Probably The Last Post of 2010

Well I certainly hope everyone has had a pleasant holiday. I can say with certainty that we in Hickersonia have, in spite of a few stressful moments and gripes here and there. We did end up spending more than I originally wanted on Christmas related things (doubled our Christmas budget at the last minute, actually), but we still kept our total expenditure well below the $658 amount the so-called “average” American has apparently spent this year and made absolutely no purchases on credit. I guess I'd call that a financially successful Christmas.

So, moving on, I do have a certain disappointment to share with this post. I have found some surprise in who has chosen to contact me this season to wish me a Merry Christmas and the like, while certain others have, well... not. I understand many of us our quite busy, but I think most of us still have time to shoot off a text message or a wall post on Facebook. Many of my friends didn't even do that.

Okay, I'll admit there are people that I didn't contact too. I guess what that means is I understand first-hand why I was “forgotten.” Not that I don't care, or that they don't care, but that we obviously don't care enough, so while I can accept some blame on the matter as it comes to those who might point a finger at me, that doesn't make me any less disappointed with those who I hoped to hear from, at least briefly, this season.

Moving on again, I wanted to share something of a lighter nature. This year, my son's “Christmas haul” included a NERF gun. I noticed it at Meijer a couple months ago and decided that it was about time he be introduced to some projectile fun (that didn't involve large, heavy objects flying around the rooms of our 800 square foot apartment). The model we purchased is the Maverick Rev-6, a six-shooter which included six plunger darts (at least one of which my son has already misplaced) that will, using the amazing power of suction, stick to many flat surfaces.

Of course, after our son opened this thing and started playing with it, I decided that I had to have one too... but I wasn't about to be out-done by a mere six-shooter. I browsed online for the right foam firearm and, after reviewing some of them close up at the store, chose the Raider CS-35.

As the name might suggest, this thing is designed to fire 35 darts prior to reloading, and for that purpose carries a drum magazine that reminds me of the combat shotgun from Fallout 3. That similarity may actually even be one of the things that attracted me to this particular design...

And so, hilarity ensues. Well, not for you because you aren't here to witness it, but my son absolutely loves this stuff and I've found that apparently I do too.  Once in a while it is nice to share something fun with one's children, right?

Anyway, I hope everyone has enjoyed a blessed Christmas, and I hope the new year is good to everyone as we move forward.  Maybe the new year will bring me more things to blog about, eh?  Hopefully fun things, if so.