The Holidays

Hope everyone had a great Thankgiving. Now, the holidaus begin. Now the insanity starts. But, it can be a sweet insanity.

You do not have to go over the top. No need for 30 foot trees or ebough lighrs to be seen from outer space. You do not have to buy everyone several $10,000 gifts

Little Tommy does not need his own drone and Little Mary does not nee outfits from top designeres. If they disagree, you need to have a long talk with them/
Men do not need new BMWs and women do not need 500 carat diamomds. And nobody needs to go to every party in the USA.

Nor do any of us need to dine on champagne, caviar and pate for every holiday meal

What we all need is to around friends and family. We need to celebrate without indulging to the point of blatant debauchery. Perhaps, most of all, we need to remember the jots of giving, sharing and charity.

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and a Happy and prosperous new Year to us all.

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Bagpipes

I was going to write a serious blog today, a book review, but I was struck yesterday by a whimsical idea and I always follow whimsy.

I love bagpipes, their mournful, stately tomes, They are to me, the essence of human sound, Many would take issue with that, but with my deeply Celtic roots and can say, " I don't care. I love them."

My idea? Why doesn't some electronic whiz come up with electric bagpipe. After all, electricity made guitars into something grand and new.

Then, some wildly creative musician could create the next new thing in music. Just think how awesome it would be to be known as the Jimi Hendrix of the bagpipes and think of all the amazing sounds you could come up with when you crank the volume up to 10.

So, all you electronics whizzes and musical talent get busy and create the sound of the future.

Turkey day is almost here and to many, it means stress and sweat. It should not. If you can't have fun, don't bother.

Don't stress about the food. Cook what you're comfortable with, buy the rest pre-cooked. Don't think you have to do it all yourself/ Accept help, all you can get. Use disposable pans and even throw away plates and cups, unless you have volunteers to help wash dishes.

Try to find ways to lesson alcohol consumption. I drink a little and have nothing against folks getting a bit buzzed, but you do not want Uncle Fred passing out or Aunt  Mary staring drunken spats with Mom.

Many will want to watch football after the meal. Let them. I hate football, but will watch and act like I enjoy it to please guests. Others will want to shop. Not me and I won't do that, but I will tell them to have fun and hurry back for leftovers.

For others, find a ball to throw around, take a ling walk, heck, play 9 holes of golf. anything to have some fun.

Remember, fun and fellowship is the whole point of the day.

Have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.

Chopped

I seem to have been a bit grumpy in my recent post, so today I want to compliment a TV shoe. I have come to love The Food Network's "Chopped."

4 chefs compete. Each has a basket with 4 outrageous items, say goat brains, gummy bears, limburger cheese and gin and are expected to make something of that mess. They have very strict and very brief time limits and are expected to complete the dishes, make a neat and attractive plate, use maximum creativity and of course it mist taste good.

They do an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert and are judged after each round/ The loser after each round is "chopped: and the last 2 face off in the dessert round. The competition is fierce and when they are all working full speed it is quite a sight.

Of course the whole thing is idiotic, sort of Julia Child meets pro wrestling, but the show is surprisingly entertaining. This is great mindless entertainment.