tornadoes and toddlers, oh my!
Wow. So tonight we not only experienced the whirlwind of my cousin's two little girls opening their presents in a veritable bacchanal of cuteness and expectation, but then later on we also were under a tornado warning for about an hour. Yipes! We're pretty used to "tornado watches" throughout North Florida, but this was the first time we'd ever known that we were under an actual _warning_, with strong thunderclouds doing scary spinning and all. No one from our family was hurt, and so far we don't know of anyone hurt, but there are apparently reports of trees being blown down in this same town of Lynn Haven, outside of Panama City. So in case this is actually news tomorrow in CA or elsewhere for any reason, we're all okay.
Also, my cousin's two little girls are ferociously cute - the littler one especially. She's teething and was quite happy to show off her newest mangler, her third tooth which is the first on top. I think she's planning to open cans with it, all by herself. She also has a strange habit of giving little fist-in-the-air salutes when she's happy, so it's like she's a little Panther of some color or other.* She's fierce and cute in equal parts, and probably willing to join the Nation of Ulysses. She's definitely under 18, and I think that still goes even if you're counting in months.
This is also where'd I'd like to go off at length on the people claim that saying "Happy Holidays" is too politically correct, but I can't really be bothered. It just seemed really strange to hear someone at tonight's church service say that Jesus is the reason the holiday season started... what exactly did the mistletoe wreath behind him mean to the Druids and others who celebrated something coincidentally around this time, before Jesus was born? Not to knock Jesus at all, but I've got some pretty big bones to pick with some of his more bone-headed followers.** Also, is insisting on saying "Merry Christmas" in lieu of "Happy Holidays" basically saying "Have a great Dec. 25th, but fuck if I care how you spend your New Year's"?
Lastly, my Dad and I are going to pick up my brother and his fiancee tomorrow, which I'm definitely looking forward to.
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* Frometheus, could you give us more info about the Sinclairs and the White Panthers? I saw something the other day with Punky in the LSU book store that said Sun Ra's Heliocentric Worlds albums were from when he joined up with the White Panthers, and I want to know what they're all about. Aren't they associated with the MC5?
** That aside, this particular history-challenged Protestant did play the meanest saxophone I've ever heard at church, and probably best I've ever heard played live period. He did that awesome growl thing that saxes can do, something only reed instruments can make happen. I thought that was a pretty nice touch to throw into the Christmas Eve service at such a bleached-in-the-wool whitebread chuch, but then he blew it with his pat stage banter.
Also, my cousin's two little girls are ferociously cute - the littler one especially. She's teething and was quite happy to show off her newest mangler, her third tooth which is the first on top. I think she's planning to open cans with it, all by herself. She also has a strange habit of giving little fist-in-the-air salutes when she's happy, so it's like she's a little Panther of some color or other.* She's fierce and cute in equal parts, and probably willing to join the Nation of Ulysses. She's definitely under 18, and I think that still goes even if you're counting in months.
This is also where'd I'd like to go off at length on the people claim that saying "Happy Holidays" is too politically correct, but I can't really be bothered. It just seemed really strange to hear someone at tonight's church service say that Jesus is the reason the holiday season started... what exactly did the mistletoe wreath behind him mean to the Druids and others who celebrated something coincidentally around this time, before Jesus was born? Not to knock Jesus at all, but I've got some pretty big bones to pick with some of his more bone-headed followers.** Also, is insisting on saying "Merry Christmas" in lieu of "Happy Holidays" basically saying "Have a great Dec. 25th, but fuck if I care how you spend your New Year's"?
Lastly, my Dad and I are going to pick up my brother and his fiancee tomorrow, which I'm definitely looking forward to.
------
* Frometheus, could you give us more info about the Sinclairs and the White Panthers? I saw something the other day with Punky in the LSU book store that said Sun Ra's Heliocentric Worlds albums were from when he joined up with the White Panthers, and I want to know what they're all about. Aren't they associated with the MC5?
** That aside, this particular history-challenged Protestant did play the meanest saxophone I've ever heard at church, and probably best I've ever heard played live period. He did that awesome growl thing that saxes can do, something only reed instruments can make happen. I thought that was a pretty nice touch to throw into the Christmas Eve service at such a bleached-in-the-wool whitebread chuch, but then he blew it with his pat stage banter.