The Monthly Stew....

20) Honest Abe and Turkey Day
American families began holding unofficial Thanksgiving dinners back in the 1700s, but it wasn’t until Abraham Lincoln’s Proclamation in 1863 that the last Thursday in November was officially recognized as a national holiday of Thanksgiving. Six weeks later Lincoln would set foot on Gettysburg soil and offer “a few appropriate remarks” that the world would long remember.

I’d say Abe's six weeks in 1863 are > my last six weeks by a factor of infinity + 1 (give or take a bear claw).

19) The Holiday Calendar
I’m old school. I FIRMLY believe the Christmas season should begin AFTER Thanksgiving. And yes, it’s mighty fortunate I wasn’t holding the code to a missile silo three weeks ago when I heard Jingle Bells in Arby’s.

But now that Turkey Day (ham in my family) is behind us, I’m ready to shift the yule into 6th gear. Bring out the egg nog and throw Love Actually in the DVD. If Billy Mack can’t get you into the Christmas spirit, I’ve got nothing for you.

18) A Random Thought Re: Corporate America
“We better find some managers to manage the managers.”

17) A Generational Thing
I’m hoping some of you caught ESPN’s profile on Rob Jones, grandson of the notorious cult leader (and mass murderer at Jonestown), Jim Jones Sr.

With every new generation, there comes much reason for hope.

16) Rails to Tomorrow
For the first time in 50 years, two passenger trains -- one northward bound, the other heading south -- took passengers between North and South Korea last week.

On board the North-bound train was a conductor who made one of the last railway crossings before they ended because of the 1950-53 Korean War. "I wish I could operate this train myself," Han Chun-ki, 80, said. "I never thought this day would come".

15) The Host Is Right?
Is Drew Carry really the new host of the Price is Right? Don’t you think CBS could have made the visual transition a little easier on us – perhaps by introducing a middle-aged, semi-fit substitute before settling in on the ultimate contrast: the pimply-faced, portly Carry. This could be a good marriage in the end, but the contrast is gonna take some getting used to.

14) This is Going to Blow You Right Out of the Water
“Have you heard of this thing: eight minute abs?”
“Yeah, sure, 8-minute abs...the exercise video.”
“Listen to this: 7-minute abs.”

13) Pandora
Sometimes it takes two or three people, advocating for the same thing, before it sets in that I need to pay attention. Pandora, the “make your own radio station” website, falls into this category for me. But now that I’m onboard, I’m all in. Pandora's site is super easy to use, and after you suggest an initial artist/song, they hit you with a great potpourri of like-sounding artists.

Thanks go to Elena, Allison, and others for getting me tuned in.

12) Potty mouths
Is it me or can you now get away with saying virtually anything on network television? I know that “son of a bitch” is now permissible; I hear it all the time. I’m pretty sure other verbal discretions are now sanctioned without fines as well.

Maybe the FCC was just waiting for Howard Stern to leave the public air waves before they loosened the verbal leash.

11) Google Looking to Buy Spectrum
Speaking of the FCC, Google has announced its interest in spending up to $4.6 billion in the upcoming auction for wireless spectrum (700 MHz). All this from a search engine specialist feeling lucky.

I think it's 50/50 whether they send a man to Mars by 2015.

10) “All Politics is Local”
This famous quote from U.S. House Speaker Tip O’ Neil has taken on a new meaning in Chicago. Todd Stroger, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, is now on a war path to increase the Cook County sales tax to a highest-in-nation 11%. Here's to hoping that locals care enough to weigh in on this, and other issues in Chicago, which affect our lives exponentially more than 99.9% of CNN's headlines.

9) Que Syrah, Syrah
As you trudge through wine stores this holiday season and notice that the shelves are disproportionately stocked with Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, do yourself a favor and go around the corner and try a few Syrahs. Syrah is the same grape as “Shiraz” – the latter being the Australian spelling. In the U.S., South America, and France, Syrahs tend to be medium-bodied and full of fruit, without being as big or spicy as their Australian brethren.

The 2005 Concha Y Toro “Marques de Casa” Syrah is about as good a $15 as I’ve spent in recent months. For less ($10), you could nab the La Forge Syrah from France -- a solid choice and readily available. For a few more dollars ($18ish), Qupe prides itself on this grape.

Syrahs are perfect for the cool nights of early December, before the weather turns ultra cold and you’re left wanting the biggest, spiciest red the local wine store can offer up.

8) Move Over Gutenberg: Here Comes Kindle
570 years after Gutenberg revolutionized the world with the printing press, Amazon is looking to redefine the way we read all over again. The Kindle, Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device, was officially launched last Monday after over three years of production. Surprisingly, initial customer reviews are favorable. Another surprise: 100 of the top 110 NYT Best Sellers are already available for download through Kindle for only $9.99.

Interesting.

7) Heads you lose, tails you lose
Yes, I cling to late-night-life-explaining metaphors. Lately, I'm thinking that life is really as random as a series of coin flips. And just like a particularly bad streak of luck when flipping a coin, you’ve got to be prepared to endure some long losing streaks in the game of life. You will go 0-for-10 sometimes.

I have people that would support me no matter how many coin tosses I lost. But not everyone can say the same. If you’re barely getting by year after year, and then all of the sudden you go 0-for-10, well that could break someone's back for good.

The people near & dear: my how they count.

6) Lunch-time Inflation
$6 used to be sufficient for my lunchtime combo of sandwich + chips + drink. No mas. In the last year or so, I've noticed that $8 is now the requisite outlay. I'm not happy about this change, but I think I'm going to lose this battle.

5) No Country for Old Men
While reading Richard Powers' excellent (!) novel, "The Gold Bug Variations," I came across a sentence ending in "no country for old men." I immediately wondered if Cormac McCarthy was borrowing from Powers. After a little research, I learned that the quote is actually derived from the first line of a Yeats' poem: "Sailing to Byzantium." So in actuality both literary masters are pilfering from still a greater Jedi.

All of which leads me back to Woody Guthrie who admitted, "he may steal from me, but I steal from everybody."

4) The Warren Zevon Quote of the Month
"It's tough to be somebody, and it's hard to keep from falling apart. Here on Rehab Mountain, we all learn these things by heart."

3) Friday Night Lights
Did I already mention that this is the best show on television? Well let me say this for the record: THIS IS THE BEST SHOW ON TELEVISION.

2) Gold
Somebody explain this one to me: why was gold so valuable back in the day? People rush to California, a few find gold nuggets....and then what, they overnight the gold to Fort Knox in exchange for some quick cash?

In an advanced, free-flowing market of buyers/sellers, I get how a rare commodity could be valuable. But back when you needed SeaBiscuit to get anywhere, and drive-up banking windows were sparse, what did you do with the gold once you found it?

1) White, Non-Blinking Christmas Lights
Anything less would be uncivilized.