Muddling Through Somehow

Good Riddance

Fidel Castro, one of the most monstrous figures of the 20th century, died on Friday. I know that, as a Catholic, I am not supposed to revel in the death of any human being, but in this case I guess I'll just have to go to confession.

Of course, the reaction of left-wingers in America and around the world was entirely predictable, and disgusting. As you might expect, the reaction of most Cuban-Americans was less warm.

I'm with them, and I offer a prayer that the people of Cuba may finally be able to take back their freedom. Too soon to know if that will happen, though. Time will tell...

"Hell is too little punishment for a man like him, though."

Not my call, but I don't disagree with the sentiment...

Overtime Excitement

After last week's dispiriting home loss to Tampa Bay at Arrowhead Stadium, my beloved Kansas City Chiefs entered last night's Sunday Night Football game against the AFC West rival and defending Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver with their season hanging in the balance. A loss would have put them two games behind division-leading Oakland with just five games remaining, and would have pushed them out of the playoff standings with several challenging games still to be played. Instead, they fought their way to a thrilling 30-27 win, with
K Cairo Santos's game-winning field goal clanging off the left upright but still going through just as time expired in the 15-minute overtime period...

"You know I'm gone like a cool breeze..."

The offensive star of the game was rookie WR Tyreek Hill, who became the first player in 51 years to score
a rushing touchdown, a receiving touchdown, and a kick-return touchdown in the same game
(Hall of Famer Gale Sayers was the last player to accomplish the feat).

"Hi! I'll be doing this all night, just so you know..."

On defense, the Chiefs were led
by Pro Bowl LB Justin Houston, looking like he has fully recovered from his knee surgery. Justin had 10 tackles, 3 sacks, and forced a fumble in what was a completely dominating performance.

The Chiefs will certainly need his contributions as they begin their playoff drive.

"For a game your team won, there sure was a lot of cursing last night..."

What can I say? The game had a lot of twists and turns...

Nice Try, Kid

From the indispensable comic strip Non Sequitur, by Wiley Miller, which you should read every day, as I do (even though Wiley is a squishy liberal).

Until Next Time...

As I did last year, the plan is to feature music associated with the Christmas season exclusively until January 1. The selections will include both religious hymns (as yesterday's entry did) and more secular holiday favorites. There is so much wonderful Christmas music from which to choose that a month-long focus on it won't even scratch the surface of what is available to enjoy.

Original 1944 "one sheet" poster

On November 28, 1944 the motion picture musical Meet Me in St. Louis opened in New York City. It starred 22-year-old Judy Garland and was directed by her future husband Vincente Minnelli (who first met her on the set of the film).

According to Variety it was the year's second-highest grossing film. It received four Academy Award nominations and in 1994 it was selected for the National Film Registry curated by the Library of Congress. But the film is best-remembered at this time of year for introducing a song which has been
a seasonal favorite for more than 70 years.



"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" has been recorded by hundreds of artists and groups in every musical genre. Garland's original version remains my favorite, and it always brings me to tears, but there have been many other memorable versions recorded since then.

Today's send-off is a rendition of the classic tune from Tony Award-winning actor and singer Leslie Odom, Jr.'s new Christmas album, which just happens to be this week's Music Recommendation. Enjoy...