Sunday, December 23, 2012

MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS


Another year, another Christmas.  They seem to come quicker as we get older!

Thanks to everyone for making this blog a success.  Although I have been writing it since 2005, the five year period between December 2006 and December 2011 was the AZ Central era where I met most of you loyal readers.

Unfortunately, AZ Central decided to be edited by Facebook at the end of 2011 and that essentially ended the blogs as we knew them.

As most of you know, I have continued doing blogs the same way I did them before AZ Central got involved.   To my delight, the blog has grown in popularity more than I believed it could.

By writing about several subjects over the years, I have received hits from around the world.  There aren't many key words that go into Google that won't send people my way.  If I had to name the blog that gets the most hits, it would have to be the one I did in November, 2008 about kids growing up too fast.  Number two would probably be the one about Alfred Hitchcock and the making of Psycho in 1959.

I now average well over 100 comments per blog. I thank everyone for their participation and wish Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all as we head into 2013.

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, a thank you goes out Allen, for sending me your Blog.

Thought some of you who might like to run this website for your kids or grandkids:

http://noradsanta.org

It is up and running right now.

Well, Jim have a HAPPY CHRISTMAS and a MERRY NEW YEAR!!

Dave

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas to you and Barb!

Jack, Sam, and Family

Anonymous said...

Hi Jim and Barb!......It was great seeing you both last evening.....wish you could have stayed longer.....May you both have a wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2013....Your friend, Sonny

Rick Kepple said...

Merry Christmas to Middy, CJ, Jimmy, Blue, and others who are too many to mention.

Gonna have smoked turkey.

It kind of bugs me that a kid, allegedly with aspergers, did such a thing. SN never did like me owning guns. I can see why now. She studied psychology. She's smart and knows that stuff. But I like my own little world of music. And making peaceful videos.

Here's a chick that will explain aspergers. She's only 17 in the video and explaining autism and it sounds just like my little world! http://youtu.be/OV_CcmLlaw4 It was uploaded to Youtube by a woman supporting female rights.

Merry Christmas from the Enchanted Farmstead.

Mike Slater said...

Jim, Merry Christmas to you and Barb and we hope you both have a happy New Year.

I always save your blog for last every day because it's the most enjoyable.

Glo said...

I hope I'm not politically incorrect by saying Merry Christmas!

Alhtough at the place where I work the sign says:

Merry Christmas
Happy Holiday
Feliz Navidad
Happy Kwanzaa
Happy Ramadan
& Happy Chinese New Year

The times they are a-changing' as Zimmerman once wrote.

Rick Kepple said...

Merry Christmas!

May you be satisfied with your gifts! May Barb like her AR-15, or give it to Jim.

May Mrs. Middy seduce Mr. Middy on Christmas Eve to make Baby Middy's.

I hope Santa brings me a super fast PC computer, a video/music studio and an espresso. If nothing else, just the espresso will be fine.

The roommate bought a gallon of rum. I'm having visions of me waking up jaundiced. Keeps me from celebrating.

midnightsstaff said...

Happy what ever suits you.. another great weekend of football, looks like the Beagles are in the playoffs, my dreams of the Seahawks beating the 49'rs giving Green Bay a chance at the bye week might be lining up in the stars.

28 to 3 in the first half- and a great pre Christmas eve evening.

A said...

Merry Christmas Jim & Barb! I agree that Christmas seems to come faster as I get older. Now I understand why some people just leave their Christmas lights on their houses all year long lol.

I've noticed, while shopping this year, that retailers, cashiers, people in general are saying "Merry Christmas" and not "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings." It is, after all, CHRISTMAS. It's not Hanukkah (that's over with), it's not Kwanzaa (what is Kwanzaa, anyway), it's not some random, obscure celebration...it's Christmas. December 25th. It's why the kids have a "winter break" (formerly known as Christmas break). It's why homes and businesses are decorated in lights, with Christmas trees and wreaths. It's why Christmas music is playing 24/7 on certain radio stations. It's why "Black Friday" exists. It's why people exchange gifts, give extra tips to their lawn crew, pool guy, hair dresser, postman. For some, it's the birth of Christ. For others, it's the season for giving.

It's CHRISTMAS. Not just some holiday.

Merry Christmas! May your days be merry and bright...

Jim McAllister said...

From Uremus:

Merry Christmas, Jim.....may you two enjoy many more

Jim McAllister said...

From the Duffis Family to the McCallister Family –

Season’s Best and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Allen

AHiredGun said...

Jim:

Merry Christmas/Happy New Year to you and Barb, and to everyone else I have met over the years as a result of this blog.

steve buzzardo said...


Jim,
MERRY CHRISTMAS!


CJ Phoenix said...

Merry Christmas to everybody!

Rick Kepple said...

Merry Christmas, y'all! Been recording music and video today! Nick West and the Can't Play Band. I've noticed that my playing is just like my voice; monotone. Probably the aspergers. Just going to have to learn to play right.

The most fun that I ever had at Christmas was playing a mall Santa. Sure, kids peed on my leg a lot, but a lot of college girls like to sit on Santa's lap ... a lot of them like a jolly old man.

Jim McAllister said...

Thanks to everyone for their kind holiday wishes for Barb and me.

You are all great and you reinforce how correct I was to keep the blog going after the Republic dropped the AZ Central blogs.

It is now 7:22 on Christmas morning and I hope you are off and running with a great Christmas Day.

Take care.


Rick Kepple said...

Okay, I figured out how to end violence. These people are disconnected from society, so people need to connect to society and start caring more. When people are connected, it won't end violence, but it will curb the behavior. The simple answers are best for the most complicated of problems in society.

Except sports. People need to misbehave now and then.

Electric guitars and drums are good for emotional therapy. They rock!

Jim's blog can also be good therapy. Anger therapy. Middy will make sure you get pissed off, then the treatment can start. Buy a guitar.

Roast some chestnuts. Drink some cheer. Visit old friends. Visit new ones. Go see old guys living in the woods. Adopt a dog from the pound. Merry Christmas.

midnightsstaff said...

maybe a message of hope can be revealed by those who remember their history..

http://mises.org/daily/1978/The-Christmas-Truce-of-World-War-I.

--------------------------------------------

.."During a House of Commons debate on March 31, 1930, Sir H. Kinglsey Wood, a Cabinet Minister during the next war, and a Major 'In the front trenches' at Christmas 1914, recalled that he 'took part in what was well known at the time as a truce.

We went over in front of the trenches and shook hands with many of our German enemies. A great number of people now think we did something that was degrading.' Refusing to presume that, he went on, 'The fact is that we did it, and I then came to the conclusion that I have held very firmly ever since, that if we had been left to ourselves there would never have been another shot fired.

For a fortnight the truce went on.
We were on the most friendly terms, and it was only the fact that we were being controlled by others that made it necessary for us to start trying to shoot one another again.'
He blamed the resumption of the war on 'the grip of the political system which was bad, and I and others who were there at the time determined there and then never to rest. . . . Until we had seen whether we could change it.' But they could not.".....

-------------------------------------------

Christmas had better regain it's traditional meaning if we want to save this nation, it should be something other than an annual sacrifice to the baser instincts of man.

Little by little we have allowed it to become something few recognize today, like a lot of things in this country.
The article is a good read and teaches something about the history of the world at it's very worst that we are simply never going to hear from those who should be teaching our children.

Merry Christmas to all, after all the situation we find ourselves today is far better than the state the nation faced during time of actual war... especially those tragic years during the first American civil war.

Rick Kepple said...

I filled the bottom of a glass with white wine last night for a toast and it was a mistake. Now here I sit writing on Jim's blog and watching TV.

Saving this nation isn't really my problem anymore. It's a young man's game. They're the ones who should be concerned about the future of this country more than me.

Rick Kepple said...

So what's the matter, y'all?

Happy New year.

Y'all scared, are ya? There is a weird vibe lately.

proud said...

Too good not to share...Great way to put the staggering amounts of the 'fiscal cliff' in a perspective everyone can understand:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151399255877650&set=a.299774117649.181695.213937547649&type=1

Rick Kepple said...

It's almost 2013 and you thought '12 was bad. There is a pattern of violence that is growing and music education and a few choice songs are the only antidotes to the potential violence.

We were at the river yesterday and we watched one of those stealth bombers slowly go over. The military has been publishing those old signs to keep our mouths shut and all that. The enemy is watching stuff.

I'm thinking that I might get another mini amp on Monday when I get my VA check. I gave my other one away for Christmas.

Gotta think micro and macro.

Micro, what you'd do if the SHTF. Macro, what we're gonna do if the Middle East SHTF and gas is suddenly rationed. Gee, Fleetwood Mac is planning to tour too. That would be a hinderance since I'll bet they've paid a bunch of deposits. Do venues keep the deposits? Aww gee, maybe they all trust one another in the entertainment industry ... I digress.

Then there's the "Fiscal Cliff." As the Government Turns, a production by the GOP and Democrats. Script by a number of writers. No laugh track, but there should be.

What's funny is that the government is saying that the Connecticut killer had aspergers and I've got aspergers and I've been trying to warn them, but what if they know and don't care, and I'm actually a threat for just knowing. Or might know and they can't take the chance. Hence giving me any drug, including the morphine. The shrink said that 25 bottles given to me was a bit excessive, like someone wanted me to die.

Then all this stuff going on and like before any disaster, no one cares.

Rich folks just think they're getting over, but the truth is that most of them are being used by people with more money. The ones who have survived for centuries with their wealth. Like those people in Greece, for example.

Food shortages coming, they say. That's more ammunition for even more control. People would give up their guns for food. That's control.

Don't worry guys. I think of the worst case scenerios so they can be prevented. The military doesn't want anyone to be inconvenienced. That's for other countries, not America dudes. But I think there are people who want America to fail and they are useful for now, but sooner or later, they're gonna get theirs.

It's just safer to live in the forest. Even if I move to Flagstaff ... can't trust people. They're capable of such beauty and such horrid things too. I've seen them all and yet, I am still surprised.

I like SN the best and that's why I'm so hurt over this. I expected more. Oh well. She's human, I reckon. Forgivable. I'll go to sleep, wake up and get over it.

Jim McAllister said...

Proud,

Good piece. That really lays it out in layman's terms.

Nothing is easy with worthless Obama. I've never seen such controversy as he has been brought about.

He is lucky that this country has enough brain dead losers that he can be elected simply because he gives shit away.

The guy is a total embarrassment and so is Congress.

proud said...

Jim, why can't one jack-wad Republican stand up and simply state what this single piece of paper says?

They bloviate in terms equally confusing to the enormous, unfathomable numbers of which they speak, losing most Americans with some DC, politico-speak, rhetoric that I doubt even they fully follow,
Meanwhile, Obama....the guy who would rather raise his ceiling than clean out the shyt, is winning the conversation. And yes, a good portion of the nation is indeed brain dead losers, but unfortunately, they now make up the majority of people who vote...
BTW, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to you and Barb. Thanks for all you do.

midnightsstaff said...

Well another full moon, another case of "the fits" I suppose.

..yeah, you took the words right out of my mouth- except for the twenty five units of morphine part I guess.
..and the thing about Fleetwood Mac and you know whoooooo..

Actually a lot of us have more against S.Nicks than you do Rick..... (with an "i".)

here try something a little more modern...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFEiTuD4nsc
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIbCm8X4nl4

turn it up..

midnightsstaff said...

Obama: "My Offer Is Nothing" - Stocks Plunge...
lol.
Was anyone expecting some last second attempt to save a lot of people unnecessary pain from this bath house towel boy?

I will imagine they will try to kick the can one more time and get their positions adjusted again, but eventually the day of reckoning is going to slap a lot of Obamazombies right up the side of the head.. along with all the rest of us.
keep some cash around.

..got to remember the black eyed peas for this next Tuesday.. all the luck I can get.

midnightsstaff said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_ogxZxu6cjM#!

For all my public education friends out there... lol..
jukin' the stats..

people know- we just need a leader..

Rick Kepple said...

"people know- we just need a leader.. "

Decades of examples from Hollywood and the mainstream music industry and people do what they do; party like a rock star and elect people who resemble those they seek to emulate - the pretty people.

So Middy, the rich created their own hell. Cocaine will do that to people. It gives them the same feeling as screwing over someone in business.

Well, if the farm don't sell, the roommates want to grow a garden and help can veges next year. Make a music/video studio and just mess around making exciting new products and maybe make some bucks.

Or if the farm sells, move elsewhere and enjoy life while making friends in the mainstream entertainment industry. Change my name to Big Dick.

Jim McAllister said...

Tomorrow might be interesting.

Before Obama makes a further ass of himself, someone should teach him how to salute when he gets off the plane.

What a limp wristed twerp he is. Those military guys he salutes must be shaking their heads in disgust.

Rick Kepple said...

"Those military guys he salutes must be shaking their heads in disgust."

Jimmy, you're like this barometer of the well-to-do. I'm a barometer of the disabled and struggling American. We're not tools. We're finely crafted writing instruments in human form. We are the eyes for the world. We rule.

I once knew a guy who beeped going IN and OUT of a store. He was a singer. One Justin Beiber is enough and I think he's doing 15 years now. Most of his friends are being forced out. Wealthy people buying up crack addict properties. Good people writing about them and their connections to local police. People with ideas building new businesses.

If the government can't protect us, We The People will simply rebuild the world, but people must understand how the world presently works. It's a psychological fricking mess!

The backstory of the Thompson Twins band is that the members were bums and begged, borrowed and stole their way to the top. Do you see a pattern in our society? Hmmm?

It's not the musician's fault or the singer's fault, because gifted people can't care for themselves. Mozart and Einstein prove that, but ordinary people are behaving just like the Thompson Twins, but why?

Corporate executives are the people who chose the Thompson Twins backstory and encouraged the present behavior in society that we now have. Are they just stupid, or was it deliberate psychological training?

People behave like the entertainers that they admire. It is amazing how much people know about the famous folks' backstories. Stuff that I never even heard of!

So instead of the government drug testing the examples to society (celebrities), they're going to drug test the people on the bottom. It's all about control!

Let the rich do anything they please to reward them and present the impression to the masses that once you get to a certain income level, that you are untouchable. It builds all the negative feelings that tyrants need to passively control a population of armed people.

And how in the world is this possible in a corporate world? It suggests conspiracy. A conspiracy is impossible, right? Uhm ... no.

I found it shocking to discover that most corporate executives are former military officers. I would have thought they were civilians.

Imagine military officers all trained to take orders and keep secrets to work for a common goal, because they are told to, and it would be so very easy. And what if the CEO's are making the decisions and telling President Obama what to do and Romney did indeed throw the election as ordered. The evidence suggests this as a possibility.

Occam's Razor.

If everyone actually running things is trained in like thinking and reward them with huge bonuses, they will continue with the same behavior. Conquer in the world in a Cold War kind of way.

Damn. Well, ain't nothing we can do about it, right?

I thought Indie was the best bet to change the media we are absorbing and emulating, but all of them only care about the money.

People like Jim and I are the best bet, but both of us are likely to be history by 2025, or unable to do anything about the global governance by a board like some corporate management.

The science fiction writers must be psychic. The Company running everything.

But we still have relatively few disasters coming in 2013, compared to the year that the one single currency comes into being. Think of the impact to the stock market and hedging. Poor rich folks won't survive. My best friend is a woman and she can't cook. Got lots of money, but will burn water. I think she's even burned a shrimp cocktail and I didn't think that was possible!

Well, she can come and live with me. SN, I mean. We can build on a little mini mansion.

Rick Kepple said...

You're envious of me, Middy. You wish you could go pee out in your front yard, but you can't. You don't have true freedom. The best you can do is pee with the bathroom door open. You're trained. You'll growl at President Obama, but you're trained to behave in a particular manner.

Excuse me, I have to go mark my territory.

Mike Slater said...

Rick, no one is envious of you. We pity you because it's more than obvious you're a half a bubble off of plumb.