Know Your Congressman and Senators (Entry 6 of 21)

Alas, this appears to be one of our least popular series, but since I am NOT a tv network executive, it shall continue.

Today, I ask which one of these Midwestern Democratic Senators won his seat with 64 percent of the vote in 1998? He is pictured at the top of the entry.

Is it?:

A) Tom Harkin (Iowa)

B) Russ Feingold (Wisc.)

C) Evan Bayh (Ind.)

D) Dick Durbin (Ill.)

The answer to last week's quiz was Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah)

True Confessions Quiz (Entry 1 of 11)

Readers of this blog who might be curious about sometimes mundane existence now have a chance to learn a little bit more about me.......hmm, legal experts might say this is a very bad idea.

But, now is your chance to guess which one of these statements about me is NOT true.

A) I was a far right wing child who looked up to the now deceased Alpastan Turkesh, the founder of the Grey Wolves, a man who made Pat Buchanan look like Jane Fonda in the sixties. I once went so far as to write Turkesh slogans on a sidewalk next to our apartment.

B) As a very liberal college student who thought Bill Clinton should have been a Republican, I almost went on a trip to Cuba with a group of young socialists.

C) I lost a chess game to an eight-year-old girl and have since played the game very rarely.

D) I was an extra in Charles Cullen's "The Day the Whole *&%king World Blew Up." Cullen is a local filmmaker in my hometown of Roanoke, Va., who actually has an international cult following.

Good luck with this one.........it's hard to believe three of these statements are actually true.

Political Confusion Quiz (Entry 6 of 21)

Today's question is a rather simple one. Which one of these people would you feed to a hungry polar bear? If the answer is Sarah Palin, you're a Democrat. If the answer is Michael Moore, you are more likely to be with the GOP.

When I told my friend Alan Taylor of South Boston, Va., about my proposal for this entry, he replied: "Why can't someone feed both of them to a polar bear?"

Of course, polar bears have been in the news lately because President George W. Bush is reportedly lifting protection measures taken for them. Only one more month of this guy, right?

10 People I've Sent Christmas Cards Too

I must profess that I am not a Christmas person. I think the holiday is celebrated way too early, and it always seems to be perennially exploited by both commercial merchants and religious fanatics who want us to take sides between Santa Claus and Jesus.

There is also a lot of forced togetherness during this time of the year which can be very painful for people (ie. egg nog with the step uncle from hell who lives in a trailer park in Bluefield, West Virginia).

The best example of this did not happen to me but to a friend of mine from Reading, Pa., who once told me that a fist fight broke out between her two brothers on the front lawn of her home on Christmas Day.

And, my favorite Christmas song is not "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby, but the dark rock anthem "Father Christmas" by The Kinks. I think the honest pain in Ray Davies' voice is more indicative of a real life experience which we can all relate to.

Having said that, it may shock some of you to learn that I seem to somehow send out more Christmas cards than almost anyone I know, and that includes Sunday school teachers!

The reason for this is that I like to keep track of people and appreciate gratitude towards folks who have been generous to me in some way. And, I figure I should get something out of the season for myself which can not be undermined by the chaos that comes as soon as the Best Buy shopping spree gets underway at 3 a.m. on the day after Thanksgiving.

This year I sent out 55 Christmas cards which has either equaled or topped my previous output.

I never get anywhere close to the number of cards I send out back, but I learned that is ok a long time ago. Though assuredly some people must be stunned to see me- of all people- sending them a Christmas card!

There are always inevitably surprises as some people I don't expect to hear from do respond. As of right now, I've received three cards but I realize that number will likely increase substantially.

I can not list everyone I sent a card to here, but here are ten random people I sent or gave ones too in no particular order. Some of them are friends, some are co-workers, and others are family members:

1. Lale and Matt Lovell- Boulder, Col.

2. Maria Hatzios- Blacksburg, Va.

3. Bruce Piephoff- Greensboro, NC

4. Kurt Gokbudak- Laguna Nigel, Calif.

5. Steve Franco- Salem, Va.

6. Michael Dawkins- Rock Hill, SC

7. Royce Richardson- Madison, NC

8. Haywood Graves- Danville, Va.

9. Alena Lachanglachang- Pittsburg, Calif.

10. Sheriff Tim Carter- Woodstock, Va.


If you want to be added to that list, sorry.........I am now a bit burned out from Christmas cards at the moment though some time next week, I hope to send out some e-Christmas cards. I just have to figure out the cut-off point, which can be challenging.

And, of course, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to each of you even if you are in prison for starving for your pet poodle!

Facebook Friend of the Week- CeCe Bell

This week's Facebook Friend of the Week is children's author CeCe Bell from Christiansburg, Va. CeCe is married to my good friend children's book author Tom Angleberger, who will be the subject of an upcoming interview here on this blog.

CeCe's new book is "Bee-Wigged." She is also the author of "Sock Monkey Boogie Woogie" (pictured here).

CeCe turns 38 on Dec. 26, and she has 105 friends on Facebook.

Tom is also a juggler and a newspaper columnist with "The Roanoke Times."

The couple reportedly have a pet iguana named Harvey who could eat my cat Gizmo in one swoop.......that is a joke!

Useful Links:

http://www.cecebell.com

Cinema of the Week- The Galaxy in Cary, NC

While most of the cinemas we focus on in this series will be historic movie theatres like the Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, Va., or the Tower Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah, there will be some which are cool even though they may have built after "Melrose Place" was on the air.

One such place is the Galaxy Cinema in Cary, NC (a suburb of Raleigh), which always showcases at least one Bollywood film since the Raleigh metro area has a fairly large Indian population.

This week, the Galaxy is showing "Gumaam_ The Mystery Hindi" (not an image from the film) along with regular features like Mike Leigh's new film "Happy_Go_Lucky."

The Galaxy is also showing the Swedish horror film "Let the Right One In" as well as "Rachel Getting Married," "W," "The Boy in Stripped Pajamas" and "Nobel Son." My friend Moviezzz has a very interesting story about "Nobel Son" on his blog "Talking Moviezzz" (see our links section).

And, since I am half-Turkish, I should also plug the Harmony Market, which sits in an outdoor shopping mall across the street from the Galaxy. The Harmony Market has a variety of Turkish foods, including feta cheese, yogurt, halva and (mmmm!) apricot juice.

http://wwww.mygalaxycinema.com

Quote of the Week- Britney Spears

"I know not everyone will like me, but this is who I am, so if you don't like it tough."

We highly recommend the cover story on Britney in the current issue of "Rolling Stone." I think even Republicans will like it.