Where's That Jetpack I Was Promised?

Here we are on the cusp of 2011, thinking of the future, and I wonder, where's the future we were promised? You know, zipping around in flying cars, living on Mars -- the stuff of sci-fi films and World's Fair displays. Not to dismiss the future we live in now, with music coming from devices the size of matchboxes (oops, sorry kids, you're asking "What's a matchbox??") For a look back at the future we were expecting try these 2 titles, available (on paper!) from your library.

Another Holiday Tradition

I'm sure everyone has seen "A Christmas Carol" (my favorite's the Alastair Sim version), and of course "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (the soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi alone would make it a classic). But one of my favorite Christmas episodes is tucked away in the series 2 collection of "All Creatures Great and Small", the series based on the books by British vet James Herriott. The episode is "Merry Gentlemen", and among the plot strands (Siegfried tries to cure a gypsy family's donkey without offering 'charity', Tristan wonders what lies behind the mysterious locked door in the vet's house, and Mrs. Pumphrey's spoiled terrier Tricki Woo suffers the results of too much pampering) is my favorite scene. A visit to the Hewison farm traditionally features a taste of Mrs. Hewison's Christmas cake, but this year, Mrs. Hewison is determined to find out whether Siegfried is just being polite when he praises her cooking. Even though we've seen it probably a dozen times, it's still the height of suspense as Siegfried takes a bit of cake and mulls his response. If you haven't seen it, quick, put it in your holds queue!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

It usually starts in October. I'm not talking about ghosts and goblins and things that go bump in the night. No, I'm talking about something far more bone-chilling: holiday music. I'm truly afraid that if I hear Mariah Carey screaming "O Holy Night" in tones only dogs can hear just one more time, my brain will explode.

Now I really do have many, many favorite songs I enjoy over the holidays, but is there any other season with as much bad music associated with it? I don't think so. I shudder when Grandpa insists on dragging the Bing Crosby records out of the closet. And "A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra" -- where's the jolly? His singing on at least half of the album is positively sepulchral!

Don't get me wrong, I'm really not a grinch. This time of year is full of chances for warm family gatherings and profound personal changes.


All I ask this holiday season is the gift of peace -- and quiet.

And while it's probably too late to check these out this year, these and many other sounds of the season are available from your library!