in case you're stumped about what to get me for christmas:
http://www.johannas-art.com/Portraits.htm

i imagine that no-necked guy from peanuts. the one who danced around schroeder's piano by shuffling his feet and shifting his head from shoulder to shoulder. genius! that service sounds rich. would love to check it out.

scattershooting . . . wondering why the networks didn't pick up the new orleans bowl.

shouldn't we plan a weekend matinee viewing of lord of the rings. can't wait. you in, e?

did you see rolling stone's 500 best albums issue? seems a bit ambitious.

let it be the inspiration for our list of best albums of 2003. note: since i own exactly three albums from 2003, let's say these works don't have to have been released this year. rather, what are the best albums you've heard in 2003?

my short list:
1. radiohead - the bends. rediscovered this early 90s gem last month. glorious.
2. cocteau twins - blue bell knoll. been on my list 15 years and counting. the ultimate saturday morning coffee ambience.
3. pixies - bossanova.

Worship Ministry - Farmers Branch Church of Christ

Don't miss an opportunity to see me sing...I intend to overemphasize my diction to the point I look like a Peanuts character singing at the end of A Charlie Brown Christmas. This will be my first Christmas Eve candlelight service...

OK, I'm back. Unfortunately, I don't have much to say.

Reading recommendations - if you haven't read Count of Monte Cristo, or if you haven't read it in a while, it's worthy. The Great Gatsby is always fun to read, just for the sheer pleasure of the way Fitzgerald uses the language.

Here's an update on my previously stated belief that no one deserves to be independently wealthy more than me. I still find myself singularly worthy. My recent vacation and time off from work while convalescing have convinced me that I am prepared to truly embrace a lifestyle of wealth and leisure. With the advent of Texas Mega Millions, can my dream be far away?

in anticipation of a little holiday time, i need some reading recommentations. and really what i need is some fiction. got enough historical and spiritual stuff to keep me going.

doesn't have to be current. looking for a good page-turner. it's been a while since i've enjoyed one of those.

bigs

p.s. rejoiced at the stranglehold in my voice mail box, courtesy of e. if only briefly, i was transported to the abilene convention center and blissfully listened (among the skanks and the $5 t-shirts)

i shall pay heed to your groanings, major tom. so here's a modest posting. a reflection on the day.

which started with a genius breakfast at the preston center metro diner. classic. ko and i marveled at the threadbare christmas decorations, rounded out by the artificial six-foot tree, flocked in diner white. some yuletide oatmeal warmed the body. meaningful conversation and time with a dear friend warmed the soul. true story. the highlight of the day.

the rest of the day was good. some creative confidence restored. encouragement from surprising places.

home to some wrestling with children and an oversized puppy. alas, my energy level is no match.

goal this weekend: to install the wireless router for hands-free postings on blogger. perhaps i'll keep a blog of my installation progress. it promises to be quite messy.

news item: grad student discovers the largest prime number in the world, the result of a three-year quest.
practical application: my life has renewed purpose.

good to be back, major tom.

would love to hear more about kline's 18th. amazing. do tell.

today was andrew's thanksgiving pageant. glorious. much pomp, circumstance, and gloating by the pilgrims.

to celebrate, i took him to the stars game tonite. the highlight of which (for him) was seeing the airplanes in the american airlines lobby. that and the cotton candy.

on the way back, i told him a joke. the classic. "what's black, white, and red all over?" i asked. "i dunno," he responded, with the mildest hint of enthusiasm. "a newspaper!," i revealed.

silence.

then a loud voice from the back seat, "a newspaper with a belly button?"

i don't get it either.

kids are nuts.

bigs

I love that Neo figured out the only way to win was to give up.

He "became" Smith, just like Jesus became sin, allowing the machines to destroy Smith, just like God destroyed sin through Christ.

I understand that the machines could not just unhook all humans from the Matrix - they have to give each of them a choice; choice is the greatest good that neo aspired to.

I am somewhat perplexed by the comments of the little girl at the end; she "created" the sunrise for Neo. Did the machines perhaps give humans some measure of control over their environment within the Matrix as an inducement to remain connected?

excerpts from today's nytimes re revolution:

There are still a few loose ends that might be spun into future sequels — "The Matrix Recycled," perhaps, or "The Matrix Recall Election" or "The Matrix Recipe Book and Holiday Menu Planner" (featuring the Oracle's baking tips) — but the saga of Neo, which began in 1999 when he was a scruffy hacker who took a red pill, has now by all appearances reached its terminus. The appropriate response is somewhere between "About time" (about six hours, depending on what's added for the DVD release) and "So what?"

If "The Matrix" were a video game — I know there is one, but I mean the movies themselves — then you could linger in that dazzling white subway station, or in the Oracle's kitchen while the cookies are baking and tune out all of the philosophical mumbo jumbo and action-movie clichés. You could reflect on the curious beauty of your surroundings and admire the skill of the architects (not to be confused with the Architect). "The Matrix Relaxed" — now there's an idea for a sequel.

I'm still here...

pepsi sucks

ko