Videos of the Day - Chucklewood Critters

A pair of seasonal episodes of Chucklewood Critters...

Video of the Day - MST3K - Favorite Moments - Jack Frost

Video of the Day - MST3K - Favorite Moments - Jack Frost

Holiday Update (Martin Luther King, Winter, Valentine's)

Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday

Learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr. @ Wikipedia

The Meaning of The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday @ The King Center

Life has a large selection of photo collections featuring Martin Luther King Jr, and Coretta Scott King

Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story Comic (1957) @ Ethan Persoff

"What The World Needs Now/Abraham, Martin And John" : Tom Clay @ Stubby's House of Christmas

Things to Do on Martin Luther King Jr Day 2011 with Kids in New York City @ Mommy Poppins

Winter

The First Snow @ Cartoons of 1935

Handmade Kid Monster Snowshoes @ Craft

"Winters Eve" and "Snow" @ Vintage Kid's Books My Kid Loves

Valentine's Day

How-to get organized for February @ Tip Junkie

Valentine's Day Sweets @ delish

The Graphics Fairy has a vintage Cherub Riding Giant Heart clip art and a vintage image of an Anatomy Heart

A Vintage Cottage Home has a pair of vintage Valentines Day cards

Winter Comics Fun! The Mighty Isis in "Avalanche!!"

Here's a wee winter's tale from The Mighty Isis #4. Written by Steve Skeates (Spectre, Aquaman, Namor) with art by Mike Vosburg (Tales From the Crypt) and Bob Smith (Archie, Captain Atom, Super Friends).

Chapter 84.7: Olympics Fever

Lately, I've been extremely busy. Not just at work, but in my personal life, too. Important things have been back-burnered or tended to in dribs and drabs. I recently completed a piece that I'd only been able to write at random moments — not the way I like to write.

There have been some evenings after I've gotten one of the babies to sleep to find the other one not quite there yet, and I spend another 15-30 minutes trying to get her to sleep too.

And in the background, we've kept the Winter Olympics playing.

I've always enjoyed the winter games. There's something more accessible, more intimate than in the summer games. Indeed, now that there's no baseball in the summer games, I feel even more removed from them. I simply can't relate to men and women who can sprint faster than a stiff breeze. But I've skiied down a hill or two. I've sledded down hills. I've even fallen on my butt while trying to skate. The winter games seem more real to me.

After the tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, I feared that something worse might happen and I thought I might avoid the entire games. But my wife tuned into the opening ceremonies, and we've had them running ever since.

I haven't regretted it. Too soon, the games will be over, and I'll be happy to welcome spring training and baseball. But for now, I am enjoying the games as they offer a small sense of greatness in an otherwise stressful winter.

I'm going for gold for the rest of 2010.

Chapter 58.6: Cold Spring

I've railed about it before -- too much, I suspect -- but winter is supposed to get warmer as it approaches spring. Here it is, the first full day of spring, and I find myself toying with the thermostat and standing in the shower a little longer under the warm stream. It's freezing!

Last night, before I went to bed, I checked what the temperature was supposed to be -- to make sure the case of beer left over from St. Patrick's Day wouldn't explode in the porch. Needless to say, the beer came inside. I'm sure that in a couple weeks the temperatures will be above 45 consistently and the sunshine in the evening will enable me to jog before dinner and enjoy a bit more of the day.

But for now, damn! it's cold outside.

Chapter 56.6: Cold Hearts

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. And watch out for the ice. The first "major" winter storm to hit these parts has befallen the city, lashing out with such force that the train was about ten minutes late. I'll admit the area was slick and icy, and that's nothing to dismiss, but I worry about weathercasters and their ilk who try to say with a straight face that this is a big deal. Not at all. Now, showing the one I love that she's still the girl for me, that's a big deal.

Chapter 56.4: The Mouths of Babes

While I was waiting for the PATH train to embark this morning and braving the cold breeze that came in through the open doors, a mother and a small, crying child walked in. I couldn't see them through the other people standing, but I could hear his blubbering. I could barely make out the words through his crocodile tears. I wasn't sure whether his mother had taken something from him or swatted him -- possibly both. Then some words came through "...broke it." blubber blubber blubber. "You broke my head" ... blubber blubber "...broke my fucking head!"

I chuckled to myself, hoping I'd mis-heard the words. Soon after, the kid stopped crying.

Chapter 55.4: Winter?

I awoke to find a sheen of snow on the ground -- the slick, annoying kind that would have pissed me off if it hadn't been the first significant snowfall of the winter. Luckily, it wasn't so bad that we skidded or were in any real danger. I just want it to be spring again.

Chapter 53.3: Bah Humbug!

No, that's too strong, 'cause it is my favorite holiday.

It is beginning to feel a smidgen like Christmas. Perhaps it's the chill in the air or the news that Santa got waylaid somewhere over Denver and had to stop his time bending trip preparations with a layover in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Or maybe it's because I saw a small flake flash before my wandering eyes this morning as I got out of the PATH train station. Maybe it wasn't snow. Maybe it was a piece of windblown crud.

Or maybe it's because I'm about to get my Christmas wish: a couple hours off from work -- well, a few days, actually. But with the travel to see my loved ones and rip open a few presents and toss back a few beers, it'll feel almost like work. Almost. I'll have Tuesday.

No, what I'm looking forward to doing is mapping out a week of winter vacation to do whatever I want to do. At home. Cooking breakfast for my wife after making her late to her office (which is just a room away). Jogging more than 20 miles in a week -- in sunlight. And working on the novel. If I can finish the revisions in a week, it could be the second best vacation of my life -- after the one where I proposed to my wife, of course. At least I'd have an idea of how much work is needed. Then I could use my train commute to sketch out the next book or evaluate literary agents. That's work too, but it's future-focused work.

I'm reading Book Doctor on the train this week, by Esther Cohen. Funny. Some wonderful scenes and playful characters. Not as good as Ward Just's An Unfinished Season, which I finished earlier this week, but it moves along at a comfortable pace. I find myself wishing I knew someone like Arlette Rosen, the lead character in Book Doctor, who devises clever exercises to help writers see their characters and the focus of their books more clearly. I know what I'm writing; making it compelling seems to be my battle.

So I need another vacation. That's what I'm asking Santa for Christmas. Oh yeah, and an iPod.

Chapter 53.22: Winter Night

At some point soon -- either today or tomorrow, I've heard disputing reports -- winter begins. I believe it's today at 7:22 a.m. Regardless, the winter solstice is the shortest day (or the longest night depending on your perspective) of the year. Since I was curious, I poked around and found this site, which I find interesting. It talks about the solstice but also goes into some detail about Newgrange in Ireland. It's an incredible place to see, though I prefer a spring day when the weather's warmer.

Enjoy your winter, friends and readers. May the days grow longer.