2 4 6 8 Who Do You Appreciate?

Apples and Oranges

You may have noticed some 'cartoons' regarding an assumed battle betwixt apples and pears. For some reason, I've decided to pursue this as a series and plan to 'publish' it eventually when it is completed. I just find the idea personally hilarious. Are you familiar with George Carlin? I don't know his entire catalog but am familiar with his type of comedy and have listened to one of his albums. There is a pause for a "commercial break" that goes something like this:

And now a word from the American Apple Grower's Association   

 FUCK PEARS!!!!

That was the initial inspiration that led me to draw cartoons of badass apples. Most recently I've brought in a tomato as a possible ally. And at this point, you are all bored stiff.

Sierra Nevada

It is currently 5 degrees outside with a "real feel" of negative 6. Ah Winter! I love Winter and all it's frigid goodness. And I've been unbelievably fortunate since moving to the Midwest because, somehow, I've managed to escape the truly terrible snow events that one thinks of when one thinks of the area. I'm in central Ohio, south of the snow belt, and in the last 3 1/2 years have only suffered through one blizzard and even that had the courtesy of occurring on a Friday so that no work was missed, which was especially important to me as I was still temping at the time. We received 5 or so inches of snow yesterday and whilst it did pile up, the roads are, for the most part, perfectly fine and my commute to and from work was uneventful. It is the bitter chill that we are really dealing with now and even that isn't as bad as other places. But public schools were closed today because of the cold.

Isn't that super weird? Schools close because it is too cold for kids to wait at the bus stop. Do you remember freezing your bollocks off waiting on the bus? Do you remember the way your lungs hurt because you were running late and had to run for the bus in the cold, your tongue pulsating and tasting like metal, having more than the usual amount of trouble trying to catch your breath as your cold face slowly bled from red to white? This evening I went to the store and on my way to and from the car I thought "fuck! yes, let the kids stay home; it is too fucking cold." But you know what? J had a point when we were discussing this yesterday. These kids, who don't have to go to school because it is too cold, will they be prepared for adulthood when they will be expected to go to work even if it is uber cold? I don't know what I think, myself but I do know that what I felt this evening is something I'd like to protect children from... and I don't even like children all that much! And besides, just because I had to wait in the cold doesn't mean I think others should have to. I really don't want to become one of those who says "in my day..."

Football

I am really looking forward to the playoffs this weekend. My predictions, as I've stated them, are Green Bay and Jets, but I'd really enjoy seeing Bears Stealers at the Superbowl, even though I'm conflicted about that. Yes, I'd like Chicago and Pittsburgh to go head to head because they strike me as blue collar teams that I'd like to see go head to head but, at the same time, I feel a certain amount of animosity towards Pitt for beating the Ravens, a team I root for only because Flacco and I went to the same university so I would be super pleased if it was Jets Bears.

But mainly, I can't believe I am into football this much, given who I am.