I saw this in the Gazette this morning. Almost snorted my juice through my nose. Sometimes it’s hard to believe there are actually people out there who think along the same line you do.

The only problem, of course, is that yawning cavern of emptiness in the Rocky Mountain West. If anybody needs a little infrastructure we can sure use it. I think I already explained in a cursory fashion my idea of a Y-shaped incision rail line with one arm starting in Williston and the other ending in Whitefish or Kalispell, going through Glendive, Miles City, Billings naturally, Bozeman, Butte, Helena, Missoula; and the stalk of the Y heading south out of Billings toward Sheridan, Casper and eventually to Denver.

I don’t think you need Maglev speed, just 100-120mph would be fine I’m sure and a couple different departure times every day. Just twice as fast as you can reasonably drive would be good enough for now. That’s HopenChange you can Believe in. I might just be a closet Obamaniac, maybe even a born-again member of the Obama Nation. Uhh, maybe not the last. Just think how this would relieve pressure on the roads and airports. Heck, you could probably delay fixing the roads long enough for the US automobile industry to recover. If they ever do.

Maybe we should do this as a state, like they did in New Mexico recently (see above highlighted post for a nice picture of a RailRunner) possibly with some help from North Dakota, Wyoming and maybe others too if we modify the route a little more. How about it? Senators Tester and Baucus? Representative Rehberg? Where are you when we need you?

I mean what would be the point of sending however many billions to Montana to pay for more state employees and more state-delivered services for a couple of years, then we would be on the hook forever after that. Oops, I think I just figured out how Obama could make that outrageous claim that 95% of us were going to see our taxes decline. Of course, he meant federal taxes. Duh! But even now I still can’t see how it could be done even with a compliant media to explain things to us commoners. Probably just invincible ignorance on my part.

I just love playing the role of Don Quijote or better yet Sancho Panza or maybe just good old Rocinante. What windmills? Why, there are whole brigades of them out there!

If it’s not, then maybe it ought to be.

There were some recognizable old hippies in the audience, surprisingly well preserved, must have been the drugs, but most of them had disguised themselves as ordinary older folk out for a sedate good time.

The Trio put on a good show, sounded just like the records I remembered, sold CDs in the lobby, and promised to come back if the Symphony would invite them. We should have brought our grandchildren along: I’m pretty sure they would have liked the sound.

Just in case you can’t get tickets to any of the more high class football bowl games coming up on New Year’s Day here is a suggestion if your travel plans take you in the vicinity of Green Bay, Minneapolis, Milwaukee or even Chicago: Here is the bumper-sticker above.

And a short note about last year’s game finally made Good Morning America three days later.

I haven’t seen stalactites from my front window for awhile.
Is this a sign of climate change?
Inquiring minds want to know.

And finally, I received a present from my wife that was unexpected. When I looked it up on Wikipedia I found nothing there about this version of Monopoly. I was a little surprised.

The Atlantic City properties had been changed to well known places scattered around the country including such notable places as Fenway Park in Boston and the Mall of America in Minneapolis. The venerable four railroads had been changed to four of the busiest and largest airports in the land. And the numbers had been increased 10,000 or maybe 100,000 fold compared to the original. And the banker now fiddled with credit cards rather than paper currency. It was still as much fun though I don’t remember my kids beating me so soundly when they were young.

2. You don’t believe in Santa Claus.

3. You are Santa Claus.

4. You look like Santa Claus.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Mary and Joseph

This is the centerpiece of a live Nativity Scene in the gym of First Presbyterian Church on the corner of Poly and 13th, just before Christmas 2008. St Luke says the babe was “laid in a manger” which implies that He was born in a stable.

There were a host of angels around the periphery though one was taking a coffee and cookie break.

And some carolers in the background. Nice harmonies, well balanced. Our songs tell the story fairly well.

The Meistersingers, Westwinds, Vox Nova, and the Chamber Choir, all vocal groups from Billings West High School, together with their instrumental friends were in good voice Thursday evening at Mount Olive Lutheran Church. Parents, parishioners and alumni filled the sanctuary. This was billed as a Holiday Concert. And it was, and curiously enough the holiday celebrated was the Nativity, commonly known as Christmas. The brass quintet was a little too loud for the Chamber Choir and the Meistersingers had some trouble with entrances in the Hallelujah Chorus but these kids sang with passionate hearts and the audience knew it.

The numbers that really stood out were the comic Straight No Chaser arrangement of The Twelve Days of Christmas by the Westwinds; Elgar’s The Snow by all the ladies was splendidly mystical and musical; and What Child Is This? by the Meistersingers.

A nice touch was ending with Beautiful Savior by everybody including alumni. I noticed some recent graduates among the guys and a number of proud moms and maybe a few dads amongst the alumni. It takes a community to raise great kids.

First of all there is Thanksgiving with the Nutcracker Ballet, usually from somewhere in the Northwest, in late November. Then there are a heavenly host full of concerts by the Community Orchestra and Band, the Al Bedoo Chanters, the Magic City Singers, Rocky Mountain College Festival Lessons and Carols, the high school bands and choirs, Bellissimo, Messiah Festival, not to forget the offerings of Billings Studio Theatre and Venture Theatre, and then another Nutcracker, this time from Moscow, a trip down Memory Lane with the Kingston Trio on New Years Eve, Midnight Masses and all the other Christmas celebrations. Happy Holy Days.

Charles Dickens wrote a “little Christmas ghost story” as   quickly as he could in the 1840s because he needed the money. It was an instant success and has had many variations played on its theme of social injustice and poverty using the unlikely redemption of the miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, all in one night, Christmas Eve actually.

Venture Theatre on Montana Ave is doing Tom Mula’s version this Christmas season in which Jacob Marley gets to redeem not only Scrooge but himself as well.

Originally written for one person, this version was expanded to four and now five players, some of the best in town with David Otey playing Marley, Vincent Raye as Scrooge, Daniel Zent as an impish spirit called Bogle, and all the other parts played very well by Nan Edmonds and Tiffany Melia. The set and props are minimal and you have to be familiar with at least one of the more traditional earlier versions in order to understand what’s going on.

All the players had a reasonable English accent. They all did well and Zent played above his pay grade. The pace is very quick, one of the advantages of using the audience’s imagination for much of the action. Not much sentiment, the Cratchits didn’t play much of a part, in fact it was more of a post-modern morality play than the original Victorian. A little slow in starting but the 2nd part just hums. I prefer musical versions of this play but this was a good way of showing off the skills of the players. I saw it Friday night and I liked it. Probably not for young kids.

It’s playing Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, finishing on 21 December. Go see it.