Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

Birdie and his lovely bride are here for the weekend. He leaves for an encore performance in Afghanistan in April. She is due to deliver our grandchild in May. Therefore, they are here scouting out apartments so I can spoil that child before Birdie gets home.

For Christmas they gave me a gift card for Barnes&Noble. Today I used it to buy:

I’m first. I got to the store and right in the front door, prominently displayed, was Bill Clinton’s book. No Blog in sight. I went to the counter and asked about it. The young lady finally determined the book had just arrived this morning, and went to the back room to get me a copy. As this is the only major bookstore in town, I’m assuming I have the first copy in Corpus Christi–unless, of course, someone already ordered it through the net.

I’ve already read two chapters. It is very good, and the explanations of how the blogosphere took on Lott, Raines, Kerry, and Rather are compiled well. The most interesting observation I have thus far is that the partisanship in the blogosphere showed up not when Lott was attacked, but when Raines and Kerry were.

Obvious conclusion left up to the reader.

So, I thought perhaps I could earn a few Amazon gift certificates to help pay for my bibliophile nature. I’m not interested in making money off this web site, but instead of a listing for my current reading list, I’ve added the Amazon links in my left column. I’ll keep it updated as to what I’m reading (as if anyone really cared) and if something I’m reading interests you, click on the appropriate link to go straight to that item at Amazon.

What do I get for that? A pittance, redeemable in credit toward my purchases at Amazon. And, Uncle Sugar will get his cut. Just doing my part to stimulate the economy and keep the government operating!

This is what I was talking about–why I keep comments open in spite of spammers. A new blog, local to Corpus Christi. Michael has a site with a definite personal design–no prepackaging for him. He lives in “The Bluff”, which is where Lago escaped from on Thanksgiving!

Dave Barry gets it right:

A DOG IS ALWAYS READY. It doesn’t matter for what: Dogs are just “ready.”

I love dogs.

Hard drive going bad… can’t get anti-virus to work… can’t remove, edit, or reinstall it… Go to Best Buy and look at new hard drives… convince myself to get new computer rather than continue with the one I have pieced together…

So I did.

Back-up, bookmarks, email addresses, Quicken files, contact information, golf course & score information. Remainder of the day spent getting the new computer set up. I hate it. But it had a DVD-RW I can use to back up the whole thing regularly.

I’ve been told there has been no snow in Corpus Christi in forty years. Nobody else is up yet here, so I got some photos of untrampled white stuff before it all goes away today–forecast high of 54.

I didn’t expect to see this much when I got up. And it’s still coming down.

“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely
known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.” (Luke 2:1-20)