Dear Santa...

I realize you're very busy right now but I'm hoping it's not too late to offer up a plea - not for myself but for everyone. See, I know we've made some mistakes this year; not signaling before changing lanes and forgetting to claim a bit of income on our 1040. And there have been some big ones too, like the rape of women and children, and indefinite incarceration without attorney availability. We've started wars and we've broken promises, and we've been victims of those same human frailties. We've chosen to focus on what moniker by which we label this time of year instead of how to better serve the Lord so many of us claim to worship. We forget our history and heritage, if we ever knew such things, and instead we watch reality television and subsist on the misery of others because deep down we're resentful of their money, success, beauty and lives. We've had moments of greed and envy and spite and rage; We've judged and we've blamed; and we've been remiss in our duties, our loyalties and our priorities.

We've screwed it up, big time.

But mostly, we try. We fall short because we get so wrapped up in the minutae of our own lives, but our intentions are good. We retreat because we're scared, because we've been hurt and taken advantage of, and we don't know how to break the cycle. We love, but not with our whole heart, afraid we'll lose ourselves in unseen tides to be washed up on unfamiliar shores. But really, we want more, we know we're capable of so much better.

So I ask you, Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children, lovers, soldiers, paupers, pilgrims, poets, sailors, scholars, and the unjustly condemned (just to name a few) - I ask you not to turn away, but to give us back the best of ourselves; patience when faced with ignorance, compassion in a typhoon of intolerance, and wisdom in a sea of misinformation.

But most of all, I ask that you give us Faith. The serene, silent knowledge that we can reach our potential, that we can improve the world, that we can live without victimizing or oppressing others. Grant us that small, still voice that knows it's not important what name you give your diety, as long as you honor her/him with your ability to understand and act in the best interest of all humanity and not just yourself. Remind us of our fallibilities, our fragility, and our simultaneous strength. Remind us to Love.

People After My Own Heart...

One of the weekly community newspapers ran this big "Baby's First Christmas" insert where all the proud parents can send in photos of their fairly identical, squishy-faced infants to brag about their breeding prowess. Smack dab on the third page, on the top line, sandwiched between Zachary Ryan Shorts and Emily Savannah Gurkovich was this little gem:

If I had their address, I'd send them a congratulations card!

the best holiday card I've received so far...

...Since too many people with not enough to occupy their lives are having a temper tantrum about the "Holiday" and all, this little gem from my Aunt and Uncle displayed a refreshing humor about the whole thing.

My high school Civcs Teacher would be so proud...

Interestingly enough, he was a member of the town's volunteer fire department so every time the siren went off, he bolted out the classroom. Coincidentally, his last name was Gordon, so we all called him Flash...

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

Survey Stolen from Barry...

...who called me his favorite redhead....awww....

1. You have $10 and need to buy snacks at a gas station; what do you buy?: Most likely if I'm buying chow at the gas station I'm coming home from serious drinking so it'd be a bottle of water and a Payday candybar (gotta get the protein from those peanuts)

2. If you had to be reincarnated as some sort of sea dwelling creature, what would you be?: shark; I wanna be the top of the food chain.

3. Who's your favorite redhead?: Eric Stoltz (hey, he grew up cute!)

4. What do you order when you're at a pancake house?: Again, if I'm at such an establishment, I'm coming off a hard night of drinking. So I'm going with eggs and some fried animal flesh.

5. Do you own any... naughty toys?: oodles. :-)

6. Have you made out with anyone on your friend's list? I have over three hundred folks on my friends' list. It would be impossible for me NOT to have! (not telling who or how many, so there!)

7. Describe your favorite pair of underwear: Victoria's Secret and Pink, that's all I'm saying :-)

8. Describe the last time you were injured: Does the paper cute I sustained today count?

9. Are there any odd things that make you feel comfortable? Snuggling naked with my dog; I like the fur on my bare skin. (Am I gonna get a bunch of hate mail from animal rights activists thinking I'm a perv now??)

11. Tell me a weird story from your high school years: There are just so many....I once got stuck on the football field upside down, on my head, attached to a very large bass drum. And yes, this was during a game.

12. What is the wallpaper on your cell phone? Lava Lamp.

13. Soda?: what about it?

14. Flavor of pudding?: the type they use in coconut cream and banana cream pies :-)

15. What type of shirt are you wearing? I've got a cropped, long-sleeved, thermal shirt underneath a dusty rose colored work type shirt. It's warm, dammit.

16. Prescription medication?: whatever I can con out of my doctor.

17. If you could use only one form of transportation for the rest of your life what would it be? Teleporter - beam me up!

18. How many people are on your friends list? 300 and some odd. I'm really not that popular.

19. How many people on your list do you know in real life? What's a real life?

20. What are you listening to right now? My keyboard a'clackin; and That 70's Show in the background.

21. Most recent movie you watched? I watched a disc of Oz today; the other night I contented myself with Pirates of the Caribbean and I'll be checking out Syriana in the next few days.

22. Name 3 things you have with you at all times: three rings, my tattoo and an overactive imagination.

23. Would you rather give or receive a foot massage? OH MY GAWD. RECEIVE, RECEIVE, RECEIVE. I am such a sucker for those things...

24. Name a teacher you had the hots for: Mr. Russ Headley, my high school freshman science teacher. He was young and had washed out of the NFL cuz of a fucked up knee. Every girl had a crush on him.

25. What is a saying that you use a lot? Indeed.

26. What's one piece of advice that you think should be passed on to every child? Don't be too hard on your parents; they're people too.