Quote of the Day:

"Standing on the moon

With nothing left to do

A lovely view of heaven

But I'd rather be with you."

~ The Grateful Dead



Song of the Day:

Elton John, "Sad Songs"



Happy Birthday:

Elizabeth Arden

John Denver

Anthony Hopkins

Ben Kingsley

George Marshall

Henri Matisse

Donna Summer

Demandred? Shaido? Morgase? Our friend Tim Schnabel is all geeked out. And I, for one, am wondering what the heck he is talking about.

From Newsweek, here's an extensive sneak preview of the The Matrix Reloaded, due in theaters May 15. The sequel features "the most audaciously conceived, thrillingly executed car chase ever filmed," and the movie's cinematographer claims "It's going to make 'The Fast and the Furious' look like 'The Slow and the Dimwitted'."



Can't wait.



In other movie news, Slate's David Edelstein loves Chicago: "Every number is a showstopper. Every performer is working at the top of his or her game."



And here's Edelstein's list of the best eleven movies of 2002 (I have seen exactly none of them). Chicago is number two.

Richard Dawkins has been one of my favorite pointy-headed intellectuals for a long time. I'm surprised to read this anti-Bush screed from him. (Link via Andrew Sullivan, who has some end-of-the-year lists of his own.)

Here's George Will's always entertaining "Year in Review" column.

The New York Times reports on the case for drinking:

In a study of more than 80,000 American women, those who drank moderately had only half the heart attack risk of those who did not drink at all, even if they were slim, did not smoke and exercised daily. Moderate drinking was about as good for the heart as an hour of exercise a day. Not drinking at all was as bad for the heart as morbid obesity.

Wow. But somehow I still can't see myself becoming a glass-of-wine-every-night-with-dinner person. And of course the article reminds us that "for every one of alcohol's health benefits there is an equal and opposite risk if a single glass turns into three or four."

One of the gifts Dad Malcolm gets every Christmas is the Farmer's Almanac, which makes weather predictions for the entire year. Since this may be my last New England winter, I'm hoping it's a really snowy one, and I read the predictions for this winter with great interest. This year the Almanac is calling for a Nor'easter around Kate's birthday and a blizzard around mine.