Nausea Shreds Yr Head

Here we are on December 17 and the high today in the Boston area is supposed to reach close to 60. I played football yesterday in shorts. We're a week from Christmas and the grass is still green. What's wrong with this picture?

Don't get me wrong, I like to be able to go running in shorts as long as possible, but it's hard to get into the Christmas spirit when the weather is far from wintry. In years past, we'd be shivering in our boots and dreaming of 60-degree days. We've had a couple of chilly days and a slight dusting of snow, but the worst winter weather I've seen was when I was stuck in St. Louis a couple of weeks ago.

As a result, the holiday is really sneaking up on me this year. It's not that I'm not aware of it. How could I miss it, with the girls watching Christmas specials and our tree in full effect and all that? But I've been so busy at work that it has been easy to forget that we're only a week away. I need to get some shopping done, but I've got too much work stuff to do today. Looks like I'll be finishing up during the week sometime. Typical.

Pass the nog:

• The Leafs shellacked the Rangers last night, 9-2, in about as unlikely a result as you'll see this year. It was 5-1 after the first and 8-1 after the second. Just a total mismatch. A lot of folks expected the opposite to happen. It was Toronto's third win in a row after losing seven straight. Maybe they've turned the ship around.
• I was pleased that the Jays were able to sign supastar Vernon Wells to a long-term deal (seven years, $126 million). He was going to be a free agent after next year and would have commanded much more. For a while, it seemed a certainty they would have traded Wells instead of losing him to free agency, but this helps them keep up with the Sox and Yankees. They still need to get some more pitching, but they'll be tough next year.
• Some guy in Wisconsin ran over a seven-legged deer the other day. Wonder what's polluting their water out there?
• Time magazine named its Person of the Year and guess what? It's you. No offense, but what a cop out. Apparently, we all use computers and the Interweb and whatnot. Wow. Do we all get a trophy?