stargeek
passing up an opportunity to go home for Christmas, so that his colleague could spend Christmas with his wife and childpassing up an opportunity to go home for
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(Update: OK, so the picture didn't really turn out to be as good as I thought it would be. Trust me, the atmosphere was nothing short of magical :-)
 ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse (though Anita’s convinced there are mouses around and in every room of our house they abound so Dave’s hammered up boards near the slightest of sound and he’s left to believe there are none to be found). The reruns of “Santa Clause”, “Frosty” and “Scrooge” Were blaring away on our TV screen huge, And Chelsea was barking away in her sleep With visions of chasing alpacas and sheep; Anita was laughing in midst of her dreams (She was Santa with eight naked sleigh-men, in teams). While Dave was still wrapping her presents at two With the leftover paper, in orange and blue (‘Cause the red, white and green wrap goes fastest, it’s true And the ribbon’s all gone, so what else can you do?) When all of a sudden there rose such a clatter He ran to the door to see what was the matter When what to his wondrous eyes should appear But a man, with a wolf, and coyotes and deer! Dave thought for a moment he’d tuned in “Due South” (But there wasn’t a Mountie, or sidekick with mouth) Just a strange little man with these creatures so wild In the dark of the night of the birth of the Child. The creatures all sparkled (the full moon aglow Reflected the white of the new-fallen snow) “Seeking room at the inn?” Dave cried out to them all “Not at all” said the man, “We have no time to stall: We are sending a message to those who can see That the secret of life is in sensing the glee In the moment, in nature, when everything’s still Just a moment like this, here and now, on this hill, And you just stand and look, smell, taste, touch, pause and hear; It’s the same for a man, and a wolf, and a deer. Though the end of the planet is possibly near When you’re one with the world there is nothing to fear: You are part of the dance of the ages above And all that it takes to partake is the love Of yourself and your wife and your kids and your dog And the moon and the stars, and the rain and the fog, And the land and the air and the sea and the sun, And the sense of the truth that combines them as One. So get out of yourself and of being apart You are part of the science and part of the art That connects all of us in the head and the heart. You have put so much work in your trial to survive You’ve forgotten the feeling of being alive, So let go of yourself, and your sorrow and grief And shower the ones that you love with belief That life is too short to regret and delay: You must live for the moment and live day to day Like my friends the coyotes, the wolves and the deer— They sense in their hearts that their death is too near But the joy of the moment transcends all the fear— They can see! They can feel! They can smell! They can hear! They’re alive in a way you’ve forgotten to be And they’re happy, connected, united, and free. So when you awake Christmas morn don’t be coy: Spread the word, spread the warmth, spread the love, spread the joy! Say: I love you and Thank you, you’re one of a kind, Say You’re wonderful, special and No, I don’t mind. And then in a glimmer of moonlight they’d gone And David returned to the house with a yawn And slept with the thoughts of the words that they’d spoke But would he remember those words, when he woke…? (no post tomorrow -- Merry Christmas everyone -- back Boxing Day) |
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"tri" Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Postings will continue next year!
"zeldman.tat"
You know what drives me mad? "Happy Christmas". It's been driving me a bit nuts for a while now. Surely it's "Merry Christmas"? Cos otherwise how can you say, "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year"? Google agrees with me: Merry Christmas (661,000 results) vs. Happy Christmas (183,000 results). So stop it, advertising wankers. Stop it TV people. Stop it, annoying card makers. Merry is better. It means drunk.
Anyway, I'm off to see the family today, so I would imagine posting will be even more sporadic than normal over the next week or so. I hope you all have a good time visiting family and stuff. I'll be back online properly in a few scant days, no doubt busting at the seams with enthusiasm and turkey and ideas and vim. In the meantime, if you want to do something good in the world, why not donate to Oxfam US, Oxfam UK or to Stonewall. And if that's all a bit worthy for you and you've enjoyed the guff I've pumped out over the last hundred years, then why not buy me a present or something. Best wishes... xx Tom
By Giles Turnbull, O'Reilly Network
« Yölyhdyt [Night Lanterns] by Liisa Kyrönseppä in the Forces of Light installation in Plague Park. »
Today at lunchtime I looked outside and gaped since it appeared like it was almost night before noon. I thought we had escaped November but, perhaps not. I noticed a light therapy lamp in the coffee lounge and had to resist the desire to go press my eyeballs directly onto the bulb. My backpack still contains my sunglasses as if I'll need them for another 5 months or so. Always prepared for solar radiation, every fleeting moment of it. :)
Since we had to cancel our Feb/March travel plans due to the puppy coming later than expected Jarkko, in a fit of desperation after finding all the tours booked between now and when the puppy arrives in January, found a trip at one of the last minute cancelation agencies in a warm, arid place during the holidays. It's funny how back in my 20s I travelled all over on a whim and didn't think anything of it and these days I am less enthusiastic about seeing the world. It bothers me that I have become so jaded in my advancing age. It is that age old equation of Money | Time | Energy/Enthusiasm - pick any two. I retain the curiosity but it is tempered by my cynicism. I had to check to see if I'd need a visa to enter the country and if anyone ever read the US State Department's consular information sheets on various countries, noone would ever leave US airspace. They do make for amusing reading for those of us who live outside the US. Treat yourself to reading the language of fear, e.g. Finland;
SAFETY AND SECURITY : Finland remains largely free of terrorist incidents....
Largely free? What is that supposed to mean? No bombs but the lihakukko is a very dangerous weapon in the Karelian terrorist regime? Watch out for the drunks and their puukkos at the tram stops? There is also a section about how few cops there are in relation to the overall population. I suppose that living in a police state would make you uncomfortable visiting a place that doesn't have guys in fatigues and AK-47's hanging out in airports and on street corners. We're going to a place where we are warned that there is a lot of 'soccer-inspired violence' and evangelical christians are given a quick ride to the airport. :)
“Christmas morning ...Lorcan: let's read the instructions first ...
Children: gone ...” [Lorcan Dempsey’s Weblog]
We had a great holiday break, and we’ve named the new puppy Teddy Roosevelt so the contest is over. We have an annual tradition on New Year’s Eve called “kids game night” where we invite all of the neighborhood kids over to play games for a couple of hours. This year was no exception, and while they were demolishing the extra-large pizza into a few miniscule crumbs, we asked each of them to name the best present they received this year. To a one, they each said something electronic, the boys and the girls, all 12 of them.
We were floored when a brother (age 12) and sister (age 8) each said they got a TV in their rooms (this will never happen in our house), and there was another little girl (age 8) that got a telephone in her room (also won’t happen in our house, although eventually it will be a moot point because the kids will have cell phones). But the other answers were interesting. A Nintendo DS, a VideoNow player, Eye Toy, a Dance Dance Revolution wireless pad, a specific video game, a digital camera, a new TV for their basement.
Keep in mind that the oldest kid in the bunch was 12–years old. And have you seen the VideoNow line? I don’t like it, but they love it. These kids are getting used to carrying around video the way you’re used to carrying around music on a Walkman.
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