The 58-year-old DeLay, an exterminator before his election to Congress in 1984, said he intends to seek re-election next fall. “I plan to run a very vigorous campaign and I plan to win it,” he told reporters in Texas.
Duly noted, but unworthy of further comment.
So right after Thanksgiving, I mentioned putting up my Christmas lights. It was a cold night, I remember. And it’s still cold tonight, and half a moon, which may give us hope. Do you have hope of a full moon? And shorter nights? Hope that the light will come and stand again in the center of your life? Yeah, so do I. I believe in spring. Still, soon the timer for my Christmas lights will shut them off, and tomorrow I’ll box them up, put them away, until they’re needed again. And they are, don’t you think? Light is something true for us, something more than pretty.
Today, on the Orthodox Christian calendar, is December 25. Christmas. The Nativity according to the flesh of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. On the “New Calendar,” it’s January 6, Theophany – Holy Epiphany in the West. Either way, Christmas is over, and the 12 days of it that end on Epiphany if you’re into that. And our endurance of the long dark night, which leads to lent, which leads to Pascha (Easter) resumes.
Bring it on. And May will be all the more wonderful.
It was time for a routine change, to kinda lighten the mood. Hope you like it.
Surfing around, I stumbled blindly upon this post about a writer facing imprisonment for insulting Turkey. Not the birdish beasties so many of us eat at Thanksgiving. This guy is a writer in Turkey, and he said something to piss off the powers that be. Apparently the Turks killed a bunch of Armenians, etc., and the Turkish powers are in denial. Same as it ever was.
Now it doesn’t surprise me that the Turks have no particular protections of freedom of speech, but I am a bit nonplussed that they’re so flagrant with its opposite. Especially with the armies of the perniciously democratic Emperor George just over the border. They must think His Arrogance can’t think of a good reason for some regime change there too, long as he’s in the neighborhood.
Weird. But as long as we’re the subject of free speech … ahem: The government of the United States killed off most of the native population of what is now America, in systematic acts of genocide, and left the few impecunious survivors royally screwed. There, I said it. Avast and have at me, oh blind and smelly winds of Justice!
He said, "Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."
And, "Planning to write is not writing. Outlining, researching, talking to people about what you’re doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing."
As for me, I do a lot of that stuff. And I’m not sure that Doctorow’s right, though he ought to know. I think the creative process is what it is. And I’m often lost in the fog. Anyway, happy birthday, Ed.
Yesterday, I drove up to Summerland to have coffee with my buddy Erik, at one of my favorite coffeehouses, The French Bulldog Café. And guess what. It’s closed. For good. 
Doesn’t that suck? I liked that place. It was small and comfy and usually quiet. Which may explain why it isn’t open anymore, and the factory coffee Starbucks up the road a couple miles is jumping.
Goodbye, little Bulldog, miss ya.
The problem with being sure that God is on your side is that you can’t change your mind, because God sure isn’t going to change His.
-Roger Ebert
Mr Abramoff was recognised by the Republican party as a "Pioneer" donor to Mr Bush’s campaign for persuading fellow supporters to give more than $100,000 towards the effort. The highest level of donors, known as "Rangers", contributed $200,000. [ Link]
The last century was truly the century of the United States of America. When WWI broke out, we were a relatively small military industrial power. Y2K found US as the most powerful and dominant nation on the planet. Then it all hit the skids. By the time my nephew is middle-aged, America will be tied in a wheelchair with a bedsheet.
Sorry you had to read it here first. But you needn’t have; you could’ve read it here first.
There you have it: a country living beyond its means, heavily reliant on an overstretched military, which flinches from imposing tax sacrifices to get its accounts in order. History has not been kind to great nations that get themselves into this position.
A new blog appears on the metaphor blogroll tonight: http://www.dooce.com/
Spotted at Buzzstuff. It’s so good that I’m sitting here reading it, even though I should get up and turn off the heater in my office, ‘cause I’m starting to cook. It’s nicely written, funny, with great photos. And a really cute little kid. And she’s got a dog – can’t beat that.
Metaphor 