War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.--- John Stuart Mill

So, yesterday we bowled. Cancer codger says he feels fine, but he's still not bowling well. Rich had a fantastic 6 frames then fell apart. That's still the only game we won. He also converted a 5-7 split. He had 193, 124, 179, and I had 156, 125, 100. My average is now up to 122.

I note the Christmas decorations are going up. The merchants deny it's any earlier than usual. Ha.

After the festival I put four pounds on, I'm pleased to note that I lost it again and didn't gain anything this week. I wrote most of a letter to the priest who married us. And, finally, I did a lot of cleanup. It's been a pretty good week. I even read a couple of pages in the Durell book. (It's not that it's boring, it's that I've been so busy doing other stuff. I should be finished with this one by now, darn it.)

I had my case conference with my supervisor today. We don't have many problems. She finished with "you're still in love, aren't you?" Yeah.

We had our forms from Music Circus. First we were to evaluate this summer's productions. Rich gave them all a "good" rating. I upped it to "excellent" on Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Sound of Music. Then we get to vote for the plays for next year. The last three years, fundraising years, they've shown just about all the really popular old standards, so the choices for next year are mostly second string. Rich wants Cats, Chess, Damn Yankees, The Fantasticks (I saw it recently with my dwarf, so I don't need to see it again immediately), Miss Saigon, and 1776. I chose Chess (I don't mind seeing this often), Crazy for You, Damn Yankees, The Desert Song, A Little Night Music, and Miss Saigon. We both chose Wizard of Oz as the children's play. (In spite of seeing it at Jesuit earlier this year.)

We were supposed to choose three actors we'd like back. I picked four, though, but Rich didn't mention any. I wrote in Lenny Volpe and Sarah Tattersall, and voted for Rachel de Benedet and Robert Gallagher.

VodkaPundit replies to Al Gore. Best of the Web adds: "It appears Saddam Hussein has unleashed a new weapon of mass distraction on America, a Gore-like android so realistic it is every bit as lifeless as the real thing." Then there's Little Green Footballs: "Al Gore has really marginalized himself now, taking a position that’s so far left it verges on the loony variety. Daily I thank the Almighty Omniscient Hanging Chad that he isn’t president." P.J. O'Roarke calls him the dumbest guy ever to run for President... "and he attacks Bush in the one thing that Americans approve of. How dumb is that?" Bill Quick also echoes this:

As for Big Honest Al himself? Every day, in every way, he's making the Electoral College look like a display of genius on the part of the men who founded this country.

Most of them died at least two centuries ago. Yet they still managed to save the nation from "President" Big Honest Al. Since I don't believe in divine providence, that's genius enough for me.

I just hope he runs again, myself. The Harold Stassen of the Democrats. I think most of them would happily throw him into the '04 maelstrom, leaving the field free in '08.