Dia de los Inocentes

In Mexico, they don't celebrate April Fool's Day. Instead, "Day of the Innocents" (with a connotation of naive or foolish) is held December 28th.

I cannot imagine the perplexed look of the Mexican niños/niñas, when their parents explain that "Dia de los Inocentes" is all about tricking your family and friends, then (a few years later) saying that it really is all about the story of King Herod's mandated killing of young boys in/around Bethlehem in the year 1. This must be similar to the "Santa Claus/Jesus transition" in American homes.

Deep Thought #54: Is there a Mexican Santa Claus?

The story of a family being tipped off, then fleeing to Egypt morfed into an April Fool's-style event baffles me, but so does much of church-state interaction south of the border.

I suppose it's very serious to some people, but I laugh every time I see a story about a "miraculous" painting which weeps, or a pastry which has the image of The Virgin Mary (which eventually sells on eBay for large sums). For a few picoseconds, I once considered saying "Hey, that's not the Virgin Mary - that's my first grade teacher!!" but I suspect the humor would be lost on Those Who Believe.

Then again, this country elected President Quagmire to a second term, so it doesn't speak much gooder on this side of the border.

lessons from a pet

My pets are ecstatic! This year (for Boxing Day) I gave them all a Drinkwell watering dish; Samantha got a new litter box; and Beta (the Wonder Dog) got a new food bowl (and it's non-skid!!).

Pets are easier to buy for than humans. Humans tend to value things like gift certificates (store-specific being less desired than generic cash), while pets are happiest with a warm place to sleep, and an endless supply of fresh water.

Even Rambo (the visitor) seems happy; he came by a few minutes ago to demonstrate his licker license. One of the benefits of having him here was accidental: I placed Beta's dish on the fireplace, to avoid tempting Rambo (dogs tend to be territorial about stuff like food) and .. Beta liked that location! This makes for much less neck strain, which is good.

Last year, I bought Beta a raised feeder, but she wouldn't use it (maybe it was the shiny bowls that are an integral part of that contraption?). I suspect those bowls were too confusing, since she kept seeing "another dog" (her reflection) eating her food! At least she never said "does this collar make me look fat?"

it ain't free until the fat lady sings ...

I suspect I have more than one book with a remainder mark, and didn't know it. Some used books are sold online with this note: "may have a remainder mark". Huh? I BrainBoost'ed and found The Explanation. I reckon I'd never notice one unless I went a'huntin for it.

Free Credit Report!       (DOT COM)

My advice to anyone looking for their Free Credit Report is: caveat emptor (that's Latin for "hang onto yer wallet").

Yes, you can get your one free credit report per year (as mandated by the FCRA) .. I did it yesterday. But, it's easy to find yourself being billed $100+/year -- by the same consumer reporting agency that gave you the free report. If the website asks for your credit card number, be prepared to Just Say No.

I did the FreeCreditReport.com thing (really Experian). They offered to show me TransUnion and EquiFax's "free" credit reports, too .. then (at the end of 30 days) bill me $12.95/month for the rest of my natural life. Thanks, no. Also (for an additional $5) they offered to show me my Credit Score. Thanks, no.

There are warnings about FreeCreditReport.com on RipOffReport.com. Most concern those recurring monthly charges, which are difficult to stop. This isn't the first time I've heard of a business which takes your credit card number, then "has trouble" stopping the gravy train.

I have my (8-page) report in hand; there were no real errors (just a few prehistoric accounts which have been closed for years). I last looked at this stuff 10 years ago, I think .. and it had much more outdated info then. I wrote to the companies, asking them to remove that old stuff: looks like they did.

Finally, out of idle curiosity I went to Sears' website to see if there'd been a price drop on My New Friend (the dishwasher). No! The New "sale price" is almost $100 more than I paid on November 13th. Guess I won't be asking for their low price guarantee, eh.

Boxing Day and Legacies

Here's a Shout Out to my Canadian friends: Happy Boxing Day, eh! Actually, Boxing Day (normally 26 December) is observed tomorrow, since this is one of those exceptions, for holidays which fall on a Sunday. I'm still learning the subtleties of Canadian life, eh. It's too bad that it really has nothing to do with putting the bows and ribbons back in their boxes, since that makes for such a splendid story.

Boxing Day is one of my favorite holidays (now that I only celebrate official Canadian holidays); it's the day that (other than chowing down on some Ashoka canned Indian food) retailers sell their Christmas stuff at 75%+ discounts, to make way for all the Valentine's Day stuff. If you think I'm kidding, drop by your neighborhood Wal-Mart (a place in which I do not set foot) and check out the "Seasonal Aisle".

Deep Thought #52: I think what Coca-Cola needs are more derivations from the original formula (not shown).

Kudos to Jill-Bob for the 333 ml can of Coca-Cola Light (the 150 ml can is one that I snagged during a flight to|from Europe a few years ago).

Photo note: the 1/3 liter can is slightly smaller than the 350 ml (12 ounces) that's standard in the USA, and had to be perched on the top row of this photo, else the Coke Pyramid would've experienced premature topplecation (a term President Quagmire probably inventigated already).

Today, the Dallas Managed News named Karl Rove (President Quagmire's Chief of Staff) as Texan of the Year. This absolutely, positively sends the wrong message, IMESHO*. I think they should've named someone to admire, like Lance Armstrong or Carole Keeton Strayhorn. Karl Rove's legacy is that he will stoop to any depth to get his candidate elected which is a very, very bad message. Then again, maybe that's what Texans admire in 2004: the lack of any illusion of ethics.

* In My Ever-So-Humble Opinion

big snow in Texas? ROAD TRIP!

It's only 300 miles to Victoria, Texas (west of San Antonio, sorta) .. I should drive down there and play in the "foot or so" of snow they got ("first white Christmas in 86 years"). Then again, with temps in the 50's today, it'd be all melted up by the time I got there. What little snow we had in Dallas is all but gone.

I know (of) several people who got iPods for Christmas; word is the earbuds that come with them are (surprise! surprise!) not the highest quality. I heard good things about Etymotic 's ER-6i but since those cost about half of an iPod, they better not be half bad (using Texas' Yew Git What Yew Pay Fer theory).

Rambo and I moseyed up to Trisshinscott's today, and the tyke immediately piddled on the carpet. {sigh} Time for a timeout! He went outside to bond with Barqs and Pepper, and returned with an improved attitude (he's currently sleeping on my feet). Trish ("nice headlights!") fed me some of Scott's mirliton^(A) casserole (also spelled merliton) which was very yummy. I'm gonna start hanging around their backdoor, in hopes of table scraps.

(A) The Cook's Thesaurus lists 17 other names for mirliton squash: chayote; cho-cho; chocho; choko; christophene ; christophine; chuchu; custard marrow; mango squash; pear squash; pepinella; pepinello; sousous; vegetable pear; xoxo and xuxu. I think they just flat out made up those last two!

Rambo and Beta (the Wonder Dog) bonded easily yesterday, after the initial - and expected - my growl's bigger than your growl posturing that takes place between canines.

Well, it's time for me to finish screening my latest DVD: D.W. Griffith's 1915 silent! flick Birth of a Nation, which is all about the early days of the Republican Party. I hope Rambo likes popcorn.

Festivus 2004

I survived Festivus (yesterday) and followed my family's time-honored tradition of taking my pets to the veterinarian for their vaccinations. I think it's important for every family to develop their own Festivus traditions, versus doing the same thing that their neighbors prescribe. Example: if everyone took their pets2vet4shots on December 23rd, I wouldn't be able to get an appointment, and that just wouldn't be right.

I checked the US Postal Service website, and eventually found a list of 2004 holidays (which contains New Year's Day 2005 but not New Year's Day 2004 - go figure).

Deep Thought #50: Christmas is a postal holiday, yet no other religious holidays are postal-free. Although, it could be argued that since there's no mail delivery on Sunday, there are an additional 52 Christian-only mail holidays every year.

It won't be long now, before Rambo comes for a visit! I won't even try to explain why the phrase "Travel Is Glamorous" now holds all new meaning to both Jill-Bob and THE George.

Deep Thought #51: if everyone used smaller paper, our desks wouldn't be so messy.

Yesterday, I was baffled to hear that William-Bob doesn't share my enthusiasm for migrating the US National Paper Standard from 8½x11 inch paper to 3x5 inches (and legal size from 8½x17 to 4x6). He suggested A4, but Everybody Knows™ that's a model of Audi (automobile) and not a respectable paper size. And that logic about using the √2 as a paper ratio .. well, don't get me started.

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Everybody Knows is a trademark of Fox "News"; Rush Limbaugh Productions; and the Christian Fascist Republican Party. [Ann Coulter's] Foul Mouth Enterprises has apparently been dissolved, for lack of interest.

Sundry - done!

please - put down your snow shovels!

the Sundry on Thursday blog is updated. looking over the random stuff that I post there is bizarre (like when I return to my List Of Dreams, months later).