Trying to Get the Feeling Again

Since we missed A Charlie Brown Christmas when it was broadcast this year, Sis and I watched it last evening, rather late, on DVD while drinking cocoa. Now, that's more like it!

Today we went to have our hair done. The shop had a small Christmas tree and just enough decorations to be festive but not enough to be garish. That, too, helped put me in the holiday spirit.

No snow today, as had been forecast earlier in the week, but there was rain and what might have been sleet. Not too jolly, but definitely wintery. The current forecast doesn't call for snow flurries till Thursday. But, there's still plenty of time for serious snow, a la "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas..

Fill It

Yesterday I went to the dentist to have two fillings; or, rather, one new filling and repair to an old one. This involved making both sides of my mouth numb. The upper left was pretty much a breeze - the lower right, not so much.

The dentist explained that the upper jaw is more porous, allowing the medicine to penetrate more easily to the tooth. The numbness also wears off faster. By contrast, the lower jaw is denser, so it takes longer for the numbing agent to take effect, as well as longer to wear off.

I think of the numbing agent as Novocain, but I could have sworn the dentist said tequila.

Two Thoughts
Tequila might have worked faster as well as being a lot more fun than a needle!
No doubt when Sampson slew one thousand men with the jawbone of an ass, he used the lower jaw.

Profound thoughts from the dentist chair. :P

Trying to Get the Feeling

- Photo by Listener

On breaking out the Christmas records this weekend, the first one I played was In the Swing of Christmas by Barry Manilow. Not only a lovely Christmas album, it's a fine Jazz album as well.

Even with seasonal music, I'm not really in the mood yet. Here's hoping I get a little ho, ho ho into my style in the coming days!

Advent Begins

Today we begin the period of preparation for the coming of Baby Jesus, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, who became Man, entering into His creation to redeem us.

We should use this time not only to look forward in joy, but also to look into our own hearts and prepare them to be a place fitting to receive Our Lord.

It's hard in today's world, filled with violence, hatred and distrust. Here in the U.S. protests continue, some peaceful but some otherwise, over the grand jury's decision not to indict a Ferguson, Missouri policeman (who is white) for the fatal shooting of an unarmed teenager (who was black).

Though I am disturbed at the decision, it baffles me how setting fires and looting and other violent, lawless acts can possibly help the situation. I'm not even sure what good peaceful protests can do. The grand jury isn't going to reverse its decision. The people of Ferguson, the county and the state need to engage in some hard thinking and equally hard work if they want to correct the conditions that led to this latest outrage, not to behave like mindless hooligans. But smashing things is always easier than designing and building them.

In this season, perhaps more than any other, we need to concentrate on thinking, on designing and building the kind of environment around us and within us where Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love, the four daughters of Truth in Medieval thought, can thrive.