FRIDAY FIVE

Appetizer
Using only 5 words, describe how 2004 went for you.
Exploded into creative joyful semi-retirement.
Soup
Name something you did in 2004 that you’ll probably never do again.
Achieved 20 years of Recovery from addiction.
Salad
What did you learn about yourself in 2004?
That I am a writer for better or worse.
Main Course
What notable news event from 2004 will stand out most in your memory?
That my country returned to office a man who stands for war, greed, and evil.
Dessert
Name something you purchased in 2004 that you really, really like.
A new used car – Chevy Prizm 1998.

Deep Thought: “If they ever come up with a swashbuckling School, I think one of the courses should be Laughing, Then Jumping Off Something.”
Today I am grateful for: Brand New Days (and Years)
Guess the Movie: “One time, I was at this party… and I was sitting on the couch with Amanda McKinney. She was just sitting there, looking beautiful. So, I lean in to kiss her, and I realize I have gum in my mouth. So, I turn to spit it out and put it in a paper cup. I turn back, and Amanda McKinney throws up all over herself. I knew the moment it happened, it was a miracle. I could have been kissing her when she threw up. It would have scarred me for life. I may never have recovered.” Answer: Signs, 2002.
We Can Do Better Than ‘Buying Blue’
by Jeff Milchen
Two new websites, BuyBlue.org and ChooseTheBlue.com managed to attract national attention in the closing weeks of 2004. The site owners classify national chains as either “red” or “blue” based on whether their employees — almost always top executives — give major financial support to either Republicans or Democrats, respectively. Progressives then are encouraged to “shop their party preference” (by choosing Costco and Barnes & Noble over Wal-Mart or Amazon.com, for example).
The trouble is, it’s unlikely that millionaire executives will be deterred from investing the legal limit of $4000 (per election cycle) to any federal candidate by a sales slump. And with the scheme already publicized in conservative media, wealthier conservatives could well beat liberals at their own game. (Rest of article here.)
End of Day: 9:03 pm
+ = Tomorrow starts a New Year!
- = Babysitting a munchkin tonight so my son and his girlfriend can get out with friends – whew, munchkins wear you out!

THURSDAY WHATEVER

With shopping insanity season just over, I was browsing a copy of Utne Reader recycled to me by my neighbor when I came upon a rundown of why not to shop at Wal-Mart and since I was just discussing this with my daughter on her Christmas visit thought I’d share it with you and her. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve shopped there a number of times this year, partly because one happens to be right nextdoor to my neighborhood movie theater and, of course, because you can find some excellent bargains there in spite of the chance of being trampled to death. I’ve known I was doing a bad thing but was in a cloud of denial and didn’t know the distinct facts. Here are some (and I’m sure there are more):

1. Typical hourly wage $8.
2. Health coverage uses up 3 months of wages and still requires a deductible.
3. More than 2/3 of employees are women; less than 10% hold management positions. (Class action suit pending.)
4. Half employees qualify for food stamps.
5. A 250,000-square-foot supercenter with a 16-acre parking lot will produce 413,000 gallons of storm runoff for every inch of rain. Each year, said lot would dump 240 pounds of nitrogen, 32 pounds of phosphorus, and 5 pounds of zinc into local watersheds while creating heat islands. (for the geologically fascinated)
6. When Wal-Mart crushes its competitors in a region, it consolidates its holdings by vacating many of its stores. The leases prevent them being used for retail or much else. As of February 2004, there were 371 dead stores. Meanwhile Wal-Mart opens a new store every 42 hours.

So that’s enough for me. It’s sheer laziness that I can’t find whatever I need somewhere else. New Year’s Resolution #1.
(Also read post from Leonidas from November 24, 2004.)

P.S. on another subject, here is some excellent information on tectonic plates and earthquake stuff from ex_cearulo.

Deep Thought: “What am I afraid of? I’ll tell you: a feather. That’s right, a feather. How could anyone be afraid of a feather, you say. That’s an honest question, and I’ll try to give it an honest answer. First of all, did I say it was a poison feather?”
Today I am grateful for: Ounces of prevention
Guess the Movie: “As time passed my father struggled for more to hold on to asking me again and again had I told him everything. And finally I said to him maybe all I know about Paul is that he was a fine fisherman. You know more than that, my father said, he was beautiful. And that was the last time we spoke of my brother’s death.” Answer: A River Runs Through It, 1992. Winner: thenarrator.
Wal-Mart Elected “Grinch of the Year” for 2004
Cintas and Comcast Runners-Up in National Contest to Determine Who Did the Most Harm to Workers and their Families this Year (Rest of article here.)
End of Day: 8:32 pm
+ = Saw The Aviator today and found it rather interesting in terms of Hughs passion for aviation and his emotional decline.
- = Tsunami story continuing to worsen.

WEDNESDAY MOVIE

This So-Called Disaster

Count on me to find an oddball film to review. This one was out on shelves some time this past month and I grabbed it because I am fascinated by Sam Shepard, who is not only one of America’s foremost playwrights, but also an actor and director and just plain hell of a good-looking man. The photo here actually shows his father on the left and Sam as a young man on the right and herein lies the story behind the film. Shepard’s father was a drunk who died eventually by staggering in front of a car, but in the years of his decline into alcoholism his son kept trying to establish contact with love but without rescuing him. The film is about rehearsal for a play by Shepard about this relationship, called “The Late Henry Moss” that opened in San Francisco in 2000. It starred, among others, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, Cheech Marin, and Woody Harrelson. You get to be a fly on the wall as they rehearse, learning so much about who they are as people from their styles of preparation and their interactions. Shepard himself sizzles with intelligence and insight. Enjoy.

Deep Thought: “I bet a fun thing would be to go way back in time to where there was going to be an eclipse and tell the cave men, “If I have come to destroy you, may the sun be blotted out from the sky.” Just then the eclipse would start, and they’d probably try to kill you or something, but then you could explain about the rotation of the moon and all, and everyone would get a good laugh.”
Today I am grateful for: Dry land
Guess the Movie: “This is where they fought the battle of Gettysburg. Fifty thousand men died right here on this field, fighting the same fight that we are still fighting among ourselves today. This green field right here, painted red, bubblin’ with the blood of young boys. Smoke and hot lead pouring right through their bodies. Listen to their souls, men. I killed my brother with malice in my heart. Hatred destroyed my family. You listen, and you take a lesson from the dead. If we don’t come together right now on this hallowed ground, we too will be destroyed, just like they were. I don’t care if you like each other or not, but you will respect each other. And maybe… I don’t know, maybe we’ll learn to play this game like men.” Answer: Remember the Titans, 2000. Winner: tikhead.
UN, International Aid Groups Mobilize Relief Operations for Tsunami Victims
by Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON – In the wake of Sunday’s devastating tsunamis that killed at least 25,000 people across South and Southeast Asia, the United Nations and aid groups worldwide have mobilized what could be the biggest relief operation in history.
Some three dozen U.S.-based relief groups active in the Asia region have also launched relief operations amid reports that thousands of people remain missing. Hundreds of thousands more have been rendered homeless by the devastating sea surges triggered by earthquake. (Rest of article here.)
End of Day: 8:41 pm
+ = 5 straight days off coming up thanks to New Year’s.
- = Ongoing numbers of dead increasing from tsumani plus more to come from sickness.

TUESDAY POLITICS

And didn’t we all know this was coming, as the Sunni Party prepares to boycott the election and January madness looms:

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — In an audiotape broadcast Monday by Arabic-language Al-Jazeera satellite television, a man purported to be Osama bin Laden endorsed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as his deputy in Iraq and called for a boycott of next month’s elections there.

The man speaking on the tape also referred to a statement last month in which al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian, declared allegiance to bin Laden and changed his group’s name to al Qaeda in Iraq. The speaker called that “a great step on the path of unifying all the mujahedeen in establishing the state of righteousness and ending the state of injustice.” (Rest of article here.)

Deep Thought: “If I was the head of a country that lost a war, and I had to sign a peace treaty, just as I was signing I’d glance over the treaty and then suddenly act surprised. “Wait a minute! I thought we won!”
Today I am grateful for: My grandson’s map globe so I could get the jist of the tsunami hit in the Indian Ocean
Guess the Movie: “The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.” Answer: Pulp Fiction, 1994. Winner: tikhead.
10 Ways to Be A Better Person
#10. The means to growth and change are within you and cannot be delegated to another. Live your own life as you wish it to be, cultivate self-reliance, take responsibility, and love yourself.
End of Day: 9:05 pm
+ = My finances are okay in spite of Christmas hemorrhaging.
- = Many more years of mortgate to go.

MONDAY BOOK

I think of myself as a reader, though I actually ingest far more film than written word. Being old enough to be one of those quaint creatures who didn’t have TV as a child and being born into a reading family, I got the bug early. Having the luxury of a freshman year at an excellent liberal arts college helped, with the assigned reading of most of the great works of literature. Even if one never reads again after such an experience, at least it’s there in the DNA and it widens the range of how you see the world afterwards. So now I find myself with the dilemma of lessening years left to read and lists piling up of books that look enticing. I rip pages of book reviews out of magazines and they’ve collected to the point where I need to make a list and throw the pages away. So here it is and if you’ve read any of these already let me know what you thought:

Harbor – Lorraine Adams (novel)
The Cloud Garden – Tom Hart Dyke and Paul Winder (nonfiction)
The Queen of the South – Arturo Perez-Reverte (novel)
Public Enemies – Bryan Burrough (history)
An Unfinished Season – Ward Just (novel)
You Remind Me of Me – Dan Chaon (debut novel)
Truth and Beauty – Ann Patchett (memoir)
Sontag & Kael – Craig Seligman (nonfiction)
Cooking for Kings – Ian Kelly (nonfiction)
I Had Brain Surgery, What’s Your Excuse? – Suzy Becker (memoir)
Lisa33 – Dan Allan (debut novel)
The Madonna of Excelsior- Zakes Mda (novel)
Handsome Harry – James Carlos Blake (novel)
The Big Year – Mark Obmascik (nonfiction)
Hollywood Animal – Joe Eszterhas (memoir)
Coal Run – Tawni O’Dell (novel)
A Certain Chemistry – Mil Millington (novel)
You Call It Madness – Lenny Kaye (nonfiction)
The Falls – Gillian Flynn (novel)
The First Desire – Nancy Relsman (debut novel)
Chronicles: Volume One – Bob Dylan (memoir)
John James Audobon – Richard Rhodes (biography)
The Line of Beauty – Alan Hollinghurst (novel)
The Pacific - Mark Helprin (stories)
Locas – Jaime Hernandez (novel)
Road Work – Mark Bowden (nonfiction)
Something Dangerous – Penny Vincenzi (novel)
Race to the Pole – Sir Ranulph Fiennes (history)
Bone – Jeff Smith (comic)
A Bit on the Side – William Trevor (stories)
Gilead – Marilynne Robinson (novel)

I love the idea that there are all these wonderful people out there writing their hearts out. Whew! Time’s a-wastin’

Deep Thought: “If I had the time to sit down and write a thank-you note to everyone who sent me a nice, expensive present, what a wonderful world that would be!”
Today I am grateful for: Bookmarks
Guess the Movie: “No! I will not hide in the fruit cellar! Ha! You think I’m fruity, huh? I’m staying right here. This is my room and noone will drag me out of it, least of all my big, bold son!” Answer: Psycho, 1960.
10 Ways to Be a Better Person
#9. That which is in your power to do is also within your power not to do. Self-discipline is the foundation for all virtues. Avoiding toxic substances and keeping your body and mind healthy will help you break bad habits and adopt positive ones in their place.
End of Day: 8:28 pm
+ = Nice peaceful day getting back to center after Christmas madness.
- = Back to work tomorrow.

PEOPLE WHO KNOCK ME OUT
Paul Newman and Jack Nicholson



Okay, I’m just too pooped from Christmas to offer up something very deep this morning, but here are two film greats who have given me, and most of us, so much wonderful entertainment over the years that I’d like to say thanks. The films are three each of my own personal favorites above. Newman and Nicholson have similar wild, sexy screen personas, but off screen seem to be very different personalities – Nicholson carrying on with women and the Lakers and showing up at the Oscars regularly; Newman married for years to his wife, Joanne Woodward, living a quiet life out of the spotlight. What they have in common is a life devoted to their art, a real filmography of gifted acting roles, and a great generosity in giving back to their communities through charity work. They are both only 5’9″ – Newman is now 79 and Nicholson 67 – and these two giants are still going strong. It works for me and thank you for the memories.

Deep Thought: “Just because swans mate for life, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. First of all, if you’re a swan, you’re probably not going to find a swan that looks that much better than the one you’ve got so why not mate for life.”
Today I am grateful for: House plants
Guess the Movie: “From my mother I inherited a love of language and an appreciation of nature. She could turn a walk around the island into a voyage of purest discovery. As a child, I thought she was the most extraordinary woman on earth. I wasn’t the first son to be wrong about his mother.” Answer: The Prince of Tides, 1991. Winner: thenarrator.
10 Ways to Be a Better Person
#8. Never stop learning. True wisdom comes from knowledge and knowledge will only increase if you keep your mind open to new ideas and suggestions.
End of Day: 8:40 pm
+ = Thank god the chaos part of Christmas is over.
- = It’s always so fast and then you have withdrawals.

SATURDAY POEM I ADMIRE
(And Merry Christmas to everyone)

The Silent Singer

The girls sang better than the boys,
their voices reaching All the way to God,
Sister Ann Zita insisted during those
       practice sessions
when I was told to mouth do, re, mi,
       but to go no higher,
when I was told to stand in back
       and form a perfect O
           with my lips
although no word was ever to come out,
the silent singer in that third-grade
       class
during the Christmas Pageant and Easter
       Week, the birth and death
           of Christ lip-synched
               but unsung
while my relatives, friends and parents
       praised my baritone,
       how low my voice was,
Balancing those higher, more childlike tones,
       my father said,
Adding depth, my mother said,
Thank God they had my huskiness to bring all
       that tinniness to earth,
       my great-aunt whispered,
so I believed for many years in miracles
       myself,
the words I’d never sung reaching their ears
       in the perfect pitch, the perfect tone,
while the others stuttered in their all-too-human
       voices to praise the Lord.

– Len Roberts, Professor of English, Northampton Community College in Bethlehem (PA), winner of Gugenheim, National Endowment for the Arts, and National Poetry Series awards, ten editions of poetry.

Deep Thought: “A lot of times when you first start out on a project you think, This is never going to be finished. But then it is, and you think, Wow, it wasn’t even worth it.”
Today I am grateful for: Hot cider
Guess the Movie: “Do you know what I would do if someone did that to me? I would kill him, I wouldn’t hesitate. I would stab him 78 times. I would chop off his fingers, slash his throat open, carve numbers in his chest, gouge out his eyes, I swear to God!… But that’s me.” Answer: Primal Fear, 1996. Winner: Eliminate_the_Impossible.
10 Ways to Be a Better Person
#7. Understand that failure, while painful, can be beneficial. Learn from your own mistakes. Give the people in your life the chance to experience and learn from their own.
End of Day: 9:14 pm
+ = Got through Christmas Eve very nicely at my house.
- = Kind of got some anxiety stirred up today at my son’s house.

FRIDAY FIVE

Appetizer
What is something that never fails to grab your attention?
The sound of a child in distress.
Soup
Who was the last person who gave you money, and what was it for?
One of the doctors at work after I had just helped him do a last-minute rush submission of a book chapter to an online journal. This particular doctor was the first one I worked for in my department 20 years ago when I came on board and we’ve grown old together, though he’s always kept a very professional distance. On this occasion, however, since he has the typical older person’s fear of computers, he actually gave me a kind of awkward hug as well. The check for $50 appeared on my chair later. It was quite unexpected.
Salad
If you were a Smurf, what would your name be?
I somehow managed to miss the whole Smurf period. I guess my children were too old and my grandchildren too young. Didn’t they look like little hairy commas? With big eyes, I think. I can’t imagine actually being one, let alone having a name.
Main Course
Do you believe in astrology? Why or why not?
Well, you know I was a flower child in the 60′s, so I dabbled. “What’s your sign?” was invented then. I even did charts for money a few times. I think it’s a form of OCD, actually, a way of making sense of a world out of control. What’s great is that it’s a rather aesthetic way of making sense – all those symbols and geometric patterns – trines and squares and sextiles. And planets – suns and moons and all the rest, some of them Rising. So I’m right on the cusp of sun and moon – Cancer/Leo – a tiny bit more Leo the lion. My screen name, lionne, is based on that fact – it means lioness in French (which I was majoring in at college at the time). Moving right along…
Dessert
Have you seen any snow this year yet? What’s the weather like today in your area?
No snow yet but for the first time this morning I heard a whisper of the possibility for tomorrow, though it would only be a bit. It’s been colder and colder this week, down to freezing tonight I think. But mostly it’s been typical Oregon – grey, rain, and some segments of gorgeous cold sun.

Deep Thought: “Of all my imaginary friends, I don’t think there was one that I didn’t end up having to kill.”
Today I am grateful for: Potpourri
Guess the Movie: “I appreciate this whole seduction thing you’ve got going on here, but let me give you a tip: I’m a sure thing.” Answer: Pretty Woman, 1990. Winner: AskDennis.
10 Ways to Become a Better Person
#6. Accept that you have no control over the actions of others and discover the freedom of forgiveness. Letting go of old emotional wounds carries benefits to both body and soul.
End of Day: 10:12 pm
+ = Christmas Eve gathering went very well.
- = I’m totally pooped.

THURSDAY WHATEVER

My family worries a lot about Christmas – oh hell, we worry a lot about everything. We’re not a really huge family with thousands of aunts and uncles and cousins and such, but we bring with us memories of Christmas Past and all its dear ghosts, imaginings of Christmas Future when all will be perfect, and sometimes we have a hard time staying in Christmas Present where we are all assured of a place in the crazy plot of our ongoing saga. Being the eldest of the group that will gather this year, I feel a certain responsibility to contribute to ambience and attention to the HALTS (hungry, angry, lonely, tired, and way too serious) that strike various members at various times while staying afloat myself. It’s my favorite thing about holidays, the chance to be in sight, sound, and hug of all of them at once. I do love the gift choosing and opening and the music and the primary-colored lights and the scents – pine, cedar, cloves, cinnamon, oranges. Yesterday I was listening to Silent Night in my car and singing along and suddenly it took me back to every Silent Night I ever sang in my life, and I had to stop, because you can’t be tearing up when you’re driving a 2000-pound vehicle. Not being a Christian, the whole thing about the birth of Jesus doesn’t really absorb me much, so that function of the holiday is not the center of it for me. I heard a religious right person arguing with someone on a talk show about the hubbub lately about celebrating Christmas in public schools without being religious and that “well it is the birth of Christ after all,” and the other person said “well, yes, but it’s also Kwanzaa and Hanukkah at this time of year.” So I don’t care to argue about all that. I just want to love my family whether they get along with each other or not because they’re each a perfect them. We’ll all survive and hopefully get some laughs and tender moments and good food and love out of it and then it will be time for my favorite holiday of them all – the New Year. On the day before Christmas Eve, I wish you all a Most Excellent coming week and here are a few little humor items to put it all in perspective:
How you can tell you’re a dysfunctional family
The dysfunctional family letter generator

Deep Thought: “I guess the hard thing for a lot of people to accept is why God would allow me to go running through their yards, yelling and spinning around.”
Today I am grateful for: Car radios
Guess the Movie: “Me? I’m dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It’s the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they’re going to do something incredibly… stupid.” Answer: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, 2003. Winner: tikhead.
10 Ways to Be a Better Person
“#5. Listen to your heart’s counsel. The logical, profitable, or fastest course may be in opposition with what you truly believe would be most rewarding. Following your heart can lead to great wisdom.”
End of Day: 8:22 pm
+ = So far so good on Xmas preparations.
- = Temperature dropping fast.

WEDNESDAY MOVIE

Collateral

For once, this week there is an American film worth reviewing. Every few years Michael Mann, its director, punches us right in the face with another fine film, usually centering around an antagonist in the major role, or at least an underdog – witness Manhunter 1986 (as good as, or better than, The Silence of the Lambs which told the same story), The Last of the Mohicans 1992, Heat 1995, The Insider 1999, and Ali 2001. And interestingly, it was Michael Mann who, way before these films, helmed Miami Vice. Collateral takes place all in one night when Tom Cruise, playing a hired assassin with prematurely grey hair, takes control of Jamie Foxx’s taxi and his life, in order to get himself from hit to hit (5 in all). The pace never lets up. The taxi driver and the hit man, each intelligent and stubborn in their own way, size each other up, learn to respect each other in spite of falling on two different sides of the moral tracks, and in the end one must kill the other. There are some nice cameo appearances by Jada Pinkett-Smith, Javier Bardem, and Mark Ruffalo, but Cruise and Foxx are in complete control of the film from beginning to end, never missing a step. As Cruise charges forward without hesitation on his mission of death, Foxx finds in himself a man who can stop his drifting and focus intently when his life or that of someone he loves is threatened. Ah, give me a sensitive, cerebral assassin (or serial killer) film and I’m happy for at least another week while I pray for peace in the world.

Deep Thought: “Sometimes the beauty of the world is so overwhelming, I just want to throw back my head and gargle. Just gargle and gargle, and I don’t care who hears me, because I am beautiful.”
Today I am grateful for: Fiends of all kinds
Guess the Movie: “Aw come on, you’re not gonna say that now. You’re not gonna say that now. You’re gonna pull that hen-house shit now when the vote… the Chief just voted – it was 10 to 9. Now I want that television set turned on, *right now*” Answer: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, 1975. Winner: thenarrator.
10 Ways to Be a Better Person
#4. As you meet the needs of your body, nourish your soul as well. Each of us requires relaxtion, love, and acceptance. Spend at least five unrushed minutes each day in meditation or another relaxing activity.
End of Day: 9:11 pm
+ = Feel pretty well squared away for Christmas.
- = Trying not to eat too much on holidays is HARD.