Now that the Holiday season is over my Friday routine is forced to return to normal. For the past 6 weeks, Friday night meant returning from work, pouring a Strong Beer and watching the Lionel Polar Express Train under our tree. The beer has a bit of alcohol so one sip means I am in for the night and one beer does the trick (since I am a light weight). It pours like motor oil, is chock full of calories and taste and at 10.5% alcohol I would say it is the beer equivalent of my wife's coffee. After the beer we'd throw in a Christmas movie, eat popcorn and candy and feel particularly festive. Then the movie ends and our boys start using the cleared out area of the Great Room Floor (where they just laid out to watch the movie) as their wrestling area - it's as if sitting still for an 1 1/2 hour movie is too much and dictates this exercise. Patty's threshold for this, correctly, is much lower than mine. I know the activity is necessary and I am initially slightly amused. But, predictably, it degenerates into the inmates running the asylum. Apparently, roughhousing and listening to Mom or Dad are mutually exclusive activities. I usually ended up standing up and saying something like "Knock it off, or next Christmas Movie just Mom and I will watch!!" - obviously an empty threat - I think they know this, but it does bring calm.
However, now that the season is over, it means a return to the weekly (or so) blog post. This is good because I can sense a collective sigh from my many blog readers. For the uninitiated, the blog is so good many have wondered why The Economist and/or the WSJ have not contacted me to write a weekly business column.
Last year I received the most (if I am being completely honest - the only) response from "Hot Dog", "Ferguson" and "Fighting" themed posts. So, as I am certain you just guessed, expect "Hot Dogs and Violence" to be the theme of 2015. I will also try to figure out how to incorporate Sex and Insurance as I am certain this will be met with matching fanfare. I venture this will be a delicate process as a leaning to the former could result in an overtly pornographic site. I will shy away from this....... unless it results in dramatic earnings growth - then, of course, expect more. I am very, very principled person..... until the price is right.