From Left: My neice Oriane; Julian, my nephew David; and my future sister-in-law having dinner last week in Paris. I'm happy to report Julian gives my brother-in-law the same scowl he gives me when i have a camera.

March 1988: the road to Chievres Belgium, early morning fog. Chievres was the largest Luftwaffe base outside of Germany in WWII; this road was formerly one of it's runways then. The trees were planted to camouflage them from Allied bombing runs. I love this picture; took it myself!

My cat Otis faxes well, don't you think?

In Many Ways, the News Is Not Good . . . .

I think I'm ready to talk about this now.

I've been at home for about 6 weeks now off work. The problems started the third week of April when I came down with the flu on a Wednesday or Thursday. While I've been known to get the flu before, my vitamin regimen (3 multivitamins a day with 1000 mg of Vitamin C -- plus 10 mg Pepcid for the stomach and an aspirin for the heart) usually prevents anything but the worst flu.

By the Saturday the 101.2 fever had broken, but only down to 99.5; which is high for me (I usually run in the 97.2 range. Being a nurse, I check these things a lot when testing thermometers.)The head congestion had settled in my lungs, and I had an almost continual hacking cough that was not only giving me headaches froim coughing so much, but also tore my itsy-bitsy umbilical hernia (the size of my thumb) open much larger (the size of my fist.)

I took a few days off the end of that second week (Wed/Thur/Friday) and went back to work Monday and Tuesday with the low grade fever; and went to the clinic Wednesday when I couldn't stop coughing long enough to type and started having breathless episodes and chest pain after coughing. THAT was scary enough to wake me up.

After two weeks off work being treated by the Physician's Assistant at the Clinic, all we knew was that it wasn't (a) Tuberculosis, (b) Hepatitis in any form, or (c) AIDS. We did find out that I had an abnormality in my liver enzymes, and that my EKG was "a little off" according to the Primary Physician.

Meanwhile, my supervisor at work was saying things to my co-workers like " . . . if he's as sick as he says he is . . . " and threatening to terminate me "so we can hire some more nurses." This despite faxing all my paperwork I received (and the "Off-Work" slips) to her after every appointment, and staying in contact every three days per their own policy.

So on the Friday of the third week off, after hearing the above comments, I decided to drop off my paperwork in person. For my effort I got escorted off the premises and placed on "Administrative Leave" and escorted off the premises.

Huh!

So I've been on Administrative Leave for three weeksnow when I get a call Thursday from the Director of Human Resources. I'm going back to work Monday morning. (Translation: "We tried to find some dirt on you for three weeks and haven't been able to; so we need nurses desperately -- so come back now.")


Meanwhile, here's the score from Dr. McMahon's tests:


1.) I'm diabetic. I don't appear to be Insulin-dependent, but we still don't have a good handle on it yet. The glyburide they're giving me is having some pretty awful side effects -- so there's some tweaking to be done there, obviously.

2.) I have "Reactive Airway Disease." This means when Ai cought hard or exercise, the outer portion of my lungs shut down, leaving only the bronchus open. It means it's hard as heck to get rid of lung infections (like chest colds or pneumonia) and very easy to get bronchitis. It's one of the reasons I'm still coughing two months later without any cold or upper respiratory infection present.

3.) My Ulcer is re-activated. Dr. McMahon switched me from Pepcid to Nexium when 10 mg of Pepcid became 20mg became 30-40 mg.

4.) We're still not sure about the ticker. I have a Treadmill Stress Test June 16th, and possibly an angiogram after that. Personally, I don't see anything grossly unusual with my EKG, but she's the doctor.

5.) I also have a surgical consult for some time in July to see about surgery for my ugly little umbillical hernia to finally get it fixed.


6.) ALL of these things are directly related to STRESS. And the only place I'm having lots of stress lately . . . .is work.


So . . . . you might think I might not want to go back to that particular job.


I have an appointment Monday morning to discuss just that with them. Stay tuned. I'm pretty sure it won't be a very polite conversation.

~~JD~~

This is Otis on the Left, who is allegedly a cat . . . .

. . . . but he thinks he's a puppy. To the right is Samantha, whom Otis thinks is his Mom. (Please note they are both sitting in exactly the same pose; paws in front, tails to the left.) It's even more hilarious when they sleep together or groom each other.

The lovely and Gracious Miss Mommie, . . . .

. . . . sitting at her new Dining Room table. Note that all chairs are bar stool height, so no-one's feet touch the floor. She just loves this! We take delivery the end of Juloy when we move into our new apartment.

Things to Think About while you're Off Work in Texas

Barbecue.

Barbecue is almost it's own food group in Texas. We have barbecue joints down here like they have McDonald's on every corner in Chicago. I can drive 2 miles in any direction and find a Bill Miller's; a Suzie's; a Grady's; or a Casey's barbecue.

But while those are all very respectable and delicious barbecues in their own rights, It's Rudy's Barbecue that's the best. (http://www.rudys.com/index.html). There's only 3 of them in San Antonio, but they're well worth the drive. I like the Leon Springs Store the best -- it's the original. It's not actually a restaurant -- it's a meat market that has tables so you can eat what you buy on the premises (an interesting loophole in Texas law.)

And Barbecue down here differs VASTLY from the backyard grill barbecue I grew up with in Indiana. Up north you take the meat, slap it on a gril for 10-20 minutes, and add ketchup and mustard. Down South you first prepare the meat with a Rub that has salt, peppers, and spices. The meat is grilled for 8-10 hours (yes, hours) and sauce is added as an aside, or slathered on after cooking. Meat is Never cooked with sauce on.

While each griller's Rub recipe is a closely guraded secret, so is each griller's Sauce recipe, which varies from region to region. Each region had certain elements that are more prevalent that the sauces are based on. North Carolina sauces are more vinegar and mustard based, whilst Kansas City sauces are more molasses and tomato based.

Texas sauces are also tomato based, but also have a healthy helping of peppers -- jalapeno and otherwise. The best ones are not so much hot, but spicy and flavorful. That's what Rudy's excels in. If you follow the link to the website, they'll send you a bottle, and you can taste for yourself.

Or, if you come visit, we'll take you out there one night. Heckuva place, that Rudy's

~~JD~~

Why We Don't Play Much Chess at Our House (In the Middle of Our Street.)

Why we don't play much Chess at our house.

Teen-Age Angst in South Texas, Part 1006

This is Julian. Julian Loves his Mom, and his Mom dearly loves all things involving cats -- particularly the Pink Panther. Julian also thinks his Dad is a bit looney. That's why he's so patiently posing with an annoyed look with the Pink Panther (for Mom) while Dad snaps the picture (It was Dad's idea, y'know).

Experiment Day Four; ~or~ Let's Just Say "Merry Christmas" and Get It Over With Already

Or are we allowed to say that here in America?

Just in case you were wondering, here's how you say "Merry Christmas" in a buncha different languages:


Afrikaans: Gesëende Kersfees
Afrikander: Een Plesierige Kerfees
African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinja: Rehus-Beal-Ledeats
Albanian:Gezur Krislinjden
Arabic: Milad Majid
Argentine: Feliz Navidad
Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
Azeri: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
Bahasa Malaysia: Selamat Hari Natal
Basque: Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!
Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha
Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce
Brazilian: Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo
Breton: Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat
Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
Catalan: Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!
Chile: Feliz Navidad
Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun
Chinese: (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
(Catonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun
Choctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito
Columbia: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
Corsian: Pace e salute
Crazanian: Rot Yikji Dol La Roo
Cree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
Croatian: Sretan Bozic
Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
Danish: Glædelig Jul
Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak
Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!
or Zalig Kerstfeast
English: Merry Christmas
Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!
Esperanto: Gajan Kristnaskon
Estonian: Ruumsaid juulup|hi
Faeroese: Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!
Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
Finnish: Hyvaa joulua
Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar
French: Joyeux Noel
Frisian: Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!
Galician: Bo Nada
Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr! German: Froehliche Weihnachten
Greek: Kala Christouyenna!
Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!
Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew: Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
Hindi: Shub Naya Baras
Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!
Hawaian: Mele Kalikimaka ame Hauoli Makahiki Hou!
Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
Icelandic: Gledileg Jol
Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal
Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit, or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat
Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.
Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie
Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags
Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!
Latvian: Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!
Lausitzian:Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto
Lettish: Priecigus Ziemassvetkus
Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu
Low Saxon: Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar
Macedonian: Sreken Bozhik
Maltese: IL-Milied It-tajjeb
Manx: Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa
Maori: Meri Kirihimete
Marathi: Shub Naya Varsh
Navajo: Merry Keshmish
Norwegian: God Jul, or Gledelig Jul
Occitan: Pulit nadal e bona annado
Papiamento: Bon Pasco
Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu
Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!
Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo
Philipines: Maligayan Pasko!
Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie
Portuguese:Feliz Natal
Pushto: Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha
Rapa-Nui (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua
Rhetian: Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn
Romanche: (sursilvan dialect): Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!
Rumanian: Sarbatori vesele
Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Sami: Buorrit Juovllat
Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Sardinian: Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou
Serbian: Hristos se rodi
Slovakian: Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce
Sami: Buorrit Juovllat
Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh
Serb-Croatian: Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina
Serbian: Hristos se rodi. Singhalese: Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok
Slovene: Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto
Spanish: Feliz Navidad
Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År
Tagalog: Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon
Tami: Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal
Trukeese: (Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!
Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai
Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym
Urdu: Naya Saal Mubarak Ho
Vietnamese: Chung Mung Giang Sinh
Welsh: Nadolig Llawen
Yugoslavian: Cestitamo Bozic
Yoruba: E ku odun, e ku iye'dun!


(I have no idea what "Yoruba" language is, myself. I'll just take it on faith that THIS WEBSITE HERE knows what it's talking about.)


Yet in America today it's almost blasphemy to wish people a "Merry Christmas" or even to show any kind of religious connotation related to Christmas. School and government officials live in fear of being sujed by some whack-job who is "offended" (god forbid!) by mention of the Almighty or the birth of his Son. Retailers emulate the schools and local governments, again to avoid "offending" someone.

Yet the Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that celebrating Christmas in schoold is not only legal but permissable. Why all the fear?

The answer to this is found in the book The War On Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought by Fox News Anchor John Gibson. It's a thourough by avid read -- keeping me enthralled all through the book. I'm about halfway through the book but the story is essentially the same with every example Gibson gives. Nutjob threatens school board/government/etc with ACLU lawsuit and false "facts" about what is permissable -- ergo, the school board/government/etc folds to avoid threatened lawsuit.

Gibson's book is a godsend to the local school boards/governments/etc in that he details just what is and is not permissable in celebrating holidays. It makes buffoons of the Nutjobs who have brought these lawsuits by quoting interviews with them, and is a wonderful resource to anyone who wants to fight these nutjobs when they raise their ugly heads in whiny, mealy-mouthed protest.

And I promise you will be astonished with some of the crap they've gotten away with. There's actually a town here in Texas where it's not even permissable to wear the colors Red or Green at Christmastime.

Yeesh!

Highly Recommended. Click on the book to buy it at Amazon.com.

~~JD~~

I've Been Assimilated !!!

For those of you not part of the Palm Pilot / Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) revolution, it is well and truly here.


I bought my first PDA in the fall of 2001 (after the crash of Professional One Limousine.) I bought it with my first paycheck after the fall, mostly because I saw a co-worker (a temporary nurse from an Agency) at the Nursing Home I was working at using a PDA, which caught my eye almost immediately. She had loaded a Nursing Drug Handbook onto hers, which meant she not only had one availabe at all times on the job, but the lookup was lightning fast, too -- saved a lot of time.

Fast **and** accurate? I was sold right there.

My first PDA was made by a company called Handspring. They were the cheif competitor with Palm; which Palm also recognized when they bought them out. (They're called "PalmOne" currently.) The similarities were obvious; both Palm and Handspirng shared their Operating System, Programs, and desktop software. Handspring differed in that they had an Accessory Port into which you could plug available hardware; like a camera, GPS device, additional memory cards, E-books . . . all kinds of neat stuff. Although I never bought any of the hardware, I liked the idea of having it available.

Well, a PDA is designed to last about 2-3 years, and mine was almost 4 . . . so I decided to upgrade. I had gotten tired of lugging around both the PDA and a cellphone, so I looked for one that combined the two. Researched out the different models, checked around for the best deals, and found the TREO 650. Top of the line and brand-new; it has many times more memory than the older Handspring, as well as a built-in camera, video recorder, calculator, and internet browser. I've also downloaded software so I have databases to contain all the information I need to know about my patients at work; plus my drug book, a Taber's Medical Dictionary, and three different versions of the Bible. I'm going to buy more software to load the entire DSM-IV (psychological diagnostic manual). With the old Handspring I was lucky to get the Drug Book and the Bible in there.)

And, of course, the old reliable Palm OS still has the dependable standbys of "Contacts" (which pretty much has every name and phone number of everyone I've ever met -- painstakingly entered from my old Address Books over time); an Appointment Calendar to keep track of meetings, work schedules, and such; the "Memo" feature which lets me keep everything from genealogical information to favorite quotations to Erikson's Stages of Adolescent Development; and the "To-Do" features, which lets me make lists of things I need. Shopping Lists. Christmas Lists. List of the Garth Brooks albums I need to complete my collection. List of my Disney videos . . . etc, etc.

And a cellphone. And a Realplayer MP3 Player. And I haven't even figured half this stuff out yet.

So very . . . . Star Trek!

The good news about this is that you'll be seeing more photos since i now always have a camera with me. This may not be a good thing, as you'll see below. Julian surely doesn't think it is . . . at the moment.

Julian, at the Cingular store, waiting for his Dad (and him as well, of course) to get a new phone.)

Rodeo, Robin Calls, & Miscellany

(1) I'm Experiencing the Joys of Tooth-Whitening.

My dentist here in San Antonio was running a special on Tooth-Whitening ($99.00 -- quite a deal, really) so I bit (pardon the pun) and shelled out the cash for it. (Most insurance plans won't pay for bleaching.)

I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the process. First, they make an impression of your teeth; then they make a mold of your mouth so they can make a mold for the bleach solution to sit on your teeth -- a retainer, of sorts.

You have to do the bleaching for 30 minutes a day for 2 weeks. They say after 5 days you have 90% of the whitening you'll ever get. If that's so, I'm very happy with the results. I'm certainly not "American Idol" white, but the difference is noticeable. My teeth actually look white for the first time in a long time. Women return my smile. Children no longer laugh. Babies no longer recoil in fright and shreik in horror.

Yeah, it was worth it. It may have been a silly, narcissitic thing to do, but it was worth it. So now with the full beard, no more glasses, and shiny white teeth, I dunno if anyone will recognize me if I ever get back to Indiana.


(2) It's Finally Springtime in South Texas.

I tell you, these three-week winters are KILLERS! This winter was particularly vicious; it actually got to 28 degrees Twice!

It's funny the little things you notice, or rather, don't notice until they're gone. As I walked out to my car in the pre-dawn dark this morning I heard the a familiar sound I haven't heard in a couple of years. It was a sound of my youth; one of the first bird calls I'd been able to identify in Boy Scouts. A song so clear and common it literally sings of the Midwest. Yet hearing it here in South Texas for the first time, I realized suddenly how much had changed in my life.

It was a Robin's call.

I recognized it instantly, yet just as quickly realized it was completely out-of place here. Robins are a "seasonal" bird here, as they pass through on their way to-and-from Mexico during migration. The call of the Robin in South Texas bookends the coldest part of winter here.

So, strangely enough, the "first Robin of Spring" in South Texas means the same thing here as in Northwest Indiana. We just don't have the pleasure of their company through the Summer months, and I miss them.


(3) South Texas has no County Fair!

Seems almost obscene, doesn't it? Up North in Indiana the year just isn't complete without a trip to the Fair in August. And while lots of the counties around San Antonio have county fairs, Bexar County does not.

It does, however, have a Rodeo.

Rodeo comes the week before Ash Wednesday, and it's just exactly what it sounds like. Calf roping; bull-riding; broncho-bustin' Western goodness.

It costs a ton (about $20.00 a person to get in, and about that for parking, so it's pricey) so we haven't been there yet. But it's been too long since I've smelled that pungent odor of methane from the south end of a northbound cow, so we may well do it this year.

After Easter it's the "Battle of the Flowers" Parade. I'm not sure I can even adequately begin to explain this. Think of it as hispanic Mardi Gras done after Easter instead of before; and throw in lots of Tequila and firearms.

God, how I LOVE this place.

The Best Laid Plans . . . .

It's funny how these things go. Once upon a time I had this plan to publish a 'blog every week. It would be a 'blog of "something substantial," he said, (sounding just a bit like Pooh Bear when he said it.)

(Well, that's what I get for reading Winnie the Pooh before blogging, I guess.)

But it's funny how life gets in the way. I'm trying to recall who said, "Life is what happens when you're making plans for your life," or something close to that. John Lennon?

So my life has conspired to get in the way of my carefully considered 'blogging schedule. Too bad for me.

I darn near got registered to start the RN program at San Antonio College last week, but a glitch in their onliine registration process dumped my registration (and 2,500 other students' as well.) So by the time I found out what had happened, all but one of my courses had closed.

Darn close, though. I'm looking into a more flexible program at another college that I could take over the summer. I could've gotten this done in a year at San Antonio College -- maybe less at St. Phillip's.

In the meantime, the job at the Center for Healthcare services is humming along nicely. Some of the usual clique-ish stuff, but as usual I'm very job-oriented and Customer-centered, so they can pretty much say what they want, as long as I produce results.

And, of course, as much as I'd LOVE to tell you what the results are, I can't do it due to "Privacy Concerns."

Meanwhile, the every-ten-years "Rebuilding of my Mouth" has restarted with a vengeanced. Since we moved to San Antonio (and it's much-lesser fluridation of the water) my teeth have suffered greatly. Northwest Indiana had maximum fluoridation of water, along with significant naturally-ocurring amounts of fluoride in the groundwater. South Texas is a recent convert to water fluoridation, so the fluoride in the water is minimal.

And brother, my teeth can tell. I've broken three teeth since we moved her, and loste a few fillings to boot. So yesterday I had an all-morning procedure to clean and polish my teeth. None of this 30-minute tooth cleaning I'd grown up with; no sir! This requirede full mouth anesthetic (They even offered me sedation, but I just couldn't see that.) Next week is the relacement of the broken teeth, which should be fun.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I had a LOT of dental work done when I was here in 1983-1984 for Nursing school, too. Hmmm . . . .


An aside here; ever notice holw many of John Wayne's movies are made in Texas? I'm watching "The Sons of Katie Elder" this morning on AMC (they're always good for Saturday Morning Westerns), and every 15 minutes or so a Texas reference pops out. Big John just loved this state -- no mistaking it.


Meanwhile, the lovely and gracious Ariane is humming along in her second semester of Nursing school at UTSA. She got 2 "B"'s and and "A" in her Biology, Micro, and Freshman Comp class last semester, and really looking forward to this semester. She's taking more hours -- that's all I know. (She likes to keep me in the dark.)

Julian is out with friends this morning, doing some Math project for school. Apparently he's inherited his gradfather's head for numbers, but his mom and dad's sense of ethics -- so he should go far. He seems to be a very popular guy. He knows every girl in his Middle School, and they all know him.

Popular Kid -- and so much smarter than his Dad, apparently.

I don't know why Miracles surprise me anymore . . .

For the past week we've been waiting for word about Ariane's family in Mauritius. (Mauritius was right in the path of last week's tsunami in the Indian Ocean.) Yesterday we found a website Published in Mauritius(http://www.tropicscope.com/eventreadmore.asp?ID=2142) that says this:

"The tsunami caused by the major earthquake in Asia has not caused any casualties or damages to Mauritius. Although the wave crossed the whole Indian Ocean on Sunday the 26th of December, from the Far East to the coasts of Africa, the people of Mauritius have hardly noticed anything on this Sunday. . . Although the sea level went up and down in an extreme manner creating strong currents in some places, the coral barriers around the island of Mauritius protected the island form drastic rises in sea level. The phenomenon lasted about one hour and has not caused any damage anywhere and no deaths or casualties have been reported."

By the way, Diego Garcia is fine too. Same Coral reefs.

Considering the inundation of the Maldives to the North (76 confirmed deaths) and the incredible death toll in Sri Lanka to the south (8,942 confirmed dead at this writing) this is truly a miracle from God!

I'm sure these small miracles won't be reported in a press wallowing in the sorrow and horror of the tsunami. But they are truly miraculous. I don't know why I'm surprised, really. Yet the Israelites, even after witnessing the miracles in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and the pillar of fire that lead them across thedesert in Sinai, still doubted the power of God enough to build the Golden Calf. ( Exodus 32:1 -- "When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, 'Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him.'"

Humans. We're some funny people that way.

I meant to post this weekend; Really I did . . . .

. . . but several things conspired against me. First, Time-Warner Cable came in and gave us a new converter box Friday; which promptly lost us our Internet service until I spoent half of Friday fixing it.

Then I got up early this morning to post a bit late, and saw the news on the earthquake in Sumatra. The 9-point-Zero earthquake in Sumatra. The earthquake that moved the entire island of Sumatra 100 yards to the southeast.

The earthquake that sent a wall of water careening around the Indian Ocean as high as 143 feet, killing as many as 12,000 people so far. Twelve-Thousand-Human-Beings.

Now, you might wonder why I'm so freaked out about this tsunami halfway around the world. Two reasons: (1) The Marine base at Diego Garcia is right in the middle of the Indian Ocea, and only three feet above sea level (So I'm worried for any friends I might have out there), and . . . .

(2) the Island of Mauritius is not far from Diego Garcia. That's my wife's (Ariane's) birthplace. Got a lotta family there that I've met and like personally.

And we haven't heard a peep out of either island since the tsunami.

The Air Force is calling it "technical difficulties."

Pray hard, everyone. I certainly am.

~~~John~~~

Ho Ho Ho, Y'all!

I think I'm Sick this Week . . .

. . . . and I mean that -- truly.

I'm sick . . . of all the negative attitudes about Christmas.

I'm sick of people carping about how tired they are. I'm sick of hearing how "commercial" or "mercenary" Christmas has become. I'm sick of hearing people whine about "I'm not ready" for Christmas. I'm full-up-to-here of people telling me "It just doesn't feel like Christmas."

Well, put on some Christmas Music already. Sheesh! See previous post already! (and this weekends coming post, I might add.)

And those of you living in Northwest Indiana and the Greater Chicagoland area, I got your back on that one. Volume 2 of "JD's Favorite Christmas Songs" was mailed yesterday after unavoidable delays -- but's it's on the way now. First part of next week, you betcha.

Meanwhile, turn on that local station playing nothing but Christmas Music, and (as Bugs Bunny would say) "Unlax."

Last Minute Note: If you REALLY want to let the years roll off you fast, find the new (for this year) Christmas Album "Rat Pack Christmas" -- I found my copy at Target last night. Sammy Davis Junior does a cover of "Jingle Bells" that cannot be explained with words; and there's two songs from the old Dean Marting Christmas Shows, including my favorite -- a duet by Frank Sinatra and Dean of "It's a Marshmallow World" that just is too much fun for words.

Go. Buy! Unlax already!

HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS, HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS; RIGHT DOWN SANTA CLAUS LANE!

We do Christmas BIG around Casa Largo. We consider Thanksgiving a dress rehearsal for the pre-Noel antics that will permeate the atmosphere from Turkey Day to January 6th. We celebrate Thanksgiving; Saint Nicholas Day, Christmas Week, Christmas Eve, The Day itself, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and right out to Three King’s Day, too. (Also known as Eastern Orthodox Christmas; and hereabouts in Texas as “Three Kings Day� as well) It’s very much a “frame of mind� thing. You celebrate Christmas, like any other holiday, just as much as you feel like it; and we love it here. All you Scrooges, avoid replying. You’re not changing my mind, babe.

I personally have one of the largest collections of Christmas music in captivity. Some of my favorites have to include:

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Jingle Bell Rock: Randy Travis (Country)
Probably the best version of this song ever done. From one of the “Very Special Christmas� albums to benefit Special Olympics. If you can’t rock to this, you’re dead, baby.

Hardrock, Coco, and Joe: Stormy Weather (TV Classic)
A TV favorite from growing up on Chicago TV. Covered by the group “Stormy Weather� from Gary IN recently.

O Tannenbaum: The Vince Guaraldi Trio (TV)
If you don’t think of Charlie Brown while listening to this, you were raised in a cave. From the soundtrack to the Charlie Brown Christmas special.

White Christmas: Bing Crosby (Christmas Classic)
Just too classic to pass up. From one of the Time-Life Christmas collections you see advertised on TV late at night, which are absolutely essential to any serious Christmas music collection.

Run, Run Rudolph: Chuck Berry (Rock-n-Roll)
Rock On, Chuck. What a masterpiece. The topical 50's references to “Sabre jets� and “Shooting Stars (F-84's and F-86 jets of the early 1950's, respectively) are a great historical reference. Plus you can really hear in the music just how much FUN he’s having with it.

Los Peces en el Rio: Mannheim Steamroller (A Neo-classic)
From one of the magnificent Mannheim Steamroller Albums; an eclectic mixture of techno-pop punk and classical harmonies. It’s a Mexican song about the fish in the river singing at Christ’s birth.

Here Comes Santa Claus: Elvis Presley (Rock-n-Roll)
One of the King’s better efforts; he’s having ‘way too much fun with this song, and it shows.

We Three Kings of Orient Are: Miles Davis, Larry Carlton, David Sanborn, & Paul Shaffer (Jazz)
From the Bill Murray vehicle “Scrooged� that also starred Karen Allen, Buster Poindexter, and Bobcat Goldwaith of about 15 years ago, this one is a riot. A damn good jam, this song is only heard in passing on the movie soundtrack as Murray’s character is seen passing the starving musicians he’s fired in one scene. And, yes, it’s the Paul Schaffer from David Letterman!

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree: Brenda Lee (Rock-n-Roll)
Getting ‘way too much airplay lately from all the “Home Alone� movies, but a goodie, nevertheless.

Feliz Navidad: Jose Feliciano (A Neo-Classic)
Sentimental value from the 60's. So sue me. I even know what all the words mean, too.

Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town: Bruce Springsteen (Rock-n-Roll)
Greatest-Christmas-Song-Ever!: The Bruce Springsteen version from the early ‘80's which has only recently been re-released.

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer: Elmo & Patsy (A “Weirdo� Classic)
And now, for something completely hillbilly . . . (to break up the somber mood, mostly.)

Jingle Bells: Glenn Miller & the Modernaires (Jazzy Big-Band Classic)
Recorded at the BBC studios by Glenn Miller’s Army Air Corps band; with a weird little “Mexican segue� by his drummer, Ernie Caseas. If you love swing, this is the thing. Thank God for CD’s, or this would’ve faded into obscurity.

Veni Veni (O Come O Come Immanuel): Mannheim Steamroller (A Neo-Classic)
A magnificent take of the original Gregorian chant with some electro-pop simple cover melodies. Makes me cry if I’m alone at night.

Christmas In Dixie: Alabama (Country)
Another favorite in recent years that got almost played to death about 10 years ago; but now is a sentimental favorite.

Holly Jolly Christmas: Burl Ives (A TV Calssic)
From the old “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer� TV special of 30 years ago. I can see that darned singing snowman now . . . . looked just like Burl Ives, too!

The Christmas Song:The Chipmunks (A “Weirdo� Classic)
Another good one from the year I was born (1958) to make your mom ask, “Where did you get THIS?� Lately it’s becoming more accepted as a “Classic� Christmas song. Julian’s Christmas Band concert played this last week.

Merry Christmas Baby: Bonnie Raitt and Charles Brown (A Neo-Classic)
Another monster from one of the “Very Special Christmas� albums; just an original blues song that’ll make your eyeteeth hurt listening to it. Probably on my Top Five favorites of all time.

The Little Drummer Boy: Harry Simeone Chorale (Classic)
You’ll know this one the minute the bass chorus kicks in with the “Rum-Pa-Pum-Pums.� My Nana (grandma) used to play this to death at Christmas, and it’s hard not to imagine her living room without this song.)

Sleigh Ride: Arthur Fiedler & the Boston Pops (A TV Classic)
Another classic you’ll recognize three bars into the song. You hear it a lot on commercials as background music; but I always heard it on Captain Kangaroo’s old TV show on CBS this time of year.

The Christmas Song: Nat King Cole (Calssic)
This one, too. Nat’s where it’s at, baby. His daughter Natalie never did this justice, but Nat sure does.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Temptations (Rock-n-Roll)
May very well be the best Motown Christmas song ever produced. You keep expecting this to be hokey, but they do such a DARN good job with it, it works, and makes you all teary-eyed. And hard not to “chair-dance� along with it.

Jingle Bells: The Singing Dogs (A “Weirdo� Classic)
And this will cure the teary eyes right damn quick, you betcha. Nice to have this one just so you can say “Yeah, I’ve heard that.� The recent attempt by “the singing Cats� to duplicate this doesn’t even come close. This one was made in the days BEFORE sampling – so each of these notes had to be laboriously recorded, taped, re-taped, and spliced into place. What bizarre devotion!

Silent Night: Boyz 2 Men (Rock-n-Roll)
An acapella four-part harmony version that’ll raise the hair on your neck, for sure. Puts tears in my eyes with those soulful rhythms.

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Every year I make new copies of "Favorite Christmas Songs" that I play until the CD wears out. This list was my "Original List," which I gave as Christmas presents last year on CD.

Next Week: This Year's List!