Random

...We've had a run of buffoons in the White House. But there have been times when men of grace and civility have held the office. Gerald Ford, the "accidental president," was one such man.

...Last evening we went to the regular Wednesday night festival at Chamorro Village in Agana. It was packed with locals and tourists -- shoulder-to-shoulder people. That has got to be one of the best run operations on Guam. I don't think the government has anything to do with it (not even a cop in sight -- unlike a stateside event of that size, where you'd need a major police presence to keep things in order). The food is wonderful and cheap. People are sober and in a good mood. Things can be done well on Guam.

...We put Kent and Betsy on the plane for the mainland this morning. So now all three of the children are gone. And we're back to our routines. I've got a few syllabi to crank out in the next day or so.

...We received a lot of great gifts this Christmas. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the fudge-covered granola bars and the 12-pack of Diet Coke with Lime (all unavailable on Guam) that our kids brought with them.

...We signed the pile of papers for the sale of our California house. We're assuming that FedEx should be delivering them sometime in the next few hours for tomorrow's closing. We know, though, that with any such transaction it's not a done deal until the money is in the bank.

...New home sales rebounded in November.

...Urbana 06 started yesterday in St Louis. Cheryl and I both attended this granddaddy of all missions conferences in 1976. Someday we'll get to go again. Our friend Lois Wilson is attending this year. There are several bloggers on duty.

...Internet access in parts of Asia was affected by the earthquake in Taiwan. No unusual outages on Guam, though.