I was passing by a shop, when I saw a familiar face:

I’m glad that Mr. Davis (who has shed his salutation and is now just Davis, apparently) is getting out and about.

This is not the first time, but this was the first day I’ve been here that it’s snowed this year. It managed to stick too, so the outside is blanketed in white. This is entirely appropriate.

The year is pretty much over; tomorrow is for closing out things as best I can, and observing the start of the New Year. And as much as I might like, the balance books are going to be carrying over to 2007. This year was not easy – I’d go so far as to say it was tough. At the end of things my heart is bruised and so very tender. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Once upon a time, I was on the Oregon coast and I wandered into a patch of fog. It was so thick I couldn’t see more than a foot in front of me, and only by listening to the sound of the ocean did I have any idea of what direction I needed to head to get out.

I’m listening.

1. Radiate

2. Reduce Wankery

The holiday has been observed, and we’re heading back to New England later today, where I will attempt to stay home for more than five days. I’m not entirely sure where the time went; the very act of being family was practically a full time job. I did make a remarkably good loaf of bread.

I’m regretting not having taken the time to go door to door and take pictures of the full splendor of the Christmas-fied Houston suburbs; it’s a particular flavor of festive that is worth sharing.

If it were 15º colder, it would be a white Christmas in Houston; as it is, it’s a grey and rainy one. Yet as we enjoy the family here, and hold absent family in our hearts, I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate. Well, perhaps a if there were ponies.

O airport how I’ve missed thee! Another travel day, though it is my ardent hope that a direct flight to Houston will avoid a repeat of past unpleasantness.

I went to a concert of English Fantasia Suites last night, which was really enjoyable. I posted a few pictures of the dress rehearsal here; if you’ve wanted to see pictures of people playing viols, this is your lucky day!

Lastly and cryptically, and mostly for me as a reminder, but I once again met the Tibetan with the brilliant smile this morning. We walked down the street and I listened to his singing. As we parted ways, he turned to me and said goodbye, though we’ve never said hello. I thanked him for his music, and he smiled and told me he was working on his voice.

Scapegoating someone else is a convenient way of avoiding dealing with the real issues - the poor hospital procedures that, starting well before these medics even began to work in Libya, resulted in so many children contracting HIV. If you pick some “criminals” and shoot them, you might not have to fix the real problem, and you won’t have to take any of the blame yourself.

– Mike Dunford

If you have a dedicated moment in the next few days, I suggest that you investigate the situation of the “Tripoli Six,” and if so moved, write a letter on their behalf. There’s an excellent summary of the situation here, along with a list addresses. It’s an older article, but the situation is still ongoing.

Just as we should not be tempted to take the easy way out and blame others, so should governments have the wisdom to see deeply into things.

There are three ways of looking at an empty glass. One way is to remember what used to be in the glass; emptiness is a lack. The other is to look forward to what could fill it; emptiness is a possibility.

The third way is doing both at once while admiring the glass.

There’s a pot of vegetable soup simmering on the stove, and a cup of coffee at the ready.

Travel was delightful as always, thanks to weather, which served up a huge batch of fog and a side of
cancelled flights. Despite it all I made it home, and am currently delighting in the simple joy of being home.

I’m in transit today. Happy Friday!

I’ve been in Houston for six weeks, and I go home tomorrow. I’ve forgotten what it looks like in detail, and I look forward to remembering.

My return won’t be for long because next week V and I are coming back here for the Christmas vacation we’d planned all along; it won’t be until the end of the year that I return to Boston for some serious dwelling. This time around it’s mostly a vacation from a holiday.

Also, this.

To me, the Rothko Chapel is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Happily, I think I’ve figured out what’s going on with our cart. I don’t want to get into techno-details so I’ll just use this picture to illustrate the problem:

IT shoutouts to Doug Miller who did some browser testing for me last night. Also: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.5; Windows 98; Q312461; FunWebProducts-MyWay)

I’m at my wit’s end at the moment as I’m working through a problem involving our shopping cart. We’ve had a number of calls with complaints that it’s not working, but I can’t reproduce it, no matter what browser, version, or platform I try with. I’ve logged, emailed people, called people, but I can’t find any pattern. I’ve tried a number of solutions for possible symptoms, but the calls keep coming. I feel a little like Dr. House.