Morning Spirit

 Probably should have blogged last night, but I decided to do some reading -- about halfway through Gould's Grand Old Party, which is a history of the GOP.  It is good -- a bit brief, in some ways, but I do appreciate the author's efforts to get at the nuances of the party -- moderates, conservatives, other actors of note who affected campaigns -- so I do like it.  And, of course, it is intellectually stimulating, as we would expect.  :)

Watched "Around the World in 80 Days" yesterday -- another Best Picture winner down.  I liked it, but I find it hard to believe it was the best picture out there.  It's cute -- David Niven is perfect for the role -- and it does have some charm.  Interesting back story about its production, and the cameos in the film were quite a lark -- familiar faces kept popping up, which added to the appeal. It is long, though...

I need to start hitting restaurants again and crossing a few off the list (ditto for the National Film Registry one); in addition to Restaurant Lives Matter, there is the whole idea of not having lists pile up...

Hard to believe it is a new year already.  I still have the Xmas decorations up; the Vatican keeps theirs up, so so can I.  I don't know; always feel guilty about not liking Christmas that much; my parents loved it, and I guess liked certain parts of it when I was a kid, but other parts... it's like I am letting everyone down by not getting more into the spirit of things.  I need to be my own person, but there is no reason why I shouldn't be more spirited.  Hence, for the 15th time in a row, I am putting up a tree next year and including all the ornaments and decorations.