My prayers for some time alone on Christmas were most thoroughly not granted. Had to spend many hours with four geezery in-law kinfolk, people I disagree with about virtually everything. Had to go outside to smoke, which I consider rude -- although I may well be that last human being on the planet who thinks so. One bright spot appeared, though: the stultifyingly boring took a turn into mentionings of certain inherited loot, which I'm intensely opposed to (I wish inheritance taxation would amount to about 90% of any postmortem gift with the lone exception being a waiver attached to land and equipment attached to a family farm.

Inherited moolah inevitably created an artistocracy, almost as fearsome to me as a theocracy (which also creates a sickening and very powerful aristocratic class). I'm no particular fan of US Democracy (a myth) but at least from time to time in this country we ressurect faint whiffs of our dusty sense of egalitarianism.

Still: fucking Christmas. I suspect it would be hard for most folks to understand what a grotesque concoction it's become to those who still find meaning in the few words we can reasonably assume were spoken by an itinerant, rebellious peasant from the backwaters.

Thanks for your thoughtful words.

Guy

I believe that not being allowed to smoke where you want is an outrage, it's the height of bad manners from any host. As you're well aware this bloody country has a huge throughput of egotistical in bred no brainers who have lived off family monies for Centuries, people we can look up to to show us how to live our lives decently, Lords, Ladies and their cloven hoofed output leading us and showing us the way.

Now we have the neuveax rich which who come and go with the ever changing tides of the economy, they are the believers and upholders of the system, verging on Theocracy, their common deity - money. Over the next five years they will have a go at being the neuveax poor which is most humbling.

The smell is getting more and more noxious but as Chancy said 'I like to watch'