Festivus

Call a truce, then, to our labours -- let us feast with friends and neighbours...
-- Rudyard Kipling

Wednesday, December 6, 2000
Two years ago: A Bug's Life
Three years ago: Carnival

Chip's birthday! I'd remembered the festivus icecream yesterday, but forgot to take it out of my freezer on the way out, so I had to walk back -- but only a block.

In the middle of the afternoon, we gathered around the conference table and had cake and ice cream. A quiet celebration, but I think Chip wanted it that way. He repeated this joke several times: "Now that I'm a year older, I'm no longer a square, and I'm in the prime of life!" Can you guess his age from that?

I mocked up a sample column from a prospective new columnist, which went fairly well. Where does this second person plural thing come from? "We believe this stock is due to break out." Do you have a mouse in your pocket?

Jack's still feeling bad about his daughter. He's going to visit her in the lockup every day, where they talk. His younger daughter is back in school already. I think when I was growing up they kept you home longer with mono.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *    *

As I was lying in bed, listening to the TV news, I heard that the paper mill where Jack works is going to shut down, temporarily or permanently -- the story wasn't clear on that part. Wow! Is Jack out of a job?