Tim Hayden

Nothing like the combination of anxiety of Santa and gifts, warmth of
family and seclusion from the real world compares to the feeling that
Christmas Eve brings.

I'm on stop #2 of 5 stops I'll make over the Christmas holidays. Over
rivers and through many woods, Halea and I are seeing family and
sharing gifts. While I usually complain of the fractured obligations
that having "all" parents divorced, nothing intterupts the magic and
"auto-pilot" of Christmas Eve.

The collison of a child's innocence around the Christmas tree with the
one time each year I can see the family "tree" is just too right on,
cool...

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Before we left the house today, we filled the bird feeders and raised
the flag up in front of our house. All at once, each of those two
tasks respectively seemed "unpluggy" holiday-like and obligatory for
the observance of Labor Day. (We continued our unplugginess
throughout the day: lunch at Alamo Village with "Inglorious Basterds";
restocked the wine cellar at Spec's; took Raudy to Red Bud Isle's dog
park).
 
I reckon that 2009's Labor Day will be special for many Americans with
meaning that I'm confident is unique to this year. Teddy Kennedy's
passing surely impacts many of my friends (although I've often been
surrounded by/in arguments against his politics) with greater weight
than it hits me, yet I sympathize with the great work he's done on
behalf of American workers. The holiday must echo his voice for unions
today.
 
At the same time, all of us are certainly affected by the greatest
economic slowdown we've experienced in our lifetimes. No matter who
(it is debated) stated first, "a recession is when your neighbor loses
his job - a depression is when you lose yours," I haven't met anyone
this year who hasn't had a family member, friend, or his/her self
displaced.
 
As we unplug and enjoy the last few hours of the holiday (judging from
email I received and Twitter friends, not everyone unplugged), let us
give thanks for the relaxation today...and count our blessings if we
have a job on Tuesday.
 
Did you unplug or hit the grind today?

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I'm a big fan of my wife. I love her, but there's something about Tartare towers, wedge salads and deliberation over an entree. Come to think about it, I just love my wife.

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I can't tell you that I've called 911 or recall the dozens of police cars I've seen patrolling our neighborhood around midnight. They're always here, and I'm thankful for it over the three years I've lived around here.
 
This is the time of night I often walk our miniature schnauzer and see owls, bats and the occasional stray dog roaming the streets and sky above our neighborhood. To me, the darkness is tranquil and mysterious. None of it is frightening, yet I'm often spooked by leaves rustling or a loud teenager cruising by. No matter what, having this "phantom" of a dawg by my side empowers my swagger.

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