Christmas Meme-ories

I'm flattered that the footnoteMaven has included me (or least my avatar) in her Choir of GeneaAngels—though genetic testing has established that I'm more Angle than angel.

fM also started a Blog Caroling meme, which has been making the rounds. Here's a Christmas classic sung in the impenetrably beautiful language of my ancestors by the impenetrably beautiful Johanna Kurkela. I've provided the lyrics below so you can sing along.

Jouluyö, juhlayö!
Päättynyt kaik on työ.
Kaks vain valveil on puolisoa
lapsen herttaisen nukkuessa
seimikätkyessään,
seimikätkyessään.

Jouluyö, juhlayö!
Paimenil yksin työ.
Enkel taivaasta ilmoitti heill':
Suuri koittanut riemu on teill'!
Kristus syntynyt on,
Kristus syntynyt on!

Jouluyö, juhlayö!
Täytetty nyt on työ.
Olkoon kunnia Jumalalle!
Maassa rauha, myös ihmisille
olkoon suosio suur,
olkoon suosio suur!

A Sordid Berry-Picking Tale

Schelly at Tracing the Tribe has tagged me for the 161 Meme: open up the book you're currently reading to page 161 and share the sixth sentence. This was a real challenge for me, since I rarely read books longer than 17 pages. Fortunately, I'm just finishing Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. (My policy is, if it's bad enough to ban, it's good enough to read.)

He was in these mounded rows, stooped and picking with the sun on his neck, low against the land in a sea of green and red with the smell of the earth and its berries rising like a mist, filling by the labor of his hands the twelve woven pine baskets in his caddy.

Not sure, but I think that's a metaphor for sex.

They Were Their Own Grandpas

James Pylant has compiled a history of the "I'm My Own Grandpa" meme, tracing it back to 1848. I spotted the same story in an 1822 newspaper, and it may be even older. In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw it somewhere in the Bible.

Achieve Life Balance With Genealogy!

Since Miriam asked, I have achieved balance in my life with the help of Genealogy™.

Before discovering Genealogy™, I was a 97-pound weakling. My cat ignored me and my relatives despised me. Now I weigh 98 pounds, my cat tolerates me, and my relatives hate me for a completely different reason!

Just one dose of Genealogy™ lasts a full 24 hours—long enough for me to climb out of bed, transcribe one census page, then crawl back into bed. Genealogy™ addiction support groups are a great way to meet girls—some of whom are younger than my mother!

Yes, Genealogy™ has changed my life in many ways. No longer do I waste time doing my laundry and taxes. My only concern now is supporting my habit and getting others hooked on Genealogy™!

Warning: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA or The Generations Network. Not recommended for children under 3. May cause drowsiness in others.

[Photo source: Pentothal by eurok]

Five Blogs That Make Me Think

Against her better judgment, Dana Huff tagged me for a Thinking Blogger Award. After much consideration, I've decided to pass the honor along to five non-genealogical blogs that get my cerebral juices flowing.

1. Andrew Sullivan is gay, British, Catholic, and conservative—four terms which do not appear in my Match.com profile. But his is one of the few political blogs I read that produces more light than heat.
2. I've always been a visual learner. Back when I studied philosophy and my brain was still fully functional, I would sketch diagrams to help myself understand difficult concepts. Maybe that's why I enjoy indexed—Jessica Hagy's attempt to "make fun of some things and sense of others."
3. The right side of the brain needs attention, too. Lacking any artistic ability of my own, I visit Drawn! to wallow in self-pity. And, when finished, to appreciate the diverse talents of others.
4. Had I not gone to college to not become a philosophy professor, I would have gone to college to not become an economist. Freakonomics is the companion blog to the freakishly successful book, and never fails to stimulate my atrophied thinking muscles.
5. You may know John Hodgman as "PC" in those Apple commercials, or from his appearances on The Daily Show. Offscreen he is an accomplished author and humorist, and blogs at good evening. If you don't leave his blog confused, you will surely leave amused. Here's a sample:

   OF COURSE, shaking hands with a chimney sweep will not bring you luck. That is a myth perpetuated by Disney.
   
   BUT NOT LONG AGO I consulted a contemporary, non-top-hatted chimney sweep who, EVEN THOUGH HE LOOKS LIKE A NORMAL, UN-COCKNEY HUMAN, told me he is constantly accosted by old women looking to touch him and thus ward off their horrible fates.
   
   SPECIFICALLY, he said, women of Polish extraction want to pinch him as that is the custom for squeezing out good luck from a chimney sweep in that country.
   
   I LAMENTED this unfortunate occupational hazard, and then I briefly throttled him. We all have our traditions.
   
   That is all.