Post Holiday: Listening to some Christmas music as the holidays are passing and the new year harkens. We are currently in the midst of Kwanzaa, the creation of a black nationalist ["In 1966, KWANZAA was created by a young visionary living on the west coast who was also the founder and chairman of the Black Nationalist Organization."], and its tenets reflect this [e.g. "UJAMAA (COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS) --To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together."]. It has been of mixed success in part because of its relatively recent origin and because it appeals only to certain people of its intended audience.

Back to the personal; as an adult, Christmas has the usual mixed blessings. Let's take presents. Adults have the usual suspects: clothes, practical stuff that we need (e.g. a vacuum), gift certificates/cards, and so forth. All the same, we still have the fun stuff ... for instance, I got my age in white tic tacs (my signature). Adults also have the responsibility of putting together stuff. I, for instance, had to deal with the construction of a toy for my sister's baby (a pussy cat). Finally, adults also have the burden and joy of buying presents, the latter actually often greater than receiving them. This is where catalog shopping comes in. Lol. My last gift (I did buy a few in stores) came 12/23.

Glenne Headly: Today's forgotten star is Glenne Headly. I caught this talented actress in a little gem (put out by Hallmark, so the truly cynical should stay away) that I picked up at the video store lately, The Sandy Bottom Orchestra, concerning one of life's talented rebels trying to survive small town life along with her offbeat husband (who decides to have a classical concert at the annual dairy festival) and daughter, who is having teen growing pains of her own. The role fit Headly to a "t" -- the somewhat insecure woman that goes her own way, but is someone we often would like to know better. The movie itself by the way had an interesting subplot that dealt with rarely examined religious matters.

Politics: I'm currently reading Howard Dean: A Citizen's Guide to the Man Who Would Be President, a Vermont media account of his life. It's an interesting look at the complexities of the man and a helpful antidote to some of the simplistic stereotypes offered by others. His biography impresses (I particularly like that he is a doctor plus politician, his conservative side is also interesting, especially given the nature of some of his support, and his fiscal conservative nature [unlike current practice] touches a certain side of me too), though I still have this feeling of "this guy decided to become president?" This is tempered partly by the fact that a few recent presidents do not quite impress me in that department either (including the boy who became king). One aspect of this last issue is addressed by this interesting essay (12/28). [more]

Political Trivia: Origins of the donkey and elephant symbols.