Month: December 2010

I just read Dick Cavett’s Christmas commentary, and it made me think of one of my favorite Christmas stories, Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory.” It’s a beautiful, but ultimately terribly sad story. It’s so evocative of love and something else I can’t quite name, something important, something that we lose, that I endure the price of sadness and usually read it every year. I really recommend it if you’ve never read it.

Then I remembered that I had decided that this year I had to come up with new Christmas traditions, that Christmas was not the same and I needed to change with it. It hasn’t been the same for a long time, but I refuse to let go.

I couldn’t think of anything though. Go away every Christmas? Do some charitable act? Maybe I will think of something next year.

Someone decorated the poles holding up this scaffolding. Good job, someone.

I just finished watching Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol. Up next, the Alastair Sim version! Which reminds me. Someone sent me these CD’s a few years ago. It was an anonymous gift and I’ve always wondered who it was. It was very thoughtful.

I came home this afternoon and there were paramedics parked on my block.

They came back empty-handed which could be good, could be bad. Maybe the person was fine. Or maybe they were beyond help. I hope they were fine.

Yay!! Here it is. Life is good.

AND, I just finished watching this show about John Wilkes Booth and the controversy about whether or not he died in that barn. It was quite interesting! But it ends with a question mark. They’d petitioned to have the body of Edwin Booth exhumed so dna tests could be performed and then compared to the fragments they have of Booth’s body. They’d also have to get permission to do dna analysis of those fragments, and the show ends with no answer about whether or not they got permission for either. So I google it and learn that they’re half way there!! Article here. Although, since then I’ve read more about the controversy and they left out some information that makes it seem less likely that Booth survived.

I took this last night. This restaurant had chairs set up outside. Who would choose to sit outside??

Christmas Eve is better than Christmas. I like the anticipation, the movies, the music, and by Christmas morning all of that is mostly over, and within hours the day feels ordinary again.

But today feels special, even if you don’t do anything particularly special.

My plan: goof off. I’m going to Anthropologie and Sephora, but if they’re too insane I’ll leave immediately. Then it’s reading and the Alastair Sim and Mister Magoo versions of the Christmas Carol, and I still haven’t decided if I’m getting a pedicure, but maybe that.

I think I forgot to say this: thank you Senate for repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and for voting for the 9/11 bill.

This fantastic day-glo tree is in the window of a store on Perry Street.

I went inside for a second to take a picture to show everyone how crazy it is, but I couldn’t deal with it and fled. Outside the Salvation Army guy was dancing with his bell (not just ringing it, but dancing!) and a girl grabbed a bell and started ringing it with him. It was very sweet. Oh! Did she grab his bell? Because I see he doesn’t have one anymore! Ha! (He was laughing, too.)