Interesting...

Have you ever seen magicians Penn and Teller?

They run perhaps the biggest magic show in Vegas... Penn Gillette is a big, brash, talkative guy, and Teller is a smaller, meek looking guy that never says anything. Does that ring a bell?

Anyhow, Penn Gillette has a pretty well-known case of potty-mouth, and is a well-known athiest, so I was surprised to see this on YouTube...

Should make us believers think about how we are doing in the area of evangelism...

Figgy Pudding?

Finally, Friday is here!

Cathy and I are just relaxing this evening, with no where to go (fortunately). So we're listening to the "holiday classics" music channel, and this guy is singing "Oh, bring me some figgy pudding, oh bring me some figgy pudding..."

Really?

Man, times must have been rough back in the day, if people were hoping to receive figgy pudding for Christmas! Now that's a lame gift.

I have some great childhood memories of Christmas gifts long ago... To be sure, little Brian Baker wasn't asking for any nasty pudding...no, this was the early 1970's, and toy companies like Mattel and Kenner were in full swing. My sibs (David, Teresa, Angela) and I got some cool toys from Santa over the years:

• Board games: Monopoly, Life, Scrabble, Clue, Risk, Yahtzee, Mouse Trap, Battleship, Stratego, Game of the States, Mad Marbles, Gnip Gnop, Facts in Five, Trouble, Super Sandwich
  
• Construction toys: Lincoln Logs, Tinkertoys, Erector set, wooden building blocks...
• Cars, cars, cars!: Matchbox cars, Hot Wheels (the original 1970 ones with the redline tires!), SST cars (with the serrated T-handles and rubber flywheel), Smash-Up Derby SST cars (when they hit each other, the doors and hoods would fly off, and then you'd snap them back on), yellow metal Tonka dump truck & crane. Also, cool Hot Wheels tracks (orange track with purple connectors...) with loop-de-loops!
  
• Other: Superball, Whizzers (I remember spinning one up and sticking it in Teresa's hair...sorry!), Pick up Stix, Rubik's Cube, Mattel Basketball handheld "video game" (red LED lights, and when you scored it made the buh-DEE sound!), pop guns, Schwinn Caliente 10-speed bikes

Oddly enough, my Mom still lives in the home we all grew up in, and almost all these 1970's toys are still exactly where we left them (in the finished basement). Sometimes when I get together with the sibs at holidays, we'll break out a vintage game or two....

As fun as it was to receive these cool gifts, one of my most memorable Christmases was one where I learned to enjoy the GIVING more than the GETTING.

When Angela, my kid sister, was 3 years old, I bought her a Play-Doh Fuzzy Pumper for Christmas. This playset looked like a miniature barbershop, complete with plastic barber chairs, scissors, and little shavers. Here's how it worked: first, you would fill the barber chair with Play Doh. Second, you would take these little plastic people with holes all over their heads, and place them in the barber chair. Third, you would turn a crank, and little streams of Play Do hair would squish out of their heads. Finally, you would take your scissors and give them a haircut!

Angela loved this toy, and I loved seeing the happiness in her little eyes. It was a wonderful Christmas.

I look forward to the upcoming Christmas break (I'll be on vacation for a week and a half, woo hoo!). I look forward to spending time with my lovely wife, as well as Zach and Sarah. (Brandon and Megan, I'll miss you guys!) I hope the gifts I give bring more joy than any gifts I may receive... And I look forward to getting to see my sibs up in Virginia when I visit Mom.

Speaking of giving, I'd better get to bed...big shopping day tomorrow...

Busy

OK, I have perfectionist tendencies.

For hobbies and such, this is a good thing - it drives me toward doing things well. But for blogging, this is a bad thing - if I only have a few minutes available to blog, I end up NOT blogging, because I feel like I don't have enough time to write something worthwhile, something of substance...

Unfortunately for you, the reader, this is a day where I have decided to blog anyway, even though I don't have enough time to write something deep (I probably shouldn't have admitted that!).

So, just a few brief updates on life over the past few weeks:

• I've gotten the ole trumpet back out, and have been playing every week with the orchestra at church. There are some great players in this group, especially brass players. I had forgotten how much I enjoy traditional, classical music. I'll be playing in two of the three performances of our Christmas pageant, the first one in a few hours... The 100-member choir and 30-member orchestra are soundin pretty good, I must say!
• Went to Greensboro NC a few days ago to see a Yes concert. They are my favorite band of all time, and this year marks their 40th year of making music. True, they are old geezers now, but still some of the best musicians (and music) I have ever heard. Someone posted clips of the show on YouTube here and here...
  
• Went Christmas shopping today. Everywhere was packed and very busy, but I took my time and actually enjoyed it. (Not as much as I enjoy internet shopping though!). My sweet Cathy is kinda hard to shop for, but I think she will be pleased with today's purchases...
• Zach and Sarah are home from NGU, and I am looking forward to spending some time hanging out with them. (I missed the big shindig last night with Zach, Sarah, Dustin, and Chris due to a bluegrass gig at Table Rock state park...rats)
• Work has been crazy busy. All the IT software projects are due at the end of the year, so it is a mad scramble to finish the work. This week was one of the busiest I can remember. But soon, oh so soon, will be Christmas vacation...that will be nice.

Well, gotta run, I have about an hour to put up Christmas decorations before donning the black suit and bowtie and heading to church.

Have a nice day.