Food... or drink... for thought

My new home, Putnam County, Ohio, has something of a reputation as a drinking county. As it turns out, it's well deserved. (See "Survey confirms county's alcohol concerns" in the Lima News.)

Basically, it says 27 percent of the adult population has had five or more drinks in its past 30 days, which the survey considered "binge drinking."

I seem to have a great deal of success finding places with the truly heavy drinkers. Athens, Ohio. Savannah, Ga. Ottawa, Ohio. Is it merely coincidence, or am I a closet party animal?

I'm voting for coincendence.

Drinking capital

My new home, Putnam County, Ohio, has something of a reputation as a drinking county. As it turns out, it's well deserved. (See "Survey confirms county's alcohol concerns" in the Lima News.)

Basically, it says 27 percent of the adult population has had five or more drinks in its past 30 days, which the survey considered "binge drinking."

I seem to have a great deal of success finding places with the truly heavy drinkers. Athens, Ohio. Savannah, Ga. Ottawa, Ohio. Is it merely coincidence, or am I a closet party animal?

I'm voting for coincendence.

No place like home (court)

There's a certain nostalgia about where you grew up and learned about the world. For some people, it's hideous. For others, it's wonderful. For me, it's sort of like that line from the Cheers theme, "where everybody knows your name."

Tonight while visiting my hometown of Arlington, Ohio (population 1,351), my dad and I decided to go to a boys basketball game after discovering there weren't any college games on TV. We returned to the gym there, where I don't believe I've stepped foot since the last Trinko child wore a cap and gown and collected a diploma from AHS some nine years ago.

Arlington basketball isn't the same as it was when I went to school. In short, they're pretty good now. They have a following. We never had that when I was in school. The team went undefeated last year and was ranked No. 1 in the state in Division IV for a long time. Alas, most of those guys graduated.

The Red Devils topped Vanlue in the game, but that's not really the interesting part to me. I'm more surprised by the warm embrace your hometown will give you. I saw a lot of people I recognized and talked to a few. It was nice to be welcomed back and particularly nice to hear the words of people happy I'm back in the area.

It also reminded me that my little town wasn't quite as little as I recalled. I don't know any of the kids on the basketball team. I don't think I know any of their parents. I didn't recognize 75% of the people in the gym.

I'm glad we went, though. Never mind the fact it was a good game between a pair of rather physical teams. It was just nice to return someplace where I felt at home.

Weathering the storm(s)

I don't want to write about the weather. It feels like that's all I've done for the last week for my wages. Instead, I'll just offer links:

Flooding woes continue across region

Heavy rain, melting ice flood region

Friends help powerless people

Falling ice slows power line work

The flooding of the Blanchard River reached to about a block from where I live. Thus, I wasn't directly affected, aside from a little inconvenience while driving.

Icy reception

Naah, this isn't about a girl's reaction to a pickup line of mine. Not this time.

We're in the midst of a full-blown ice storm here in Ottawa today.

Ice is one of Mother Nature's miracles that can frustrate you but also awe you. I was thinking that during one of the four times today I had to chip the frozen rain off my car as I tried to do work assignments.

For a closet math geek like me, there's nothing quite as amazing as watching all the shapes as you're chipping away at that ice. There's also that moment of ridiculous joy when you've finally chipped off a decent-sized chunk of ice, and then all the rest of the ice starts sliding down the window. It's a beautiful thing.

It's also a terribly dangerous thing. Snow is easy enough to drive on, as you'll generally just keep going whatever direction you're headed. Ice can be a little more tricky. It tends to have a mind of its own, sending you side to side or for a quick spin into a field. That's not a beautiful thing.

It'll be interesting to see how everything looks tomorrow morning, once the storm's done pounding us. I haven't been outside since 4 p.m. (beauty of working at home), so I can only imagine what it's like out there some seven hours later. I'll just pray I don't fall down the steps when I try to retrieve my paper in the morning.

Oh yeah, I also hope the ice doesn't get so heavy on the trees that the limbs snap and knock down power lines. I'm not much of a survivalist...

In the checkout line

True story, which I found much funnier than anyone else involved:

The local Wal-Mart was incredibly busy on the 31st as everyone tried to get their last-minute things for their parties.

I stood in the express lane with a 12-pack of beer and a six-pack of soda in my arms. In front of me stood a couple with about 20 items they'd just put on the conveyor belt from their cart.

The woman looks back at me and tells me I can set my beer in their cart while I wait.

"That's OK," I responded. "I don't want you to think I can't hold my liquor."

The dawn of something new

Contrary to yesterday's blog, apparently the world didn't end tonight as I feared it might. What a relief. Instead, I merely imbibed in a few adult beverages at my sister's house for the New Year's Eve holiday.

It was a good time. The only trouble with New Year's Eve is you spend some time reflecting on the year you'd had. To be perfectly honest, 2004 was a hard year for me. It was extremely lonely and sad at points. It had some good moments work-wise but also included a stint in Delaware that is best left described as "unsatisfying." No one's happier to have that year off the books than I am.

The party reminded me of that. It was a great time, but it was a Noah's Ark party. Everyone came through the door, two by two, ready to mate. The only two single people there were me and my friend who came with me. Everyone else was married or appeared to be well on their way toward it.

These aren't bad things in and of themselves. But they're hard on the young, single guys who see one more year slipping away from them. They're difficult for results-oriented people who can say, "That's what I want" and not know how to get there.

My entire immediate family showed up for this event. The realization really hit home that I'm the last of the seven children without anyone serious in my life. [I'd settle for someone comedic at this point.] It's a harsh reality when the ball drops and you look around for someone to hold, only to realize there's no one there. Somehow a hug and a peck on the cheek from a sister isn't the same.

So here's to 2005. May it be the dawn of something new. May it be a year full of possibilities fulfilled. May it be the year you look back on and say, "That might've been the best year of my life."