Second Season

I'm a big baseball fan, and I love the Dodgers, thick or thin, but I still try to be impartial (except for those lowlifes in SF)...

Dodgers vs. Friars: Who's the contender, and who's the pretender? Consensus says L.A. is to be taken seriously as a WS contender. My feeling is they are a starter away from making it happen. Trading deadline is coming up, and everyone wants our young talent. We're not giving away the farm this time, we can be patient. Thank God Buehrle is off the market -- he's way overpaid for an underachiever. I'm sure one of our young studs is on the way out, I just hope they make the right choice. Then again, the farm system is the best it's been since the 80's, so we're back. Friars don't have Bochy anymore to carry them down the stretch, so I'm not threatened by them. That leave the D'Backs, who also need an arm, plus they need Ran-day to come all the way back (I'll take the latter, since he's on my Fantasy Baseball team). Come September, the Cardinals and Sun Devil Football will be on the front page of the sports section in PHX (same as it ever was). Dodger Blue will win out.

Reds: What sucks is that my local Turner South station has committed to showing the Reds' games this year. What did I do to deserve this?? Repeat after me: "Playing Out The String". 'nuff said.

YankMe's: oh, they're getting closer! They gotta jump over what,10 teams? Could it happen? Don't see how, but you can never fully count them and the Braves out of it. Yanks need consistent quality starts, don't see it on this roster. Again, July 31st is coming up, and Cashman is on the short leash...

Sawks: oh, another loss last night! To the lowly Jays! Is that a gag reflex I hear? Local sports radio dedicated Wednesday to all baseball fans, to get their prognostications for their fav teams in the 2nd half (remember, Charlotte is a melting pot thanks to all the relocated bankers from the north and west). Yanks fans were optimistic, Sawks fans were concerned. At 10.5 games out??? True, Manny and Papi haven't hit yet, but what if they don't? You gonna hitch your star on Kevin Youkilis? Francona sounds calm, but his team's fan base is starting to wring their hands, while A-rod and Co. are talkin' smak. My prediction? Wilbon will be hatin' life come September, cuz you know Mr. Tony won't let go of this story.

NL Central: The story will be LOU and the CUBS. All that crap we saw earlier this season, he was just being the Step-Dad marking his territory and erasing the crud from the old regime. Now his team knows what he expects from them. Prepare to see the Cubs make a strong move to the finish.

AL West: Of course I love the Halo's, but don't forget about the A's. As Vlad goes, so do the Angels. Billy Bean is a genius. Lost or dumped most of his starters and is still in contention. Love it.

NL East. Braves could make some noise, but the Mets are just too loaded. Barring a collapse, the wild card will again go to the NL West. Bravos don't have a bullpen, and that's what gets you into October.

AL Central: Tribe all the way, with maybe a push from the Twinks. Pale Hose will implode, and Ozzy will be managing in Florida next year...

Independence Day

I was listening to the local conservative newsradio pundit the other day, and he mentioned something that I found made sense. Even though I'm a registered 'publican, I don't always agree with the party line because I still believe the common people should be given some consideration from time to time. This makes me not always in lock-step with the constant dribble of fabricated urgency on such issues as immigration, foreign oil, immigration, the Iraq war, and oh did I mention immigration?
But I do agree with the sentiment that our national holiday in July has been compromised by way of what it's called and how it's marketed. The holiday is Independence Day, and the date is always July 4th. We don't wax on and on about "Dec 25th" or "Feb 20th" or "May 30th", we call them Christmas Day or President's Day or Memorial Day. Yet we see ads for July 4th, we talk about the July 4th parade, we get July 4th off from work. As the man on the radio says, this diminishes the true meaning of the holiday from what it represents -- it is quickly becoming a notable day off, a kick off to summer, but not enough emphasis is placed on what it really means to us and how it all came about. Maybe it's because school is out and we (parents and children) are more interested in the summer holiday mindset instead of using mental faculties to focus on the meaning of it all.
Independence Day is more than a Will Smith movie (although I do enjoy watching it every time it comes on). I don't think people realize just how tenuous and dangerous it was to create this country as an independent state. You don't get that message in grade school, you just hear about how we were created and the war that ensued. Let's not forget that people were killed, reputations and careers were lost or changed forever, and the world was never the same after that episode in history (because of the result).
I made a conscious effort this week to correct anyone that said "July 4th" in conversation to please say Independence Day. Especially my kids and their friends. And they reacted favorably and wanted to know more, which to me is always a good thing. It's the ultimate grass roots effort, but it's a start, and I'm motivated to spread the word, especially to marketing folks who run those ads on TV, radio and print: let's reprogram ourselves to call it what it is -- INDEPENDENCE DAY. And who knows? Maybe it will generate more creative thought as well as being an excuse to load up on hot dogs and beer and fireworks...

Imus vs. Sharpton

Imus: What he said was stupid, especially on public radio/tv. But let's be honest. This is what happens when (1) old rich people get too comfortable in their daily lives and forget the everyday trials and tribulations of the poor and/or less fortunate, and (2) our daily lexicon is weakened from the constant bombardment of trivial and useless jargon, to the point of exhaustion, until someone decides to call "foul" and demands an apology or, even better, some one's head on a platter.

Sharpton: What a pompous, good for nothing hypocrite. I can't believe he has control of the African American voice of reason. Will anyone have the balls to stand up to this charlatan? All of NY knows what a fraud he is, and that's why he left that state, he has no support. And how dare he come down here, to NC, to publicly protest the THEN ALLEGED, NOW FALSE rape charge against the Duke lacrosse players. Imus is right to ask When will Sharpton apologize to the Duke players? This is bullshit at its finest. I'm sick and tired of never seeing anyone stand up within their own ranks to protest the crap going one within their own people, instead they want to focus on what other races are doing (are you paying attention, American Muslim leaders?). Where is the justice?

Imus was past his prime. But if he's smart, he can turn this around by making it a personal vendetta to expose Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and Anne Coulter and Rosanne Barr and Bill Maher for what they are: boneheads.

Life isn't' always fair, but it never fails that what comes around, goes around. 'nuff said...

Gen. Pace's personal opinion vs. America's

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, tried on Tuesday to calm anger that erupted after he described homosexual acts as immoral, saying he was expressing only his personal views."

Reading the papers (and the comments from people across America), I see there's lots of strong opinion on this. Is there ever going to be a reasonable solution to this? Or is it no different that the Yes or No on going to war?

The Immigrant Solution

The buzz is all about how to keep the illegal aliens out of our country. The POTUS is in favor of a 9-foot wall along the US/Mexico border. Same with the VEEP and others in similar lock-step (yet no such talk for our northern neighbors, even though the 9/11 terrorists came thru Canada). Seems to me that the main reason illegals come here is for a better way of life. So, if that's the case (for the most part), then maybe we should look at what drives them here instead of staying home. After all, they leave most of their families behind, and Western Union is doing big business with international money transfers.

Here's an idea: how about investigating what makes their home country less desireable, and try to help change it? If we all agree on the above-mentioned main reason, then what can be done to make that happen in the motherland? Freedom is relative, especially if you realize that one has the ability to control their level of freedom when they can control their level of personal wealth.

Frost conditions in California had hit the citrus market hard. Expect higher prices on the consumer level...Frost conditions in Florida have also hit the citrus market hard. Tomatoes are the most expensive they've been in a very long time. Why not look at taking advantage of the warm weather in Mexico by way of fostering more crop production for human consumption? Get Big Agro to invest in Mexican farmlands for crop production. Get the Mexican government to sign off on it via "revenue allocation" to certain influential individuals. Establish committments and incentives to stay long-term. Get the IMF involved -- the IMF should be receptive to getting their loans repaid or (even better) get assurances that their loans will have a stronger liklihood of being repaid, and providing a biz plan for long-term revenue streams that are (on the surface) generated for politically correct crop production for global consumption should be a huge compensating factor.

Think about it. Get Dole or Del Monte or Hunt's or Heinz (Theresa!) or Contadina or Borden or Libby's or Kraft to work on NAFTA-enabled projects, and if managed properly, with UN or WHO or G7 support, you suddenly create an empire that can help feed the world (and make a little coin to boot). Nothing against CA or FL produce -- there's no taste substitute for their locally-grown produce, so they should keep on keeping on. We've got world hunger and/or portions of the world that do with less than the daily requirements of healthy produce because such items cannot be readily available. Here's an idea that gets everyone participating, and more importantly, creates a viable revenue stream that can produce a market with wages and taxes for local governments to help re-develop and recreate themselves as a place to stay and grow from within.

Yes, there's lots of details to work out, both good and bad, but I present to you this general idea for all to work on. Like the Gulf war, international support is key, because it helps to strong-arm the idea forward, especially when skeptics still can't see the forest from the trees. And when I say "support", I mean it in several ways: political, corporate, humanitarian, ecological, and monetary. Your thoughts are welcome -- let's discuss.

this war

what is it good for? Military Intel. Plain and simple. Strategery. Establishing a presence smak dab in the middle of the friggin desert. At the cost of 3000+ lives and countless new gimps with psychological impairments. All paying the ultimate sacrifice or very close to it. But it just amazes me that with all the techno brains we have in this country, we can't get any closer to resolution. Or maybe we have, it's just not public knowledge. And that wouldn't surprise me. There's a shitload we don't know about. Exit the old plan, enter Queen Nancy. Takes a visit to Iraq, and at the end of the day, what does she say? The same they all say after their first visit: "we've gained a newfound appreciation of what is going on here", or some bullshit line like that. And so it begins. Again. The more things change, the more they stay the same. But at least I'm glad to see her royal Frisco worshipfulness is allowed to see the light.

So what's the deal with negotiation? Do we not do that on a global level anymore? And what happened to the UN? Do they still exist? Well, I hope this is all worth it some day, if not for my sake, but for the sake and safety of my daughters as they assume this massive debt and international responsibility.

Welcome Back.

The pursuit of happiness

Just got back from a long weekend with the family. Took them out camping, by a lake, with lots of trails and activities. They seemed to enjoy it. We left on Friday morning, got back on Sunday afternoon. Next thing I know, it's Monday and we're all back to school and work. It makes me wonder: is this part of life's mystery? The Pursuit of Happiness? Statistics would dictate that this would happen more often to some, and not very often (if at all) to others, but per the Bell Curve, most of us strive for it and obtain it, in whatever level.
We are given opportunities, and we are allowed to make choices. We don't always act on the opportunity, for various reasons (it's disguised, it's difficult to discern, it takes effort). And we don't always make the better choice (for many human reasons). So it's possible to act on the opportunity, but the choice is mis-handled. Or the opportunity is very well hidden, but the right choice is acted upon and the door is opened much easier. All choices can be and should be characterized as pursuit. The result is indetermined because of cause and effect, which is another subject...

the WTC movie

I'm not a New Yorker. I'm not a Muslim. I'm not connected to the Pentagon in any way (that I know of). Am I'm not interested in seeing the new WTC movie. What's the point? Seriously, I don't see the pros, but I'm not promoting the cons, either. Nah, I won't say it's explotation by the studios. I think the actors would not want to be a part of it if it was so apparent. I do feel strongly that the towers should be replaced, but I also can see, having worked in a 20-story building, how company employees would be worried about being an everyday target. But they should build them back. By not building them back, does that mean that the original model was structurally and conceptually defective? Didn't Trump have an idea about putting them back, bigger and better? I don't know what the deal is about why they don't give Trump a shot at this. It's as if they're afraid he'll get too much power out of it. Hmmm. There must be more to the story. Back to the movie: I guess it's just too soon. Documentaries about the event? OK by me. But a full-scale fictional account partially based on fact and interpreted with dramatic license? I'm not interested.
(But wait...as I write this, I just remembered how much I enjoyed "Titanic" by Cameron. What am I missing here?)

Buck Rogers

As of today, I'm the proud recipient of my own personal wireless internet connection. Now THIS is cool. I still have the old (but mostly reliable) desktop upstairs, but I'm using the company's notebook for the trial run. And today it just so happens that the first game of the NFL season starts with the HOF game. Ok, so I'm surfing the web while watching NFL football in my garage...or on my screened-in deck...or in the living room on the comfy leather chair/couch...or in bed while smokin' a blunt and getting serviced. Well, as for that last part, that's Christmas Yet To Come. Anyway this is just way too Manly. And I like it. Kids are upstairs, playing on their new educational software, and I'm down here enjoying the show...Yes, I have heard stories about how dangerous this can be, with all the damn hackers out there, and how they can bring on serious damage. My connection, from what I see, is encrypted, so I'm hoping that is doing the trick, or at least be better than nothing... Anything else I should be concerned about? Besides wasting time?...

Morning Line

Just finished "Deception Point" by Dan Brown. Not a bad read, but somewhat predictable in spots. I've read "The DaVinci Code" and "Angels and Demons", and I enjoyed them for the rich history trivia that Brown loves to scatter within his books. Same MO here, mostly to do with NASA and Fed agency politics. All 3 books were quick reads, kept me interested to the end. They were all light in the human interest part, but Brown does his best to tie in the characters to the more interesting plot lines. I can see how Brown enjoys the research part of each book, and can't wait to share with others, but I can also see how difficult it can be to attach the good stuff to humans, to make the reader interested in the minutiae...

The Parade got rained out

Canes up 3-1, playing Game 5 at home, for the whole enchilada. But no, the Oil spoils the party with an OT goal, sending the series back to Canada for Game 6. I had a funny feeling about this. Too many people were counting it over. You can't get too smug on stuff like this -- unless it's the World Cup, but who's watching that anyway...
Cornbread Maxwell said on local radio that he preferred to win it all on the road, cuz the players get two celebrations. Guess we'll find out...or did I just jinx them again? DOH!

ritual de habitual, part deux

ok, I'm going to try it: post something every day for 30 days. Hopefully, this won't suck...

bad karma

Last night at a business function, I was exposed to a possible stab in the back by a higher level supervisor at my company. He (I'll call him "Billy") and I were talking to a potential new business partner ("Newton") at an open house event, when Billy said to Newton, "so, I'll see you on Monday afternoon?". Say what? You see, I know Newton from last year, when he was a good friend of a former co-worker. Newton would come by to the office and chit-chat with co-worker, and they both comisserated (sp?) on how their lives sucked because of their recent divorces, and how their damn ex's are taking them to the cleaners and beyond. Other than that, Newton didn't have much else to do, so he would try to engage me in conversation, even though I was slammed with new biz, but I'll be a nice guy and listen to his stories. Anyway, long story short, one day, co-worker goes off the deep end and quits the company to seek serious mental help. Didn't see Newton much after that, until one day this year, he stopped by to say he's the new sales manager at a prominent homebuilder in the area. A home builder that Billy had a previous relationship with, but was so mis-managed that they dropped our company's services. So when I see that Newton is now with them, I jump on the opportunity to rekindle the relationship. Newton is ok with the idea; he says he likes me and that if his new company will let him, he'll not only recommend they use us, but he'll also demand that I be the point man on the project...so he says. What do I care if he's b.s.-ing me? It could be true, and I get a huge builder acct, or it all could be shit, and I dont' lose any ground cuz it was never to happen anyway. Well, I'm going with the former. So one day, I'm in Billy's office, and I tell him hey, guess who I ran into, and guess who he's working with nowadays? Right away, I see Billy's all into it, but he's trying to hold it back, cuz he knows what I'm going to say next. So I say it anyway: "and if we can get back on board with Newton's company, he said he wants me to manage the account, and I'm all for it." To which Billy sez, Sure, but let's see what Newton has to say about it. Billy tries to call him right then and there, but Newton isn't answering, so Billy leaves him a message. Billy and Newton go back several yrs -- I found out that Billy had been trying to recruit Newton, but Newton didn't take the bait. Newton also knows Billy's good friend ("Dean"), and Billy has the idea that Newton's company, if it comes back to us, will be managed by Dean. But I'm not privy to any of this until last night, when Billy says to Newton, "So we're going to get together on Monday, right?"..."and are you ok if Dean joins us?". I can see Newton is somewhat uncomfortable, because he now realizes I don't know what's going on. Newton says Yeah, sure, we'll talk Monday, and Billy walks off. I turn to Newton and say "what's that all about?". Newton tells me to my face that he's tired of their bullshit, he wants me to be there instead of Dean, he's tired of dealing with Dean. Yeah, right, I'm thinking, but why would this guy bullshit me to my friggin face?
Yeah, yeah, you're saying Welcome to the Real World of Cutthroat Business. That's bullshit, I say. I'm a big believer in Karma -- I've seen it happen, and I'm convinced that shit happens for a reason, and the things that happen to you are for a reason. There were 1300 people at this event. I knew maybe 10. It took me 30 minutes to get there from my house, and I was an hour late to the event, but when I got there, I saw that I wasn't the only one being fashionable. Plus, I got lost getting to there, and I had to make a 10-minute correction. When I finally get there, I stumble and fumble with stuff in my pockets, yet for some reason, it was meant to be, cuz when I finally get going (after going back to the car twice like an absent-minded schoolgirl), I see Newton driving in at the same time. I didn't know he would be there, but it's weird that we cross paths at the same time. Not only that, but I run into another former co-worker that's now a bigshot at a rival big bank, and we've been playing phonetag for months, trying to find a half hour to squeeze in a lunch so we can catch up, and I know she wants to recruit me. We've had absolutely no luck in connecting, but guess who I run into while waiting in line for the courtesy bus to take us to the open house? Yeah, her. Didn't know she was going to be there, either, but suddenly I find myself at the hip with not only two people I know, but two people that I want to know and I want them to know me, know what I mean?
Which brings us back to "what's that all about?". I'm pissed about this, but I'm at peace for the most part, cuz I know Billy and Dean (and maybe Newton) are messing with some bad karma right now. Former she-worker sez Call me, let's keep in touch, things are changing at our bank, and I want you to be a part of it. Hmm, I say, damn skippy, let's keep in touch. Especially if I'm going to get fucked in the ass by Billy, Dean and Newton. Maybe I'll beat them to it. Or maybe there's more to the story. Billy tells me to my face how much he appreciates my help with his business line. I want to be in Billy's good graces cuz he knows people, and he's an old man and will soon give this up, and I want to be considered for the position when the day comes. But there's something more there, something that I'm not quite sure of yet. It'll take more investigative research. And I may approach Billy after Monday to say, hey, how was that meeting with Newton, and why wasn't I invited?? It had better make sense, otherwise here comes the bad karma, fool...

Olympics, Daytona, PolySci & Lost

The Shroud over Turin (Torino): seems to be covering the heads of our Men's Hockey Team as they strive to underachieve. Going in, the concern was with the goaltenders, but judging from what I've seen in the past two games, it's the other guys that are not doing as well as expected. They look like a team that hasn't played together very much -- oh, yeah, it's true, they haven't. I don't see a sense of national pride with these guys like I see with the Euro's -- it's more like, yeah, I got millions in the bank, and I'm in Italy on the gov dime, so I play a few games, then go take in the scenery and sights, and get back home, sucks to lose, but oh well...

Cheat, Cheat, Never Beat...but not in NASCAR: oops, the winner of The Great American Race, The "super bowl" of racing, the daddy of them all, is the car that was caught cheating just last week. NASCAR wanted anybody but the #48 car to win. Now there goes the credibility, back down the one-holer out back...

Bill Mahar, are you serious?: your show is getting out of control, Bill. It's your job to moderate the conversation. And stop whining about losing your show -- GET OVER IT. Dude, you need to move on. As for the panel, it was not very good, but hey, it's only the first show, you've got nowhere to go but up! Helen Thomas, please step aside, your comments just don't make sense, and they're tarnishing your once-infamous reputation. And please tell me the brotha on the panel was joking with most of his comments. Or better yet, please tell me he and Helen were last-minute replacements, Bill! Try to get more of Joe Scarborough and/or Dennis Miller -- or are you afraid they'll make too much sense for your anti-Bush audience to take?

Lost in Space and Time: Are we really to believe that humans would act this civily and look so refreshed after being marooned for so long? And no one would go crazy, especially knowing that there's a hidden place that has food, and a shower with hot water, and electronics?? Or is it because they're all dead, or it's all a daydream? Kinda like "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge" -- after all, we did see the Locke character with that book in his hands two weeks ago. I can't imagine not having someone go nuts, or not seeing more power struggles between the de facto leaders, or not seeing more crazy hook-ups between strangers -- it's natural for homo sapiens when they are put into their most basic environment...

Keep Gambling

I don't understand the problem with gambling by professional athletes. To me, it's like smoking weed: There's rules against it, and if you get caught, you get your hand slapped. If you use it so much that it impairs your life/job/whatever, you will pay for it, either directly or indirectly. These millionaires CRAVE competition, it's what keeps them going. Gambling has been going on forever (remember the centurions at the crucifixion?) -- it's entertainment, and these guys have so much money, they need something to do with it. I wonder how many pro teams have regularly scheduled Gamblers Anonymous meetings? Quit wringing your hands like an old woman! If they break the law, they get put down, just like the rest of us. And to all you newspaper columnists that are posting articles against it, I have a question: do you work for a paper that publishes the odds on games? Don't forget that charity begins at home, so if you care so much about this issue, take it up with your employer first...

55 Book challenge

Remember this from last year? An oldie but goodie. So I thought I'd incorporate it into my "new year's regimine". As of today, I'm still working on it. I've read a few books, but I'm way behind schedule.

"Fixing" what isn't broken

WARNING: this is a sports-related rant, but if you look hard enough, you may find (and hopefully think about and/or discuss) the underlying principle...

What's with playing the college football big bowl games over a five-day period? New Year's Day used to be a magical time, a day when all the games were on one day, and you went to or set up a huge party with friends, and it was all football, all day and all night long. I know, it's all about the money now, but they've ruined a good thing. Non-football junkies would hate this day because it went on forever, but at least it ended in a 24-hour period. Now the major bowl games are spread out so much, we lose interest and it's just not fun anymore. In the old days, January 1st started with the Rose Bowl Parade, which was a quiet start to your day, in case you were nursing a huge hangover from the night before. Then the games began: kickoff at the Cotton Bowl, then the Gator Bowl (or was it the other way around? who cares?) overlapped half-way thru, then the Outback Bowl, overlapped by the Fiesta Bowl, which overlapped into the start of the Rose Bowl, which overlapped into the Sugar Bowl, which spilled into the Orange Bowl, and it was all over. It was a day of recovery and gluttony, when you overindulged in chips/dips/finger foods all day, chased down by the appropriate beverage, depending on your current physical condition and mental state. I remember being at parties where the price of admission was, in addition to BYOB, you had to bring a television set, which you placed in whatever room needed it (including the bathroom). It was great, and it was all over in one day. Now, God forbid, even the Rose Bowl Parade was on Jan 2nd this year -- it was a bust today because it rained all day, in Southern California (serves them right). The karma gods aren't completely powerless...

What is THAT all about???

Caught Nancy Grace on Imus the other day. She said that tourism in Aruba is UP. WTF! Or is the data skewed from the journalists and news crews going down there?? If not, then there's something very wrong, or very obvious.

The China Syndrome

I'm borrowing this comment from streetlife.com -- it's too interesting to ignore:

"The New Face of Communist China….Last week I went to an event with Rui Chenggang, one of the top young TV news anchors in China who was named a Global Leader for Tomorrow in 2001 by the World Economic Forum, and is a 100% loyal Communist. Chenggang, who's all of 28 and incredibly articulate, is living in the states for the first time as part of the Yale World Fellows Program. He highlighted some amazing statistics— there are more people who speak English in China than there are in the U.S. —and noted some key misconceptions. We westerners associate China with a fire-breathing dragon, but in fact the icon we see as a dragon, the Chinese see as a benevolent water-breathing serpent that cares for crops. When I asked about the fact that China is growing so fast that there may not be enough natural resources to sustain it, Chenggang was cagey—he insisted that China is working on alternative fuel sources and that the government is much more focused on environmental preservation than the U.S. acknowledges. That's a tough one to swallow." Julie Boorstein

It's the Holiday Season!

Is it me, or does it seem like more and more of us are getting into the "spirit" of Christmas sooner and easier every year? Let's put aside the sentimentality for a moment, and examine further: I think folks are working so hard to try to make ends meet, and to be the best parent they can be, and to be a productive member of society, all the while being bombarded by the daily grind that, in the end, they are starving for any break they can get. Take Christmas music, for example. Ever hear a sad, depressing holiday song from start to finish? Even "Christmas Shoes" has a happy ending. Personally, I like this music, because it's a very welcome respite from the daily dirge of death, or break-ups, or evictions, or corruption, or poverty, or hunger, or political hi-jinks, or whatever other depressing crap that floods the media outlets. Yeah, yeah, Go watch The Daily Show, you say, you'll get comedy and satire relief. No, that's not what we need. Deep down, we want peace on earth. We want to see kids laugh. We want to breathe clean air, and we want to drink clean water, and we want to sleep in and not be rushed by the damned alarm clock every friggin' day. We're getting tired of the crap in the Middle East, every damn day. It's getting old, just like "the troubles" got old (and hopefully it will end because of it). I think if you showed most Middle Easterners some of the great things life has to offer, they would think twice about their religious zealousness. It worked on the Puritans -- where are they now? All work and no play, and you'll lose your mind, Ebeneezer! Christmas (or should I say Christmakkuh) means happy times, holiday parties, buying gifts for people we love and sometimes just because it's the right thing to do. If you look back on some of the great memories of your life, isn't there at least one Christmas that still brings a smile to your face? Yes, I understand we can't have Christmas every day (see "Elmo Saves Christmas" for more on that), but it's...it's...oh, man, this may sound corny, but it's the Spirit that needs to stay with us all the year. I think that's why I don't have a huge problem with cell phones. People are talking more, which means more interaction, which leads to more social participation, and what's wrong with that? But that's another blog for another day. So have yourself a Merry little Christmas, now.