9th & 10th December, 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Edward Habib McKuen. ©2006 by Stanyan Audio Video Archives

A Thought for Today

Don't live by the Bible or the net or anyone else's idea of how you should live. Live by your own sense of morality, justice and truth. If you're wrong you will find out soon enough.

 

FROM the¨BOOKS

Invitation

I've seen so many Merry Xmas signs
with Christ squeezed out by laziness
or the printer's economic need.
The outrage that it once produced
has almost found its way into the attic
with nineteen-sixty's broken toys.

( Had I not the faces of small children
to mirror Christ for me the whole year long
I might believe God dead, or sleeping anyway.
Though I doubt there lives a Lucifer
who could make September leaves to fall
or set the tails of dogs to wagging. )

God is living somewhere in the mountains,
a recluse from some people's hearts.
But He'd drop by smiling in the chilly night
and help us celebrate His first son's birthday
if we cared enough to leave the porch light on.

 - from "The Carols of Christmas"

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notable birthdays

Saturday 9 December

Joshua Bell o Beau Bridges o Dick Butkus o John Cassavetes o Broderick Crawford o Rick Danko o Dame Judi Dench o Jakob Dylan o Emjay o Kirk Douglas o Morton Downey, Jr. o Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. o Redd Foxx o Hermione Gingold o Margaret Hamilton o Robert Hawke o Buck Henry o Deacon Jones o Emmett Kelly o David Kersh o Joe Lando o John Malkovich o Freddy Martin o John Milton o Dina Merrill o Michael Nouri o Tip O'Neill o Donny Osmond o Elizabeth Schwarzkopf o Dick Van Patten

Sunday 10 December

Dan Blocker o Kenneth Branagh o Randall 'Tex' (Thump, Thump) Cobb o Susan Dey o Emily Dickinson o Cesar Franck o Harold Gould o Morton Gould o John Hammond Sr. o Chet Huntley o Tommy Kirk o Dorothy Lamour o Professor Longhair o Gloria Loring o Victor McLaglen o Una Merkel o Oliver Messiaen o Dennis Morgan o Richard Oliver o Nia Peeples o Tommy Rettig o Johnny Rodriquez o Jack Scalia o Don Sebesky o Yuri Temirkanov

Rod's random thoughts Because a woman or man sits quietly, not speaking--even staring straight ahead or looking down--do not presume that person is lonely or without friends. We meditate in different ways.

The only way to know the lightning is to touch the thunder on home ground.

Even in the face of "no," move ahead.

CHRISTMAS WITH THE MASSES

I spent Christmas with a cinder in my eye,
watching a priest eat a hot dog on Sixth Avenue
                      between masses.

Fifth had store windows
with imitation trees and imitation holly
and imitation women walked on the arms
of men with imitation smiles.

My mother gave me five saints' names
        in hopes I'd be protected
but the enemy's so silent
I wouldn't know him if he came.

Smitten by the robber or the robber's smile
        I'd most likely turn the other cheek.
Like hell I would.

But forgive me my trespasses
       they've been few this year
(unless you count the time
I crossed Sixth Avenue against the light
in order that I might be blessed
between the mustard and the relish.)

-from "Twelve Years of Christmas" 1969

 
     
 
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