A Christmas sloth (on Jupiter)

The twinkling stars and other moons shone in the sky, and even the noise of the insects ceased. Presently the edge of the sun that had been first obscured reappeared, and then Nature went through the phenomenon of an accelerated dawn. Without awaiting a full return of light, the travellers proceeded on their way, and had gone something over a hundred yards when Ayrault, who was marching second, suddenly grasped Bearwarden, who was in front, and pointed to a jet-black mass straight ahead, and about thirty yards from a pool of warm water, from which a cloud of vapour arose. The top of the head was about seven feet high, and the length of the body exceeded thirty feet. The six legs looked as strong as steel cables, and were about a foot through, while a huge, bony probiscis nine feet in length preceded the body. This was carried horizontally between two and three feet from the ground. Presently a large ground sloth came to the pool to drink, lapping up the water at the sides that had partly cooled. In an instant the black armored monster rushed down the slope with the speed of a nineteenth-century locomotive, and seemed about as formidable. The sloth turned in the direction of the sound, and for a moment seemed paralyzed with fear; it then started to run, but it was too late, for the next second the enormously exaggerated ant -- for such it was -- overtook it. The huge mandible shears that when closed had formed the proboscis, snapped viciously, taking off the sloth's legs and then cutting its body to slivers. The execution was finished in a few seconds, and the ponderous insect carried back about half the sloth to its hiding-place, where it leisurely devoured it.

-- John Jacob Astor, A Journey in Other Worlds (1894)

Survived Christmas

Christmas with the family was great fun as usual, but shot through with wintery melancholy below the joy. 'Tis the season, eh? I taught my jock nephew the old nerd football chant my friend Don "The Glove" Palmer and I developed in high school: "Repel them! Repel them! Force them to relinquish the ball! Rah!" We ate our traditional cioppino on Christmas Eve and prime rib on Christmas. My sister, still in China, managed to send us a 500-piece Seattle puzzle via Amazon or eBay or something. (The "folk art" version of Seattle in the artwork included a Tully's but no Starbuck's.) I told my niece and her fiance that I'd be happy to conduct the ceremony at their wedding in July. I'm actually terrified, but I really want to do this for them. Time to take the bull by the horns and test my strength for them, play the role of the right reverend Ramdu -- or let it play me, let it become me. The various presents I gave seemed to go down well enough. I missed my sister, and I worry about my brother and his disappointments and frustrations. My mother was so happy to have us all around, and there's something deeply grounding in sitting around and shooting the shit with the famn-damily. We all told our favorite family stories, drawing the bonds with words and laughter. My niece described a nightmare about a man-shark with legs and arms and a shark head, and I said faux-pedantically, "So it was actually more of a shark-man." My nephew gave me a high five and said, "I love this family."

The bonds of affection were intensely felt. I'm glad it's over. I felt so brittle when I got home. I'm privileged beyond belief to have such a great family who somehow (foolishly) all think I'm the greatest too. We're all going to Costa Rica in March, and that will be more relaxed and carefree. I feel a huge pressure releasing, and new lightness in the air.

Here's to the new year, and to new adventures, new roles, and new vistas to visit!