Merry Christmas

Times aren't good; they never are. We can only be thankful for what we've got and work for a better world. Merry Christmas

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light,
From now on,
Our troubles will be out of sight.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yuletide gay,
From now on,
Our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us,
Gather near to us once more.

Through the years we all will be together,
If the Fates allow,
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough,
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Top 5 Christmas Albums

So that last title was terrible. Anyway, here are my top 5 Christmas Albums of all time.

5. The Jackson 5 Christmas Album - The Jackson 5



The energy and fun that made the Jackson 5 such a phenomena just seeps out. This feels like it was made by your own family, if you had talent.

4. A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra - Frank Sinatra



Frank was known for his Christmas albums, and with good reason. The Rat Pack put out some great seasonal albums, but this was Frank's first and best. He made "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" his own, even having a line changed that he felt was too much of a downer.

3. The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole



It's not just a great Christmas album, but a great Nat King Cole album. Everything is a winner here, especially the title track. Cole is never better.

2. White Christmas - Bing Crosby



A timeless Christmas album. It may not be the first Christmas album ever, but it sure feels like it. If a song ever belonged to someone, it's "White Christmas" to Bing.

1. A Christmas Together - The Muppets & John Denver



I have to admit, this is a sentimental pick. The perfect match between Jim Henson's familiar creations and John Denver, the mix between the sacred and the swinging, the tender and the uptempo. This is greater than the sum of its parts. You wouldn't think a bunch of puppets could embody the spirit of the season, but they do. For me, this album is snow falling on Christmas Eve, a roaring fire, and gathered family.

Pinoy Pulverizes Golden Grampa

Manny Pacquiao beat De La Hoya by TKO after eight. Most didn't think he could do it, but he did. Oscar was old and slow. Manny was fast and skilled. I don't think anyone doubts Manny's skills any more. He's no longer the young brawler, but he's still got the speed and aggression of one. The Pacman is a hero to Filipinos everywhere, and now the world knows why. In retrospect, we should have seen it coming. De La Hoya isn't the boxer he used to be. It's time from him to make Golden Boy his fulltime focus and retire.

As for boxing, enough with the PPV fights. $55 for a sporting event on TV? I could go to a live game for that cash. People aren't going to pay when there's no one to watch. Seriously, how many famous boxers are there who haven't retired at least once yet? One? Two? It's a shame how far boxing has fallen in this country. It used to be one of the great American sports. I guess that's just how entertainment evolves. Still, if I could trade Nascar and hockey for it ...

Tough times

It doesn't seem like finding employment in this economy is going to be getting any easier. That means it's grad school app time. I'm looking at a bunch of technology/policy programs. MIT is the number one choice, but I know how hard it is to get in there. With any luck I guess. At least the Giants are still doing well. The Jets too for that matter.

I'm going to be driving down to Orlando with my cousin in January. He's going to be running a marathon there and wanted to drive. Unfortunately our other cousin isn't coming (due to work/laziness). Hopefully we'll have some time to drive around. I always wanted to go on a road trip down the east coast, along the south, across Texas, and back up the west coast.