I saw a great argument between pagans and Catholics one year, about someone writing Xmyth.
Merry Christmas is still standard here.
I try not to wish Jews, Muslims or Hindus a merry Christmas, but I figure Buddhists are fair game. The Dalai Lama seems a good sport.
Crap. I just knocked Buck's iPad onto the kitchen floor and broke the screen.
Merry goddamn Christmas.
Just in time to get an iPad 3 in a couple months.
SRSLY, Bill O'Reilly only has as much power over your perception of perfectly simple and normal holiday salutations as you choose to give him. If it's annoying to wonder how someone means "Merry Christmas," don't bother wondering about it, because that isn't worth your time.
Oh, and Merry Christmas!
I am at the in-laws' over Christmas for the first time. While there is much more overt religiosity around here, the Christmas music has been oddly secular and contemporary, to my ears.
I've had the same experience as Stanley in recent weeks, wondering are you, store clerk, one of Them? Then I remember that I live in the rural Midwest, where people never stopped assuming that everyone celebrates Christmas and where theres a big ole nativity scene in my town square. So, probably not Bill O'Reilly's fault.
3: Take it to the Apple Store; they replaced mine for free and did the same for a few other friends whose iPads suffered the same fate. Not sure that it's an unwritten policy that they'll do it it once, but worth a shot anyhow. Otherwise, it's about $270-300.
Holy fucking holiday shit, are we stuck in a timewarp or something?
Always Christmas but never Winter.
8: Woohoo! (if true). I will go in and be distraught about how I broke my husband's iPad on Christmas Eve. Which I am -- he came in and looked at me and thought one of the kids had died.
2: I've always assumed that Buddhists end their serene day by keying cars on the way home or something.
3, 10: There's some kind of reverse Gift of the Magi scenario in that.
Merry Christmas is still standard here.
I thought you weirdos said, "Happy Christmas."
I always say 'Happy Christmas.'*
* by which I mean, I never [qua curmudgeon] _say_ it, but I'll write it in Christmas cards.
Doing some last minute shopping at a bookstore, when most of the books you recognize come from liberal blogs, could make for a very depressing Cripesmas.
I think it's awesome that Stanley doesn't even read the front-page posts any more, much less the comments.
13, 14 - oh, I say either. And have been in town yesterday and today and said one or other to all shop people. But Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year goes better, doesn't it?
While there is much more overt religiosity around here, the Christmas music has been oddly secular and contemporary, to my ears.
Because a proper choir singing "Angels We Have Heard on High" would be the opposite of just folks. Let us not even speak of the elitism in a song like "The Holly and the Ivy"!
Though there are the religious songs that have somehow made it into the country-mostly-secular canon, like "O Holy Night." It almost needs not be said that these are the worst Christmas songs of all.
"Silver Bells": Cheesy or charming? I say the latter, but I'm very uncool.
16: Surely that was a joke. In any event, the wonderful Korean woman I know at a local grocery wished everyone a Merry Christmas without a trace of self-consciousness, so I'll wager any ... issues ... are a purely situational/regional thing. I hesitated, confused, only a microsecond before saying in return, "You too!" It's pretty silly to go through this ritual at all.
I've just had a friend visiting (unannounced) for some 4 hours, during which we did not say anything whatever about Xmas, but it dawned on me at some point that he and my housemate were viewing this day as a kind of open house. It was dawning on me somewhere along the line that maybe I should have had fresh apple-nut bread to offer; perhaps the house should have had a festive pot pourri over in the corner or something. Oh well, I was taken by surprise.
"Happy Christmas" seems British* to me: "Happy Christmas my arse, I hope it's our last"**.
*In the sense of "British Isles", not "Great Britain".
** The Pogues mostly grew up in London anyway.
There's probably a greater than eighty percent chance that Korean woman in Baptist.
Surely that was a joke.
I believe you're beginning to catch on to our strange folkways.
Yeah, Korea is surely the most Christian nation in the world, with the possible exception of the Vatican.
22: Really? Oh. She was helping to carefully place a miniature fake green tinsel Xmas tree atop one of the grocery's freezer cases before I arrived at the checkout lane she more or less owns; the placement and aspect seemed to satisfy and delight her. I figured she was just pretty fully in the game after decades here. She's great, anyway.
On FB, a friend posted that he had been Xmas shopping and heard "Gimme Shelter" on the PA, which he felt was actually appropriate to Xmas. I was reminded of the joke whose punchline is "Because a schmuck like you wouldn't give a Jew a room!"
24: I guess I'm going to have to look this up.
Further to 22 and following: Okay, well, wikipedia anyway shows a roughly even split between Buddhists and Christians (at 25% or so each, give or take), with the other 50% (give or take) professing no religion. That's wikipedia, of course.
Why does Eggplant write 22? He must know something.
Yeah, I'd say my impressions of Koreans I've met who are not adopted by white people was that many of them were fairly serious about their Xtianity. But it's a pretty small sample, so who knows.
I'm surprised it's only 30%, but maybe it's because the Korean Christians I've met tend to be really Christian, like bowing their heads in silent prayer over a restaurant meal when eating with a group of non-Christian friends who are clearly all a little uncomfortable with this.
Three things I don't like are cooking, watching people cooks, and washing dishes. But that's the real meaning of Christmas around this goddamn place.
I'm washing dishes, which is my favorite of the three.
Our religious studies professor is Korean and an ordained Christian minister of one flavor or another. What I read of his first book made Christianity sound so Confucian I wonder if a European-American Christian would recognize it at all.
I don't know any Koreans (or Korean Americans) socially. The ones I 'know' via a marketplace are pretty wholly assimilated, big fans of playing golf, say. I think I just assumed that they'd decided to assimilate, or else behave so, and what they do and think at home is not presented in the public sphere.
I'm not sure whether I sound like I'm speaking in a problematic way of an Other.
The woman I like tremendously at the grocery I frequent is really wonderful: I was once in her line behind an older gentleman who was purchasing several cans of Dinty Moore Beef Stew or some such, and she cautioned him that these products were not only expensive, but not as healthy as homemade! She then arranged that she would make him a big pot of vegetable stew [he was a regular, obviously], put it in several containers for freezing, so that he could take one out at a time to reheat, and if he was agreeable, he could pay her, oh, five dollars. She was happy to do this; the older gentleman was so embarrassed and gratified and sheepish. He agreed.
Astonishing.
My favorite Christmas song is probably Low's "Long Way Around the Sea". Though Low's "If You Were Born Today" is nice too.
Also, why are all the cafes in town closing so early (between 4 and 6 for the most part) today? The only one open past seven is a (yecch) Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
(Unless, of course, one can count "Silent Night/Xmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" off the great Tom Waits bootleg Cold Beer on a Hot Night.)
A timely post as I wanted to drop by to thank Sifu, as has become an annual tradition, for the eggnog recipe. And, since I got distracted and made a full rather than half batch, my family, friends, and maybe some acquaintances thank you as well.
For the same reason that nowhere in town is open for brunch on New Year's Day. (aarggghhh.)
34.2: Why is this night different than all other nights?
Surely the right response when you suspect that the person saying "Merry Christmas" is for you to say "Felice Navidad"?
Alternatives, of course, are: "et cum spiritu tuo" or "ευλογησαι σε κυριος"...
Jesus abandoned Tebow at the best possible moment.
34 - No love for "Just Like Christmas"?
42: that's a good song but I don't like it as much even as their cover of "Blue Christmas".
Immigrants are not representative. I remember accompanying a friend in elementary school to his church, where I was treated to the full creationist, humans-aren't-monkeys spiel.
Just walked by the local (and very good) Chinese place. They were washing the windows, getting ready for the big day.
As Eggplant says, Korean-Americans in particular are overwhelmingly Christian. Certainly all the ones I've known are.
Up here everyone says "Merry Christmas," of course, and I've never detected any political undertones to it. People at my office were pretty surprised to learn that I was Jewish and did not, in fact, have any particular plans for Christmas.
PUT CHRIST AND FRIENDS BACK INTO CHRISTMAS
I had a conversation recently (no, not the one on here last week) about the fact that, according to my friend I was talking to, Jews on the west coast make big plans for Christmas. He asked me what I was doing for Christmas and, because I've become a shrieking harpy on this subject or at least a reflexively mildly sarcastic person, I said "oh, around here, we call it 'Sunday' and I don't have any plans other than not going to work.* " And he was insisting that west coast Jews whip up a mess of vittles and have the family over or something. I give up.
My only real tradition seems to be listening to German opera over the holiday weekend. The sound of Christmas eve is Elektra.
*sort of a lie, given the movie/Chinese food thing. I think we're going to see Young Adult. But this is not a Christmas plan. It is an "everyone else is celebrating Christmas" plan. There is a diff.
Christmas Eve s/b "Erev Christmas."
I would definitely call my hocking everyone I know to join me for a movie and Chinese food "a Christmas plan." Dragon Tattoo & San Gabriel Valley Chinese (the good stuff) today, MI4 and Genghis Cohen tomorrow.
I want to see Dragon Tattoo but one review listed "brutal violence" among its distinguishing features, so at best I'll get it from Netflix in six months and watch nervously with my finger on the pause button.
More Christmas corrections, from a bumper sticker they found while digging through punk rock collections for this show.
48:
I'm Jesus the Christos,
And I've come to say,
You must celebrate my birth
In a certain way:
When it's cold and snowy
And your nose is runny,
Go to church for an hour,
And give lots of money!
Preacher needs a Caddy,
And a private plane,
TV cameras and a golf course,
Then he'll praise my Name.
Poverty is sacred,
But it's not for me,
You can be rich too,
Just you wait and see!
Prosperity is coming
For those who believe,
If you're poor, it's your fault,
The faithful will receive.
Money-changers in the temple,
But that was far away,
If they come to your church,
Let us hope they stay!
Israel is very warm,
It's a sunny clime,
If the Jews are strong,
Then it's nearly End Times.
Don't listen to the atheists,
The Commies and the gays,
Keep on singing that Praise Music,
Till the end of days.
51: A friend of mine disappointed to discover that he'd been beaten to the punch with the name "Genghis Cohen" by many years came made up for it by naming the (as yet fictitious) kosher vietnamese restaurant "Let My People Phở".
Before I sign off for the Holidays, a little something I meant to post earlier: ">some Christmas music for the Unfoggedtariat.
God Rest Ye, Merry Mineshaft.
1. The BellRays - Rocket Ship Santa
2. Twistin' Kings - Christmas Twist
3. Fitz and the Tantrums - Santa Stole My Lady
4. Charles Brown - Miserable Christmas
5. Eva Taylor - The Santa Claus Blues
6. Yahzarah - What Do the Lonely Do At Christmas
7. Everlast - Blues For Christmas
8. Kurtis Blow - Christmas Rappin'
9. Wild Billy Childish & The Musicians of the British Empire - Santa Claus
10. Ex Autres - Teenage Christmas
11. Shonen Knife - Space Christmas
12. Young Wrists - Merry Christmas
13. Dog Is Dead - Christmas Wrapping
14. Aimee Mann - God Rest Ye, Merry Gentleman
15. Crocodiles & Dum Dum Girls - Merry Christmas, Baby (Please Don't Die)
16. Caitlin Rose - You Never Come Home For Christmas
17. John Denver - Please Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)
18. L.E. White and Lorna Jean Dillon - The Big One
19. Typhoon - Merry Christmas, Anyways
20. Dark Dark Dark - Christmas Theme
21. Fleming & John - Winter Wonderland
22. Magnetic Fields - Everything Is One Big Christmas Tree
23. How To Throw a Christmas Party - The Gospel According to a Sheep
24. Bobby Helms - Captain Santa & His Reindeer Space Patrol
Happy Holidays, everyone.
51: my hocking everyone I know
I thought the 13th Amendment put an end to that practice.
My laptop's AC adapter picked the perfect time to quit working. Can't replace it until Monday morning, and that will require venturing into awful shopping crowds. Boo.
61: Similarly, my cell phone fell apart yesterday. Like, it literally broke into two pieces; I'm still not sure how. I was going to go to the nearest Verizon store to replace it, but it turns out there aren't any in Alaska, so I ordered a new one on the Verizon website and it should get here around the middle of next week. It's a good thing I don't use the phone much.
Huh. I just wrote a comment here, looked at it, and decided it was actually a Facebook status. I hate having multiple forms of social media to pay attention to.
(Twitter was absolutely fascinating for a week and a half, and then I lost all interest. Funny, it never got boring -- it was riveting, and then I went straight to never wanting to look at it again.)
49: Feel free to give your friend my contact info and I'll set him straight. To the extent I have a plan, it's to go to the deli and have a pastrami sandwich.
Ate Chinese. Considering going to a late movie. But I'm not on the West Coast now, so maybe I don't count.
||OT but too good not to share. Grace Anna and I did not fully put an adult item after use; we instead dropped it into a nightstand drawer, intending to take care of it later. One morning not long after (perhaps the very next) our inquisitive toddler opened up the drawer, saw it, and declaimed "Ooh, this is so fancy!"|>
I can't get into using twitter. Though I do monitor for a few tweeters.
68: Ha. I came home from a weekend away during college, and my roommate (and best friend) had a curious thing perched on his nightstand.
"Is that a vibrator?" I asked.
He replied, "Oh. That got forgot to put away."
68: "And all your other ones are so trashy-cheap."
72 gets it exactly right. Are those the ipsissima verba?
My mother hates it when people write "Xmas"
Eh? What? [Digs around. Say! There are lot of ignorant people saying silly things!] Well, a) you can wish her a 'Merry Christmas' from me but also b) I think the CHI RHO, ☧, is a perfectly acceptable Christogram, and X is a fine substitute for that, so using Xmas is, in fact, perfectly respectful. Further to that, I'd say that without Constantine literally taking up the Cross (regardless of the truth of the story - but Xtians are in a bad position to doubt it) and winning at Milvian Bridge, Xtians would continue to have been persecuted, Xtianity would not have become the religion of the Empire (possibly for a time, possibly forever), Sunday would not have become the official day of worship, and the Bible might well have wound up in another form. Plus there's that whole Nicene Creed business. Oh, and if Xtianity had not become the religion of empire, Xmas might have wound up falling upon another day, like January 6th.
Absent all those things, Xtianity would be very different, including the Xtianity of Protestants. So, putting the X in Xmas would be a case of putting Christ (old skool edition) back in the pagan holiday, and these strange people who are down on X because they're Xtians are completely backwards. The people who should not like the X are, actually, the pagans, particularly followers of Aphrodite, Zeus and the like. Assuming there are any left around. (Ya never know.)
Speaking of weird people, I celebrated Xmas yesterday (complete with tasty roasted lamb!) since that was when everyone was around. So the whole was over as far as I'm concerned this morning, when there was a knock on my door. After I opened and then closed it to put away the barkiest of Dachshund alarms, I got to the listen to the Jehovah's Witnesses explain to me about John and then give me some literature. Then the guy said, 'You have a GOOD day!' like three times, which was fine. I muttered thank you and the link. So as they were leaving and while I was still continuously bombarded by barking, I absentmindedly wished them a Merry Xmas as a goodbye. Eep. Oh dear, faux pas city. So then I felt bad - I didn't mean to insult you anti-holiday-observing weirdo Xtian persons! On the other hand, now that I've thought about it, why Saturday morning Xmas Eve? Couldn't it wait? Or is that kind of thing a counter-programming thing? So maybe never mind.
Appropriate Seasonal Vibrations of a Non-Offensive Sort to all you lot, living entities!
max
['They're running Dark Crystal for Xmas! Cool! Maybe we can get the original Saw for some extra Xmas red!']
¡Puerco libre vacación burrito nacho dios mío, man!
I'm a little bummed that I didn't get out to the movie theater out here that's showing It's a Wonderful Life. Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death??
Darlene Love/SNL: Christmas time for the Jews. 54.6% of the gang here off at the night before show, mainline Presbyterian style--they put one a good one if you like austere grandiosity, carols and candles.
74.3: At least you didn't offer them a blood transfusion.
beer/Nutcracker/beer/Miracle on 34th st/beer/most of SNL holidays /beer/shows suck/bneer/some/beer/were OK. +77
Several different people got hokey pokey, age 13 months, totally awesome gifts that are way too old for him - train sets, tool sets, etc. Hawaiian punch is having a blast with these gifts, but it's a little infuriating as she gets a music box, etc. Which she also loves. But still.
We've just treated everything as community gifts. But it's still obnoxious.
It's only Christmas Eve, you're breaking the fucking rules.
... oh, oyu're making a borader point. Never mind.
Jammies' family does presents on Xmas Eve. Then Santa fills the stockings and brings one santa gift, or something.
82: Yeah, I grew up the product of a mixed marriage -- my mother's side of the family did church, supper and 1 present (if you were good) on Chi Rho Eve, then pie for breakfast and an orgy of presents on the 25th. My father's family, by contrast, had lots and lots of presents and partying late into the night on the 24th, then stockings and a much more subdued dinner on the 25th. Thus Christmas was pretty much 24 hours of steadily mounting excitement until mid-afternoon on the 25th when everyone just collapsed.
Excited for Jew Christmas tomorrow though! (We're bringing along a real live Jew too, so it will be official!)
Dragon Tattoo and SGV Chinese food down, Thor and cocktails to go. If we keep the party going long enough we may hear the faint clatter of Mjolnir on the rooftop.
My Christmas tradition, four years running now, is to watch the Xmas episodes of Futurama.
One of my cow-orkers invited me over for Peking duck on Christmas Eve. It was pretty good.
We used to argue about it, because Germans like the 24th, and I grew up with the 25th. Then my son was born on the 24th, so it's his day. Not Christmas. Hah!
Seafood curry, played Clue, birthday cake.
Just got a call telling me a burst pipe flooded my apartment while I'm away. Not clear how much damage there is. I guess I might be replacing all my things? What a holiday....
Oh no. That totally sucks, essear.
It's only stuff, and I have insurance. Could be a giant hassle, but I'll get over it.
sorry essear. it sounds as if you're developing a buddha-like attitude towards things, that's always good. not me. I'm materialistic. mmm, delicious wonderful things, making me happy. look! expensive jewelry! vintage clothes! chandeliers! vintage sailboat-themed fabric from ebay for the kid's room of my new house! a pink tree (no lie). japanese mugs with adorable mushroom girls on them! stuffed animals! mmm. stuff. I have a problem maybe. I've been sick and looking around my house in listless wonder like where in god's name did I get all this stuff?! you would think having a store would fix the problem, but only sort of.
Holy shit, Thor is a bad movie. I can't figure out why one fucking thing happened in that movie. Rainbow Bridge! Meet my friends Hot, Fat, Japanese, and Dandy! At least we were at our friends' house where they let Mrs. K-sky wear their footie pajamas.
the last time I moved, the movers said it was the most stuff they had ever moved for a family. if only it were ever possible to buy enough bookshelves. but because of that mathematical theorem we all know so well, there is no amount of ikea billy book-case buying that does not yield piles of books on every surface and towering in the corners. christ, I double-shelved the crappy fiction (two rows per shelf). no use [glares at...let's see, ozma of oz; pogo; the valley of adventure (enid blyton); linda carlton's ocean flight (I have a weakness for "girls" books from the 30s); linda carlton's island adventure; "fables," the covers; amulet vol. 3; frog and toad are friends; finn family moomintroll; winds and wildcat places by miyazawa; moon guide to vietnam, cambodia and laos; the hidden adult: defining children's literature; and vas, an opera in flatland.] is there no shelf these could go to? then I'd have a place to put my fucking glass of water. I'm not even looking at the other bedside table.
92: I heard that. what's the deal? they have all this money, a dude who looks like thor, what goes wrong?
it's like the wolverine movies; motherfucker could not look more like wolverine, and they have a zillion dollars and what? they all suck. even though wolverine takes down a chopper; woo hook'em adamantium.
did idris elba look hot in norse armor?
they have all this money, a dude who looks like thor, what goes wrong?
I actually liked Thor, despite my usually being bummed out by bad movies. This may be because I saw it with German dubbing, which made it sounds more badass. Plus, my German's bad enough that I'm totally unable to judge good from bad dialog. I mean, yeah, I guess it didn't make all that much sense, but it was fun.
Plus, they serve beer in movie theatres in Germany.
I'm now trying to watch 3>/a>, but my sound keeps failing. Grrr. And my laptop's warranty has only like two weeks left. Would it be wrong to spill coffee on it?
Oops. Well, that didn't work right.
so, dude, my crucial question about idris elba, was he looking hot? and yes, spill something during the warranty. unfogged commenters know you can count on me to endorse any and all unethical or dubious suggestions. drama club mercenary uses me for the same service, like "hey, should I let the air out of my wife's tires." I said sure, but slashing them would be overkill, and he was all angry I would suggest such a thing, until I pointed out he only bothered to ask me because he knew I'd say yes.
Oh, sorry, should have answered that: no, he really wasn't, because was in a rather silly costume the whole time that basically covered up his hotness. I know, I know, you wouldn't think that hotness could be covered up, but it sorta was. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Merry Christmas. We're counting on you to help bring back the sun.
It's still surprising how dark it is here at this time of year. 54 degrees North!
103: wow, I didn't think they could make idris elba non-hot. truly they have used their technology for evil.
57: Lord Castock, the link to download sends me on an infinite loop of click-throughs. Can you try putting it up at sendspace or some alternate spot?
Well, we've decided: A Dangerous Method, with Freud, Jung and Sabina Spielrein all played by gentiles and then Mark's Duck House.
Yesterday I went to the farmers market. There's a family I buy meat from that are devout Christians (farm in southern Maryland). So I wished the farmer's daughter a Merry Christmas (and what sausage does she have today?) and she in turn wished me a wonderful weekend.
One Christmas thing my family does right comes from my dad's side, where with seven kids the little gifts they made/got each other would seem unimpressive compared to big gifts. So on Xmas Eve, the youngest child gives out all her gifts to the others and so on up the line. I did this with Mara, Val, and Alex back on Wednesday or so and it worked perfectly to get them all excited about giving and about the little things they got.
Here, al, I've already justified this one, but you can weigh in on my ethical dilemma. Mara's grandmother called and invited us to have Christmas with them. They're going to a free buffet with Toys for Tots, which seems totally appropriate since one aunt is single parenting I think eight kids (four Mara's siblings) and others in similar situations where any extra cheer would probably be welcome. But you know, we're all middle classy and so I looked up what the deal is with this free meal and it's for people who wouldn't otherwise have big feasts and/or people to celebrate with them. I figure with my whole family out of town and Mara's having legit reason to be there, we fit in that last category well enough to go. Plus the sponsor is a local big grocery and I've donated on several occasions to their foods-for-the-hungry efforts. So this is all cool, right? Unless we get there and they're turning away adorable starving waifs at the door or something. Then I don't know what we'll do, dump the presents and claim Mara's spiked a fever, probably.
I am commenting from a Kindle as a test. I like the screen but it is not an easy thing to browse or type with.
But if Freud and Spielrein are played by gentiles, then surely Jung should be played by a Jew, for balance.
106: Time doesn't permit uploading to a new site right now, but the link in 59 should be functional.
Why are you glaring at Pogo, alameida?!
For Christmas I received a book of Chuck Norris facts ... by Chuck Norris. Because someone knows me better than I know myself.
Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus. For Your sake, today I shall endeavor to love even the hippie, the hipster, the blogger and the astonishingly ugly Fox News commentator.
Season's Greetings, all. My apple-nut bread has for some reason risen in such a way that the center doesn't slope up nicely in the center, as it should do, but slopes up distinctly along one side. I have no idea why; sorry everybody. Smells great, though.
Holiday gifts consisted this year of helping one another, erm, clean and rearrange homes and belongings. I recommend this, actually: I suddenly have three (3!) new (used, hand-me-down) new bookshelves, and everything is completely different. Large floor plants have been repotted in groovy new pots, and even trimmed and dusted. We have shifted the feng shui, and it's delightful. More light, fewer shadows, better air! Good introduction for the new year.
Happy solstice.
It's still surprising how dark it is here at this time of year. 54 degrees North!
You don't say.
Teo's the reverse-vanguard of the Slattery Report proposal.
Merry Cripesmas, everybody! Jane has been playing her avante-garde art music toy piano all day, in between bouts of being allowed to watch all the Shaun the Sheep she wants. Soon we will go to our usual Christmas night party with buffet, carol singing, and musical saw.
I got some sweet orange jeans and a big book about bitters, called "Bitters."
The sweetness of the orange will balance your bitters.
Holy shit, Thor is a bad movie.
I recently watched Captain America and my two reactions were (a) better than I expected for a variety of reasons and (b) that it was almost exactly the movie that Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow wanted but failed to be.
Also, having watched A Matter Of Life And Death last year I wonder if now every scene of a man in a bomber who is about to die talking on the radio to a woman will feel like a pale, pale echo of that fantastic opening scene. Seriously everybody should watch the opening 10-15 minutes of that movie at some point (the rest of the movie is worth watching but not exceptional but David Niven is a star in that first scene -- and has a great script to work from).
Jew Xmas was pretty good, except for the pang of absent friends. (The pong of present friends only made up for it a little). Good dim sum, awful movie (Sherlock Holmes). Kegger at one of the nearby punk houses tonight too.
My apple-nut bread
Yay. I plan to bake apple bread later today.
(On a side note, I was having a touch of my annual end-of-year sadness earlier today. It isn't Christmas related but the combination of (a) having some time off from work, (b) having no natural light to speak of, and (c) whatever emotional fatigue there is from the ways in which the holidays mess up one's normal routine and schedule usually make me feel sad for a couple of day this time of year.
But, at the moment, I'm getting ready to head over to my parents' house in little bit, and that should be nice.
91: If I had your kind of stuff, I would probably care more. I have nothing expensive/vintage/adorable, just replaceable books, replaceable electronics, notebooks I shouldn't be keeping around anyway, inexpensive furniture. Waiting until tomorrow to hear how bad it is.
What I'm actually concerned about is that I might have to move, if the place requires lots of repairs. Moving sucks and I feel barely moved-in as it is.
What I'm actually concerned about is that I might have to move,
My sympathies if it does turn out that way. Moving is horrible.
That sounds like a pain in the ass, essear.
The dishwasher in the upstairs apartment flooded last spring and a bunch of mucky water dripped down into my bedroom. Semi-ruined some books (I saved the ones I cared about, but they're kinda ugly now), luckily avoided the laptop and other costly electronics. I should get renter's insurance and be a real grownup. Although I have some stuff I really like (a bit of art, a couple gadgets and pieces of clothing that would be nearly impossible to replace), a nice cleansing disaster has its appeal.
for the kid's room of my new house
Are you moving, al?
Holy shit, we went to the charity luncheon and Mara got to see the siblings and grandma she loves AND her mother was there independently, so we got to meet her mom, who told Mara she loves her and thinks of her daily and is so glad that we're raising her. This is like the platonic ideal of good messages an adoptee could hear, I think, and I got a great picture so that whatever happens in the future, we have one great shot of Mara with her mom. I was/am totally weepy.
Apparently I suck for not thinking that the only reason we could have run into one of Mara's extended relatives a year ago and then her mom today is that the big G himself is guiding things, but I do think this is a small metropolis and we'd all have found each other eventually. I have to say that the timing has been perfect for Mara, though. She got to see her beloved siblings first, then the dad she misses, then the mom she's only started asking about. I'm very grateful for all of that and I don't know how many chances she'll have for good memories with her mom, so this is really huge.
Her siblings and cousins are so awesome, though. I just feel lucky to be part of this family. And the aunt who's raising 8 kids had a guy ask for her number in a totally over-the-top way, but he got it. So, um, maybe Someone has bigger things planned for the family, I guess.
Hooray for good news, Thorn! Sounds like it couldn't have gone better.
Hey, great mix, Castock. I just downloaded it in time to hear it on Christmas.
Thorn, that's wonderful! A very good holliday family story, hand of God or no, and really nice to hear.
The boy made it through his first Christmas pretty happily, with lots of cooing and contended sleeping whilst being passed around. Now of course he won't fall asleep, but isn't melting down either. Good stuff.
I'm sorry I didn't get in in time to endorse your (barely conceivably) unethical behavior, thorn, but I would have, and I'm glad it turned out so well for your family.
BG, I'm building a house, on an island. such problems as there are are too first-world in the third-world to have overcome my reticence to post on the subject yet.
neb: I am not glaring at pogo per se, he is wonderful and the font of all that is good and humorous in life, and the darling of my childhood; it's just that as we have a three-section shelf with a ladder that rolls along a brass rail downstairs, exclusively devoted to comics, it does not seem too much to ask that the denizens of the okeefenokee dwell elsewhere.
