The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Like every holiday season, it was hectic and draining this year. Many presents were opened. A lot of food was eaten. A number of people called for the family to do shots. Movies and football were watched. Music was played. Laughs were had. There was one moment, however, which stood out from the rest this past Christmas season. A family member of mine had alienated himself from the rest of the family for the past 10-15 years. I hadn't seen this individual for roughly 8 or 9 years. After hearing about an awful accident this person was involved in, I wondered to myself if we'd ever see each other and interact again. I thought, "Was it really worth it? The grudge(s) which prevented you from spending time with the family?" That's one thing that's always struck me about grudges. None of us know full well when our time will come in this life, so if tragedy strikes either us or an individual to whom we've given the silent treatment for years, how much regret wi...

Well, here it is, my final blog of 2015! I hope all my readers have a fun and safe evening tonight and hope 2016 is your best year yet! Happy New Year everybody! Cheers!

I'm going to attempt to add a couple of writings before I leave town this afternoon, but I still have other things to get done in the meantime, so we'll see what happens on that front. In any case, I wanted to wish all of my readers a very safe and joyous Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa and New Year! I'll be back before too long, so I'll be sure to chime in again before the clock strikes midnight at the start of 2016! Have a great end to your year, a great start to 2016, and hopefully, no matter how you fared in 2015, 2016 is an even brighter, better chapter in your lives!

Well, I'm about to call it a day with writing so I can finish a few things around the house in preparation for company this holiday weekend. My writing over this extended weekend will likely be minimal. It has already been an interesting weekend, considering how Mother Nature decided to make her presence felt in over half the country (32 states, I believe). Given that and all the crazy things that can happen during family get-togethers, I wish everyone a very fun and safe holiday weekend! Remember to eat a lot of food, drink a lot of booze, share many laughs, and don't watch Fox News.

I just wanted to send my thoughts out to late-night talk show host and satirist Stephen Colbert and his family after learning about his (their) mother passing away recently at the age of 92. He, along with Jon Stewart, George Carlin, and several others, have all been major influences in my writing through the years, and I hold a great amount of respect for each of them. So, again, my thoughts go out to him and his family. I hope being with one another through this difficult time and also the comedy show help in the healing process. Take care. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20709467,00.html

I just thought I'd warn readers that I'll be heading out of town tomorrow afternoon and won't be returning until Sunday evening sometime, I believe. Due to this, it's highly unlikely I'll be able to write much, if at all, over these next 3-4 days. When I return home on Sunday night, while I'll try to get caught up with the weekend's headlines and interesting or oddball stories, my first focus will be on finishing my upcoming book - the third installment of the LOL at the GOP series. Well, I better get to packing. I hope everyone has a fun, yet relaxing, and very safe holiday weekend! Take care!

As I'll likely be too busy tonight spending time with family, tomorrow spending time with my girlfriend, and spending time with my dad on New Year's watching college football games, I thought I'd wish all my readers a very Happy New Year! I hope that 2013 treats you better than 2012 or any other preceding year did! Be safe and have fun!

I'm heading out of town tomorrow to spend some time with family, so I'll be unable to blog for the next week. I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas or if they celebrate a different holiday, a wonderful holiday season. I wish everyone safe travels, to have fun, and I hope Santa Claus wasn't overly liberal with his giving of coal this year!