Liese, I'll come lick envelopes for you... but it'll have to wait until I can schedule some time off and make a plane reservation.

signed, Needs Little Excuse to Visit AZ

I sent two e-mails, and then looked at cat macros.

Yeah, in a couple of hours, I probably will break out the porn.

So, we can expect two more politicians to die? or two more presidents?

Happy Birthday to people whose birthdays I've missed.

And I still don't have heat. So, I came home to an apartment with temps in the 50s. (Low 50s in the bedroom) But I was awoken this morning to pounding on my door and they are getting ready to install the new heaters. I tried to warm up the apartment with the two space heaters and by turning on the oven (I know - not recommended) and it helped a little. But you can understand why, once I was snuggly in my bed, I did not want to get out again.

Aside from all that: Christmas was fun! My niece not only remembered me she wanted to sleep downstairs on the aero-bed both nights I was at my brother's house. So cute!

Ford, Pinochet, and the Turkmenistan dude would be a political threesome.

I really do have to get to work, and yet not quite productive yet. And there is just not enough activity here to keep me from getting started.

Ford, Schembechler, Some Other Michigan Football Legend Dude?

I don't think they have to match. When Johnny Cash died, it was him and Jack Tripper from Three's Company and Octavian Butler. I mean, they're all Americans in the arts, but, three more different Americans in the arts you'd be hard-pressed to find.

Gronklies.

I am writing to you from the land of gronk. I didn't think it was possible to be this full of gronk and still be awake. I guess I picked the wrong month to give up coffee.

I hope everyone had as good a holiday as they could. I get to go back to Maine for a second round of Xmas this weekend, this time with (mostly) the whole family.

I've mellowed on Ford over the years. Nixon was the first president I voted against. I was 18 for my first presidential election in 1972. Politically active at that time I was outraged that people didn't seem to blame Nixon for Watergate. As things unfolded in the years that followed I thought Ford was the devil himself for the pardon.

Oh well, as I said, I've mellowed. Ford was probably right when he did what he could to heal the wounds. He certainly did help me to get my political rage on early in life.

I have to catch up on history, but I think he had Rumsfeld and Cheney in his white house.

eta: yes, both Rumsfeld and Cheney served as Ford's Chief of Staff. Nevermind, maybe I haven't mellowed as much as I thought. Still think he may have been the devil.

My cats are totally freaking out about the workmen and the noise and Ivan has run away to the basement and won't come back in.

Ford, Pinochet, and the Turkmenistan dude would be a political threesome.

Good one, good one.

People here listen to Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me, right? Did you hear their little tribute to the Father of All Turkmen? As soon as I heard he had died, I was yelling, "No makeup on TV news anchors! Holiday for melon!!" and etc, various facts I learned about him on Wait Wait.