We are one month away from the end of 2023. My Resolution Points sheet for this year is well short of the 200 point goal that I set for myself (which was double previous years' goals). I thought that some of the tasks (such as exercise for 15 minutes for at least four days in a week) that I added would make for some easy wins, but they have instead just emphasized how far I have fallen. November certainly didn't add much to the overall score. That's not to say that nothing happened, just that I didn't make any significant gains. 

Oh well ... regardless, this was still a fairly full month. Here are some of the highlights:

• The first weekend of the month held our second DDF tournament. With most of my experienced team members practicing for the school musical (and for some reason banned from competing by the director), we did not have as strong of a showing, but they still seemed to be having fun.
• I held a Ms. Marvel marathon leading up to The Marvels premiere. Only Rowen and I attended both, but we still had fun. I enjoyed the movie enough that we went again the following weekend--this time with Connor (who liked the movie more than any MCU movie since Spider-Man: No Way Home). 
• We had a snow day! Anchorage did remote learning for a week.
• We finished watching Loki Season 2--which Connor absolutely loved.
• I started a new diabetes medication: Trulicity. The digestive fun has not stopped since.
• I took a day off of work (but spent most of the day working) so that I could drive Connor to his appointments to get his braces off.
• Connor earned his driver's license and has taken his first couple of solo drives.
• I discovered that Scarlet (my ATV) has warmers for the grips, making plowing much more comfortable.
• We cleaned out the carport in preparation for parking Mera (our Prius) there.
• We had dress up days for the week of Thanksgiving, and I learned a bit about my students.
• We signed up for the Drive Safe & Save app and program.
• We had a great Thanksgiving.
• I decided that I will "run" an Ahsoka marathon for upcoming birthday.
• Janelle and I drove to Anchorage, and I purchased a new 2023 Kia Sportage ("spore TAZH") that I have named Tifa. Mera is now Trevor's vehicle (although, as of today, he does not have his license) and is parked in the carport.
• We had a week of rain that has made the roads terrible and me grateful for Tifa.
• I completed the Spider-Man 2 video game.

That seems like plenty for so little of the month counting towards my resolution points.

Just two weeks ago Connor had a physical therapy appointment. Because of my scheduled D&D game, I was able to drop him off, but Janelle had to pick him up. Today, he had a similar appointment at a similar time; however, this time, he had his license and, as Trevor still doesn't have his, Mera was available. With Trevor's permission, Connor drove to and from his own appointment today, just his second solo drive.

I was a little concerned about it as he needed to take a left onto the highway during one of its busier times (during non-tourism season). He had also seemed a little hesitant as he said it was up to me if we were going to take him or if he drove himself. Thus, I made certain that I got home today soon enough that I could take him back into town. 

However, as I was driving down our road, I saw Mera's headlights coming in my direction. Connor had left a little early to give himself plenty of time. I don't fully know why, but something about that situation brought a lump to my throat as we passed each other in opposite directions.

I've been disappointed with the weather this past week. Temperatures well above freezing combined with days of rain instead of snow and a lack of adequate plowing have left our roads an absolute mess. Unfortunately, the reprieve is always a couple of days away and does not include predictions of snowfall to make up for what we have lost. 

The real problem has been our dogs, especially Starbuck. They understandably don't like going out in the cold rain, but absolutely hate going out when there's any chance of snow falling off the roof. Even when they are safely inside, the sound of snow coming off the roof seems to make them believe that the house is about to fall apart. We had a least two nights this weekend where Starbuck whined throughout the night.

Basically, I'm ready for this rain to come to an end. I would also be grateful for a nice coating of snow to give some texture to the nearly zambonied roads as well as an overall prettier winter picture. I'd be happy to not see any more rain until spring.

I've recently seen a meme that goes something along the lines of "They say that they want to put Christ back in Christmas, but they continually remove Christ from Christianity." It puts me in mind of Mahatma Gandhi's famous quote: "I like your Christ, [but] I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Today celebrates the perfection of Jesus Christ at the end of the liturgical year. I could not help but think about how unlike Christ so many self-proclaimed Christians actually are ... including myself. 

Today's Gospel reading specifically warns Christians that they need to be more than Christians in name only. Jesus tells His disciples that, at the end of time, He will separate the sheep from the goats. Both believe that they are followers of Him, but only the sheep fully recognized that Christ resides in every one of us, and that when we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the ill, and visit those imprisoned, we are doing this to Christ Himself. However, the goats clearly do not see Christ in their brethren and are surprised that they did not follow Christ's teachings. Perhaps they felt that tradition and ritual alone was all that they needed. Perhaps they condemned others for not being their type of Christian, or removed themselves from the world as a way to save only themselves.

As noted in today's homily, it's essential that we realize that it is not for us to judge who will be saved and who will be condemned at the end of time. That appropriation of Christ's ultimate task is the opposite of what Jesus asks of us. Rather, our concern should be with ourselves and whether we are following the path laid out for us. The path is clear; Jesus repeated His instructions to the disciples four times in today's Gospel. However, it is not as easy a thing to do as it is to condemn others who stumble on their way. Jesus does not expect our perfection, but He does want us to make progress on our journey.

Janelle and I drove to Anchorage today together, but drove back separately as we added another vehicle to our family: a 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid that I've named Tifa (after Tifa Lockheart of Final Fantasy 7 fame). I really should have taken pictures when she was still in the daylight, let alone fresh from the car wash and detailing. However, I still think that she looks almost as good as she drives.

There are some things that bother me a little bit. The main one is the lack of a push button start and keyless entry--which I expected. An unfortunate surprise is the lack of arm rests on the doors. Sure, I can put my arm there, but I was met only with hard plastic. It's not the worst for short trips, but the drive back to Anchorage had me wishing for a small pillow. I'm also not entirely sold on the dial design for the shifter.

Now that the negative is out of the way, Tifa provided the smoothest driving experience that I can remember. Not only is the exterior a distinctive design, the interior is spacious and comfortable (aside from the lack of door arm rests). The driving modes give a significant difference to the feel of the drive. Usually, I don't like "Eco" modes because they feel underpowered, but this one not only provided my preferred green color to the screen, it had the necessary pep with no sense of hesitation. For that matter, without the indication on the dash, I could not detect any physical difference between driving with the gas engine or the electrical motor, nor was there any indication of the shift between them. Meanwhile, the "Snow" setting made my drive through my slushy road almost feel like I was driving on the dirt road when it was dry. 

I'm also a tremendous fan of the wireless Apple Car Play. It was easy to set up and provided the information I needed without the screen getting in the way (which some of the larger screens seem to do). It took me a little bit to get used to not having the traditional intermittent wipers, but once I figured out my preferred setting for them, the rain-sensing wipers were an absolute marvel on today's dark and wet drive home. I still need to get used to some of the controls (some buttons work the opposite of their counterparts on Mera), but I think that this is the start of a wonderful relationship.

In just under a month, I turn 50. As most of you know, I have a tradition of watching a collection of movies for my birthday. However, I've had difficulty choosing one this year as I don't want one that lasts the entire day (I've even held two-day marathons in the past) since all of my children and grandchildren will be here. For that reason I also do not I want to watch something too frightening. Still, I would like to have it be something that represents my interests, as well as something that I'm eager to watch again.

With those considerations in mind, my current plan is to watch the recent TV mini-series Ahsoka. It is something that I like, represents my interests, does not have frightening parts, and it is relatively short. In fact, it levels some of the afternoon and all of the evening open for games or other activities. 

Thus, the tentative schedule is this:
9:00 AM – 9:55 AM         Part One: Master and Apprentice
10:00 AM – 10:42 AM        Part Two: Toil and Trouble
10:45 AM – 11:20 AM        Part Three: Time to Fly
11:25 AM – 12:05 PM         Part Four: Fallen Jedi
12:10 AM – 1:01 PM         Part Five: Shadow Warrior
1:05 PM – 1:53 PM         Part Six: Far, Far Away
1:55 PM – 2:40 PM         Part Seven: Dreams and Madness
2:45 PM – 3:33 PM         Part Eight: The Jedi, the Witch and the Warlord

I just hope that Starlink and Disney Plus are in a cooperative mood that day.

While much of Thanksgiving is focused on a fantastic meal, it's true purpose is to remind us of the points of joy and hope that occurred this past year, no matter how dark it might have been. After all, our first national holiday of Thanksgiving was during the Civil War, our most divided time. Considering how divided our nation has been and how chaotic our world seems, this is the time to be grateful for what we have.

For myself, I've had an extremely blessed year. I am certainly thankful for everything that God has provided for me and my family. I am especially blessed to be partnered with Janelle, my beautiful, talented, and wonderous wife. The two of us are extremely grateful for our children and grandchildren who fill our lives with joy. We are glad that Katrina's family was able to travel up here this past summer and that they and Alex will be up here for Christmas. For my part, I am also quite thankful that I had the chance to see family and friends this past August during my AP training in Michigan.

I am also so thankful for being able to live and work in this fantastic area. My fellow educators are a continual blessing in my life. I'm particularly happy for my D&D group who bring laughter and fun into my life on a regular basis. I'm grateful for my Church and that I have the privilege to sing in the choir. I'm ecstatic to live in a place where many people enjoy the winter as much as I do.

I'm also thankful for those of you who have let me know that you read (and usually enjoy) these posts. I would likely keep writing them even if no one read them, but it's nice to know that some of what I write brings other people a measure of joy. I hope that all of you also had a happy Thanksgiving!

Over the past week or more, I've convinced myself that I am going to purchase one of the 2023 Hybrid Kia Sportage (I prefer the Canadian pronunciation "spore-TAZH") SUVs that is currently available in Anchorage. I have the choice between black or black, but as I was told today that makes it so I can imagine it as the Batmobile. Also, the only trim level available is the basic LX. Still, my plan has been to drive up with Janelle on Saturday. I have a test-drive set for 11 AM, and I'm hoping that the weather cooperates especially since Janelle would be driving back on her own if all goes well.

However, in my obsessive viewing of reviews on hybrid vehicles, I recently came across an issue that has given me pause: the LX trim level is not a push button start. This has floored me. I haven't turned a fob (let alone a key) in a vehicle of my own for over half a decade. Absolutely none of the reviews that I've read or watched have mentioned this. It was only when I specifically looked up reviews on the LX trim (as opposed to the high end trims that are usually reviewed) that I happened to catch a comment regarding this lack of feature (it was not mentioned in the review). I'm glad that I discovered this now so that I have time to think about it rather than when I got in for a test drive as my initial reaction was rather severe.

Thankfully, I've had some time to calm and weigh some of the pros and cons. Although it doesn't have a push start, it does come with heated seats and Apple Car Play (possibly wireless, but I've seen contradicting information on this point)--neither of which were in Mera (my Prius). I have to ask myself if a push button start is worth $10,000 or more--which is how much more the other vehicles I've been considering cost, especially considering that the KIA Sportage is one of the (if not the) top ranked hybrids of the past year in nearly every review I've read or watched. 

It's certainly an irritation, but I think that it's one that I can live with.

I added Connor to our car insurance policy today. A teenage boy, even with good grades and having taken a driving class, is apparently as expensive as Janelle and I combined. This will go up even more when I get a new vehicle (not to mention adding Trevor). Our insurance agent suggested that we could lower our premiums by adding a Drive Safe & Save app. 

The premise is that the company behind the app sends a sensor that you place in your car. This sensor collects data on how the car is used and connects with your phone to send that information to State Farm (our insurer). They promise to not sell or even share that information with anyone. 

Just enrolling in the program provides a discount to the insurance premiums. However, the data provided can lower the premiums even more. These discounts are adjusted after a six month period. I believe that a separate device can be put into each vehicle, bringing a deduction to each of vehicle's policy. While the data provided might make the discount $0, it will not be used to raise any rates.

Especially with the increased insurance costs of adding two young men and a new car to our policy, I'm leaning towards taking this offer. Honestly, the only thing really holding me back is my expertise in Orwellian literature. Still, considering how much I'm already tracked with my phone and other electronics, this app is probably one of the least invasive technology as far as my personal data is concerned.

As we are more firmly set on getting a new car within the next week or so, we needed to make a space for it, which meant making a space for Mera (our Prius). While there are a few options along our driveway, the optimal location is in our carport. Unfortunately, our carport has been home to quite a few other items including Scarlet (our ATV that I use for plowing), our grill, a large pile of firewood, and multiple other things that were either items that we store there for the winter (like our bench swings and our basketball hoop) and items that need to go to the dump, but are too big for my normal dump runs with Mera. 

As we are currently planning on heading up to Anchorage on Saturday, and Sunday was Trevor's only day off except for Thanksgiving, I had the three boys come out and help clean out the carport. The firewood is now sitting on a tarp and under a tarp behind our cabin. The swings and outdoor tables are behind our garage under a tarp, and the various dump-bound items are just behind the garage, waiting for summer when I can cart them away in a trailer. There were enough odd pieces of wood, that we decided to have a fire under our pagoda--Connor, of course, volunteered to get it going. 

The result is quite nice. If I straighten Scarlet's plow and go up against the back wall, both she and Mera can fit in without having to turn either to some strange angle. After I made certain the parking situation would work, Connor asked to try it out. I then had Trevor practice parking Mera several times as he will be the one using Mera once he gets his license and we have a new vehicle. 

On a completely different note, this shortened school week has "dress up" days. Today's was students dress as a teacher and teachers dress as a student. I was not comfortable in the outfit that I chose, but I was told that it was a great costume, especially when I used my AirPods and phone as accessories.

I did notice a couple of things about wearing the outfit. One was that the hood, especially when pulled up, does make it very comfortable--enticing even--to take a nap. Another was that having in the AirPods not only made it genuinely hard to hear when I was playing music, but that I was getting genuinely annoyed any time that I had to turn off the music or pull out an AirPod to respond to someone even though I was just acting a part. Spending a day in my some of my students' "shoes" truly did give me more insight about them.

While I have a whole idea concerning the Gospel of the talents and how it demonstrates the need to expand and share rather than cut, cut, cut, I felt drawn to the First Reading and Psalm as both dealt with the happiness in having a good wife. Now, I certainly understand the happiness of having a fantastic wife, but I wanted to focus on the idea that Jesus frequently referred to the Church as His wife or bride. While some of the Bible readings that consist of what a good wife should be or do are rather outmoded for today (unless you live among the Amish, as I’m doubting that many wives have worked a distaff recently), they tend to fit the idea of what the Church should be.

Switching out “Church” for wife (or the feminine pronouns referring to wife) for both the Reading and the Psalm gives the Church today a clear path to follow. The Church has a value “far beyond pearls.” It brings Jesus “good, and not evil” and “works with loving hands.” It reaches out “to the poor” and “to the needy.” Its works bring it praise “at the city gates.” It will “be like a fruitful vine.” As an organization dedicated to the praise of God and the establishment of His Kingdom on Earth, the Church works best when it fits these descriptions.

The Church is not just a place to gather once a week and on occasional holy days. It is the embodiment of Christ’s vision for the world. As such, it needs to grow and work to make the world a better place. It needs to invest in its community, working towards making the world better rather than trying to act as a refuge against it. This, I suppose, does come back to the Gospel parable. When the Church simply hides its talents and does not seek to build and grow, it is not fulfilling its mission. However, if it branches out into the world and invests what it has been given, it will receive double what it invests.

Life is always full of surprises. Certainly, I don't appreciate surprises that affect me or the ones I love negatively. Thankfully, today provided a few surprises that seem to be mostly positive. These weren't earth-shattering (at least, I don't think so), but still worthy of note.

The first was that Scarlet (my ATV that I use for plowing) has warmers for the grips on her handles. I'm quite embarrassed that it took me so long to figure this out. Since we bought her, I have been confused by a small box with lights that kept getting in the way of the choke. It said "Power" and had a button for "grip" and "thumb" with the thumb light on. I had no idea about its purpose and sometimes wondered why the thumb throttle got so warm after long plowing sessions.

As it was quite cold today, I was giving Scarlet more time to warm up. I spent the time daring to touch the buttons on this box and came to the realization that one of the buttons looked sort of like a defrost button on a car. Pressing it cycled through the five lights under "Power." The idea it could be a heater suddenly came to me, and it was only then that I noticed the cord leading from the box as well as cords leading to both grips and the throttle. I then pushed the other button, switching it from thumb to grip. I left the Power set at three. As it was about 8 degrees (Fahrenheit), there was not a dramatic change, but my (gloved) hands were still quite comfortable by the time I was done, even though my toes were getting numb.

The second surprise was to discover that Carts (a kind of public transportation here) has not been operating on the weekends like we thought it had been (it had when Trevor started using it). Apparently, Trevor didn't want to bother us about this detail and has been taking a cab to and from work on Saturdays for over a year. Not only have the cabs been significantly more expensive, but they haven't been as dependable. So many things suddenly made sense to me when I found this out. Certainly, that makes getting a new car so that Trevor has a vehicle more of a priority once he gets his license in a couple of weeks.

The final surprise was the direction that my car search has headed. While getting a vehicle with seven seats had been on my wish list, Janelle and I are concerned about a larger vehicle fitting on my side of the garage (which has a narrower door and more stuff--which could be moved, but would require some serious rearranging). I did manage to pull her Pilot in, but she really didn't like how close the mirrors were to the sides. As whatever vehicle I get will likely be the one that Connor drives the most (especially during the summer) and seven (or more) seats would only be needed on rare occasions, we decided to look at five-seater compact SUVs, like the RAV4 that I had been thinking about getting a few years ago.

I spent a while today looking at hybrid SUVs with all wheel drive, and the RAV4 does seem to be available. However, I also found that the KIA Hybrid Sportage was topping a lot of the lists. More importantly, not only are some available in Anchorage, but they are about $10,000 less than the RAV4 or other comparable vehicles. We will see what a test drive reveals--once I figure out when we can get up there. 

All-in-all, these weren't bad surprises.

Connor passed his driving test today. I was told that he did quite well, especially when considering the snowy and icy conditions. We still need to go to the DMV on Monday (followed by a visit to State Farm) to get him his license. 

While I'm not sure how Connor having a license will change things, I know that once Trevor gets his license, he would like to get a vehicle to drive to and from work . As I've been looking at getting a new vehicle, Trevor is hoping that he could get Mera (my Prius) from us. However, this means that I should get a new vehicle pretty soon.

My largest issue is that I don't know what to get. Janelle and Katrina have both suggested that I get a vehicle with at least seven seats. I believe that Katrina likes this idea as it would make traveling around here easier when they are visiting. In Janelle's case, she just wants me to stop borrowing her Pilot when I take my DDF team up to Anchorage. Meanwhile, I not only love my Prius, I have become quite used to getting excellent gas mileage. For the most part, unless I'm getting another Prius, I will be taking a significant step backwards in that regard.

I also need to contend with availability. Considering the above items, I am interested in the Toyota Sienna. Unfortunately, on talking with the only Toyota dealer in Alaska, I discovered that the wait list is a year to a year and a half. Even if I wasn't looking to get a vehicle in the next month, I don't think that I have that kind of patience.

I might stop by the local Kendall dealership tomorrow to get a better idea of what might work for me.