Recently in Personal Category

I was finally exposed to the Wiggles tonight and I have to say they have rocketed to the top of my most hated kids videos list.  For the strong of heart here is an example from the video we watched tonight:

We may be springing ahead tonight but we are far from Spring in the weather department:

Joshua Radin's We Were Here

Everything'll be alright (will's lullaby)

way down in new york town
thinkin bout the way she loved me
there's a hole in my pocket that's about her size
but i think everything is gonna be alright
yes i hope everything is gonna be alright
a smiling face is trade in l.a.
the gifts are found at the bar
well i wish my car
could drive to her tonight
then i'd know everything is gonna be alright
yes then i'd know it'll be alright

the rain in new orleans
forgot to end
but the mouths of the people are dry
and we watch and wait
and do nothing but sigh
and hope everything is gonna turn out right
but i don't know if it'll be alright

but i look at you
warm in your dream
while your mobile dances above
and i think to myself
it's a beautiful night
and i know everything is gonna be alright
yes now i know it'll be alright

It is one of those headlines or emails that comes across your screen and feels like a punch in the gut.  I was aware that his health was failing but you just don't think about losing someone like this until it happens.  And then it hits you that the world is somehow different.  It feels like the end of an era.

WFB, as he was often known, changed the face of American conservatism and politics like few others.  And like millions of others it was his writing, persona, and magazine that lead me to conservatism.  I own all of his books and have read them all excepting his last (Cancel Your Own Goddam Subscription)

His range was remarkable.  He wrote political polemics; syndicated columns; unique memoirs; books on sailing, language, and faith; and novels.  He singlehandedly changed the perception of what conservatism could be.  And in the process changed America.

RIP.

My New Year's Resolutions:

- Read the Bible.

- Eat Better.

- Exercise.

- Read the books I own instead of buying more.

- Figure out how I am going to use this blog!!!

Happy New Year to all of you.

Cry of a Tiny Babe
 
Mary grows a child without the help of a man
Joseph get upset because he doesn't understand
Angel comes to Joseph in a powerful dream
Says "God did this and you're part of his scheme"
Joseph comes to Mary with his hat in his hand
Says "forgive me I thought you'd been with some other man"
She says "what if I had been - but I wasn't anyway and guess what
I felt the baby kick today"

Like a stone on the surface of a still river
Driving the ripples on forever
Redemption rips through the surface of time
In the cry of a tiny babe

The child is born in the fullness of time
Three wise astrologers take note of the signs
Come to pay their respects to the fragile little king
Get pretty close to wrecking everything
'Cause the governing body of the whole [Holy] land
Is that of Herod, a paranoid man
Who when he hears there's a baby born King of the Jews
Sends death squads to kill all male children under two
But that same bright angel warns the parents in a dream
And they head out for the border and get away clean

Like a stone on the surface of a still river
Driving the ripples on forever
Redemption rips through the surface of time
In the cry of a tiny babe

There are others who know about this miracle birth
The humblest of people catch a glimpse of their worth
For it isn't to the palace that the Christ child comes
But to shepherds and street people, hookers and bums
And the message is clear if you've got [you have] ears to hear
That forgiveness is given for your guilt and your fear
It's a Christmas gift [that] you don't have to buy
There's a future shining in a baby's eyes

Like a stone on the surface of a still river
Driving the ripples on forever
Redemption rips through the surface of time
In the cry of a tiny babe

Before I owned my own car I always thought of myself as a clean car person.  I imagined I would keep my car clean inside and out; that I would regularly clean it and keep it in excellent condition.

This turned out to be another one of those myths I had about myself.

The truth is that I tend to let the car go and rarely clean it in any significant way.  While I wash the outside more regularly, the inside gets only cursory cleaning.  Now, I don't have one of those cars where visitors are disgusted by the food and trash piled everywhere.  We don't leave fast food bags in the car or allow spilled food to remain in the cracks where it was dropped.  But dirt, dust, and dog hair does tend to build up and give the inside a rather grubby look for long stretches of time.

What brings this up?  Well, this weekend I finally managed to clean out and vacuum the family car after months of meaning to get to it.  And as I was cleaning I was thinking about my earlier car dreams and ideas and realized that I was wrong about how I would handle car ownership.

So what about you?  Do you keep your car spotless?  Are you a car slob?  Or are you somewhere in between?

. . . was born September 16th at 11:53 PM. Weight 8 lbs 13 oz. Height 21 inches. Mom and baby are doing well.

So here we are another September 11. Six years later what is there to say or do on this anniversary? Is there some point at which we stop marking this day in special ways? Or is this like Pearl Harbor - a day that will live in infamy? I am sure the date won't fade from memory any time soon, but what of the public remembrances and special commentary?

I will confess that I don't have anything particularly topical to add. Nor do I have anything insightful, profound, or compelling to write about today. We all know what happened and it will be there in our minds throughout the day. I am not sure I need to say or write anything to mark this particular day.

Although, I guess this post is just such a marker. But it is more of a question than an answer.