Remember when people used to send birthday greetings by the postal system. Back when stamps cost a nickel. And people signed their names with a pen, and XXX didn’t necessarily get you rated as adult content. Well, there are different ways of doing things now.
posted in genealogy, media | Comments Off on Different ways of doing things | 262 words
This movie review is a little late for the rest of the world, since the theatre run has been over for ages now and the DVD has been added to the Christmas stocking of at least one or two unfortunates (coal is worth a lot more in this energy-starved world). This evening, I had an intimate screening of the “Da Vinci Code” as part of an extended triple-header and at least the popcorn was cheap.
posted in media | Comments Off on Unconstructive criticism | 353 words
I have a personal liking for the Arthur C. Clarke quote, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from Magic” because it is applicable to so many situations. Or maybe I live in a magical world. Something like that. Perhaps technology is omnipresent, here in the opening days of the twenty-first century.
posted in media, technology | Comments Off on Watching the learning curve | 302 words
Put me in a shopping mall with two hundred and eighty stores and my reaction is “So what?”. Add a skating rink and a giant IMAX theatre. Throw in a roller coaster that completes its circuit in one minute flat. I am so difficult to impress.
posted in economy | Comments Off on The opposite of commerce | 224 words
During vacation, my alarm clock is in suspended animation. Don’t want to see it or hear it. Let daylight do its intended job. Alas, things are not always as simple as that. My sleep can be interrupted too easily by other “details”.
posted in pets | Comments Off on It’s too early for this | 275 words
I should know better, at my age. There are no real Boxing Day bargains, especially when the prices are published for all to see. For days now, the intrepid shoppers have been planning their strategies, armed with fast cars and cell phones. I am no more than a witness without much money.
posted in economy, Wx | Comments Off on Fear of a stampede | 515 words
With the Reveillon behind us, and a few hours of sleep to reset the body clock, the family is now ready for what Christmas is really concerned about. That is, the big meal at the end of the afternoon. With a couple of decades of experience as a cook instead of a tableplace, I’ve got the show under control.
posted in health | Comments Off on Fresh from the oven | 340 words
This is a tribute to the post-modern Christmas, in which the family remains important but the festivities are spread across a wider time period than my own culture provided. Not exactly twelve days (I hope) which requires a great deal of time and money, but rather that which a small family might aspire to.
posted in environment | Comments Off on While the shepherd watched | 407 words
It is becoming more and more obvious. My role in this whole pageant of the Christ Mass is to make sure the cast is fed, copiously and in variety. My bird surrounded by some potatoes will not suffice.
posted in health | Comments Off on Further prepared | 295 words
The clock is ticking. Serious deadlines for holiday shopping are at hand, and my big purchase today was a frozen bird. I couldn’t face the stress of a shopping mall, so I washed my winter coat instead. No coat, no travel; MeteoMedia confirms that it is too cold to go ‘a wandering along the mountain trail without suitable attire. No coat, stay home. Simple.
posted in economy | Comments Off on Financial uncertainties | 351 words
