Belated Birthdays, Rick Perry (can't pass it up), and Advent

First, check out the new poll. Please, no comments about how we can't listen to Christmas music yet. I'll respect your decision if you'll respect mine.

I don't understand why my mail comes at 7 p.m. but the garbage truck rumbles loudly down the alley at 6:45 a.m. If the city of Chicago's Department of Streets and Sanitation and the USPS could get together and have those times switched, it would be much appreciated. Thanks. Also, closing down Grace is really killing my commute to Trader Joe's. I'd like that opened ASAP. I think that's it for now.

My brother and I (and Kelly Perez) went out last night for a belated birthday dinner. It's still weird (in a good way) that he's in town, even though I see him about as often as I did when he lived in Duluth/Breckenridge/Bemidji. We finished the night off by watching Muppet Treasure Island to get ready for the upcoming movie. Good times. Happy 25th, broseph. This is the point when it's easiest to remember how old all my siblings are: Jessica-29, me-27, Stephen-25, Anna-23. Two years apart from November until March when I go and screw it up by getting older.

Rick Perry's latest gaffe was pretty epic. I mean, you should at least know the name of the government agencies you want to get rid of. However, to be fair, maybe he's already gotten rid of the department in his mind, so why bother remembering the name? Here's the awe-inspiring clip, if you missed it. The best part is definitely the "Oops!" at the end.

And, of course, Jon Stewart's take on it:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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I'm giving four "meh's..." to Billy Crystal hosting the Oscars. I think they should have definitely gone with the Muppets. I mean, no offense to Crystal, he's great, but what have you done for me lately? Forget Paris? Analyze This/That? A voice-over in Cars and Monsters, Inc? (You better believe I just looked him up on imdb).

16 days until Advent!! I can't wait for Advent (irony intended). I think it's my favorite season because it does not shy away from the reality of darkness or even pain to some extent, but it is always undergirded with a deep and lasting hope. Hope and light rise out of the darkness and despair of occupation and dashed dreams, shining all the clearer through the night that once surrounded it. Even its call for repentance is not so much penitent (as in Lent) as it is preparation for a feast, a getting ready for the kingdom of God, a personal and corporate transformation imbued with the joy and hope of the King and kingdom we wait for. Advent, come quickly!

I think I'll end on that note.