One of these vans is parked in my driveway...











In other news:
Christmas is eleven days away, with its attendant work concerns. I have a miserable cold. (OK, I always say miserable. Maybe because miserable sounds so wretched when said by someone with congested sinuses. Biserble code. "I have a biserble code.") No time for slacking...will do that somewhere in the octave of Christmas.

Working on the last set of vesper sheets...with one brief correction, we are ready to go. I forgot to ask how well attended vespers were this past week-end, since my car was in the shop (a little matter of some sort of seal between the engine and transmission...a $20 part requiring $350 in labor) and the thought of going in the above van was too . . . troubling. So many other things to do...all while biserble. (And did I mention the jagged edge on one of my molars? Makes talking super biserble.) Altar server scheduling for Christmas, break etc. plus the schedule for spring semester. Phone calls, lots of phone calls. (Today's 'winner?' "What's with the rumor that you are selling tickets for the 4:00pm Christmas Eve Mass in the church?" Really? Really??) So very much going on - may not get to dentist until the octave of Christmas (let us hope the octave of this Christmas) and there's always the chance that I may have to resort to the ol' discreet use of an emery board. Even if I could afford to turn my back on the piles of tasks awaiting me, how could I bring myself to leave during such fascinating times?

And at home, our Christmas tree is now up. Beautiful. Doesn't seem right. But while I was supervising the glass ornaments - top half of the tree now that Lily is here - with my rheumy eyes and sweaty palms, I was silently rejoicing that this scene was not taking place on Christmas Eve.



These are the times that try men's souls.
And when the going gets tough, the tough get to the drugstore, throw their drivers' licenses on the counter and implore the pharmacist for the largest box of generic SudaFed legally permissible. Throw in some NyQuil, DayQuil, Ricolas and Kleenex while you're at it. It's showtime, folks.*

*And don't forget the Catholics Come Home campaign, which begins on Wednesday. Biserble operators are waiting to take your call.