This particular song was used for the finale of one of my daughters’ favorite movies, Harriet the Spy. The kids are in a school auditorium dressed as onions and gravy boats and stuff like that. James Brown transmitted more joy into the World than most human beings can ever hope to. We mourn the loss of his physical being, but his soul will be around us always.

I called my mother on the telephone several times this week. She’s not online at all and she’s getting accustomed to asking me to check stuff out for her crossword puzzle or just to satisfy her curiousity. Sometimes she wants her memory jogged with reference to a song lyric. I found a cool site for the really old ones. It is called Representative Poetry Online. The one she was looking for this week was written by a guy called Anonymous. It seems that he was a very prolific guy between about 1100 and 1945. He wrote everything from dirty limericks to Beowulf.

Here is a song with a publication date of 1666, I actually thought it was a bit newer than that. I hope someone enjoys finding it here. There are several more verses, these are those most commonly included in modern times.

ANONYMOUS (1100-1945)
I Saw Three Ships

I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas day in the morning.

And what was in those ships all three,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day?
And what was in those ships all three,
On Christmas day in the morning?

Our Savior Christ and His lady,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
Our Savior Christ and His lady,
On Christmas day in the morning.

Pray whither sailed those ships all three,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day?
Pray whither sailed those ships all three,
On Christmas day in the morning?

O they sailed into Bethlehem,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day,
O they sailed into Bethlehem,
On Christmas day in the morning.

And all the bells on earth shall ring,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
And all the bells on earth shall ring,
On Christmas day in the morning.

And all the angels in Heav’n shall sing,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
And all the angels in Heav’n shall sing,
On Christmas day in the morning.

And all the souls on Earth shall sing,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
And all the souls on Earth shall sing,
On Christmas day in the morning.

Then let us all rejoice amain,
On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
Then let us rejoice amain,
On Christmas day in the morning.

“We appreciate the time and energy Ms. Simpson put into this event, and respect the high standards she has for herself…”

The quote and the clip are meant to contradict themselves in some respects. But you have to admit that, on her good days, the girl can sing a song. Ozzy’s voice is a little over-processed, but that was probably for the best.

Remember what Ozzy says when it comes to responsible drinking this holiday season.

Wine is fine, but whiskey’s quicker..

Actually, I’m sure he wants us all to have a safe and joyous time that doesn’t involve drinking and driving.

I don’t think there is any other object on the face of this Earth that makes me more nostalgic than a retro-styled bicycle. There are a lot of different frame styles that get this primal reaction from me. This is one of them:

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I like the yellow color, but the bike that I have the fondest memories for was orange. My neighbor when I was growing up wanted everything he owned to be John Deere green and yellow. That would be a good look for one of these bikes too.

XYZ Bicycles has a big selection of beach cruisers. I noticed that their top selling item is one of those wire baskets for the front of your bike. As a young boy I always tore those off as soon as I got a second hand bike. I guess I should have been saving them.

I was out at the local yard sales a few years back getting bikes for my kids. One generous salesman gave me two bikes for the price of one. I tried not to let it show on my face, but the old 70’s bike he dragged out of his garage was making me very happy. I fixed it up with a new seat and tires and tuned up the wheels and I have to confess I rode that little kid’s bike around for longer than the typical test ride. Getting a classically styled bike from XYZ that is new and the right size would make me happier than logic would dictate. If I got one with coaster brakes, I would be out making black skid marks for sure. Since I don’t live with my mom anymore I would have to decide when to stop on my own. XYZ has bikes for actual kid-sized kids too.

The Wikipedia entry for the term Blogosphere is just big enough to not be labeled as a stub. Aside from some links that I am going to follow after I finish this little blurb, there isn’t that much of interest on the page. The term was coined in 1999, maybe somebody in the blogosphere should get the ball rolling on some kind of tenth anniversary shin dig. The term was actually meant as a joke, kind of like scientology. So I have these red lines under misspelled words now that I upgraded. Scientology is supposed to be capitalized.

Sorry tom, that’s not the way I roll. Unless it’s at the start of a sentence. I don’t believe in thetan, but I do believe in grammar. Hey cool, there’s a red line under thetan, it’s not even a real word. Anyway, so I think people in the blogosphere should consider contributing to the wikipedia entry.

I watched the first heavily viewed clip of Ms. O’Donnell weighing in on some issue. I watched the second Rosie clip. I have not, so far, been motivated to watch anymore. I agree with liberal minded commentators that the presence of an openly gay, highly opinionated woman on a network television show that addresses social and political issues is a good thing. I just haven’t found anything in her views that add anything substantial to any important issue. It was probably a smart executive decision to sick her on Donald Trump. His vitriolic rebuttal has made for a broader spike in ratings for The View than Rosie’s rant could possibly have garnered on its own. I think I have said as much about this little small screen drama as I can without watching it. All that’s left to say is that detractors of this type of on screen behavior have the same choice I do.

If you want to watch something thought provoking that features Rosie, look at this trailer for the buddy-cop/erotic-thriller she did with Dan Aykroyd. I watched it back when it first went to video, I think it was the day after it went in theaters. The most interesting thing about the movie is that it was banned in Saskatchewan. Actually, that might also be the most interesting thing about Saskatchewan.

Sometime this week I reached the point where I has heard the song Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer one too many times. I now have the beginnings of a parody in my head. The video is going to feature cameos from the stars of CSI. Grandma is going to be played by Lindsay Lohan. I might even let her sing on the track. Wait, maybe Lindsay should play the driver…

Snow angels…chalk outlines… it’s all the same.

Americans didn’t know that revolting against the British would deprive them of something as special as the Queen’s Christmas Message. I grew up in Canada and the she was on the TV every year on BOTH channels. Now, after about 53 years on the throne, everyone around the World with internet access can hear her on a podcast for free. It was very hard for me to spell colour the american way for the html in this post, but they did win the war, so waht are you gonna do?

As a warmup to the Queen, here’s an impression by a queen, Scott Thompson.

I don’t know if this is a recurring thing or not. Today I noticed in the header on Wikipedia that all donations today are being matched by an anonymous donor. I went to the page for Christmas. Maybe you could make a donation on behalf of the office know-it-all and give him a card with some witty Human Fund reference. While I’m talking about worthy On Behalf Of type deals, KIVA is something I am invested in. You should check it out.

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I think I will start looking at blogs like this more in my spare time. The blogger is in pretty much the same demographic as me and she is expounding on movies and television shows among other things. I used to follow television and now I don’t. I don’t work with people who watch much TV either. This recommendation of How I Met Your Mother is thoughtful and honest. Except for one thing. She said that Alyson Hannigan’s acting almost makes her forget about the whole “band camp” thing from American Pie! Come on, admit it, you cherish that all American cheese ( I do too ). I like movie reviews from people who are talking about why they like something or don’t like something. Some of the print guys really try for a voice of authority and I hardly ever pay attention to them.