Merry Christmas Everybody!

Happy, jolly, yummy time of the year --

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to everybody who reads this!

Bye, Neville

J.A. lost a media icon, family man, and pretty nice guy: Neville Willoughby. Years ago, "It's the Evening People Show with Neville --" No more. Observer said it was a road accident somewhere off Farewell Ave. (That road now means suppem more than walkin' mi cousin there in de '80s to visit mi cousin's best pal, Selema.) Strange, de name of that road, & de accident that will now make it memorable for so many. Rough holiday this for de Willoughbys. Farewell, Neville.

Drive safely, everybody. It's nuts on de road, nuts in de parkin' lots at de malls -- everywhere. Let's all drive safely.

The Pursuit of Happyness

It's a pleasure to see a father showing his son a real-life example of the struggle to better himself and to be a buffer from life's harsh realities. His son will recognize the priceless benefits of that when he grows up & remembers what his dad went through." -- A review of Will Smith's new movie: The Pursuit of Happyness

Watch it
Watch it
Watch it
Watch it

It's more than worth de ticket-price.

De Carol that Brought de Pork Some Christmas

Here's Your "STUPID" Sign! (Bill Engvall, Chorus sung to"Jingle Bells")

I took my son to the mall the other day to see Santa Claus
The woman in line behind me says, "Hey is that Santa Claus up there"?
I said "no ma'm, it's a Kenny Rodgers stunt double. Here's your sign!"
The other day I bought a wreath to go on our front door
As I was walking out the store a man stopped me and said
"Hey, are you going to hang that on your door?" I said:
"No sir, it's a Christmas toilet seat cover, got the idea from Martha Stewart"
(Chorus) Here's your sign, Here's your sign, Here's your STUPID sign
You acted dumb, so have some fun and wear your STUPID sign -- Oh!
Here's your sign, Here's your sign, Here's your STUPID sign
You lost your mind, so pay the fine and wear your STUPID sign

I hung the little Christmas lights on my house, the ones that blink on & off
My neighbour comes over and says
"Bill how do you get those to blink on and off like that?"
I said "I've got my son inside plugging and unplugging it,
-- plugging and unplugging it. Here's your sign!"
I took my family to buy a Christmas tree the other night
When we walked onto the lot this guy walked up to me and says
"Hey, y'all here to buy a Christmas tree?" I said,
"No sir, my son needs to go to the bathroom and these trees looked really inviting. Here's your sign!" (rep. Chorus)
Have no fear when you're spreading cheer during Christmas time

And finally my wife and I were in a grocery store the other day
And I heard a woman ask the clerk
"Do you know what time Midnight Mass starts on Christmas Eve?"
And in the holiday spririt I walked over and said "Here's your sign!"
(She earned it on her own!) Happy holidays everybody!

Maybe Beta's not Better

What's up today?! Am findin' it dang near impossible to comment on blogs like Crankputz', Island Girl -- all de beta type blogs. We'll see . . .

Quick Review

This year's effort was nice -- more cooperation & participation this time (fewer self-proclaimed Jordans & more Pippens). Anyway, even as hubby geared up engineerin' early on, he pondered this year's music mix, but turns out we had energetic variety an' some blessed voices ministerin' to us all. What a praise & worship time! All praise & thanks to God. As de soloist sang: Whatsoever things are Godly, think on these things.

5 Things

OK, so Stunner of de irie island photos has tagged me wid de "5 Things" meme, and am in an unusually "postly" mood right this minute, so here goes:
Here are 5 things U didn't know about me, de Melody Piggy Moppet:

-- Am compulsively private, but find that it makes people more likely to pry and be curious than they would be with someone who's less private and more willin' to share -- go figure.

-- Am not a fan o' gossip, & therefore have indulged in that extremely infrequently -- only when ah got ticked off at people pryin' an' decide to turn de tables on dem. Have found that many people luv gossip, an' therefore ah don't trust dem an' ah feel comfortable havin' very few friends.

-- Am not de gregarious type. Same way mi stay pon de blog until mi get accustomed to a blogger: am most likely to blog an' back off when ah meet blogs, thus givin' de other blogger a chance to reciprocate (which is kinda de only way for dem to quietly express, "Yeah, mi waan blog wid yu," or "No, mi naw really feel your blog perspectives.") It's a simple analogy to mi everyday approach to social life. Most 'fun time' interaction is wid mi husband & child -- am devoted to them. Want to always be there for them no matter what.

-- Have always been seriously attracted to mi husband (mutual attraction -- God is good). Anyway, he's aware of this and sometimes winks at me in a very knowing way in de midst of goin' about mundane things (while he's bucklin' his belt as he gets dressed for work, or even while we're in traffic waitin' for de light to change). This amuses him, 'cause am essentially a shy person, so de effect of this always momentarily "sends" me a bit.

-- Am admittedly somewhat old fashioned -- wha yu expect, mi grow wid mi granny! So much so, that de difference between casual & formal is ponytail or bun -- or maybe blue jeans versus black jeans. Of course, bein' old fashioned and excessively domestic doesn't mean not having aspirations -- ah do often consider goin' back to school for a doctorate (nutten to do wid mi journalism or business studies, a doctorate in suppem totally different that ah won't write on de blog right now.)

Awright, Stunner, that's it. Shared as much as ah could in that 5 things topic. Now, Jdid, U've been tagged.

Not Quite Yet

In your mid-30s, people at church might start seein' U as a likely candidate to help counsel in women's ministry, so they nice U up for de women's retreat -- U can give good advice to younger sisters (late teens and twenties, who are single or just married). Not necessarily advisable.
What I've noticed:
* Some think because they're more experienced they know more about every-ting than U do. How can U help "to call any play," when they've been playin' de field an' sure they know de 'game' more than U?
* These retreats can seem like an unpleasant juvenile slumber party when U check de ratio of "younger" vs. "older."
* No matter how other counselors warn U, an' U research in advance an' feel sure de "younger" can't take U aback wid "hardcore" topics, there are always some who try to discomfit U wid graphic questions about de church's views on this or that. Maintained mi composure an' offered de followin' advice on de topic of someone wantin' to re-ignite de marital flame by doin' rectal whatever: "U just married recently, U shouldn't need to 're-ignite' nutten already, if U want to do suppem nice & spicy for your hubby, cook him suppem wid pepper in it, no need to get drastic an' start ruinin' your personal plumbin' just because of any-ting U read, saw, or heard."
* Not sure if "older" seem condescendin' to de "younger" but some "younger" can seem condescendin' when U advisin' them. U print out all kinda info from de centre for disease control & various websites (from ob-gyn to pastoral counsel site) an' is like dem nuh appreciate none o' your efforts to arrive at de sessions prepared to help dem.
* Parentin' is seen as a task that some definitely not eager to embrace.
* Some younger ladies there are really nice. They worry about "simpler" matters, stuff we've prob'ly all contemplated at some time or other, an' can relate to. E.g., a young lady was worried some folks countin' de months to know if she conceived before or after de marriage. Was quite forthright wid all o' dem. Told her how ages ago some folks said ah was just rushin' to wed so that ah could have sex -- de snide unspoken part was: "And that is if you two aren't already fornicatin'." (Sometimes older brothers & sisters in Christ put pressure on younger ones or even de newly converted -- thru gossip, etc. -- without even noticin' how they alienate people.)
* Memorable: Sister "E" and her empathetic advice to a lonely sister, to whom she's prob'ly now a mentor in general. Sister "E" says without rancour that she waits on the Lord since all will be done in His own good time. Almost in her 60s, she's got more maternal instincts than many, and cares for likkle boys an' girls like they were her own. Her advisee let others in on their discussion, which was good, considerin' de closed door nature of most o' these sessions.
* Am not yet necessarily 'fittin' de role (to counsel an' minister) to many who need it.