Lexicon augmentation - sagacious

sagacious-
1 keen in sense, perception
2 a: of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment : discerning
b: caused by or indicating acute discernment
Synonym - shrewd

from Merriam-Webster

A new greeting

The yellow bus/blue bus exchange between Can and I has developed into something of a greeting. The other day I came home from work and Can was sitting on the potty. He couldn't see me come in the door, but when he heard the door open he yelled out from his place on the porcelain throne, "DADDY YELLOW BUS." I of course responded in kind with a hearty, "NO, DADDY BLUE BUS." Then yesterday morning after he woke up, his mommy was carrying him from his bed. Through bleary eyes, he spied me said, somewhat less enthusiastically, "daddy yellow bus." I kissed him on the head and said, "good morning," to which he responded "daddy pokey face."

Lexicon augmentation - folderol

folderol -
1 : a useless ornament or accessory : trifle
2 : nonsense

from Merriam-Webster

Adams-"Our electioneering racers have started for the prize"

"Our electioneering racers have started for the prize. Such a whipping and spurring and huzzaing! Oh what rare sport it will be! Through thick and thin, through mire and dirt, through bogs and fens and sloughs, dashing and splashing and crying out, the devil take the hindmost."
"How long will it be possible that honor, truth or virtue should be respected among a people who are engaged in such a quick and perpetual succession of such profligate collisions and conflicts?"
John Adams, early 1800's, an excerpt from a letter to Benjamin Rush quoted in "John Adams" by David McCullough

As applicable today as ever. I'm sure most candidates for public office today do not respect honor, truth or virtue in their comments about their opponents.

Lexicon augmentation - vizard

vizard -
1 : a mask for disguise or protection
2 : disguise, guise

from Merriam-Webster

Adams-"Is the present state of the national republic enough?"

"Is the present state of the national republic enough? Is virtue the principle of our government? Is honor? Or is ambition and avarice, adulation, baseness, covetousness, the thrist for riches, indifference concerning the means of rising and enriching, the contempt of principle, the spirit of party and of faction the motive and principle that governs?"
John Adams, February 6, 1805, an excerpt from a letter to Benjamin Rush quoted in "John Adams" by David McCullough

These questions are as applicable today as they were when John Adams asked them in 1805. I have to admit that I often allow the "spirit of party" to influence my own thinking in regards to our nation's government, although, I try to maintain my views based on virtue as a guiding principle. I like to believe that President Bush feels the same way, but I do not have the same view of most of members of the Congress.

Pictures with Santa

Our 2006 Christmas tree

Our beautiful 2006 Christmas tree (don't tell anyone it is the same fake tree as last year).

Lileks makes the Hitler/Ahmadinejad comparison more clear

Its not a completely novel thought, but Lileks states it well.

"It’s interesting: if the Holocaust “conference” decides that the Holocaust didn’t happen, well, then the justification for Israel is specious and founded on lies, and the mullahs are justified in redressing a mistake. I have the awful feeling that terms, conditions and justifications are being set right before our eyes, and the putative leaders seem unwilling to acknowledge what most canny observers infer.

It’ll all make horrible sense. In retrospect."

Why do so many people choose not to see the world situation for what it is? a certain scripture comes to mind.

"And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well..."

Which is right next to this one,

"For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good."

Which explains the left's hatred of many things.

"Holy crap!"

Peter Boyle died last night. That's too bad. My wife and I love to watch "Everybody Loves Raymond," and one my favorite things is how Frank would always say, "Holy crap!"

Aah, return of the bus color exchange

It was nice to return home last night and find Can feeling better and full of his usual cheer.

This morning he and my wife were leaving to take a friend to the airport, so I decided to be preemptive. I asked if he was going to go ride the blue bus. He responded with a well-conditioned, "NO, YELLOW BUS."

"Ooh, pwetty lights"

I put up the Christmas lights on Saturday. We've had a bit of a cold snap (well, cold for NC) and I worried that I had waited too long, but the weather was nice to me. This is the first year I have put lights on the second story, and can I tell you, I don't know how roofers do it. I was scared to death sitting up on that roof. I've been up on a one story house and didn't mind that at all, but I was more than a little nervous on Saturday. I thought for sure that the ladder was going to tip over when I was getting off of it, or that I was going to slide right off the shingles. The scary part is that I have to go back up to take them down in a couple of weeks. This can't be worth it. The things we do for our kids. "And for my next trick, I'm going to lie down in the middle of the road and see how many cars I can get to swerve around me." Well, OK. Its not all for the kids. There is something manly about facing down death by gravity to string up all those wires with lots of little glass-encased electrocution and fire hazards. And hearing Can's reaction made it all worthwhile. "Ooh, pwetty lights."

Poor sick Can

Poor Can is not feeling well today. His coughing kept him, and his Mom, up for much of the night. This morning he looked pretty miserable as he sat in the corner of the couch with his blankie. He didn't want to play his computer game or watch TV. I couldn't even goad him into arguing with me about whether the bus I ride to work is yellow or blue. He has only ever seen the yellow school bus that his brothers ride and I can't seem to convince him that my bus is blue (actually white with blue stripes, but lets not make this complicated). This has turned into a daily farewell exchange, where I put my coat on and he asks, "Daddy yellow bus?" I respond, "No, daddy blue bus!" and he comes back with an emphatic, "NO, DADDY YELLOW BUS!!" I'm sure it doesn't translate well into blog format, but it is amazingly cute to see in person. Alas, this morning the poor boy couldn't even muster up the strength to complain about my pokey-bearded kiss much less argue about the color of mass transit in Chapel Hill.

We've already lost the war

The New York Times has concluded that we are not only losing the war in Iraq, but have lost it.

Articles like this, along with the wonderful Iraq Study Group report and the results of the recent election, are having an effect on the situation in the middle east already. From a recent article in Time:

"Some Iranian leaders and officials, including President Ahmadinejad, also believe that Iran now has the opportunity to deal with Washington from a position of strength, for the first time since the 1979 revolution."

If we have lost the war in Iraq then Iran thinks it has won. Not exactly the results we want to see. Obviously this is only a perceived position of strength, but its not the kind of perception that will help us in Iraq and in the greater war against Islamo-facism. Thank you to the NYT, the fabulous Baker boys and the ever loved Dems. True friends of the U.S.

The wonderful Iraq Study Group report, along with the results of the recent election, are having an effect on the situation in the middle east already. From a recent article in Time:

"Some Iranian leaders and officials, including President Ahmadinejad, also believe that Iran now has the opportunity to deal with Washington from a position of strength, for the first time since the 1979 revolution."

Not exactly the results we want to see. Obviously this is only a perceived position of strength, but its not the kind of perception that will help us in Iraq and in the greater war against Islamo-facism. Thank you fabulous Baker boys and the ever loved Dems.