Month: December 2002

Moire found a fascinating article about rare genetic diseases that have become very common in Amish communities. We used to joke in Lagrange that the limited gene pool led to all the Amish looking vaguely alike. Turns out that’s the least of their worries…

“I’d like to be… a DENTIST!”
Matt linked to a great article about my favorite Christmas special: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I’d love to see the restored version on DVD, especially the bit about Yukon Cornelius finding a peppermint mine. (So that’s why he kept licking his pickaxe!) My favorite character is Hermey, who I’ve been known to quote on occasion. (But nobody ever realizes what I’m quoting.) And remember everyone… BUMBLES BOUNCE!

Radar Map of SydneyThis is so weird. The power has been flickering for the past couple hours and it keeps knocking out our computers. I wonder if we’re having “brown-outs” from all the air conditioners running in this heat.

Later: Holy crap. It isn’t the heat; it’s all the fires. Snookums just pointed out that you can see them on the weather radar map. (I’ve archived a shot here.) That ain’t rain; there isn’t a cloud in the sky. All those blue dots – including the two huge ones – are smoke.

Just received my first Christmas card of the season… from good ol’ Notre Dame. Am I the only one that thinks it’s highly questionable etiquette to send someone a card and then hit them up for a donation? Not to mention the fact that they obviously don’t cross-reference their donation requests with the student loan records. I mean really, I already owe them, like, seven thousand bucks. But that doesn’t stop them from suggesting I pass over another couple grand to get enrolled in the “Sorin Society’s Founder’s Circle”! Sheesh.

[Sidenote: I’m also becoming quite Hemisphere-sensitive. Get this line from the accompanying letter: “Christmas arrives at the darkest time of year, as if to remind us, in the words of St. Luke, ‘that a light was born to shine on those who sit in darkness… to guide our feet in the path of peace.'” Hello? For literally half the globe, Christmas arrives at the brightest time of year! Am I being overly critical here? Does the Northern Hemisphere have some exclusive right to Christmas? Besides, isn’t it sort of accepted that Christ wasn’t born in the winter anyway, but that early Christians moved the celebration in order to capitalize on existing pagan Yule rituals? Why am I getting so worked up over this? It must’ve been the request for money. That always pisses me off.]

As my Mom reminded me today, my Thanksgiving Dinner recap is running late. It’s just that I’m still cleaning up the aftermath! I should finally be done with all the dishes tomorrow, so expect something then. 🙂