Andy Williams Christmas Show in Branson

Greg, Mia, Miss Joy and I went to Branson today to see the Andy Williams Christmas show. Andy will be 81 on Wednesday and he's still putting on a great show.





There are other acts, but Andy is on stage almost the entire show.



He starts the show in his trademark scarf and does a couple of Christmas numbers, then changes into a more formal outfit.



The stage is simple - mostly Christmas trees and two staircases, but they do a lot with the lighting.





It's not all Christmas music, but a large portion is.



We have talked about going to see him and just never actually got around to buying the tickets and doing it. We're all glad we did.



The theatre is interesting, and there are Christmas scenes everywhere, including this life size Santa.



We ate lunch and dinner at his grill, which is next door to the theatre. We had hoped he would come over after the evening show, but he didn't. We were hoping to get photos with him. We understand he does come over often either before the early show or after the late one but he must have been too tired to do it tonight.

We went to the 3:00 p.m. show and then looked around Branson afterwards. I'd never been before. They have a new attraction, The Titanic. Greg got out to take a photo. I couldn't resist getting pix of Greg in this unnatural environment.



It's made to look like the ship, except it's only about 1/3 of the vessel and it's a corrogated building. I think we may have pinpointed part of the problem. Greg brought up an interesting question - at what point is a disaster something you can make into an attraction?



We also went to see the Trail of Lights at Shepherd of the Hills. I can't recommend it strongly enough. It's very cool. Two and a half miles of neat displays including lots of old automations.

And for your general Christmas extravaganza dollar, I think Andy Williams would be hard to beat.

A Kinder Gentler Shopping Day

Greg and I got everything both of us wanted in the day after shopping frenzy. He had some specific needs. The things I wanted were all small items but we were able to get everything we were after on the sales. He was at Office Max and I was at Office Depot.

I have to say that Office Depot in Joplin was the most organized I've ever seen any store be the day after Thanksgiving or the day after Christmas. They had every hot item tagged with a specific number and were giving out certificates for those specific things as you went in the door. Then you waited in line at the stock room and handed over your certificate and they brought you that specific item. It was very well done.

I also have to say their employees were the most gracious and helpful of any I've seen in awhile. And considering how much stress they must have been under that was all the more amazing. I was very impressed. If every store were run like the Joplin Office Depot we'd all be having many more pleasant shopping experiences.

The only other stop I made was to Kohl's. I wasn't looking for anything major there but no one was up at Miss Joy's when I was done with Office Depot and I had locked the door behind me and didn't want to wake anyone to let me back in. I bought a couple of things at Kohl's and waiting in a line that was stretching to the back of the store on both sides to check out. By the time I was through that line I decided no one had anything I wanted that badly. Greg and I did pop in to Office Depot later in the day to pick up a couple of incidental things - not sale items - and it was desolate. I guess everyone was shopped out. I stopped by Michaels after dinner and it was the same way.

I witnessed many acts of kindness while shoppping. People were very courteous to each other and employees were going the extra mile to help people. When they had someone change their mind on items at Office Depot yesterday morning the employees came through the store, asking if anyone had wanted one of those things and hadn't gotten a chance at a certificate. It was quite nice.

Greg saw people loaning extra coats out of their car to other folks waiting in line and being very generous with their fellow shoppers. I saw no incidents of unpleasantness from shoppers or employees. I can't say that's always been the case. A couple of years ago at Hastings, Greg and I both saw one of the most ridiculous displays I've ever witnessed. An employee snapped at people who were reaching around her into a case for an mp3 player. When I say "snapped," I'm being kind. Of course, it was one of those situations where you could see the fault on all sides. The customers shouldn't have been grabbing and the employee shouldn't have snapped. But, the real fault lies with the company, that shouldn't have had a locked case in the middle of the store with a hot item in it where the crowds could get right up to it. And, of course, the people who were the most aggressive were rewarded because she just handed out the few items they had to those who were crowded around her instead of having a system for giving them to those who had waited the longest. Obviously, if I was close enough to even see/hear it, and I'd been somewhere else when they opened, there was a flaw in the system.

But this Friday seemed to be a much more laid back experience, at least here. I was shocked when I saw the news of a man dying when people broke down a Walmart door in New Jersey. I looked at the Walmart ad again and I cannot imagine what they had that was worth even going there for, much less killing someone for.

CNN is reporting that police officers patrolling overnight at the store had been concerned about the crowd, but had been unable to get it better organized. I'm not sure what the thinking was that if the police couldn't do it they expected temporary employees at a Walmart store to do it after the crowd was larger and more invested in the time they had spent waiting. Police do have the power to disperse crowds. Why didn't they do that if they were concerned? Part of the job description is public safety.

The tricky thing with all of this is that if you're at the front of the crowd, and being pushed by those at the back of the crowd, you are unable to stop if you see someone fall. And those in the back don't know someone has fallen. You may not know until you step on them if you're in the middle. It's an ugly situation and it's doubtful any charges will be filed because of that unability to identify any specific person/event that is the problem.

I've only once been in that sort of a situation and it had nothing to do with shopping. It was at an event and I was in the middle of the crowd when I found myself being moved along through no effort of my own. I had never understood the idea of being "swept along," but that's it. And it would be very easy to fall if you're trying to actually stand where you are. You'll just be bent over. Very difficult to consider.

The police officer involved with this case says it's incumbent on stores to manage it better. I would agree stores need better systems. A line, for example, would be a better system than what it seems they had. I haven't seen the video but the way they describe it it sounds like it was just a crowd, without any lines, which is much more dangerous. But I also think police have to share some responsibility in this case. If they realized there was a potential problem and didn't address it, there's an issue there.

Thanksgiving Day

Our Thanksgiving Day started off watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. We wanted to see Andy Williams, who they kept promo-ing from the start of the parade, and who was the last act before Santa arrived. Greg snapped a photo of the TV screen.





As soon as Santa waved to the crowd and the parade was over, I started asking Greg to start the tape of The Grinch who Stole Christmas, which is one of my favorite holiday shows.



When his heart grows I'm just nearly beside myself. I love to sing along with the show, and recite the lines. "Little Cindy Lou Who, who was no more than two..." Well, you get the picture.

And, in general, it just makes me really happy because it's all about how Christmas is coming. Maybe part of the reason I love it so much is that I think people might believe I wouldn't enjoy Christmas without the trappings, but I know I would. I love sending cards and wrapping presents and decorating the tree, but I'd love the season even if I didn't do those things.

Not everyone loves Christmas as much as I do... Steve would be representing those folks today.



Of course, during those things, there was cat-play. She was quite taken with Greg's bare foot.



I helped a bit with dinner, although not much. Miss Joy did most of it. I did peel potatoes. Greg was taken with his mom's mixer. She got it when she got married, so it has been around his entire life, but somehow until today it had escaped his attention. Isn't it funny how those things happen?



Greg and his mom carved up the turkey.



Mia came over and the five of us had a fabulous dinner. Everything was delicious. It was a lovely way to spend the day.

After dinner Mia went to work and everyone else took a nap except me. Michaels was open tonight from 6-9. There was an art easel I wanted on sale, and there was a 20% off coupon for tonight, so I went out to get it. I was not the only one.



The line was stretched about a block along the side of the building when I arrived a few minutes before they were opening. I was amazed at how orderly everyone was. The line is by the building, to the right. All the people you see in front of the doors here and to the left are folks who, like me, arrived after the line was formed. Everyone - and I mean EVERYone waited for those who were already in line to go into the store before they went in.

I had no trouble getting what I wanted. There was me and one man picking up those. Everyone else was after Christmas trees, which were 50% off, as far as I could tell. There was also a crowd up front and the checker told me people were after cricut cartridges. I'm not even sure what that is, but I think it has to do with scrapbooking. I don't want to want something else so I'd just as soon not know.

Later we drove out to Best Buy and there were people camped out with tents and sleeping bags, to get the bargains. I'm not sure what they have that's all that exciting - nothing I'm even going out for tomorrow.

All I've been hearing for weeks is how retailers are going to be trying to get our business on Friday. They're not trying too hard to get mine because I could ignore everything pretty easily. There are a couple of small things I'm going to try and pick up but not much. It's not that I'm unwilling to spend the money, it's that they're not offering anything I'm interested in owning.

Generally on black Friday there are a number of things I want and I have to choose what to go for. Tomorrow I'm headed out to get something for Greg and will try for a couple of small things myself. But, no one is going to get much money out of me because they're not offering any amazing deals on anything I want. There's no reason for me to get up at the crack of dawn and fight the crowds to buy  something for the same price I can get it generally on sale.

And, I'm not exaggerating. Two of the supposed great Black Friday deals on external hard drives are the exact same price they were a week ago on sale. The same.brand, size, color, everything. That is not a black Friday deal. That's just an average sale. So, if black Friday is a flop, it's because retailers didn't offer us something worth going out for. If you really want the consumers' business, you have to at least give it the old college try. Like Michaels did tonight - opening when they were the only store available, other than Walgreens and Walmart. That's some good marketing.

I hope you've had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and whatever bargains you hope to get tomorrow are all yours!

Happy Thanksgiving

This is the day Americans give thanks for a bountiful harvest and all other blessings. As Americans we have so many blessings we take for granted.

On this Thanksgiving Day I'm thankful for the people I'm sharing time with, in person and in thought.

And I'm working to be thankful for this very moment in time, this experience that I'm having, these days I'm living.

I hope your Thanksgiving Day is full of goodness on all fronts. Happy Thanksgiving.

Pies

I've been baking pies for Thanksgiving tonight. I made two pumpkin and one pecan. Those are Greg's favorites.

I don't know that I have a favorite pie. I like almost all kinds.

However, I'm not as enchanted with pie as other people seem to be. I like it. I like it a lot. But other people seem to l-o-v-e pie. Their affection for pie is far greater than that for cakes or cookies or other sweet treats.

For at least a decade I've been asking people why they love pie more. The answers range from, "you don't get pie as often," to "it's the mix of salt and sweet." Whatever the reason, I know that pie gets people excited more than other goodies.

I wish that I had some super secret, special, unique recipe to share with you for the pumpkin pie or the pecan. But, truth be told, I use the recipe on the back of the Libby's Pumpkin Can and the one Karo syrup published a few decades ago. I haven't found any better ones yet. Of course, a quick google search will net both of them so there's not much point in me adding them here.

Some things just shouldn't be messed with and those are two of them.

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Baby Names in 1930 and Cereal Premiums in 1969

I've been working on the book tonight, fleshing out a few details. I needed to name some incidental characters so did a google search for popular baby names of the thirties and found www.thinkbabynames.com that gives info on each decade and what was popular. It's interesting to see that.

I discovered, by accident, that the popularity of "Patsy" peaked in that decade. You can click on any name and see a little chart.

In addition to this, I also need some information about cereal premiums that were in boxes in the summer of 1969. If you happen to recall, or have some boxes lying about, I'd sure like to know what was being offered in those days.

Well, it's off to bed for me. I'm tired tonight. I had a doctor's appointment and ended up being there almost two hours. I guess they had unexpected delays/emergencies because that's very unusual for them - they're always very quick. Regardless, it was a long time to be there. Fortunately, I had a copy of the novel on my phone so I did some editing on it while I was waiting.
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Unhappy People Watch TV More

University of Maryland researchers have analyzed 30 years of data to conclude that happy people read and socialize more, unhappy people watch TV more.

I could have told them this, without 30 years worth of research. Observation tells me that. Of course, that's not the same as actual research and I applaud the research.

Think about the people you know. The ones who are devoted to television, who can't agree to dinner with you on a particular night because of what's on TV, who can't be parted from the TIVO, are the ones who are overall unhappy. These are the folks who tell me they can't get anything done. Of course they can't. They're watching TV.

I think TV is great in its place. And there are some shows I like. But, people always take precedence over TV. Dinner with friends is always more important.

It's an interesting study...

Unhappy People Watch TV, Happy People Read/Socialize

Study: Channeling Unhappiness, In Good and Bad Economic Times

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - A new study by sociologists at the University of Maryland concludes that unhappy people watch more TV, while people who describe themselves as "very happy" spend more time reading and socializing. The study appears in the December issue of the journal Social Indicators Research.

Analyzing 30-years worth of national data from time use studies and a continuing series of social attitude surveys, the Maryland researchers report that spending time watching television may contribute to viewers' happiness in the moment, with less positive effects in the long run.

"TV doesn't really seem to satisfy people over the long haul the way that social involvement or reading a newspaper does," says University of Maryland sociologist John P. Robinson, the study co-author and a pioneer in time use studies. "It's more passive and may provide escape - especially when the news is as depressing as the economy itself. The data suggest to us that the TV habit may offer short-run pleasure at the expense of long-term malaise."

TV VIEWING DURING A FINANCIAL CRISIS

Based on data from time use surveys, Robinson projects that TV viewing might increase significantly as the economy worsens in the next few months and years.

"Through good and bad economic times, our diary studies, have consistently found that work is the major activity correlate of higher TV viewing hours," Robinson says. "As people have progressively more time on their hands, viewing hours increase."

But Robinson cautions that some of that extra time also might be spent sleeping. "As working and viewing hours increase, so do sleep hours," he says. "Sleep could be the second major beneficiary of job loss or reduced working hours."

STUDY FINDINGS AND DATA

In their new study, Robinson and his co-author, University of Maryland sociologist Steven Martin, set out to learn more about the activities that contributed to happiness in people's lives. They analyzed two sets of data spanning nearly 30 years (1975-2006) gathered from nearly 30,000 adults:

• A series of time use studies that asked people to fill out diaries for a 24-hour period and to indicate how pleasurable they found each activity;


• General Social Survey attitude studies, which Robinson calls the premier national source for monitoring changes in public attitudes - in-depth surveys that over the years consistently asked subjects how happy they feel, how they spend their time, among a number of other questions.

UNHAPPY PEOPLE VIEW SIGNIFICANTLY MORE

Robinson and Martin found that the two sets of data largely coincided for most activities - with the exception of television.

From the General Social Survey, the researchers found that self-described very happy people were more socially active, attended more religious services, voted more and read more newspapers. By contrast, unhappy people watched significantly more television in their spare time.

According to the study's findings, unhappy people watch an estimated 20 percent more television than very happy people, after taking into account their education, income, age and marital status - as well as other demographic predictors of both viewing and happiness.

UNHAPPY PEOPLE ARE HAPPY WITH TV

Data from time diaries told a somewhat different story. Responding in "real time," much closer to daily events, survey respondents tended to rate television viewing more highly as a daily activity.

"What viewers seem to be saying is that while TV in general is a waste of time and not particularly enjoyable, 'the shows I saw tonight were pretty good,' " Robinson says.

The data also suggested to Robinson and Martin that TV viewing is "easy." Viewers don't have to go anywhere, dress up, find company, plan ahead, expend energy, do any work or spend money in order to view. Combine these advantages with the immediate gratification offered by television, and you can understand why Americans spend more than half their free time as TV viewers, the researchers say.

Unhappy people were also more likely to feel that they have unwanted extra time on their hands (51 percent) compared to very happy people (19 percent) and to feel rushed for time (35 percent vs. 23 percent). Having too much time and no clear way to fill it was the bigger burden of the two.

AN ADDICT'S FIX

Martin likens the short, temporary pleasure of television to addiction: "Addictive activities produce momentary pleasure and long-term misery and regret," he says. "People most vulnerable to addiction tend to be socially or personally disadvantaged. For this kind of person, TV can become a kind of opiate in a way. It's habitual, and tuning in can be an easy way of tuning out."
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Writing on the World Wide Web

For nearly five years I've been writing on the world wide web almost every day. Even I don't remember all the things I've written about here.

Much of it is the "chronicle of daily life," as I'm fond of classifying it. Then some of it is more "reporting," about an event or lecture. There's the "opinion" category, which is really what all blogging is, but specifically in this case it's often about something political. And then there's what I refer to as "philosophical," which is when I share something I've been thinking about for one reason or another.

Those philosophical bits are the ones I often find most interesting in rereading. But they are just another post in a month's worth of entries, and don't jump out for any particular reason. So, unless I have reason to go back hunting for something I don't run across them.

Today Barbara wrote and told me she had gone back to January of 2007 and started reading my blog from that point forward. (Needless to say, I'm incredibly flattered by this.)

She was very taken with a post called, "Broken." I had no memory of what it was from the title and had to go look it up online. It's one of those "philosophical" posts. I think those are generally of much more interest to me than to anyone else, so it's good someone else found something valuable in it.

It prompts me to think that it would be interesting - for me, and maybe only me - to pull those sorts of posts together in one place. That's yet another thing that would be great to do with the blog/website/etc. Unfortunately, there's a very long list of those. And rarely do I have the time or motivation to do any of them.

But, it's a nice idea, nonetheless.
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Christmas Parade in Hutchinson Kansas

Today was the annual Christmas parade in Hutchinson, Kansas. It's always the Saturday before Thanksgiving and Santa makes his arrival as part of the parade. It's almost as if he is the Grand Marshall of the parade. And who better, really?

I watched from about Second and Main, near my office building. Of course, the Hutchinson High School Marching Band played. Our marching band has an angel playing.

 


And, at least two elves...



Later in the parade was one of my favorites - this dance group. They were so cool. I didn't see a banner indicating what group they were representing, but I loved it.

I'm not sure if the appropriate term for this dance is stepping or not, but it's the only term I know. They were a dance drill team, essentially, but with the movements you expect in stepping. There was also a caller, that you can see  in the background here in the black outfit.



Maybe someone will correct me if I'm wrong about the terminology. I loved their presentation. I could have watched them all day.



This little guy was standing a few feet away from me during the parade and was loving everything. He kept wanting to run out into the street. His adults had to keep corralling him. But, I love that sort of enthusiasm.



He was so cute people were coming over to give him and his sister/cousin/whatever candy.





Kathie did an entry for the democrats, as usual. She is so devoted. And she's very artistic so she comes up with some great entries. That's Nancy on the left and Cam on the right.



I loved year's entry...





Trish was walking with them, along with Rocco, who's name these days is "Ba-Rocco."  I guess Rocco is the official first-dog in Hutchinson. His duties include walking in parades, greeting residents and sniffing things.


Any parade has to have a selection of unusual vehicles...





I was taken with this little Shriner's vechile...



And real men do drive pink cars...



The phone number on this one was four numbers.






Bill Drews, who owns D and D Honey, which stands for Drews and Daughters, has the honey-mobile.



And there were tractors...





And this unusual moving present - I assume this is an ATV under there.



I appreciated the D and D Towing motto - When Santa Breaks down he calls them.



Antique firetrucks...





The Phoenician Salon and Day Spa had a great float, which included Lelani there under the hair dryer. She's one of our favorite Applebee's servers. It was fun to see her in a different environment.



If you can find them... unicycles add another dimension to the parade.



Greg took this photo of me at the parade.



You can tell a few things from it...
1. It was a little chilly today
2. I didn't put on any makeup - that is natural color in my cheeks, otherwise known as "wind burn."
3. I really am like a four-year-old. It's just that I can drive my own vehicle and pack my own bag of toys when I go somewhere.
4. I should learn to put on makeup or, alternately, learn to not put my photo on the world wide web.

Of course, parades always end with horsies. At least here.



And this one came complete with jingle bells.

If you were in the parade and want to see the raw photos, go to www.patsyterrell.com/2008parade.htm
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Traveling Back in Time

I've been going through an old photo album tonight. Wow. I don't do this very often but it's amazing how pictures do take you back to a moment.

I was looking at photos from a 1992 trip to Europe that I took with Greg and his mom. We went to Paris and then on to England that May. Greg had made arrangements for us to visit Stonehenge and we spent a couple of days in Avebury, England, which I loved.

One of my favorite photos from the England part of the trip is of Greg's mom having breakfast at the place we stayed in Avebury.



Doesn't Miss Joy look like she's having a fabulous time? We all were.

Earlier that morning I had experienced one of those moments that stays with you forever. I woke at dawn, hearing something I couldn't identify. I got out of bed and went over to the window and pulled it inward to open it. I looked out onto the church from the 1600s right across the street, and there on a path beside it, in the garden, was the peacock I was hearing. It was chilly, especially for May, and I quickly retreated to the bed and snuggled under the heavy covers for a bit more sleep before beginning the day.
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A Festive Day

This morning I did the MHA's table display for the Downtown Tablescape contest. Last year I did a Snowman theme in a window and it was way too much. So, this year I said it would have to be much simpler. I started with the white fire king and just worked from there. Frank's Frame Shop is hosting the display.

The weirdest thing was when I went to do the flatware, I realized the writing on the knives was on the wrong side - so it would face up when placed on the table in the proper place. So, I reversed the sides for the fork and knife/spoon. I wasn't sure what to do. Basically, there is no way to properly set a table using this flatware. Although I rarely set a proper table, it's nonetheless distressing to realize that even manufacturers don't know how to do it anymore. Either the knife had to be turned the wrong way in relation to the plate, or the writing had to be visible, or the place setting had to be reversed. Maybe I made the wrong choice and should go change it. Odd. Obviously, I haven't used this flatware much. Or ever, maybe.

When I was loading the extra stuff into my car I noticed something festive happening across the street. They were putting up the downtown holiday wreaths. It was quite a process.








They had to mount the poles it was secured onto and then hoist the wreath into place and secure it on top, and then on the bottom. It was chilly enough I didn't watch the end of the process but got out of the wind.

After work I decorated a bit more around the house and cleared the dining room table off because Trish, Andrea and Diana were coming over tonight to do Christmas cards.



It's time for me to get some sleep now. I want to have some energy left after work tomorrow night to work on the novel. Yes, I know, another exciting Friday night on tap for me. I'm such a party animal. I'll be the one hunched over the keyboard. Or, if things get really exciting, writing edits in the margins of the hard copy.
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We All Need Some Holiday Cheer

These are the ornaments that are my package tags this year. I first did this in the early 90s and started out simple, writing everyone's name on one of those little red apples they used to sell as ornaments. I haven't seen those in awhile now that I think about it. They didn't last long, so maybe that's why.

Then I progressed to making them.One year I sewed stockings. They're really cute, but I was working on them up to the last minute. One year I made little gingerbread men from cinnamon dough and Bobby Clark wrote the names on them. He was a little guy at the time, so it adds to the charm to have his handwriting on them. The only rules were that they had to be able to have everyone's name and the year on them. A couple of years ago I decided not to put the names on them and found myself Christmas morning with a sharpie, trying to do that, because Cathy and Kim both wanted names on them. Lesson learned.

This year I found these stars at Hobby Lobby when they first put the Christmas stuff out. I bought them the first time their stuff was half off. I'm so glad I did because I haven't seen anymore. I wasn't sure how I would get the names on them but then tonight I ran across these Martha Stewart hangers and realized the problem was solved. I'm very happy with how they turned out. I haven't attached them to the presents yet, but I think they'll go nicely with my theme this year.

As you might guess, the ornaments have to match the paper, which has to coordinate with the ribbon. Last year it was the cream colored star paper, that I loved, with star ornies (I love stars!). The year before it was the red foil with silver snowflakes, and those wonderful snowflake ornies that were just perfect. In 2005 it was this translucent paper with old fashioned ornaments printed on it. I had to wrap the presents with white paper under that but it was a cool look. I can't recall what the ornament was that year and the close up photo of the presents I have doesn't show the ornies. I'll have to go hunt on the tree.

Yes, I know this isn't a life or death matter. But, good grief, I want to think about something happy instead of the continual gloom and doom I hear every time I turn on the TV. Avoidance? Perhaps. I'm a big believer in avoidance as a coping technique and I think others are engaging in it too.

I've had multiple people tell me they want to have a "Christmasy-ier Christmas" this year. In no cases does that mean an expensive, extravagant Christmas - just more Christmas. If ever we needed a holiday season, it's this year. And for those of us here, who lost a large part of our holiday season last year due to the ice storm (more than a week without power for me in the heart of the season), it seems to be an intense desire.

So, I'm engaging in the holidays full force. I'm finishing up my cards tomorrow evening with friends. I'm hoping to get a bit more decorating done after work before they come over. At the very least I need to move the piles of plastic tubs away from the dining room table so we can use it. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and hope to entertain a great deal during the holiday season and enjoy time with friends and family in the coming month.

For those of you who are Kansas Country Living readers, I'm hoping to see some of you on December 6 at my home. I'm extending the invitation to blog readers as well. December 6 from 3-6 I'm opening my home to share the Christmas decorations with everyone. If you want to come, please RSVP to me so I have some idea how many to prepare for and I'll send you the details. I'll be making dessert. You do not need to bring anything except yourself. You can email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com if you're able to come. Hope to see you then. I'm really looking forward to meeting some readers.
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The Day

I had a very busy workday today - just one thing after another. I was tired by the end of the day. But, I managed to find some energy to put out more Christmas stuff - imagine that. I also worked on the novel some more.

Greg helped me bring up a bunch of Christmas stuff from the basement last night so my house is a forest of plastic tubs. But, it's so nice to have help getting them up the stairs. Later this week I've having some friends over to do our Christmas cards so I need to at least have a path to the table by then.

I was finishing my Christmas letter tonight, too. I thought it was all done but I keep editing until it starts coming off the printer. Frankly, sometimes even then I'm still editing the other side of it. I'm doing a much more straightforward one this year - no photos. I need to simplify that a bit. I'm simplifying a lot of things this year. For some reason I just don't want to "fuss" as much. Not sure why. But, I am going to honor that feeling.

I think I'm so focused on my writing these days that it's hard to think about much else. I realized this afternoon that it has been ages since I've been in my art studio. Of course, I will be again, but at the moment my creative energy is devoted to the novel. I'm still reading and editing and rewriting on it and probably will for another couple of weeks. Unfortunately, that inability to stop editing is going to be a problem at some point.

The more I write the more I want to read, too. Funny how that works. At the moment I'm reading Wil Wheaton's book, "Just a Geek."  I have read it before, along with his first book, "Dancing Barefoot," but I wanted to reread it before reading his new book, ""The Happiest Days of Our Lives." He's a great writer. I check in on his blog regularly, too. It's one of the blogs out there that's always worth your time.

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Living These Days

I was thinking tonight about the amount of information we have readily available to us all the time. When I was growing up - not all that long ago, thank you very much - we had network news and that was about it as far as timely info. There was a newspaper, but of course the news was at least a day old by the time you got it. There was not on-site satellite reporting from where news was happening. Radio news had already been relegated to a token. Research required a good relationship with your local librarian and an understanding of the Reader's Guide - is that what that thing was called that listed magazine articles - I think it was. Remember how we all carried around card files with notes about research in high school?

Now I'm on the computer large parts of every day. And, if in the middle of a project I make a reference to something and then have a question about whether or not I remember it correctly, it's easy to google for it and check myself. If I suddenly get a hankering to learn what baby gorillas eat, it's no trouble for me to find out. If I feel a weird numbness in half of my ring finger and my pinky, Dr. Google will shortly point me to an ulner nerve problem. A few keystrokes and almost anything information I want is right there on my screen.

I'm also able to share the daily lives of people I would never be likely to meet in person through their blogs. I keep up on the trials and joys of being an actor in Canada, owning a vineyard in France, living in Morocco, riding horses in Egypt and being a writer in New York - all from my home office in Hutchinson Kansas. This is something that has never been available to people until now - no matter their socio-economic status. Until this moment in history we have not had the opportunity to connect in this way. People all over the world read my blog, sharing my daily life, and I'm continually flattered by it. I continue to be amazed at how alike we all are on the big things, and that our differences are in the details.

These are fascinating times in which we live. Mind-boggling and mind-stretching. I like to stretch my perceptions of "normal." I like to make room for all kinds of possibilities. I like to get a glimpse of what could be, instead of just what is.

Recently, this video was posted on whatsuphutch.com. I found it quite interesting. It's well worth your five minutes to watch it. Just click on the arrow in the middle of the picture below and it will automatically play for you. It may take a minute, so be patient. I'd love to hear your comments on this.



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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

Dick Cavett in The New York Times

I did not know that Dick Cavett was writing for the New York Times, but he is. Mary Lou forwarded this to me today and it's brilliant writing. It's called, "The Wild Wordsmith of Wasilla" and well worth your time to click on the link and give it a read.

One Excerpt:
Could the willingness to crown one who seems to have no first language have anything to do with the oft-lamented fact that we seem to be alone among nations in having made the word “intellectual” an insult? (And yet…and yet…we did elect Obama. Surely not despite his brains.)
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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

A Day of Writing

I have spent the entire day working on the novel. I'm at the point where I'm finishing up details, rewriting and editing.

Of course, I've done this multiple times and today I printed out a fresh copy and on page one I found a huge error. Yes, page one.

I'm guessing at least a dozen people have read or heard this chapter and missed the error. Just goes to show you that you can never edit and proof read enough.

I'm excited to be nearing the end of this project.

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.

New York Times Op-Ed

The Moose Stops Here is an op-ed piece in the New York Times that's fascinating. You can read the whole thing by clicking on The Moose Stops Here link. Frank Rich writes about the future of the Republican Party.

I must admit I am fascinated by the situation at the moment when one of the major parties is trying to find its footing again. Of course, democrats have been there before, but I'm not sure to this degree for a very long time.

I'm no political expert by any means. I can barely understand it most of the time. But, it seems to me the Republican party has come to mean, "conservative Christian." I think that's partly why McCain chose Palin. I think what I call the "real Republicans," meaning those who are more about the fiscal policies than the moral ones, have to either take back their party or abandon this party and start another one.

Take a quick read through - but hit at least a couple of the really interesting parts including:

He (referring to McCain) strenuously sought the endorsement of the Rev. John Hagee, even though Hagee had blamed gays for Hurricane Katrina, referred to the Roman Catholic Church as “the great whore,” and theorized that Hitler came about because God’s “top priority for the Jewish people is to get them to come back to the land of Israel.”


I did not realize this, and find it incredible - hard to believe, but it is true.

The reason why they are promoting Palin and the recently elected Indian-American governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, as the party’s “future” is not just that they are hard-line social conservatives; they are also the only prominent Republican officeholders under 50 who are not white men. The G.O.P. will have to dip down to a former one-term lieutenant governor of Maryland, Michael Steele, to put a black public face on its national committee.

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Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, and more. Friend me on Facebook.com, Follow me at Twitter.com.