I guessed correctly what was in a bag, and won the contents — sterling silver door stoppers. Seriously, door stoppers. I was able to guess this because I had seen and played with some in an emergency room one day. The only difference was the emergency room stoppers were rubber — that was a long day in the emergency room.

Wearing heels that were too expensive, and too high, and with an understanding that the difference between being on a date and being with a boyfriend is control — definitely on a date — I sipped something I’m not likely to drink too much of — champagne and cranberry juice,

One can only bore oneself to death in the name of being a fully cooked adult for a short time, deprivation was never my thing, and then it’s on to a jazz club party that Randy Newman was probably referring to when he wrote the following song

I hope for a great new year, but like Jane Wagner and Doug (who is blogging again, though I am the last to know), I worry “that no matter how cynical I become, it’s never enough to keep up” .

peace

cooper

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The intelligent among us (you dear reader, myself included), look back often enough throughout the year to preclude the need for a special end of the year analysis. We reflect endlessly, and not in selfish isolation. Whether it be at lunches, dinners out, conferences, or family gatherings, at coffee with friends, or in our blogs, we congruently reinspect the happenings, news, music, and the horrors of each and every day. It is redundant, if not boring, to attempt to revisit them again due to the obligation of tradition.

It was a good year with bad points. Here’s to back room extortion, and bribery on the golf courses of congress, and to 2000 pages that should be burned. A new year should be new.

I drink Lagaria Merlot 2007 at my favorite Lebanese restaurant for 8 bucks a glass, or 28 dollars a bottle. I finally found someone to order it for me for 10.99 a bottle. A case more inexpensive still. I want to thank the liquor store that finally agreed to spend an extra few minutes looking up the small distributor. I hit ten stores before someone took the time. I love you guys.

“New Year’s Eve”

“I have finished another year,” said God,
“In grey, green, white, and brown;
I have strewn the leaf upon the sod,
Sealed up the worm within the clod,
And let the last sun down.”

“And what’s the good of it?” I said.
“What reasons made you call
From formless void this earth we tread,
When nine-and-ninety can be read
Why nought should be at all?

“Yea, Sire; why shaped you us, ‘who in
This tabernacle groan’ -
If ever a joy be found herein,
Such joy no man had wished to win
If he had never known!”

Then he: “My labours–logicless -
You may explain; not I:
Sense-sealed I have wrought, without a guess
That I evolved a Consciousness
To ask for reasons why.

“Strange that ephemeral creatures who
By my own ordering are,
Should see the shortness of my view,
Use ethic tests I never knew,
Or made provision for!”

He sank to raptness as of yore,
And opening New Year’s Day
Wove it by rote as theretofore,
And went on working evermore
In his unweeting way.

Thomas Hardy

Yo Yo Ma and Friends, Dona Nobis Pacem

Enjoy.

Dona Nobis Pacem (Give Us Peace)

PS – sadly something happened – I deleted the post by mistake and though I was able to get the post back the comments did not come back – I apologize. The comments, as always, were the best part of the post.

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No resolutions here. Resolutions are such a waste of energy. Time would be better spent demanding the treasury figure out where all my bail-out money went, because they don’t appear to know. Better spent answering the question asked of me recently, “have you ever loved anyone to the point of madness”, but as you know we’re all mad here, including yours truly, so the question is already answered. Everything I (we) do is madness

Which brings me to Gaza. I could pontificate on the situation, but so many with more knowledge on either side have already done (are doing) so. I imagine it is much easier to do when you are not directly involved. Writing of such horrors should not be easy. I believe if it were harder to moralize on the man made tragedies of the world there would be less of them. If it were more difficult to write of these events from that comfortable leather chair a good distance away we might actually have to do something about these things. Many of us are seeing it as if inside a snow globe.

Despite reading a plethora of “experts” on both sides of this issue, despite sitting through countless lectures on Middle East Policy, I am at loss. It’s hard to wrap my head around this, no matter the pat answers and definitive statements issued. It is as if this perpetual scene — surreal to those not directly involved — periodically exacerbates until a minuscule dose of political diplomacy is inserted. The obligatory nod or statement is issued by any one of a variety of government officials worldwide, the token ceasefire is negotiated. The scene perpetually played out, at the expense of human beings, while those in power are either not interested in doing the right thing or so blinded by the rage of history or political goals they fail to see what the right thing is. Maybe doing the right thing has never mattered. I don’t know.

I found this post at People In The Sun , reflective in it’s confusion. PITS was a soldier in the Israeli Army.

I’m also going to quote a part of his comment from a thread at BC.

illustration via Real Clear Politics

Again, I’m not justifying Hamas. I do believe a lot of the pro-Hamas talk on the internet and around the world comes from hatred of Israel. I’m only trying to take away the propaganda and see this for what it is. If you look at the picture above, with the Palestinian shooting from behind the stroller and the Israeli shooting in front of it, you’ll see what I mean. I was in a stroller when my father fought in the ’73 war. And kids were in strollers when I went to Lebanon and to the West Bank and to Gaza. And the next generation of Israeli babies will grow up to fight the next generation of Palestinian babies. Because no one really cares about the stroller

This blogs sole purpose has always been that of catharsis, it serves no other purpose. It is not meant to be a vehicle for my career, or a place for me to gossip about friends. I am thankful for those who follow my cathartic ramblings. I am thankful for those who look at me with disdain, those who make me think, and those who leave me alone, quietly lurking in the background. I’m even thankful for those at the keyboard tapping out their anonymous emails, be they hateful, conciliatory, congratulatory or conversational. Conversely, I’m thankful I can read the world. What must it have been like not to be able to do so? I forget.

I lied. I have one resolution, to keep this blog another year. And to keep reading. One day at a time.

Come cry with me.

And if you want to talk about it anymore,
Lie here on the floor and cry on my shoulder,
Once again.
Cry on my shoulder,
I’m a friend.

Cry – listen

peace

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