Category Archives: Blogs' Archive

This short video ( https://www.facebook.com/patrick.vee/videos/10152842246018352/?pnref=story ) is the kind of thing for which social media was invented. It makes you laugh – I literally laughed till I cried – but it also has a major social point, if you think about it, a clue as to how we must proceed as a society.
It’s an exorcism, filled with appropriate howling and dramatic gestures and mumbo jumbo and jerking around and writhing. I’ve got nothing against it, actually. If it gets rid of your demons, it gets rid of your demons. I know, I know, it’s the placebo effect, it’s like voodoo, it only works if you believe in it, but some people DO believe in it and if it works for them, who am I to mock?
Well, I’m a guy with a blog, my whole purpose in life is to mock, so that answers that question.
About mid-way through the exorcism, the guy’s phone rings. He stops to answer it and the preacher totally loses his cool.
On the one hand, it’s just a funny video of an incongruous situation. It’s a clash of two worlds, the mystical and magical on one hand, the modern and practical on the other. The last thing you expected was for the phone to ring.
Maybe that’s what we need, in this insane world, where so many are so quick to believe so many completely irrational things. We need for the modern world, the real world we are all living in, to intrude.

I am typing this on my super fast new computer that I got for Christmas. I don’t mean I can type super fast on it; that function, of course, is limited by the speed of my digital appendages, which is limited indeed. It really is much faster, though, everything comes up right away, I can zip through my Facebook feed for the day in an hour or two, and I have more time to actually RTFA, as people keep constantly shouting at me to do.
We are home from the cottage, it was a rainy day but, well above freezing so the roads were not icy at all, which I was worried about. Isabel decided to stay on till Wednesday so, if her grandparents are ready to spoil her for a couple more days, no problem.
Watching Finland-Czech Republic in Junior Hockey (under 20) and so far a 1-1 tie. So, the future of Czech Hockey looks promising. Apparently, our nephew Adam (who is …I don’t know, 6?, plays and we’re going to go see him play some time soon.
As you can see, I have nothing of import to write tonight. You’ve all got your favorite George Michael tunes. Play them.

RIP to all the victims of the airplane crash today. Russian authorities said “Terrorism cannot be ruled out” which is strange, in a way, because I was just thinking that “Putin can’t be ruled out.” I’m not making an accusation, just saying that the doctor on board, Elizaveta Glinka, who was kind of a hero doing humanitarian work in Syria, might not have had precisely the same view of that conflict as Putin, and the plane was the same type as in the airplane crash that killed the Polish president a couple of years back, which a LOT of people thought might have been sabotaged by the Russians.
On the other hand, the Soviet military choir also perished in the crash, and the doctor is only a doctor, so I seriously think it’s unlikely, but somebody has to look at the conspiracy theory angle.

Global Warming is real, we all know that, and by we all, I mean we all who believe in science. But an extra piece of evidence to me seems to be in all the ‘White Christmas’ type post cards one sees on Facebook. Not so many world blanketed in snow scenes and more bits of streaky white on the ground and people being happy they got that. I got a Christmas message from Glasgow, where it was raining. One from Ireland, showing people all bundled up from the cold, but not a snowflake in sight.

It rained here, too, and so we were pretty much housebound the whole day, playing games and doing puzzles and testing out all the Christmas gifts. Five kids, so it was a lot of fun.

Although perhaps I should be careful with that title. I saw a “White Christmas” post from one of my friends, who I know voted for Trump, and became very suspicious about his meaning.
I don’t know if there’s snow in Prague or not (doubt it), but we are at the cottage, in the foothills of the Krkonose mountains, and it did indeed snow today, a lovely, big flaked snow, but when I went out for a walk after, it was raining, kind of drizzly, and it was already melting. It’s just right at that point. While out walking this morning, fell flat on my face in the middle of the road, because the road was a solid patch of ice. Nobody saw.
Anyway, carp and potato salad have been consumed, presents have been opened, and I am typing this on my brand new computer, which seems to be much quicker and more responsive than the last computer. A couple of hiccups, like I don’t have a Czech keyboard yet, but I’m sure we’ll figure that out, especially since, although it is officially my computer, it was my Christmas gift, I know everybody else in the family is going to be fighting me for time on it (Sam and Helena have already had a go), and I’d better co-operate, because I am dependent on them for tech support.
Tomorrow, my wife’s sister’s family will come, and there will be a day of kids playing with each others’ presents, and confusion will reign.
That’s about it for tonight. Hoping Carrie Fischer is feeling better.

We are at the cottage so I’m writing this on a funky little keyboard which is way too small for my fat fingers, so i will keep it quick. Actually, I should be grateful that I am able to write my blog and access the internet at all here.

We got on the road at about 3:30, and there was heavy traffic getting out of Prague. Really, I think civilization would function much better if we didn’t all insist on doing the same things at the same times. We could avoid the crowds in the stores and a lot of the worst irritations of the season if we just decided, arbitrarily, to have 4 Christmases throughout the year. One in spring, one in summer, one in autumn, and one on the traditional date. Everybody could pick one, and things would go much more smoothly.
Purists might object, but there isn’t a chance in hell that it’s actually Christ’s birthday and, besides, most people don’t care about that. Santa can fly four times a year as easy as he can fly one, because he’s magic.
Same goes for weekends. If every company gave half their employees Wednesday-Thursday off, they could stay open 7 days and the beaches wouldn’t be near as crowded on the weekend.
There are over 7 billion people on this planet. We have to start thinking creatively.