Merry Christmas, Unless...

I heard an amusing version of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" the other day in which the singers kept thinking of exceptions, such as "unless you are Jewish," followed by a verse for them wishing them Happy Hannukah, Happy Ramadan, Happy Kwanza, Happy Solstice, etc. The last verse was for atheists: "We wish you a happy....Monday."

Anyway, I probably won't be back blogging for a a few days. I'm off on vacation, and will be quite busy keeping up with the family activities. You all enjoy your...weekend...and may all your....mondays be bright. But if you want to have a Merry Christmas, that's perfectly all right with me.

Ciao!

Making A Historical Case

Orson Scott Card has another (long) essay about the future and the past, comparing the Roman Empire and the United States.

An interesting read.

Return of the Lip-Ferret

My wife has decided that she liked kissing me more before I shaved off the moustache. Since I like my wife kissing me, I am regrowing it. For myself, I was ambivalent about it. I don't think I looked any better or worse.

Emma lost her first tooth last night. It has been loose for the better part of a month, so she was quite excited. Even moreso about the tooth fairy coming. She woke us up at 4:00 am to let us know the tooth fairy came.

My Christmas shopping is done, though I spent three hours in six stores last night getting it done. Ho ho ho.

Mein Lipp-ferret Ist Kaput!

I got impulsive enough this morning to do the job. And my worst fears were realized. No one noticed. I always suspected it was a rather uninspiring thing, but this pretty much confirms it.

Once I called Terhi's attention to it she decided she liked it better the old way. I'll give her a few more days to be sure, but yes, it's probably coming back.

On the other hand, it's given me a little drive to do some other things that I've been putting off, like cleaning my desk at work. Things are slow at the moment, so I've got the time. Who knows what else this may inspire.

Let's Get Ready to Rummmmm-baaaaaaaaall!

Those weren't donut holes.

Beware of the unlabeled treats that show up in the office breakroom during the Christmas season.

Bald Faced Lies

I've been contemplating getting rid of my moustache. But I can't bring myself to do it. I tried this morning. I really did. But as hideous as my moustache is, it's been with me for a long time. It's almost like trying to cut off an earlobe or something. I usually deal with change fairly well. But I guess this is an exception.

Kyoto Accords?

According to this article, Europe isn't exactly leading the way in cutting greenhouse gasses. But it's still okay for them to lecture us.

Grading Made Easy

I'm not in college any more, but this is nonetheless funny:

A Guide to Grading Exams

I think I had this professor...

Little Ado About Nothing

Well, the Christmas season is in full swing around our place. We have the tree up now, and the house is decorated. The kids are increasingly bouncy. And our youngest has learned the phrase "That's mine!" Don't know where he picked that up. He only gets it shouted at him by his older siblings forty times a day.

On the cuter side, he also knows "Christmas lights!" He also knows the "E-I-E-I-O" part of Old McDonald very well. Though sometimes he very clearly changes it to "E-I-I-'elllo!"

We've been passing around various bugs lately. One that seems pretty common is the 24-hour fever. Fortunately its symptoms seem to stop at listlessness and fever, and the next day the kid is back to normal.

Anyway, life continues its march toward Christmas. I'll be taking some time off from work, so I'm eager, to say the least.