Well, this is strange. I was answering some e-mails tonight and as usual I had the television on with the volume down. I started doing this to catch the weather report on the news. While I was writing a reply to one message I noticed an old familiar �numbness� in my left ear. It had the same old effect of making all sound dampen as if someone stuffed cotton in my ear.
Now this has not happened to me in many years. But it used to happen fairly often and in fact it was why I decided to learn sign language so many years ago. This episode only lasted about 30 seconds and I found it quite curious. It did not frighten me at all, I just thought it was kind of fascinating. Oh well, it was probably nothing, but maybe I should brush up more on my ASL skills (American Sign Language).
In other news, I will be making final arrangements in the next few days for my trip to California in June. I will be going with my friends Drew and Leah and the airfare, hotel and rental car will come to a total of just over $1200 for all three of us. That is just over $400 each. Other expenses will include gas, food and perhaps some trinkets for others here. We will be there for the Gay Pride parade on the 27th and may even march with the PFLAG contingent. I already have $1100 saved up just for the trip and I am sure that will be more than enough and of course, any funds left over will remain in my vacation fund for my next trip which will probably be a cruise. Even though the trip is still over six months away, I have been thinking about it a lot. It will be nice to visit my old haunts. :-)
Well, other than that nothing much is going on. Christmas came and went. I spent the day cleaning house as I don�t really celebrate holidays any more or even birthdays for that matter. I simply don�t see the point of putting aside special days to be joyous and endeavor to attempt that cheer every day. Besides, it all seems so commercialized anyway. So much of the holidays revolve around economics instead of what they are supposed to. I just don�t buy into all of that. One thing I found odd this season. My boss in the deli department bought everyone a scratch off ticket packet and included it in a card with a small angel pendant. Though I was appreciative of the thought and expressed my gratitude to her I kept the card and returned the tickets to her stating that I do not gamble. I did keep the pendant however. It just seemed odd to me in the fact that the gift as presented could be viewed as a conflict of faith. While on one hand there was the faith represented in heavenly things (the angels) and then the hope or a sense of faith in �lady luck� or chance. I definitely prefer the former and while I have nothing against the lottery and have even been successful in the past at winning both a $500 and $100 ticket (while having spent around $300 total), I would just rather not bother with playing against the odds at all. For me it would just serve as another distraction to diminish my sense of focus on what I truly find important. But that�s just me. My faith will not be divided in that manner.
Well, that�s it for now. And while I don�t celebrate holidays I probably will make a pot of pork and sauerkraut for new years. I guess ya gotta keep some of the old traditions! :-)
