Last Stand for Some Brave Mice

I was thinking of the most popular mice in history and it dawned on me, there were a lot of mice characters I can remember.  The most obvious mouse would be Mickey Mouse.  Huge black ears, steering the boat wheel in black and white. Disney world. That one was easy.  Then Jerry from Tom & Jerry, which was and still is my all time favorite mouse.  Mighty Mouse.  Never really liked this one because he was too much like Superman.  I think his kryptonite was limburger. Oh well, not sure on that one.  Then there was our friend from south of the border, Speedy Gonzales. Andele, andele!! Arriba, arriba!!!  The best part was his friends who were always drunk and getting into trouble.  Probably why we don't see it on TV anyone.  Darn politically correct cartoons.  I don't remember any of the mice names but the movies, American Tail, Cinderella, The Rescuers, and all the newer Pixar movies all have some form of a mouse.  No, I didn't forget Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, he was a rat and Rocky from Rocky & Bullwinkle was a squirrel, so don't give me crap that they are technically in the rodent family.  We are talking mouse here.  And YES, Mr. Jingles from Green Mile counts even though he was brought back from the dead. 
Think of any more just post them below and I'll tell you if you're right or wrong on the species of rodent.  

By the way all of this mouse talk was spurred on by the picture below of mice in vials I found at the University of Tennessee Animal Science building where I was working.  Came pretty close to screaming like a girl when I opened the cabinet and found these guys staring right back at me.  

2012 The Year of Sloth

On January 1st is there anything more surreal to look back and see that 1 year ago you were in the exact  same spot of maybe even one step backwards?  Whether it's money, career, spirituality, friends, lovers.

Does anyone else feel as though 2012 was a regression year?
I always sit down and like an eager new employee strategize about a budget for the New Year. Adding up how much is coming in. Subtracting nececities like electricity, water, cell phone.  And then tackling the big chunks of credit card debt.  For some reason 2012, this chunk is more shocking.  More like a full brick or boulder.  2012 feels like I am a 35 year old man who just noticed a family picture and I have a spare tire.  Weight gain will be next.  This sobering realization is depressing and gives me a stomach ache to open the next tab on my web browser and type Citi Bank.  Then First Citizens Bank.  Then Barclays. Have I said I have a stomach ache?

Maybe throwing up will count as exercise?  I run... twice a week... 3 months ago...  with heavy doses of eating, drinking, and sleeping in between.  What is it when the year starts to come to an end and the weather begins to cool I just feel exhausted all the time? I think once Halloween hits my body exhales like a weightlifter finishing a clean&jerk and my internal clock says, "time to hibernate."

This makes me remember a story told by a pastor about a traveler who was visiting another country and wanted to hike a long distance and had a set timetable for making this trip.  He hired locals to carry his supplies and quickly marched making stops only when and where he had planned.  On the third steadfast day the locals stopped and setup camp much to the disagreement of the traveler.  When he demanded them to continue, they told him that their bodies had traveled too far too fast and they must wait for their souls to catch up.

This gets me to probably the most depressing reflection.  My 2012 New Years Resolution was to read the Bible.  Yes, I am the one who causes that statistic of failed New Years resolutions to be in the 70th percentile.  Not only did I not read the Bible, our family stopped going to the church we were members of for 8 years.  Regression of faith.  I really don't want to rehash my problems with the church via a blog but I'll just say failure of any church is inevitable when the goals equal its ineffectiveness.  How's that for an eyebrow-raiser?
Wow, I'm a bundle of joy. A real Debby-downer.  Waaa waaa.

But like every New Year I feel like this is a new start. A new beginning. I'm optimistic. Gonna exercise, eat right, read.  This is my year. And I'm ready to tackle anything that 2013 is gonna gi... Wait it's 2013?  13?  Ahhh Shit...

-AO