Happy Sinterklaas Day!

Ok, here's the thing. I haven't been blogging lately. I know this, and you know this. Well, since I'm American, I can't very well take responsibility for my own actions. I need a scapegoat. Also, considering that I'm American, I really should look for someone to sue for my lack of bloggingness. What can I say? It is the American way, baby.

Well, since I'm not a litigious person, I'll have to find someone who I realistically can't sue. I could blame McDonald's like everyone else, but I haven't eaten that junk in over a decade, so that's clearly out. I could blame "Corporate America", but that's a bit too generic, and quite frankly, Corporate America keeps food on my table. I could blame my parents, but that just always sounds too Oprah-esque.

I've got it! *Light bulb subsequently appears above Mateo's headscratching*. I'll blame Sinterklaas! That's PERFECT! I can sue Sinterklaas, because he's got unlimited resources!

Now I know most of you are thinking to yourselves, "Sinter-WHO? Sinter-WHAT? Sinter-WHERE-IN-THE-HECK-DOES-HE-COME-UP-WITH-THIS-STUFF?"

Well, for starters, you should broaden your horizons. In a nutshell, Sinterklaas is the Dutch Santa Claus. He lives in Spain, and arrives in the Netherlands the evening of December 5. Children leave their wooden shoes out filled with hay and carrots for his white horses in hopes that Sinterklaas will reward their year of good behavior with loads of presents. For those kids who aren't so good (and you know who you are) he leaves coal and switches to reprimand you. If you're really bad, Sinterklaas' helpers throw you in a gunneysack and take you back to Spain.

I know, I know, it all sounds pretty horrible. You're probably thinking that we shouldn't base an entire year's worth of do-goodings completely based on fear, but if you really think about it, that's pretty much how most religions are structured. Do good, get rewarded. Do bad, get punished. It's been proven for centuries that it works. And word on the street is that it's even the basis behind training Sigfried and Roy's white tigers, but that really isn't important right now. You need to stay focused on the issue at hand.

Well, seeing that I was a VERY good boy this year, Sinterklaas stopped by my house and left me the perfect gift. Perfect. A puzzle.

Now keep in mind that for a person with OCD, a puzzle isn't merely a pastime or a hobby. It isn't even a challenge. It's your destiny.

I literally had to be pulled away from the puzzle the other night to go to bed. After all, it was well past midnight, and I needed to wake up early the next morning to shovel four inches of show off my driveway. (OCD quirk number 742 - I can't stand to have ANY snow on my driveway. Keep in mind that I don't own a snowblower and my driveway is nearly 1,000 square feet, so it typically takes me two hours to complete. Yes, I've been known to shovel up to three times a day to keep the driveway spotless. Don't ask. The neighbors have stopped asking.)

Back to the puzzle... which remains uncompleted even as I type. It's driving me crazy. I love it. I love everything about it. I love making fitting small pieces together to form a greater whole. I love the detail, I love watching it progress.

What I don't love is sitting for hours at a time while I complete it. I'm getting fat, which is why I ran a sprint triathlon tonight at the gym. All the Sinterklaas cookies and Dutch pastries are making me a bit sluggish. I can't help it, I'm made of sugar.

Happy Sinterklaas Day!