The 12 Days of Christmas: Days 8-12

         You'll be happy to know that I did finish off the last five days of my twelve days of Christmas commitment and due to a vicious onset of the flu I have plenty of time to get things recorded. Here are the last few things I ended up doing:

DAY 8: 
         To finish off I decided to go and see what the Bible had to say about 12-12-12 and apply whatever it said to my life. So I looked up the twelfth book in the old testament (2 Kings) chapter 12, verse 12. It speaks of the king Jehoash who after having so many wicked kings was a righteous and upstanding one. He commanded that the breaches and parts of the Temple that were destroyed should be rebuilt and those masons and carpenters that worked on it were rewarded for their service. An obvious application would be that those who work to build up Zion will be blessed and that we should all make it a top priority to do the work of God. Not a bad thought this close to New Years.

DAY 9: 
         While learning more about the number 12 on the world wide web I found something called the
Duodecimal system. This is a numbering system based around the number 12 which is said to be the optimal numbering system due to its flexibility. Unfortunately at first I confused this with the Dewy decimal system used in libraries which has nothing to do with the number twelve so I ended up accidentally familiarizing myself with both systems. Oh well.

DAY 10:
          Today was sort of a holiday in and of it self. 12-21-12: the end of the world. My celebration was a bit less Holly and Jolly due to the fact that my days as a boy scout taught me to always be prepared. In the morning I ran down to Sportsman's Warehouse and got fitted for my Bear Encounter compound bow I lovingly named 'El Buwitre' (Merry Christmas zombies) and then did a little research about possible methods on how the world could end. One I found interesting was about planet X also known as the Twelfth planet or Nibiru. Apart from the far fetched Scifi ridiculousness that follows Nibiru the main concern was that it eventually would orbit through our solar system throwing a wrench in this nice planetary engine that makes life so livable on Earth. I don't think El Buwitre would help with that so hopefully Nibiru leaves us alone.

DAY 11: 
          Funny how nothing says its Christmas like wearing obnoxious clothing. Luckily my Mom has never been one to buy me embarrassing Christmas sweaters so I don't have to suffer from post traumatic sweater disorder annually, in fact goofy sweaters have a certain appeal that inspired today's adventure. I explored several thrift stores and found 12 of my favorites and then bought one to wear for our traditional Christmas program. The pickings were slim that close to Christmas day but I settled on a blue turtle neck and now that its all over I'm considering burning it. We'll see if it survives till next year.

DAY 12: 

         Lastly in order to help get rid of all of the holiday delights so my Dad wouldn't be tempted to eat them for the usual midnight snack I ate 12 Christmas desserts while actively listening to 12 Christmas songs. Unfortunately the flu has again temporarily changed my outlook on acceptable eating habits so we may need to find more creative ways to get rid of them now. So much for human garbage disposal.

     
          Normally the end of a semester and the first couple weeks back home are unproductive and boring so it was great to have an excuse to go and do something unusual each and every day. Now the hunt starts to find a job to occupy my time from now until April. Should be delightful as always.

The 12 Days Of Christmas: Days 2-7

         Continuing my 12-12-12 celebration I did some basic things over the past couple days that don't take too much explaining so they're easy to shove together. Finishing up finals and traveling back home meant I had to get a little creative with what I could do.

DAY 2:
         Most of this day was straight classes and Studying for tests. I did find a minute in between sessions to write something nice on 12 different people's Facebook walls just to let them know that I think they're awesome. I have a lot of wonderful friends and it felt good to say something nice about them. I don't do it enough.

DAY 3:
         This day was interesting. I could say that I spent 12 hours taking tests (and I don't mean studying for tests, I mean actually taking them) but that didn't seem appropriate. Instead here is a list of twelve things about Christmas that makes it the best holiday.
-The lights: I remember that back during my days delivering papers my late night/early morning voyages were more than bearable while I was holding a giant thermos of hot chocolate and surrounded by thousands of colorful lights.
-The decorations: Other holidays have a couple of traditional decorations that my Mom will put out but every Christmas our house is turned upside down and transformed into a red and green holiday haven. Makes it easy to remember what season it is.
-The atmosphere: Christmas Spirit is a term that's used a lot but there actually is a special feeling that Christmas brings that make people nicer and life brighter. Speculate what you will about why but to describe it as divine is not a stretch.
-The time off: Other holidays are easier to work through but for the most part Christmas provides enough time off to let people travel or relax the way they can't the rest of the year. There are unfortunate exceptions but it is often better.
-The family: With the added flexibility of a national holiday more family is able to visit. We don't see extended family a ton so that is always a bonus.
-The food: Obviously.
-The smells: Somewhat related to food are the wonderful smells that fill the house when you have a Mom that loves to bake for people. Things perpetually smell like cinnamon and ginger and I love it.
-The sales: If you aren't looking for merchandise that everyone else is looking for then it can be nice to play clean up around the holidays. Stores have some good deals.
-The gifts: Not just receiving but giving. If you made a wise choice and the person you put that much thought into is thrilled with the gift you got for them the feeling that follows is priceless.
-The weather: I've lived in Vegas all my life so that might explain why I like the winter. I don't have to shovel snow and a break from the brutal Nevada summers is fantastic.
-The stories: Stories of Christmas miracles are easy ways to edify and recommit yourself to be better. They are inspiring and life changing.
-The bad Christmas sweaters: Much like those Hawaiian shirts that tourists wear you wouldn't see a Christmas sweater any time other than Christmas. They are atrocious in the best way so I can't help but like them.

DAY 4:
         Like I said previously I like Christmas stories. I had packing, cleaning and driving to do so I decided when I got to my friends apartment I would read 12 Christmas stories that I had never read before. Some were a little cheesy but I found a couple that I really liked. It wasn't hard to find them and its a nice thing to research.

DAY 5:
         While I was still at my friends place we decided we would watch 12 Christmas specials from 12 different television shows. The shows were: Community, The Office, Parks and Rec, Psych, Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock, Modern Family, Arrested Development, Invader Zim, Myth Busters, Adventure Time and My Name is Earl. Not a bad list in my opinion.

DAY 6:
         During the drive home I figured it would be simple enough to spell out '6th day of Christmas' using licence plate numbers that I came across along the way. It was harder than I thought but the drive was long enough to get it done. Made the drive seem a little quicker too.

DAY 7: 
         Today I thought I'd scour the internet (look on Wikipedia) to find an awesome fact about the number 12. I discovered that in the body there are 12 cranial nerves. Number one is the Olfactory nerve which senses smell. Number two is the Optic nerve which processes sight. Third, fourth and fifth are called the  Oculomotor, Trochlear and Abducens nerves, all of which control eye movements. The sixth is the Trigeminal nerve which has to do with sensations in the face. The Facial nerve obviously deals with facial expressions and also some taste. Eighth is both called the Acoustic or Vestibulocochlear nerve which deals with hearing and balance. Ninth is the Glossopharyngeal nerve which tastes and tenth which is the Vagus nerve controls voice, neck and the parasympathetic system. Number eleven is called the Accessory or spinal-accessory which is neck and arm support and last is the Hypoglossal nerve which deals with tongue movement, speech and swallowing. Interesting stuff right there.

       So there's the update. It's tricky to come up with so many things when you're lazy. More to come if you're lucky.

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Day One

         Here I go again assigning myself unneeded projects to work on when there is so much else that should be occupying my time instead. Considering the fact that last year I decided to make a big deal about 11-11-11 it didn't seem fair not to do the same thing this year. After all 12-12-12 is quite a bit more special. It is the last time that we will have a date like this for the rest of our lives. There will never be a 13-13-13 so if I was to let the day pass by without some sort of celebration I would never forgive myself. Why? Because I look for every opportunity to give myself a hard time. I guess I look like one of those people who deserve a good pummeling so I always need to be wary not to give myself an excuse. Maybe some day we'll reach an understanding but for now I always need to be looking over my shoulder knowing what an easy target I am for myself.

         The problem is last year I had so much time on my hands to plan and pull off my shenanigans while this year it falls right in the middle of finals week. Dropped right in the thick of everything to get swallowed up and forgotten. Instead of overloading myself with a daunting list of 12 things in one day I decided the solution was to spread out my list over the next 12 days. I would knock out one thing a day leading up to Christmas and called this plan "The 12 days of Christmas". I hope you're not unimpressed with my lack of originality but, instead, find yourself applauding my realization of this phenomenal coincidence. Thank the fates for such wonderful timing. 

           

         For the first day I took my camera along and committed myself to take 12 pictures of things that made me happy. Here are the pictures I took.

          First on the list: I like late night pow-wows with the roommates. This often leads to late nights and unpleasant mornings but they are always enjoyable when the happen. The other night we even stayed up because one of my roommate talked another one into getting a pinterest account and after having it for 10 minutes he decide he was going to make a pecan coffee cake at 1 in the morning. This sort of thing was not uncommon.

         Second on the list: my couch. Staying up late inevitably leads to much needed mid-day naps. I've tried sleeping on couches in other peoples apartments so I know not to take mine for granted. It is surprisingly comfortable, so much that I sleep on it more than my bed. In fact one time when I came home from campus to catch some shut eye before my next class started I fell asleep on my couch wrapped in my big, blue blanket and had a dream that I woke up still wrapped in my blue blanket laying on a different couch in an apartment that I didn't recognize. A stranger was standing in the room staring at me and I could tell from his face that he was just as confused at my presence there as I was. After a short apology I set off to find my way back to my apartment and my couch. In the dream I never made it back to my apartment and I later woke up just as confused as I was when the dream started. Apparently I don't just miss my couch when I'm away from home but even while I'm sleeping on it.

          Third: my steed. It makes my life so much easier and I pity all those who are forced to walk to and from campus multiple times a day or buy a parking pass for their car and then fight over available spaces. Hooray for accelerated, compact, and stylish mobility.

         Fourth: my calculus class. Not to me misleading, I have never liked math and it has never liked me, but there were somethings that made me happy about the class. First of all this was the last day I had to go before I was done with calculus forever. It would no longer torment my dreams and cause me useless stress that would never end up benefiting me in any way, shape, or form in the future. Secondly my teacher was hilarious. Only he could get away with calling his students dogs and hairballs and he actively encouraged lots of name calling in his class along with telling us fun stories from his past as a football couch. To make things better as I went to take a picture of him at 12:12 his phone went off and he answered it in the middle of class. I may just miss his antics.




         Fifth: The ability to run. Again, don't get confused. I'm not one of those health nuts who gets depressed if they haven't ran their daily 20 mile route. I have, however, realized how nice it is to have the ability to run after wearing a surgical boot and limping around for months. The other day I was finally able to run sprints and it felt great. Not just because of endorphins and self gratification but also because now I know that if the end of the world really is here I will be able to effectively outrun any zombie hoard that decides to pursue me. I was lucky that there was no need to flee a situation with haste during this semester and now I can feel good about potential threats in the future.

           Sixth: Eating out. Generally I'm so thrifty that it's somewhat depressing so when I find a good enough excuse to treat myself it is a good day. In this case it was an Arby's chicken, bacon and swiss with curly fries and a tall Dr. Pepper. Thank goodness for the holiday.
   

         Seventh: Jamming to tunes in the car. Sometimes head phones just aren't enough. There are times that I need to be swimming it. Surrounded by a fast, loud cadence with a powerful bass that you can feel pulsating throughout your body. There aren't many things that make me happier.
        



         Eighth: Free candy canes. They taste good and are a nice place to get a quick sugar fix in the middle of the day while your staving and can't go home yet. More than that it is also nice to know that when you are surrounded and your recently reattained ability to run proves useless you have something in your pocket that can be quickly crafted into a makeshift shank with nothing more than your tongue. Macgyver would be proud.

         Ninth: the cinema. Especially the dollar theater. It may take a little longer for movies to get there but forking over two bucks to see a movie in a theater in well worth it. I love everything about movies and seeing them is always a fun experience for me. 

         Tenth: places like Sammy's. Not only do they have big burgers, sweet potato fries and pie shakes but half the place is completely dedicated to amateur artists performing their work on a stage. Open mike Monday through Thursday and touring, indy bands every weekend. Some of the bands can be hit and miss but listening to free music live while eating a burger is a tension reliever while at college. 

      
       Eleventh: Christmas lights are up. It is easy to enjoy seeing Christmas lights up everywhere. Everything looks bright and fun causing you to forget what ever was weighing down on you. It isn't Christmas without the neighborhood glowing in a variety of colors.
     
          Twelfth and last: evening walks. School means stress. Stress means time needed to unwind. Walks at night when things are calm and the weather is brisk can be a brilliant relief from building tension. The longer the walk the more rubbish you can get rid of along the way. Its nice to be able to walk alone without having to worry about trouble too. I am in Rexburg with two working feet and an edible shank after all.

        The first day was a bit bumpy but I'll report on my progress every once in a while throughout the next 12 days of Christmas. Hope you guys are doing something productive and fun as well.