The story on NPR lately has been NPR, cutting programs, like Day To Day.

I listen to Day To Day if I'm in the car at that time, but it's mostly stuff gleaned from somewhere else. It isn't irreplaceable stuff. Maybe NPR will fill the hour with classical music.

TV became an around-the-clock medium during my lifetime; I wonder whether it ... along with radio ... will return to spending some wee hours off the air.

Listening to the hourly news this evening, it could have been that Simon & Garfunkel song ... (someone beat me to it).

Christmas at Allaire Flickr photo set.
On Sunday afternoon, I took Timmy and Chris over to Wall for a couple of hours to tour the Historic Village at Allaire. The cold wind was strong so I'm glad I didn't plan to spend too much time outdoors. And it is mostly outdoors, even the Bakery didn't offer any indoor seating. You'd think you'd get some accommodation for your $2 cookie!

We sat about 30 minutes in the rear pew of the Allaire Chapel for a reenactment of a mid-1800's Christmas service. There were carols and hymns and a spirited version of the 12 Days of Christmas. Whenever my kids asked to leave, I reminded them of the strong, cold wind outside and isn't it nicer in here? They agreed but grudgingly.

The man who had the role of Episcopal minister reminded us how observance of Christmas was illegal in the US until just before the Civil War, even later in NJ. But Mr. Allaire gave his workers the day off and provided entertainment in the form of square dancing and some sort of feast. There was a man dressed as an Episcopal bishop seated up front, off to the side, with his miter and crozier. His observer status struck me as odd because I've never met a Catholic bishop who could refrain from running whatever show he's at.

Between the tickets and the cookies and the cotton candy, I was short on cash towards the end but the boys wanted to ride the Christmas train. There was a final departure at 4pm and only five tickets left for sale. I didn't have enough money for three but she gave them to us anyway. Santa rode the train with us but I couldn't get a picture because the boys had me holding the uneaten cookies and cotton candy, plus we were all in one seat because no one wanted to sit outside.

The train made three loops which was one loop too many for me. But, how often does a boy get to ride a real, 100-year old steam engine? Less and less often these days.

"Doing Fine in Buffalo" - NPR, 12/10/08:

I live in Buffalo, NY. Buffalo has been rated as one of the best places to ride out a recession.

'Cuz Buffalo has been in recession for 40 years.

"Recession? What recession?"

Always looking for an excuse to duck into a church ...
I guess you could say we double-dipped seeing Santa tonight.

The town's tree lighting was at the firehouse at 6pm. We left there after seeing Santa an hour later and drove past the UPC. Kenny noticed the lights on and I told him they were holding a book and gift sale this weekend. He wanted to check it out so, even though I bought something there on Friday, I took them inside.

There were a few families inside, decorating the church. The congregation doesn't have many families¹ so, for all I know, most of the members were on hand. Reverend Pike came over and greeted us right away. We picked out and paid for four books, totaling $20. The lady who made the sale said, "I don't know how much these books cost, so I might be cheating you" and I said that so long as the proceeds go to the church, it doesn't matter to me.

Then she whispered that Santa was due to arrive at any moment and wouldn't we like to stay? I felt a twinge of guilt seeing how we just saw Santa across town but as they seemed small of number, why not supplement the modest turnout? It gave me more time to visually snoop around while the boys sat in a pew reading their books.

The pipe organ fills the wall at the head of the church. The pulpit is front and center with a piano off stage left. The kitchen is in a room behind there and a dining room seems situated in a mirror image. Unless the rooms adjoin, that could be. An almost-to-the-ceiling Christmas tree was up front to our left, decorated in white, gold and silver.

When Santa entered, my kids did not hesitate to join the other children up front. He talked with them for quite a while and they answered his questions. As he visited with other children, I noticed Kenny and Timmy getting up on the platform behind Santa and even approaching the pulpit which had a large book open on it. I had told them not to go up there but since other kids were doing it, they couldn't resist.

Santa had them sing a couple Christmas songs and pose for a photo by the tree. Then he was off and we left too, to be surprised by the falling of light and fluffy snow. I'll see whether we might fit one of their Christmas Eve services into our schedule this year. I think Presbyterians have very cozy Christmas Eve traditions - perhaps we'll see.

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¹ At the rear of the church are small cubby holes marked for each family ... this is common in small churches ... and in several I noticed a box of church envelopes ... from the same company that produces ours.

cf. St. Nicholas

In my mind, Claus von Bulow will be always Jeremy Irons ...

Sunny von Bulow dies after 28 years in coma - CNN, 12/6/08:

Von Bulow was subject of one of the nation's most sensational criminal cases during the 1980s.

On the morning of December 22, 1980, family members found Martha von Bulow unconscious in the bathroom of the family's posh Newport, Rhode Island, home. She never regained consciousness.

Prosecutors accused Claus von Bulow of twice attempting to kill his wife by injecting her with insulin.

Sleevefacers Become The Album Cover - National Public Radio, 12/1/08:

British DJ Carl Morris was just "horsing around," when he held up a Paul McCartney record to his face, grafting the famous Beatle's head to his body.

Since then, he's perfected the art of "sleevefacing" or melding one's body with an album cover. His little experiment has flourished into a Web site and book that includes photos of people sleevefacing across the world.

cf. Sleeveface update - NPR, 12/3/08.

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I can guess what McCartney cover he means as I bought this album when it was released. I could probably still sing most of the songs by heart. I remember McCartney performing "Waterfalls" (mp3 from vinyl) in SNL. It's a decent song and I struggled diligently as a kid to love the rest of this album that I'd spent my hard-earned money on.

But there's little here that's genuinely any good.

Couple say rosary, prayers helped them survive ordeal at Mumbai hotel - Catholic News Service, 12/4/08:

From under the bed, the couple could hear terrorists move down the hallway, pound on each door and use an explosive that sounded like a grenade. "They would blow the door open and start shooting everyone inside," Stadelmann said.

Beyond the explosions and the gunmen going door-to-door, the greatest danger to the couple was the fire, he said. "There were 1,000 rooms in the hotel, so I figured our chances were pretty good. But, the fire was really something. A fire will find you."

When help arrived, it was a team of six Indian Army special forces soldiers dressed in black uniforms with black bandanas on their heads, he said. "They had everything, guns, knives and radios. They were the real deal."

Stadelmann said those rosaries and the prayers of his friends and family back home were the reason they lived through the ordeal.