs. So that's what we do. Every year. Forever and ever, amen. Holidays, for us, mean being somewhere else. (Except the 4th of July, which is firmly centered in Southlake.) I used to decorate the house, putting up wreaths and Christmas trees and candles and tablecloths with centerpieces, the whole shebang. But then I realized at some point that Rich genuinely doesn't give even half a flip, so I'm only doing it for myself. And since I'm the one who has to do all the work to get it done, then undo it afterwards…well, apparently there are limits to how much trouble I'm willing to cause myself.

Anyway…yes, getting ready to leave town for a few days, which means that the fabulous Lydia (and her significant other) are moving in. This is the best arrangement anyone has ever had, petsitting-wise. We don't have to worry about the animals, we don't have to worry about the house. I (absolutely not Rich) just have to make sure the house isn't so gross that they refuse to ever come back.

So I'm cleaning today, as well as getting ready to pack, and making sure I love on all our animals since I won't see them for a week. And making little decisions. Should I take my laptop (a bit of an ordeal, since it's attached to a backup drive, external speakers and a separate monitor), or just rely on my iPad (which doesn't allow me to do absolutely everything I might want to do)? What knitting shall I take (this is an important decision, which non-knitting muggles might not fully appreciate)? What's the weather going to be like (okay, that one I can get an answer to pretty easily)? Shall I spend time today finishing that one job (time I could spend cleaning and whatnot) or leave it 'til we get back (and worry about it the whole week)?

And what about the Stars?

We have a game tonight, which is actually the reason we're leaving tomorrow instead of today. They haven't been playing very well lately (!), but we already paid for the tickets….Okay, that sounded a lot more discouraged than I actually feel. They're in a slump, but they'll bounce back. And they have a new owner, which is a huge step forward. And, besides, I love going to games, the whole fan experience, so much that pretty much any game is going to be fun. (And this year there are bobble heads!)

And "bobble heads" leads us right back to what kind of a day I'm having. I'm pretty much a bobble head today. A Holiday Brain bobble head. It'll get better, but for right now, it's looking like one heck of a random day.

So, before I forget, let me just say, "Happy Thanksgiving." Have a great turkey day, in case we don't talk again before then, spend wisely on Black Friday, and I wish you luck keeping your own Holiday Brain in check.

Coach Glen Gulutzan's team chemistry building methods

As I mentioned on October 16th, the Dallas Stars have a bunch of new players this season. Mike Heika, of the Dallas Morning News, blogged today about head coach Glen Gulutzan's efforts to build chemistry between the players, including the seven new guys.

To bring that group together quickly requires some "chemistry building games." Donkeyball was one…

(Donkeyball, according to Heika, involves kicking a soccer ball over a makeshift net and trying to not let it hit the ground. The game is played in a hallway, so there are rules about ceilings. There are brief clips of one such game in some of the in-arena videos shown on the Jumbotron at Stars games.)

…while Stars coach Glen Gulutzan started practice with an 11-on-11 hockey game that included two pucks and wild youth soccer-like action.

It came up in today's blog because there was a competitive game of Donkeyball between Dowell and Fiddler (see the 10/16 post) before today's practice at the Verizon Center in D.C. (where the Stars will be playing the Caps tomorrow). The whole rest of the team watched and cheered. Dowell, who claimed to be the underdog, won, and celebrated by leaping over the net and ripping his shirt off.

First: I'd love to have seen that 11-on-11 game! All those guys and two pucks. That's got to be some entertaining mayhem. (I was a dancer for many years — years and, yes, many pounds ago — and we were painstakingly choreographed and well practiced on stage. But sometimes, at certain events, some of us would get to take part in The Chicken Dance. And it was total chaos. When you're used to something organized and orderly, that's a real treat.)

Secondly: Smart guy, that Gulutzan. I think I get now why they're winning.