Happy New Year!
May your dreams be ambitious and may they not be dashed…
the smedley log - suburban scrawl
Dreading the meme of 4’s.
Melissa has tagged me to partake in the meme of 4’s. Being enough of a slave to peer pressure, I am taking part, but having still a sliver of individualism left within me, I will do a slightly different meme than was handed to me by the square pegged mistress (-no offense intended). Here goes:
Last march of the Snickerdoodles
My sister, who had read of my Snickerdoodle naivete in one of last month’s comments, brought a plate of them to the family Christmas get together. These were the last three. They made it all the way ‘til early Thursday morning (and they were still quite good).
Friday Random Ten XXXI
(where the bright lights and the big city meet)
Last random ten of the year, and so it goes. Fire up the music randomizer and jot down the first ten songs it spits out:
1. Didn’t I – Jayy Mannon (MP3 from his site)
2. Shoe Box [album version] – Barenaked Ladies (Shoe box EP)
3. Open up Your Eyes – Tonic (Lemon Parade)
4. Desire – U2 (Rattle and Hum)
5. My One and Only Love – Sting (Leaving Las Vegas [Soundtrack])
6. With Me Tonight – Lost Dogs (The Green Room Serenade-Part Tour)
7. Incomplete – Switchfoot (New Way to Be Human)
8. All I Need Is Everything – Over the Rhine (Changes Come)
9. What’s the Frequency Kenneth? – R.E.M. (Monster)
10. Busted – Johnny Cash (At Folsom Prison)
Disclosures:
Favorite song: 9
First appearance by a Christmas gift on the FRT list: 10
Song from which the title quote is taken: ?
Also out in the lonely pre-New Year Random Ten Club: Andrea, Ben, Kim
And do the ones from the South have more of a drawl?
Cziltang asks one of the most head-scratching questions I’ve ever heard.
Post Christmas post
-Steven Wright
Got some good gifts this year, though I was entirely worn out as the family gathered all in one place the day after Christmas (scheduling was tight, go figure). Six young people, along with six adults, spending most of the afternoon and early evening in one place, wrapping paper everywhere, way too much food (especially of the exceedingly sweet variety), and not much likelihood that my camera escaped the experience unscathed, though I have managed to pull about eighty pictures off of it. Don’t know how many will pan out just yet—I’m still recovering from the commotion. Don’t believe me? Ask her.
Gifts we could give
oil in your lamp,
and peace in your heart.”
-Eskimo proverb
I’m one of those celebrants of Christmas who’d prefer if it didn’t revolve so much around shopping. I can’t remember the last time I was truly excited in anticipation of the gifts I was about to receive—at least not in that childlike way I remember so fondly.
Please don’t think I’m a scrooge, because I believe in the meaning of the Christmas holiday; I believe that it revolves around the gift of Christ, a gift of hope, to humanity. I understand that when we give gifts, it’s supposed to reflect that spirit of giving. And no matter what tradition of faith you follow, that’s probably a concept you can appreciate.
But who says all those gifts have to be trinkets of technology or token accessories we don’t really need? Who says we can’t send a gift to people we’ll never meet, people who really need it? Do you know a charity you think could use a few more bucks this holiday season? I was thinking, and writing, over at Philly Future about the importance of giving to those in need this Christmas (spurred by Chris’ post).
I’ve been noticing at the Wawa stores in our area, they have these little tear-off coupons you can take and have the clerk scan in as part of your purchase. They come in three different dollar increments, and whichever you choose, that’s the amount of your donation. I think it’s a food charity, something like Philabundance, but I’m not completely sure I’m recalling that correctly.
Another local charity sure to do good work with your donation is Project H.O.M.E., which has been seeking creative solutions to homelessness in Philadelphia.
You may also want to consider a donation that will help people who are still recovering from disasters like Katrina, or last year’s Tsunami in southeast Asia. Albert assembled a list of those sort of charities, including my favorite, World Vision. (You can also find that list by clicking the red cross graphic in the sidebar.)
That’s all the preaching for now. I hope everyone has a joyous holiday season, including a safe and happy new year!
Hate: the gift we could do without
Matt at Philly Future writes:
Ah, Christmas: the candied canes; the last-minute presents; the carols on the radio;and the anti-semitic literature on the front porch.
Tonight, my wife came home to find a bundle of anti-semitic literature by our front door. … (source)
It never ceases to amaze me how some people still carry ethnic-based hatred like this around with them, especially in an “enlightened” society like ours. Sometimes we need to be reminded that these evils still exist, even today. In that vein, please take the time to read the rest of Matt’s story.
Friday Random Ten XXX
(we are agents of the free)
Don’t worry, the selections are no bawdier than normal, regardless of the three x’s in the title. The routine stands; warm up the randomizer and jot down the first ten tracks.
1. Dig – Adam Again (Dig)
“There was a time when I might have surrendered, but not now.”
2. Grace – U2 (All That You Can’t Leave Behind)
“It’s a name for a girl.
It’s also a thought that changed the world.”
3. Vet – Vigilantes of Love (Welcome to Struggleville)
“I’d liked to forget that moment-
-there’s the curse of video tape;
screaming and all the clenched fists,
spit rolling down my face…”
4. The Long Day Is Over – Norah Jones (Come Away with Me)
“Feeling tired
by the fire…”
5. By My Side – INXS (X)
“I wish you were…”
6. Orange Crush – R.E.M. (Squint)
“got my spine; I’ve got my Orange Crush”
7. Mexico – Lost Dogs (Green Room Serenade, Part One)
“You say a drink’s a dollar there,
and if you’re not a bull the fights are fair.”
8. Place of You – Familiar 48 (Wonderful Nothing)
“And how did we get this way
when everything seemed okay?”
9. Happy Roy – 77’s (Pray Naked)
“You’ve gone away.
I’ll never be the same…”
10. Here without You – 3 Doors Down (Away from the Sun)
“A hundred days have made me older
since the last time that I saw your pretty face…”
Fellow members of the FRT cult: Andrea, Ben, Fred, Kim, Luna, & Marisa
Disclosures:
- Favorite song: “Happy Roy” (just like the last time it made the list)
- Least favorite song: “By My Side” (that “by my side” part in the chorus always seemed obnoxious to me, otherwise the song’s pretty good.)
- Random observation: “Here without You” and “Vet” both remind me of the old troop support discussion that is an unfortunate mainstay of political discourse during a time of war (or conflict). I appreciate “Vet” a little more each time I stumble over it—very bittersweet, though a little light on the sweet part. Good song, could’ve been my favorite on another occasion, but the 77’s tribute to Roy Orbison, which is also bittersweet, is just prettier. (Yeah, I admit it; sometimes I like pretty things.)
If it has “security” in the title, it must be important
Via Slashdot I stumbled across a piece on the Digital Content Security Act.
Finally, a law that protects us from dangerous digital content. Oh wait—turns out it’s just another proposal to govern what kind of electronic equipment we can legally purchase.
What about us, the unwitting consumers? (How about a chip for your TV that could automatically turn it off any time you’re about to tune in to a really bad movie?)
Sorry, I just don’t warm up to laws that attempt to curb illegal behavior by prohibiting equipment that has perfectly legitimate uses. And there are all sorts of items you could justify banning if the only qualification was the potential for illegal use.
Stupid, stupid Congress…
Make way for the Lemon Parade
I just found one of my favorite missing CD’s: It’s Lemon Parade from Tonic. I don’t know why this CD has stayed so steadily in my musical graces, but it goes clear back to when I saw them play as the opening act at the TLA on a Saturday night in 1996. The two bands that followed them that night were The Refreshments (best known in some circles as the performers of the King of the Hill theme song) and Dishwalla. (Dishwalla was the headliner but due to the excellence of the two opening acts, coupled with Dishwalla’s lack of live excellence, they were the only band I didn’t enjoy that night.)
And speaking of party lines…
Davenetics offers the observation that we are “gradually replacing thought with party in this country.”
Yep, we sure do like our parties. Of all our societal addictions, that may be the most threatening to our democracy.
Kind of like an old-fashioned party line when you think about it…
Funky offers some thoughts on the domestic wiretapping issue that’s been brought to the forefront by recent reports (and admissions) concerning the federal government’s behavior.
Blessed with both reason and brevity, Funky’s post is worth a peek. And I’m not just saying that because I share his sense of concern.
Things I miss
No, this isn’t one of those sentimental posts that’ll bring a tear to your eye (I could be wrong, though I can’t imagine how). In trying to come up with such a post, my mind drifted to items and phenomena from years past. Here’s a small sampling of thoughts that wove their way into my head:
The Subaru Brat
These little Japanese pseudo-pickups graced the American roadway (especially in the late 1970’s to mid-1980’s). They struck my fancy for a while (between the ages of, say, 10 and 13), mainly because of those two rear-facing jumpseats outside the back of the cab—the decisive factor in staking out its superiority over the tacky little VW pickup—well, that and available 4 wheel drive.
I only recall seeing riders in the jumpseats once, about twelve years ago while heading west on I-80 somewhere between Hazelton and Bloomsburg. It was two children, strapped in and waving at the people driving behind them. Yes, I waved back.
What we lack in charity, we make up for in hypocrisy
“It’s not a question of the poor not being important or that meeting their needs is not important, but whether or not a baby is killed in the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy, that is less important than help for the poor? We would respectfully disagree with that.”
-Paul Hetrick (spokesman for Focus on the Family)
With all due respect, Mr. Hetrick, it’s not a question of whether a baby being killed in the seventh or eighth month is or isn’t less important than help for the poor; it’s a question of whether or not people of faith should be horse-trading their causes to curry favor with policy makers.
Friday Random Ten XXIX
(you’re a Leonard Cohen Song)
It’s Friday morning and the random music machine is all warmed up:
1. Wasted Words – Allman Brothers Band (A Decade of Hits 1969-1979)
“Every other Christmas I would practice good behavior.”
2. Only Superstition – Coldplay (Brothers and Sisters)
“It’s only all of the things that you fear,
and the things which you cannot explain.”
3. Sink or Swim – Garrison Starr (Live at the 9:30 Club)
“Maybe I could change places with whoever moves you this way.”
4. Under You – Better than Ezra (How Does Your Garden Grow?)
“…when we barely could survive, I was never more alive.”
5. Hey Julie – Fountains of Wayne (Welcome Interstate Managers)
“Sometimes I catch myself staring into space,
counting down the hours ‘til I get to see your face.”
6. Song for You – Fuel (Sunburn)
“Venus I thought you’d bless me too-
-so selfish to presume…”
7. Let Down – Radiohead (OK Computer)
“Don’t get sentimental;
it always ends up drivel.”
8. Hate This Place – Goo Goo Dolls (Dizzy up the Girl)
“Hold on, dream away;
you’re my sweet charade.”
9. The Mark of Cain – Lost Dogs (Real Men Cry)
“…only the preacher will pray for my soul.”
10. Now She Knows She’s Wrong – Jellyfish (Bellybutton)
“He juggled his honesty with
two balls and an alibi.”
Others who spin random lists: Andrea, Ben, Luna, Mac & Marisa
December Philly Bloggers’ Meetup
Scott announces another Philly Bloggers’ Meetup, scheduled for this Saturday.
I may actually be there this time.
Local Best of’s
The BM Rant offers a year end music evaluation:
Matt’s Favorite 20 Albums of 2005 (and some I hated)
Complete with mp3 samples.
The danger of denouncing Murtha
In the above-linked piece from Paul Nussbaum, some supporters of the President may mistakenly find ammunition for criticizing John Murtha. But before that kicks back into full swing, people might want to take notice of who they’re criticizing; Murtha isn’t some hard-left peace activist who has no grasp on the realities of warfare (in fact, he’s far from it).
People who try to dismiss him as an extremist miss the boat on what he’s been saying for the past few weeks. What bothers me is that some people are missing that boat intentionally, and they’re happy to lead others away from an honest discussion of what’s happening in Iraq.
Quelling a debate is not the same as winning it. At some point it would be useful for everyone to recognize that. It seems that if we could understand at least that much, we might find ourselves a step or two closer to defeating terrorism.
