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  le sacré et le profane 59
12.19.08 In a tiny palm-tree filled greenspace, at the intersection of Hillsboro Blvd and Federal Highway, you'll find a classic example of outdoor holiday decorating. It's my very favorite kind: a juxtaposition of the sacred and the profane, with an added multi-religious twist.

We begin with the centerpiece of the tableau — the traditional crèche. Joseph and Mary figurines tend gently to the baby Jesus figurine. While, of course, the usual lambs, goats and burros look on. The three wise men approach the manger with gifts in hand. It is a lovely scene that evokes the actual meaning of the holiday, perhaps all the more accurately since it is not covered in snow, but rather surrounded by palm trees and warm-weather vegetation.

It is unclear whether this particular piece of land is owned by the adjacent restaurant or by Broward County, which could shed some light on the other elements in this holiday display. Because about five yards to the south of the creche, we find a giant menorah. And I mean giant. At about 20 feet high, it looms over the manger in hanukah-rific majesty. One can only imagine Joseph saying to his no-longer pregnant wife Mary, "Is that a brilliant star up in the heavens or is a giant menorah showing these wise men the way to our manger?"

Walk about six yards to the north of the manger and you will find the "profane" section of the holiday display: Frosty, Rudolph and a group of elves have gathered outside a toolshed decorated as a gingerbread house — where they are observing the nativity scene from a respectful distance. Again, one wonders what Mary and Joseph make of this. Did Mary not say, "Joseph, why are we staying in this manger, which is open on three sides when we could be relaxing in that adorable four-walled hut with the candy canes and gumdrops on it? Did you ask? Well, maybe there's a room now. After all, the snowman and the reindeer have been hanging outside for hours. Maybe they checked out."

I know it shouldn't be my favorite kind of holiday display. But it is. It is.
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  My Christmas Tradition 58  
12.14.08 Every year I try to watch as many versions of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol as possible. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim ... the highs, the lows, the happy ending ... Dickens, you're a wonder! So far this year I have seen the Reginald Owen version (1938, masterfully edited), the George C. Scott version (1984, he's not even "doing" an accent, but he has such fantastic diction he just sounds British), the Patrick Stewart version (my favorite, kind of gruesome) and the Vanessa Williams version (she plays Ebony Scrooge - it's a mutant spawn of Dickens and Dreamgirls).

If I wanted to, I could probably do nothing but watch A Christmas Carol from Thanksgiving until December 25. So fertile is this classic storyline of sin and redemption. I could watch A Bugs Bunny Christmas Carol, in which Porky Pig plays Bob Cratchit -- inspired casting! A Carol Christmas, starring Tori Spelling, William Shatner and Gary Coleman. Don't ask. The Jetson's Christmas Carol, the Flintstone's Christmas Carol, not to mention the All Dogs Christmas Carol.

But perhaps the worst version -- and therefore also the best -- is The Miracle at Christmas: Ebbie's Story starring Susan Lucci, aka Erica Kane of All My Children. I believe that Dickens had a sense of humor and that he wrote with a keen sense of marketability (long before the term was coined). But even Dickens -- despite his tolerance of human foibles -- might have rolled his eyes at this one. Bless her heart, Lucci is not exactly known for the subtlety of her acting. And if this edition were played as straightforward camp, her scenery chewing would be amusing. But the juxtaposition of biting social commentary and and highly glossed lip biting ... well, it's one for the record books.

Oh well, even if an occasional adaptation disappoints, I can always reconnect to this classic storyline through the timeless work of Alec Guiness or Scrooge McDuck.
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  A tribute to never giving up 57  
12.03.08 I just want to take a moment to pay tribute to the two older gentlemen who sit outside my Starbucks every morning, at the table right by the door, talking about their Mercedes' or their boats or their investment strategy or whatever other imaginary stuff they're involved with, while they watch everyone who comes in and out, and who, without fail, fall utterly silent every time a female enters or leaves the shop. Here's to you, Statler and Waldorf! I salute you.
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  Fairchild Gardens 56  
11.30.08 Click on the image at right for a slideshow of my recent trip to the gorgeous Fairchild Botanical Gardens. If you like plants, green growing things, or the earth at all, and you find yourself with some spare time in the Miami area, try to visit the Botanical Gardens. They will give you a new appreciation for biodiversity and for those who preserve it.

I wish the photographs were a little better, but you'll get the idea anyway. Also, not being an actual botanist, I guessed at what kind of plants had been photographed, so know that. If you're feeling really green, you can even experiment with the experimental screensaver version of this slide show, here.
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said: I thought the photographs were fine
 
  My Apartment 55  
10.30.08 OMG, I don't even know why I started doing this thing. It feels like it was a half century ago. Anyway, these were some pictures I took in my apartment, the one time it was neat and clean. And then I decided I was going to make a slide show, and it would only take a few minutes, I mean hours, and then ... and then ...

Well, here it finally is. Click on the image at right to see the gloriousness.
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  I really walked 54  
10.29.08 Just to demonstrate that I really did walk in the Breast Cancer 2009 event, here are the pictures. It was three grueling miles. Fortunately, they were handing out water and bananas.

Anyway, thanks so much for the support ... you know who you are :) To see more pictures, just click on the image at right.
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