The Christmas Spirit

I visited my in-laws for Christmas this year. It was my first time not being with my parents on Christmas since I knew what Christmas was. I mean, when I lived in India, I spent my first two Christmases without my parents, who had moved to the US and left me in the care of my grandparents. But at that time, Christmas wasn't nearly as important as Diwali, Uttarayan, or Holi.

Anyway, this year it was at my in-laws, without my parents. And boy, did we ever get into the Christmas spirit. We had three separate parties. We had gifts. We sang carols. We had a visit from Santa Claus. And we ate, drank and were generally merry.

What may surprise the reader, though, is that there were only two Christians in the bunch. Everybody else was a Hindu or Muslim. And I guess that's why I entitled this post 'The Christmas Spirit.' What other season would bring all of us together in the spirit of family and love? It was a beautiful homage to the love of God and the blessings bestowed upon us. And it didn't matter one bit what book you think God wrote. All that mattered was the message of peace and harmony in those books.

One thing that fascinates me is this

whole business of the giant squid...

Well, as it turns out, Japanese researchers have filmed a live giant squid possibly for the first time ever. The thing I find fascinating is that nobody's ever filmed a live one before.

Giant squid, formally called Architeuthis, are the world's largest invertebrates. Because they live in the depths of the ocean, they have long been wrapped in mystery and embellished in the folklore of sea monsters, appearing in ancient Greek myths or attacking the submarine in Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."

The one in the picture was caught, but died on the boat, I guess. Given that we've known about them for ages, I think it's amazing that we've put a man on the moon but hadn't filmed one of these buggers until now.

Wasn't He Worried About Being Overqualified?

The communications director for Montana's lone congressman solicited the services of two men he falsely believed to be criminally minded hackers-for-hire -- with the expressed goal of jacking up his college GPA -- during an exchange that spanned 22 e-mails over two weeks this past summer.

The doofus in question is named Todd Shriber, a 28-year old graduate (maybe?) of Texas Christian University. Apparently, he went on the intrawebs with hopes of hiring a guy to do a job. Unfortunately for him, he contacted a website that likes to make fun of the technically illiterate. He's been fired, according to the linked story.

Harry Potter Defeats Mrs. Voldermort in Gwinnett

The Georgia Board of Education rejected an appeal from a crazy woman in Gwinnett County seeking to banish the young wizard from classrooms.

"I really feel like they haven't addressed all the issues that I've raised," said Mallory, who still could appeal the decision to Gwinnett Superior Court.

"But ... if just one family was helped — one parent, one child looked into the book a little more closely and how it is mainstreaming witchcraft — then I think it's worth the battle."

No really, woman. You're fucking crazy.

I had my accent probed and prodded....

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
Boston
The West
North Central
Philadelphia
The Northeast
The Inland North
The South
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

From the Republican Moral Fiber Department

As seen on Talking Points Memo:

Although some glitz has come off Mr Rove, Republicans have been more eager to blame botched campaigns and individual ethics scandals. “Bob Sherwood’s seat [in Pennsylvania] would have been overwhelmingly ours, if his mistress hadn’t whined about being throttled,” said Mr Norquist. Any lessons from the campaign? “Yes. The lesson should be, don’t throttle mistresses.”

State of Denial....

Fox just can't bring itself to say which party....

Nobody Here But Us Chickens

I'm on the board of Out of Hand Theater, a young, inspired Atlanta company with a penchant for physical theater. Currently, the theater is mounting Peter Barnes' 1989 piece, Nobody Here But Us Chickens, which pokes fun at some interesting people, who just happen to be disabled. The charm of the three short plays that comprise Chickens is that the disability is both at the fore and in the background, as you learn about the characters themselves, rather than their disabilities.

Creative Loafing compares the work to Monty Python and Will Farrell, calling it "Hilarious." The AJC raves "Performed in the youthful company’s raucously physical signature style, the three short plays throb with intelligence and surprise, deliberate provocation and political incorrectness —- and a kind of ambivalent, off-kilter, bittersweet grace."

You should go check it out.

This Costume Beats My Free Mamograms

idea hands down...


(click on the big white square to see the video)

Jack Bauer Gets Wussified

A couple of years ago, 24 was sponsored by the brawny, manly, all-new Ford F-150. Ford's big pickup is a man's machine. Broad-shouldered. Gas-guzzling. It can pull a huge load and and
compensate for your small penis at the same time.



This year, 24, whose trailer was just released, is sponsored by the Toyota RAV4. The third generation cute-ute that is less Jack Bauer and more Jack McFarland. I mean, let's face facts, the RAV4 appeals to recently graduated women and gay men.


We need the answer from FOX. What the fuck is going on with our Jack Bauer? When faced with three or four swarthy, accent-toting terrorists in the upcoming season, is he going to want to just talk about their grievances? Hug it out? Maybe discuss B&Bs on the Cape?