Atomic Monster Cafe: This Is That...

...<time of the year>...or so sang Jack Jones about Christmas on this 1967 vinyl LP from Firestone.

Great album and great memories from my childhood, and of course I spin it regularly this time of year.

No, it's not the same one my folks had back then, but in keeping with the spirit of the boomer generation -

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I bought all my toys back on ebay."

(with apologies to the Apostle Paul, see I Corinthians 13:11,12 for the actual quote)

- I did just that: found it on ebay a few years ago and have been enjoying it -

- at Christmas (again) ever since.

And now, as a tip o' the hat to the inexorable forward march of time, let's do this:

One Week To Go...

...and all through the land...people clamored to know, "O, when will it end?!"

"The answer's contained in the statement, my dear,

"Just 7 more days 'til Christmas is here!"

So hurry and watch those shows on TV!

The halls all need decking; you must trim the tree!

But somewhere amidst all the sparkle and shine,

The tumult and chaos that's stealing your time,

Take a moment or two for calm meditation;

Remember the Reason for this celebration.

The lights and the glitter are all well and good,

The ornaments, presents, songs and the food...

But when you consider the Grand Scheme of things,

They're really just heralds for our Newborn King.

So sing and be merry with those that you love,

But always remember God's gift from above.

With shepherds and Angels we echo it still:

"Glory to God, peace on earth and good will."

Our unseasonably mild weather continues, so you know what that means...

...I'm still whacking wiffle golf balls in my back yard, struggling to apply some of Moe Norman's "hit 'em straight" magic to my wayward swing.

And while it is a struggle, there are occasional glimpses of progress:

a recent session, practicing with my brassie...

...yielded this tight grouping of 4 in a row

Of course, I could include some pics where the little white balls are so far apart they don't even fit in a wide angle lens shot.

I'm never going to be a great golfer - you can't put in what God left out - but I can be a better golfer than I am now...it just takes patience and practice.