Happy potato gun -er I mean New Year

more later...

and a happy post-christmas to you too

in which I am tired and not a little kerfuffled by all the consumering and face-filling of the past week(s). I have eaten my weight in chocolate chip cookies and merangues (sp?) and assorted pies and spiced objects, chased with eggnog and coffee and the occasional Stella. I have been to the mall at 7:00 AM to search the darkened corners for swaddling clothes - at deep discount - with which to hide my burgeoning girth. I have watched football. I have taken naps in the daylight. I have listened to Simpsons DVD commentary. I have not seen King Kong, or Narnia, or anything else in a theater. I do have my limits.

Through it all, the eyes of the children have lighted my path. They of the smiling mouths, the boundless energy, the broken table legs, the sudden explosive emotional breakdowns. They have shown me the true spirit of the season, through their repeated acts of violent carelessness - plastic rockets thrown expertly at eyes, suger-fueled dog throttlings, and so on. Only the discovery of Remix Mode on Atari Arcade Classics for the Nintendo DS has thrilled me more.

Nicholas Kristof/Bill O'Reilly Feud Heats Up

All's I can say is amen, amen, amen, Mr. Kristof. Full story...

to Ted Turner

Dude -

The Braves are for sale! Now is your time to bring back the glory days - the nicknames on the jerseys, the shirtless dugout antics, the whole shebangabang. Remember back when, before the 14 straight division titles, back when Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky ruled the bullpen, back when Terry Forster was a big tub of goo, before Time Warner and the fall of communism? Before the Internet and cell phones and CDs and Fox News? Back when it was fun to be an American? C'mon, man, do us a solid. Buy the Braves.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iranian leader denies Holocaust

Full story...

Now see, why aren't we attacking these guys? The ones with the active nuclear program and the threats to Isreal and such-like?

Rush Limbaugh MUST be fired, or FORCED to resign! | CrossLeft

Rush Limbaugh MUST be fired, or FORCED to resign! | CrossLeft

From the article:

On November 29, nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh read an Associated Press report about the apparent kidnapping of four Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) activists by an Iraqi insurgent group. Limbaugh announced that "part of me likes this." He explained: "Well, here's why I like it. I like any time a bunch of leftist feel-good hand-wringers are shown reality."

Maybe Rush should strap Pat Robertson around his waist (what a feat that would be!) and go on a suicide mission to IHOP. Excellence in Broadcasting, my ass!

Vince Guaraldi Trio = tha Bomb

I've been listening a lot to the classic Charlie Brown Christmas record, and all's I can say it may very well be the dopest record ever made by anyone, anywhere. Guaraldi's note choice is damn near impecable, the rhythm section swings like their lives depend on it, and the whole vibe is so warm and fuzzy and groovy that sometimes I have to stop what I'm doing and just let it ride. Something about his piano's resonant tone, present also on his other albums("Alma-Ville," from Cast Your Fate to the Wind, is one of my all time faves) - it's the sound of childhood, the sound of home and family. It's not even a "good" piano sound, really. But it's perfect.

The opening chords of "Christmas Time is Here" just make me want to lay down on the ground. May I raise a glass of the 'nog to Vince.

'Holiday' Cards Ring Hollow for Some on Bushes' List

This from the Wapo this chilly December morning. There's choice quotage here:

"Certainly President and Mrs. Bush, because of their faith, celebrate Christmas," said Susan Whitson, Laura Bush's press secretary. "Their cards in recent years have included best wishes for a holiday season, rather than Christmas wishes, because they are sent to people of all faiths."

That is the same rationale offered by major retailers for generic holiday catalogues, and it is accepted by groups such as the National Council of Churches. "I think it's more important to put Christ back into our war planning than into our Christmas cards [emphasis added by Zipline]," said the council's general secretary, the Rev. Bob Edgar, a former Democratic congressman.

Talk To Action | Reclaiming Citizenship, History, and Faith

Need an alternative take on Christianity in America? Tired of the psuedo-theocratic oligarchy and their cynical manipulation of the faithful for their own gain? Dispairing over the extremely narrow definitions of the words faith and values that get lobbed over the walls in these so-called Culture Wars?

Check out Talk to Action, home to an ongoing discussion about the nature of religion and how it interacts with government here in the Benighted States.

MMW at Variety Playhouse - 12/03/2005

The mighty, mighty Medeski, Martin & Wood did their thing at Variety Playhouse Saturday night. And what a thing it was - well over three hours of joyous noise cascading over the faithful, along with a few sad, blott'd teenage girls who will not remember the show and a handful of loudmouthed jock frat knuckleheads (who also will not remember the show).

The last time I saw them, I was pretty let down. They never found a flow; instead, it seemed they were struggling to recreate the songs from End of the World Party (Just in Case), their most recent release. It didn't help that a relentless Soulive had scorched the stage just moments before.

This time, though, the stars were aligned and it was full-on church. They even pulled out some tunes from the It's a Jungle in Here era. Amazing stuff, fluid and effortless and funky and joyful. All three guys were at top form, knowing when to cut loose and when to lay back. It was pure expression being shared among kindred spirits (man, does that sound corny).

Put aside all the fuss and bother about online music sales and the future viability of record labels. Forget about MTV and Britney and Avenge Sevenfold and emo and screamo and whatever other crap Viacom is using to sell commercial time. Live music is the past and the future - music played by people for people, music that breathes and inspires. True music will continue to thrive where it always has, in halls and fields and living rooms. Music is the language God uses when mathematics doesn't apply.

That sounds corny, too. But it feels true.

CNN.com - Arkansas man scales White House fence - Dec 4, 2005

CNN.com - Arkansas man scales White House fence - Dec 4, 2005

I figured he would wait for Hillary to get him back in as First Man in '08, but I reckon ol' Bill couldn't wait that long...