erry Christmas — and to all a wonderful Nochebuena!
And what would a blog post — even a Christmas Eve blog post — be without links and hat tips? The holidays are all about linkage, people! The beautiful M comes from typographer and illustrator Jessica Hische's Daily Drop Cap, and a big H/T for the video to El País journalist Rosa Jiménez Cano.
Know your rights. The better we know them, the harder it is for evil despots well-meaning politicians to take them away.
Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment VI In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
Amendment VII In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment VIII Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Amendment IX The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Happy Fourth! [And be sure you know where your dogs are!]
The song Lincoln and Liberty was recorded by American folk singer and activist Ronnie Gilbert in 1991 for the TV special and compilation album Songs of the Civil War.
"Songs are dangerous, songs are subversive and can change your life." [Ronnie Gilbert, on the effects of hearing Paul Robeson sing when she was 10.]
Lincoln and Liberty was written by New Hampshire's famousHutchinson Family Singers, "ardent abolitionists," for the 1860 presidential election. Says Gilbert, "That song helped Lincoln win the presidency."
Hurrah for the choice of the nation! Our chieftain so brave and so true We'll go for the great reformation For Lincoln and Liberty too
We'll go for the son of Kentucky The hero of Hoosierdom through The pride of the Suckers so lucky For Lincoln and Liberty too
Then up with the banner so glorious The star-spangled red white and blue We'll fight till our banner's victorious For Lincoln and Liberty too
Come all you true friends of the nation Attend to humanity's call To aid in the slave's liberation And roll on the liberty ball
We’ll finish the temple of freedom And make it capacious within That all who seek shelter may find it Whatever the hue of their skin
Success to the old-fashioned doctrine That men are created all free And down with the power of the despot Wherever his stronghold may be!
"NightPeeps by Melissa Harvey, Arlington. "I wanted to re - create the bleak urban landscape and the fluorescent light, and add a little pink and yellow," says Harvey, 44, a graphic designer for WETA who spent 45 hours over two weekends on the diorama."
"Peeps of Wrath"! "Bernard Peepoff: The Game Is Up"! "Peeptanamo Bay"! "Peepzilla!" Check out Peeps Show III at WashPo. The most excellent Dolittler offers more Peep sites and her own Peep medicine [my fave: Peep surgery]. Disclaimer: I have never, not once, eaten a Peep. They look almost as gross as kiwifruit, if you ask me.
Lime green is my favorite color on earth. Actually, pretty much any type of green is my fave. The current blog background would be lime green, if not for those ugly threats is a sort-of green which I created myself, yay me.
Topic: it's Paddy's Day. President Obama, lucky man, got to listen to Liz Carroll [a super-nice person and a great musician] and John Doyle:
For recordings of the best Irish traditional music you can't do better than Green Linnet. There's Liz, of course, and I recommend anything by the brilliant Clare fiddler Martin Hayes with Dennis Cahill on guitar, anything by John Williams, and on and on. Martin Hayes was at the Plough and Stars last Thursday — lots of great musicians there, she said enviously.
Sentimental Oirish vid for the day: Into the West. I love it. Kids' book: The Selkie Girl, by Susan Cooper. Best retelling of a story that makes grown-ups weep. A film version - Secret of Roan Inish - lacks the magic of the book, if you ask me, but still worth your time.
Quote: "Gandhi used nonviolence and got rid of the British in forty years. The Brits have been in Ireland for what, 800 years now?" [Singer in an Irish trad band — as prelude to a song about fighting the Black and Tans.]
It's raining and windy outside and warm and cozy inside, the tea is hot, the armchair is comfortable and all the dogs are asleep. Must play some Christmas music, or some opera.
Remember how Richard Gere takes Julia Roberts to the opera in Pretty Woman? He tells her, "People's reactions to opera the first time they see it is very dramatic; they either love it or they hate it. If they love it, they will always love it. If they don't, they may learn to appreciate it, but it will never become part of their soul."
That is such pure, steaming bullshit. ["The first time they see it"? See it?!]
Opera is all about the music. Should be self-evident, right? But people who have never been insanely in love with music don't get this, so they say things like the above, or "We went to the opera in Moscow and saw Madame Butterfly and it was so hilarious, because we were in Russia listening to people singing in Italian and pretending to be Japanese, ha ha ha!"
Imagine watching a great sheepdog win a difficult trial and then hearing someone say, "But his ears don't match and his coat isn't full enough and his head is simply a disaster!" Same. exact. thing.
It's nice if an opera's director is cutting-edge and the production values are terrific, and it's even better when the singers are reasonably attractive and age-appropriate and can act; but what really matters is, can they sing? Can they sing so well, with such insight and with such intelligence that it breaks your heart? Are the orchestra and the conductor terrific? Is the music great? That's all that matters. It's the reason people who love opera can be oblivious to everything from non-traditional casting and weird set design to sixty-ish baritones pretending to be young Gold Rush-era miners singing, "Whisky per tutti!" [I love Fanciulla like the air I breathe.] The music is all that matters. Opera lovers know the score [and keep a copy on the bedside table].
Give a listen to Victoria de los Ángeles from Spain, one of the best singers ever, if you ask me. This recording of an old familiar is from 1958.
Now here's a a chance to test your aficionado skillz and shrug off the odd set, the costumes, the camera work, a ridiculous plot and the fact that a woman, a mezzo-soprano, always sings the part of the young man Octavian. The opera is Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss, first performed in 1911, and the music is beautiful beyond belief. Anne Sophie von Otter is Octavian; Barbara Bonney is Sophie.
Honestly, the things one finds on YouTube! Here's the last scene from Act I of La Bohème. La Scala, 1979... hey, that tenor looks kind of familiar:
Ileana Cotrubas was Mimì in that vid. And now I must bundle up and go feed the sheep. As a matter of fact, my truck does have a most excellent CD player. Off to the farm —
*"What a cold little hand." [Otherwise known as "Remember to check the water trough."] From Bohème, but you knew that.
Jingle is with me and he has activated the cooling system that sprays the reindeer team with cool water. They are doing well.... it's amazing how well they handle the dramatic temperature changes. The weather has been good so far...though the launch was a little rough as we had high winds. Overall, its a great start.
Anyway... I'll be keeping you posted on my route tonight. I have my laptop with me and am using the same satellite connection I use to stay in contact with Mrs. Claus to post updates to my blog. Keep checking in. And don't forget, NORAD is tracking me as well.
When you're facing that Thanksgiving spread And the plentiful feast you'll be fed, It's a time not for counting The calories mounting But counting your blessings instead.
May everyone enjoy a happy Thanksgiving holiday, and a safe and satisfying Black Friday [and Cyber Monday!].
erry Christmas — and to all a wonderful Nochebuena! 
Know your rights. The better we know them, the harder it is for 
The song Lincoln and Liberty was recorded by American folk singer and activist Ronnie Gilbert in 1991 for the TV special and compilation album Songs of the Civil War.
"NightPeeps by Melissa Harvey, Arlington. "I wanted to re - create the bleak urban landscape and the fluorescent light, and add a little pink and yellow," says Harvey, 44, a graphic designer for WETA who spent 45 hours over two weekends on the diorama."
Lime green is my favorite color on earth. Actually, pretty much any type of green is my fave. The current blog background 
Colors I love: interior detail of an opera house you've seen once or twice. 
He's on the move —
Colors of corn, by my fave Ilhuicamina.
Now send Barack your baby. [I LOL'ed. Be sure to read the FAQ.]
