Your New Year's Resolutions

1) Get a pet octopus 2) Eat more sushi 3) Travel to India 4) Study Latin 5) Get in shape with capoeira

What Should Your New Year's Resoluton Be?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatshouldyournewyearsresolutionbequiz/

I don't think I'll be keeping any of these resolutions...but they did make me smile...all right...they made me laugh.

You Had an Average Year

While you had some setbacks, your year also brought some good things. All in all, things mostly evened out. That's just how life works. Focus on what went well for you - and what you can improve. A new year is a perfect reason to give yourself a fresh start!

How Did Your Year Rate?
http://www.blogthings.com/howdidyouryearratequiz/

My wife always gets some strange gifts since she's been teaching. Some of the strangest came from the department itself: men socks, watch that ran backwards, and vacuum cleaner attachments w/o the vacuum they fit. Eric and Amy said they could beat the department with strange gifts. Last year, they gave us the illuminated cow in the opening salvo of gag gift Christmas.

The Illuminated Cow

Eric and Amy with the illuminated cow

Naturally, we began planning Gag Gift Revenge. We made a special box of housewarming gifts since they're in their new home. We included some of the strange gifts Wifey received for Christmas and a special gift of a pet. Here's what happened:

Gag Gift Revenge Anticipated

Snowman Plate

Mutant Penguin Ornament

Christmas Towels

 Soap Dispenser

And finally the piece de la resistance: Humphrey the Frisky Canine

He does what little dogs are known to do to people's legs while making sounds of frisky relief.

Moral of this Christmas Story:

 You don't mess with Uncle Bookworm or Auntie Bookworm's Wifey

The Dark Knight Before Christmas

Jingle Bells

The following is copied from the Newseum link:

http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/

Click here to see the newspaper clipping Newsman Francis Pharcellus Church wrote The Sun's response to Virginia.       Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps. "DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. "Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. "Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.' "Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus? "VIRGINIA O'HANLON. "115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET." VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.