Tea

What_it_Shwas
Thrilling passages from a thrilling life @@

• Still need a man gift?
  

  Still need a man gift?

  Might I suggest a Wii, specifically the Tiger Woods golf game.

  Oh. My. Dear. Obsession.

  The Referee cannot get enough. He now plays about 96 holes of golf every day, on various courses in various states. When I purchased the Wii last spring or so, he was completely against it. As with most things he is completely against purchasing, I purchased it at my earliest opportunity. For the first 6 months or so, he humored us by playing the occasional game of tennis or bowling, but other than that, he sort of sniffed at it and acted unimpressed.

  Then, a month or so ago, he heard some people talking about the greatness of Tiger Woods golf, and he immediately ordered it from Amazon. He is currently the family's Number One Wii User, BY FAR.

  AND! He has play dates with it! Last weekend his little friend Larry came over for an afternoon of golf. The weekend before? Shane and Scott. Somebody else (I forgot who) is coming over Friday.

  I just went in to say hello and check on things, and The Referee is now ONLINE with the thing, playing against strangers with names like OldFart1, Daddy16, Unabomber, and URAllLosers.

  So. If you are still in need of a gift for a man between the ages of, oh, about 30 and 98, give him that. He will thank you profusely for enriching his existence, and he will also stay the hell out of your way while you finish the Christmas preparations.

• Rockin' Keokuk, IA
  

  Monday, December 22, 2008

  Rockin' Keokuk, IA

  Ahhhh, Iowa. I am here. I have checked into the hotel and cranked the heat up full blast, which is what I always do when I travel alone. After that, I generally get out the ironing board and iron all my clothes and hang them up, so I won't have to iron the rest of the time. I didn't do that this time, though, because all I brought was a tan cashmere sweater to wear home tomorrow.

  I am also not traveling alone. Kelly and I drove here today to pick up her friend Halie, who moved here with her parents right before Thanksgiving. We've all been feeling really sorry for Halie, having to move in the middle of her senior year like that. It is sort of a bummer, but guess what? Halie is the coolest kid at her new school, and this little town is pretty sweet.

  We didn't get here until after dark, and met Halie and her family for pizza. Halie then took us on a tour of the town, and the first thing I noticed was the lack of vacant storefronts. All the storefronts appear to have actual stores behind them! The economy has crashed so hard that anytime I drive into a small town, especially a small town with a Walmart on the outskirts, I just expect to see abandoned spaces with depressing CLOSED signs everywhere.

  Not so in Keokuk. There are two large grocery stores, a sporting goods store, and about a mile and a half of Main Street, complete with the drug store, the feed store (which looks more like a lovely gift store), and many little clothing boutiques. There are four hotels. There are dentist offices and veterinarians. This town seems able to support these businesses AND Walmart. What is happening here that is not happening in other small towns across the Midwest? I should probably google that.

  Instead, I will invite you to make a trip to Keokuk just to see the Christmas lights display in the park. It's UNbelievable. I was going to link to the website, but the pictures do not do it justice. The fine folks of Keokuk, for 20 years or so, have gone all out to decorate the park with lights every Christmas. They don't stop at lights, though; they have built an entire Christmas wonderland with cottages, an animated train, a lollipop garden, and gosh. So, so much. There happened to be a nice ice storm here recently, too, so all the trees look like their branches are encased in glass. Gorgeous, I'm telling you.

  Halie and Kelly are out prowling around Keokuk, and are currently at the home of a kid named Mike, playing dominos. How wholesome is that! I like this place. A LOT.

• Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland and even stupider decisions
  

  Saturday, December 20, 2008

  Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland and even stupider decisions

  I have recently made a decision to drive my car out into a blizzard. Why? Because I have to get to the Target Center to see Yao! Game's not til tonight, but my plan is to creep my car very slowly down Cedar Avenue to the Mall of America, then take the light rail the rest of the way downtown. I'm dressing warm and bringing extra contact lenses in case I end up in a hotel, either downtown or in Bloomington, for the night. Adventure!!!