Merry Christmas 2016

"It's Christmas Eve! It's the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we... we... we smile a little easier, we... w-w-we... we... we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be."

-- Bill Murray, "Scrooged"

Hi everyone. We (Dawn and I) are preparing for a small and quiet (but nevertheless jolly) Christmas here in Fort Myers. I found a lovely little prime rib roast at the Winn Dixie. Just two joints, so it is just the right size ... 2.6 pounds to be exact. I'm going to rub it down with some rosemary, salt, and pepper, and roast it for about 45 minutes to medium-rare. Serve with baked potato, and I'm thinking a pear-Gorgonzola salad with balsamic vinaigrette as the greens. Something festive for dessert, perhaps a red velvet cake, I haven't worked that part out yet.

I'm just going to cite a few highlights from this past week rather than going chronologically. We have more or less settled into a routine here, so not every day is newsworthy.

I quote Bill Murray above because I was somewhat miffed at the little MTV missive this past week. Don't know if you saw or heard about this, but it was basically a "public service announcement" about what white males could/should do to foster better race relations between "us" and "them," i.e., people of non-white ancestry. I don't normally get into this kind of stuff on the blog because racism -- like politics, religion, abortion, etc. -- is another one of those un-winnable arguments. Plus, this is a blog about my travels, not about my political or religious beliefs. But I feel compelled to state for the record that this MTV message is, in and of itself, racist. I didn't need or want to hear this -- especially at this time of year -- that I should feel guilty about being a "white guy." Especially from MTV, which has done more than its share to propagate discord among races, sexes, and the "haves" and "have-nots." So blow it out your ass, MTV. I much prefer the Bill Murray philosophy.

And that's all I have to say about that.

On Saturday (Dec. 17) I attended a holiday party of the Widow and Widowers Meetup Group at the home of "Karen V." in Bonita Springs, between Fort Myers and Naples. It was the first "meetup" of that group that I have attended since arriving here in November because of low activity in the group right now. A couple of the group's main organizers have been MIA since November, so there hasn't been much of anything going on. Hopefully this will change after the first of the year. Well, it was very enjoyable, and gave me a chance to see all my "buds" from the group, and catch up. Many of last year's "singles" have now hooked up with "significant others" and have migrated from the meetup group. The party was a rare opportunity for members to brings their "SO's." This is another reason for low activity. We need some more "raw recruits." One of the drawbacks of a group like this is that, by its very nature, it is a temporary sanctuary. Most people -- including myself -- do not see widowhood as a permanent lifestyle. Were it so, the Internet dating sites would not be pulling in billions of dollars annually! But any way, the party was great fun, the food and drink were delicious and plentiful, and there were games and prizes. At the gift exchange, I received a "Green Steel" thermal mug, which is something I actually can get some use out of for my smoothies and my overnight bedside ice water. And, it was the first time since being here that I wore long pants and a shirt with a collar! (I've been in shorts and T-Shirts the other 99.9 percent of the time.)

On Tuesday of this week, Dawn and I went to "Manchester by the Sea," at the Prado Cinemas in Bonita Springs. There are closer theaters, but this one has a cafe, so it provided us a chance to grab a quick bite before the movie. The movie wasn't my first choice; I think we would have enjoyed "Rogue One" or "Passengers" more as an opportunity for some escapism. But MBYTS will be a likely Oscar winner, and Dawn and I love watching the Oscars, so we feel it behooves us to see at least a few Oscar contenders so that when the program airs, we have some sense of knowing what the hell they are talking about.

It was very good, but very depressing. Not the type of movie I would want to see again, or that I would want to own. It is definitely an Oscar contender -- just the type of brooding, raw, painful movie that Academy members love and vote for. There will certainly be a showdown between this and "Fences," the latest Denzel Washington movie of equal -- if not more -- pain and intensity. In any event, going to the movies was a pleasant diversion from our routine evenings at home.

We (Dawn and I) received some rather unpleasant news from cousins Pam and Steve from Lansing, Mich. In their annual Christmas letter we learned that Steve has been dealing with cancer on and off for the better part of 2016. The source seems to be his lungs. But the cancer has manifested itself elsewhere, including the brain where a mass was removed in August. In September, Pam and Steve traveled to Pittsburgh for a specialized radiation treatment, and as "extra insurance" Steve is currently undergoing four rounds of chemotherapy. I'm sure I speak for all of us Shawkey/Quam relation when I wish the best for Pam and Steve for the coming year.

Well folks, I'm going to cut it short(er) today because I feel my last couple of entries have been rather rambling and long-winded. As we come to the end of another year, may we all be reminded that every day is a gift. I heard a great quote on a documentary this week that struck a chord at this time of year when so many folks are focused on materialistic pursuits -- Black Friday, Cyber Monday, I-Phones, and PlayStations. It's all just "stuff" folks. In a year, two at the most, it'll all be sitting on a shelf or in a landfill. Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus (the "Minimalists") have got it right:

"Love People, use things. The opposite never works."


Bruce