The Hedgehog Is On Vacation, Sort Of

But I'll post now and then when I see something interesting. Perhaps The Kosher Hedgehog will take up the slack while I'm gone. (It might be said that he does that already, but we won't go there.) Before I go, as a somewhat dark nod to the New Year's Day traditions many of us observe, here's Mark Twain's letter to the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, January 1, 1863:

Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink, and swore his last oath. To-day, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient short comings considerably shorter than ever. We shall also reflect pleasantly upon how we did the same old thing last year about this time.

Here's a more positive view of New Year's resolutions.

And here's a set of resolutions from Bridget Johnson of National Review. One example:

Do a dramatic oral reading of Jimmy Carter’s new book at a Bay Area coffeehouse. After all, great works of fiction deserve such flair, care, and attention. And there is no danger that anyone there will be so flabbergasted by the absurdity of the book that he will choke on his organic peanuts.

Happy New Year!

January 2, 2007 at 11:16 a.m.; The Kosher Hedgehog adds:

I join Lowell in wishing our readers a Happy, Healthy, Safe and Successful 2007. Same old story: Lowell goes on vacation and I am supposed to pick up the slack. Actually, vacation or not, Lowell has been the more prolific writer during the holidays, including his piece today on President Gerald Ford's treatment by the media in 1975-76, which was linked to by National Review Online. Well done, big brother Hedgehog! My lack of posts since December 26 may in part be due to two visits last week with Mrs. Kosher Hedgehog and our visiting daughter Esther Kosher Hedgehog to the wonderful Tierra Sur Restaurant, at the Herzog Winery in Oxnard. Lowell would love the strictly kosher, but thoroughly gourmet, cuisine, although he is immune to some of the other charms of the spot due to his Mormon faith. Esther (known to her friends and professional colleagues as Estee) had heard about Tierra Sur way back east in New York City, and begged her parents to take her. Having had two wonderful lunches there previously, Laura and I happily obliged. Esther heads back to the Big Apple today--goodbye and safe journey.