Although only one day has passed, the recent spate of year-end assessments has convinced me that it's never too early to get started on assessing the year. So, here's my assessment of 2010 so far.
1. Category One--Archaeopteryx's posting in 2010. Only one post so far. Contains some form of the word "assessment" four five six times. Clearly, this rates a negative score: -4.
2. Category Two--Archaeopteryx's meals in 2010. Breakfast, January 1--Two small banana nut bran muffins, a container of yogurt, one pear. Score: -2. Lunch, January 1--All-you-can-eat buffet at Mazzio's. Pizza crust was too thick and chewy, accidentally picked up "hamburger" pizza thinking it was sausage, none of the varieties had mushrooms, salad bar mixed greens were wilted. Score: -5. Dinner, January 1--meal at friends' house included grilled andouille sausages (yum!) but also weird, flavorless beef sausages. Mrs. Friend made unfortunately named "Pea Pie" which contained chorizo sausage, spinach, and mushrooms, as well as otherwise inedible but traditionally required black-eyed peas. It was delightful. Mrs. Arch made her always-fantastic potato casserole. Score: +8. Overall food score: +1.
3. Category Three--Archaeopteryx's football watching in 2010. Archaeopteryx's alma mater Auburn prevails in wild overtime victory over Northwestern in the Mazzio's Pizza Bowl. +5. However, in the Pea Pie Bowl, Florida, led by Jesus-Loving Crybaby Tim Tebow, stomps Cincinnati, thus vindicating the BCS selection committee and setting back by several years the fight for a college football playoff, and increasing the possibility of having to watch Tebow burst into tears every time whichever NFL team is foolish enough to draft him is walloped by the Colts. -4, with an extra -3 penalty for the convoluted structure of that last sentence. Overall football score: -2.
4. Category Four--Archaeopteryx's birdwatching in 2010. A trip to a nearby lake yielded sightings of ring-necked ducks, a pair of hooded mergansers, numerous buffleheads, and a winter-plumage common loon. Nothing but good here; Score: +5.
5. Category Five--Miscellaneous. Beautiful, but cold, weather allowed some yard work; however two hours of raking leaves caused soreness in recently broken arm. Playing with new iPod was fun, but cut into valuable internet-time-wasting. One incident of cat vomit, but this was discovered by Mrs. Arch, who then, according to house rules, had to clean it up. Score: 0.
Adding the scores together gives an overall score of....well....zero. So, on balance, 2010 has been, um, balanced. Perhaps further assesment of the year is warranted. Check back with me day after tomorrow.
9 comments:
Ah, dangit, forgot to stop by on my year-end rounds. Happy Holiday to you too. May the flying spaghetti monster touch you with his noodly appendage.
My year has started out with gluttony (including peas, but not in pie form), a happy excursion off the hated wagon, job avoidance (three days and counting, baby!), and unpaid manual labor. So I'll call it a mixed bag so far too.
Hiya, Keifus! Glad to hear to fell off the wagon. It's evil.
Ah, the coveted "balance"! Good for you!
I have found many, many ways to waste time with my iPod - and oddly enough they can often be enlightening too!
Bob Edwards' shows are awesome, the podcasts from Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me and various courses from "The Teaching Company."
All in all, it blends well with the crappy 70's and 80's music that I love.
Happy New Year!
(I'm stuck about the game Thursday - I can't stand Texas or Nick Saban)
Arty, I don't want "balance." I want to win! We had one of those winner days yesterday. We drove up to Holla Bend Wildlife Refuge to birdwatch, and were rewarded with about a half-dozen eagles, along with numerous snow geese, white pelicans, hawks of various flavors, a striped skunk (not technically a bird) and a couple of half-grown armadillos. So that's a big win.
I've finally been convinced that I should hold my nose and root for Bama tonight, even though it goes against every fiber of my Auburn-alum being. But it would make the SEC look that much better (four champions in a row!) and so when Arkansas or Auburn wins the national championship next year, it'll mean that much more.
Snow geese and white pelicans! Where do you think you are, Yellowstone?
That's awesome. We are having a rather large infiltration of Baltimore Orioles (the bird kind) and they're beautiful. Some of them spending quite a bit of time at the feeders ... even the seed feeders! I've gone through three large jars of Welch's grape jelly in the last few days.
We also have some small, grayish birds that I've yet to identify. I think they are some kind of woodland bunting that usually stays in the trees but it's too darn cold.
Yeah, I think I'm going to have to root for Bama too. That's a good point about the SEC. Also, did I tell you that I simply hate Texas? The state, not the school. I mean all things Texas. Blech.
Except for Michael Ryerson. I don't hate him.
But he is the exception that proves my rule.
I can't get to "win" and I can't get to "balance" either. By January 4th I realized I was completely over-extended and my year was ruined.
Day four.
Back to the Internet.
Hah! Yellowstone. Go take a look at my facebook page.
I have to admit that, as a good Arkie, I used to hate Texas. Then I found out that it has some of the coolest habitat (parts of it still have prairie-chickens!) in the country, and a huge number of birds you just can't find anywhere else in the US, and some awesome barbeque, and one or two really neat people.
Also, are your birds Juncos?
I think they ARE Juncos! Really cute little things!
Your June plans look fabulous. We're heading up and out in late May and hoping to get back into Glacier and Yellowstone, and then end up in San Antonio July 4.
I may have to include some Prairie Chicken searching.... Texas.
But, yes, there are some nice people there. Maybe two. Maybe three.
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