Christmas morning
I’m going to try to reconstruct – from memory – the hour-long entry that got “poofed” when I tried to preview it at 5:00 am this morning. Since my memory is a notoriously unreliable instrument, the final product may bear little resemblence to the original. But at least I remember the subject matter… sort of.
“It’s 4:00 am Christmas morning, and my knees are saying; “No sleep for you!” So I’ll write while I wait for aspirin to go to work. (I’m taking a break from ibuprofen. Chronic pain is a b*tch.) …
After working, I usually don’t have the energy to decorate, but I really appreciate those who do – even the insane, over-the-top outdoor decorations. For a few weeks a year, Normal, Illinois is Las Vegas…
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Christians who are offended by “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” should chill out. The perfect antidote is at Reason Online: The True Spirit of Xmas; or how 4/5 of the country became an oppressed minority. There are a lot of religious holidays that happen right around this time. Isn’t Christmas the wrong season to get mad about trying to be nice to people of other faiths? (Tip ‘o the hat to SEB for the Reason link.)
Ditto for atheists and others who are annoyed by “Merry Christmas!” Everyone repeat after me: “Live and let live!”
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I know it’s a schlocky obligatory human-interest stuff but this story in USA Today really got to me: For troops, most precious gift is a few moments with family.
The GIs leaving home will be fighting in Iraq and struggling with being separated from their families at Christmas. “Let’s just say that every soldier here is fighting two battles,” says 1st Sgt. Garren Fulmer, 39, an Army reservist and firefighter who is leaving his wife, Robin, and daughter, Riley, 6, in Overton, Nev. “My wife absolutely doesn’t want me to go to war.”
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I have heard a couple interviews with Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh and he makes a lot of sense to me. ‘Long as we’re tryin’ to get our killin’ caught up to our enemy-makin’, I wish I could hook up world leaders with him. Afterward, I’d assign ‘em a ten-page paper on “Why I will examine nonviolent strategies as serious alternatives.” Here’s a sample to get them started – Christian Science Monitor: An advocate for peace starts with listening.
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Finally, if you got a new computer for Christmas, first read this:
AP: Hackers aim to sabotage holiday computing
And then this:
Secure online practices
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Have a wonderful holiday, everyone!!!