Is a Penal Colony for Cranks Needed?

Ok, my title today was going to be something my daughter Sarah said when she was watching a video of an a cappella group (that's singer without musical accompaniment, by the way) about one of them -- or another video she's shifted to, something like "Lindsey Starling Is Radioactive" -- but then I opened a book I bought a few weeks ago at a local antique/"old stuff" store before it closed, read a caption beneath the heading of Chapter IV. That's the title today, and this one of the multitude of books I'm endeavoring to read and finish is Murat Halstead's Illustrious Life of William McKinley, which came out not even a month after his death in 1901. (I see some looks of confusion out there -- he's the twenty-fifth President of the United States, last President who was a Civil War veteran, on his second term as a Republican in the Oval Office and succeeded by his better-known Vice President THEODORE ROOSEVELT. Also, President number three to be shot and die.)

I'll have to let you know how the book goes -- it's definitely an interesting style, coming at the tail end of Victorian America. Yesterday I got to finish More Than Just a Kiss: The Greatest Love Movies with text by Robert Marich (ISBN 9788854406100) that proceeds from 1931's City Lights to 2009's Avatar and showing -- in at least American and Western European movies -- how the portrayal of romantic love between strangers and even husband and wife has developed over time (not always favorably) with increasing loose social mores. Am I saying this right? Six Disney and one DreamWorks film make the cut, as well as black and whites up to 1963 with two exceptions. I know, that's not much of a description for you to work from, but this book originally published in Italy is willing to present both sides in their descriptions, critiques as well as favorable reviews. And you definitely can follow the pictures!

TONIGHT is opening night for Minot Chamber Chorale's annual Renaissance Feast that Martha is participating in! The kids and I will be going to Saturday's performance and dinner -- I'm looking forward to it, but I'm reminded why I hate December, especially this week. Martha's been out of the house every night for maybe two weeks at rehearsals and practices for the church Christmas cantata AND the Renaissance Feast. And the kids gets testy at me because I won't let them stay up until she gets home, because she does get home late ... how did I slip from Favorite Parent status? (I know, I know, I'm not supposed to campaign for "I'm a better parent than you are" ... but sometimes it hurts.) And this weekend while I was at work Martha and the kids DID set up and trim (do you remember what that means? It means decorate) the tree, a chore I am not a big fan of before my birthday -- which is one week from today, incidentally.

After work tonight I will also be headed to my son Jeffrey's school Christmas program. Martha went to school today to see the kids in their dress rehearsal because she can't be there tonight (see above paragraph) and as I believe I said yesterday he is among several second-graders who will be wearing their pajamas for the program. I had assumed, silly me, that he would have to have them for school today but he says his teacher said no. Martha even asked him whether he would wear his pajamas to school today for the program, and he said he thought about it but figured that he'd probably spill something on them at lunch. (And that reminds ME, not only should I get to eating lunch at work -- I may after I've sent this off, but who knows? -- but also I need to schedule time to meet the kids for lunch at school this year! Last year I took one fall and one spring day to do it, but now it will likely be one spring day as so much is going on.)

And a penal colony for cranks is really not a bad idea -- heck, we have some now and they're recognized as nations!

David