First, I would like to thank Mark, a very kind & intelligent Canadian (can't pass up a chance to refer to a Canadian; they're so different, yet so similar, to us!), for the thoughtful gift that arrived on my doorstep today. Thanks, Mark! I love it! Second, I would like to send an extra-special greeting to my regular readers (you know who you are). More specifically, I'm talking to my regular readers that I don't "officially" know, and have never met live & in person; in other words, the people that I refer to, for lack of a better term, as "webfriends" (not to be confused with webbed friends, which usually means ducks). I don't know...maybe "netpals" or "virtual buds." You have a better term? Let me know. Anyway...I've also done what Mark did, albeit we surely didn't know of each other's plans until now: I've sent a small token of friendship/appreciation to several of you (hence the call for updated Amazon.com wishlists several days ago). Not in order to receive something in return, I assure you, but rather as a "proxy" of sorts since I can't exactly stop by your office and say, "Hey, let's do lunch - my treat!" or invite you to partake of the candy on my desk when you cruise by on your way to a meeting. Weird, isn't it...this business of reading each other's blogs, knowing each other in a certain way, but not really, and enjoying each other's comments, wit, humor, rants, and/or insight. Anyway...enough rambling. Thanks again, Mark, and I hope everyone enjoys their small gifts.

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We should know in a couple of days whether or not my sister Jennifer was accepted into Officer Training School. Good luck, Jen! Ever the recruiter, I offer the following information to any of my gentle readers who would like to apply to Officer Training School.

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Just caught Gene Simmons promoting his new autobiography, "Kiss and Make-Up." What a character! He stated that he created KISS largely as a response to what he felt were underwhelming performers; several guys playing an instrument fronted by a guy holding a microphone. The performance, in other words, never lived up to the music. So this Israeli immigrant, who came to America at the age of 9 and was immediately stunned at the "bigness" of everything (women, advertising, food, etc), combined his love of America's "bigger, faster, bolder" with his passion for rock-n-roll. Thus was born KISS. So -- I've always enjoyed the music & spectacle of KISS, but never so much that I could be called a KISS Army member...until now. True American success story, with a kick-a** soundtrack.

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Our comrade Robert is apparently hosted by a service that seems to be having an interesting discussion. I don't know if Robert himself has voiced an opinion in this particular thread--I am not trying to cast aspersions on him for being hosted by this service, after all. Anyone care to dive in and pick a side in the ongoing discussion about the merits of individualism versus altruism? (hee hee!)

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C.K., the Wiener Dog of Infinite, Enduring Justice, has a message for you:

Be sure to tell a friend -- the point here is meme-spreading. Get in on the ground floor NOW before the opportunity is gone forever!

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Here we go...the holiday season begins in earnest this week: my wife's office holiday party Monday night, my office holiday party Friday night (with a celebrity impersonator, courtesy of my father's company!), my Dad's holiday party on Saturday, and holiday dinner with friends on Saturday night. Actually, the friends-dinner on Saturday is something I'm very much looking forward to; two really great people, one of whom works with my wife, and the other who works with me in the Air Force. The other three events, of course, evoke mixed feelings -- warm fuzzies (seeing nice people, lots of food), some dread (having to "dress up" - you know I hate that!, forced "small talk," etc.). Promises to be a busy week. (Must...resist...anti-social...tendencies...conquer...agoraphobia...)

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My blog-buddy Annessa went to see George Carlin perform the other night; coincidentally, HBO aired a Carlin show last night. I watched the last 15 minutes of the show, wondering if perhaps Annessa knew something about Carlin that I simply didn't "get." My earlier thoughts about him, however, were re-affirmed: he is a misanthropic, foul-mouthed, cruel, and un-funny person. Some interesting insights (10 commandments could be condensed into two), some man-hating blather (aliens won't like humans due to our pettiness & faults), but nothing at all that made me laugh, smile, guffaw, chuckle, roar, or tee-hee.

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Well, I took the test, as recommended by Oliver...and, as suspected, the results are not surprising...we all knew I was borderline, right? But then, these tests are hardly accurate indicators of anything, other than as a predictor of whether someone will actually take an on-line test to determine their state of mental health. What this test fails to take into account is the sheer force of will that many people exert to combat their borderline/schizo/etc tendencies in order to live "normal" lives.

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Coming up on December 12: The birthday of Frank Sinatra. This quote from Biography.com sums how I feel about Frank: "Sinatra is considered by many to be the greatest entertainer of the twentieth century. His recordings came to epitomize American popular singing at its finest, with a style that maintained fidelity to a song's lyric and mood while imbuing it with subtle elements of jazz beat and phrasing." Beyond his music, he epitomized much of American style for much of the 20th century: brash, classy, tough, tender, sweet, charitable, ring-a-ding-ding, and so on.

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Will Munslow seems like an interesting character: "I think I may have to perpetrate a little bit of my own ritual performance art. I'll go to Target...and silently push around a full cart. Then I'll push it to the register and trade it for some of the paper things in my pocket. I'll do this to celebrate the capitalist ideology." Not sure if he is 100% serious, but his take on the "protesters" is right on.

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The treatment of Afghan Women under the Taliban regime is detailed in this Time magazine article. Un-f***ing-believable. For instance, the women weren't able to wear shoes that made noise when they walked; that is one of the "lesser" offenses, for which probably only a "mild" beating would result. The infant mortality rate is second-worst in the world, due to the fact that male physicians were rarely (if ever) able to perform proper OB/GYN exams on women; apparently, a female medical technician would perform the exam, while a male physician outside the room would yell out commands. Women weren't able to even leave the house without a husband, brother, or male relative. Many apparently were "wed" at the age of 12 or so, often to men more than twice their age. While I knew about the torture (physical, mental, cultural) of Afghan women, it only occurred to me today to try to imagine my two daughters living under such a government. My anger/interest was directed more towards the political and military situation, as well as (still) trying to fully understand the scope & impact of the events of 9/11. My wife's rage at the plight of Afghan women is finally starting to dawn on me, and why the soccer-field incident on the CNN documentary is so vivid in her mind. It's almost incomprehensible to picture my two lively, spirited, sassy (oh, are they sassy...) girls in such an environment. Am I feeling extra-special fortunate to be an American today? You bet. Rarely have I been happier to live in this nation, knowing -- KNOWING -- that my daughters will have every opportunity to do what they wish in & with their lives.

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