Looking to 2008!

Remember Y2K? It doesn't seem like it was that long ago we were in a frenzy about the calendars on our computers turning over into the 2000s. There were also a lot of knick-knacks, trinkets and momentos made to commemorate the Year 2000 - including those goofy 2000 eye glasses?

I first saw the festive eyewear when in NYC and a street peddler tried his best to pursuade me to buy a pair. Little did I know that they would be the most popular thing at the New Year's Eve party that year.

Here are the gracious hosts of the party sporting their Y2K eyewear.

The next year Y2K-1 glasses were not as easy to purchase so we had to improvise.

Over the years I think the old 2000 glasses have been lost or misplaced, so to keep the tradition and in honor of 2008 I have attached a template for any of you to open, printout, cut out, decorate and wear to ring in the new year! Too bad they don't help you see into the future for 2008 - I will work on that feature for 2009.

Less is More

Another comment on holiday decorations - During Hanukkah earlier this month a household on my daily route to work had a tiny, electric menorah on the balcony of their second story apartment, so small most people who traveled the same route probably missed it.

There was nothing extravagant about the menorah, but for every day another light was lit on it until all eight electric candles were illuminated. Once Hanukkah was over the menorah was gone - the way this household decorated to celebrate their holiday was simple but so touching.

New Year's Resolutions

The most popular New Year's resolutions are listed below.

Lose Weight
Pay Off Debt
Save Money
Get a Better Job
Get Fit
Eat Right
Get a Better Education
Drink Less Alcohol
Quit Smoking Now
Reduce Stress Overall
Reduce Stress at Work
Take a Trip
Volunteer to Help Others

I am not one to make resolutions and or keep to them, but I have decided to make a resolution, a personal goal for 2008 to be more organized. I just spent the last three days cleaning out the room in my house designated as the "office". For the past few months this room has been not been an office but a trash heap with piles of junk mail, bills, magazines, clutter, etc.... This afternoon I took the last of it to the recycling center - I have made daily trips to the recycling center over the past several days.

Now that the room is cleaned up and organized a resolution for the new year will to keep it this way. Another resolution for 2008 will be to continue posting regularly on this blog - hopefully you can check my blog on December 29, 2008 for the results.

Building a Snowman

This morning I went outside to take the trash to the curb and discovered a fresh blanket of snow - I had no excuse to make a snowman and practice what I had preached in my posting from yesterday.

The snow was beautiful but not very sticky, so this snowman was basically carved from a mound of snow. The sun is coming out and should cause the snow to be more sticky, maybe later I can make another snow person using the more conventional "rolling and stacking" method.

For more instructions on building a snowman check out this link...

Here's to the Good Old Snowman!

The best yard decoration during the winter months is a good old-fashioned snowman, the only downfall is that you need snow to make one. A snowman (or person) is awesome, no matter what shape or how crude or refined.

If there is no snow, decorating with snowmen, santas, snowglobes or anything else that blows up and glows is unacceptable. The giant yard decorations are bad enough when at full size but are even worse at stages of deflation.






A little too much celebrating?









A fatal wagon accident.






All the Grinch needs is a couple of aspirin and he'll be back on his curly feet again.







Limbo anyone?








Complete meltdown!
(I think he looks better this way!)

Christmas Goat Found Dead!!!!

The household Julebakken (Christmas Goat) was found dead near the Christmas tree this morning. There were also pieces of the goat's straw beard next to the body, more of the beard was found across the room in a puddle of cat puke. The primary suspect is Claude, one of the household cats.


Claude is a 16 year old Domestic Shorthair, who was recently relocated to the household earlier this fall. He spends most of his time in one of the upstairs bedrooms but it is now obvious that during the night hours he slinks around the rest of the house while others are sleeping. This situation seems to be an innocent and isolated incident and not related to other acts of violence against Christmast Goats, the most famous goat to be targeted by violence is the Gävle Goat in Sweden.

Click below to find out more about the Gävle Goat in Sweden.

Merry Christmas from KJW and Teddy - 12/25/07