Our Thanksgiving vacation was more of a Baby Tour, as this was Artemis' first big trip away from home. We packed up the Jetta Wagon and headed up to New Jersey, setting up base camp at my aunt Mary's (unlike last year, when we had an actual tent as base camp).

It was really nice to have almost no responsibilities apart from taking care of the baby. On Thanksgiving, I never even put on my shoes - a sign of true relaxation.

There were some pretty heavy political overtones, as my aunt's family is a group of self-described Democrat proselytizers, along with the rest of my "life-long Democrat" New Jersey family. Like most Democrats these days, they don't actually promote anything - it's all about being anti-Bush. My aunt can't stand that he's stupid; my cousin can't stand that our reasons for going to Iraq aren't as black-and-white as he'd like; my uncle can't stand that evil Republicans have any political power at all; my father can't stand that Bush LIES about EVERYTHING and might even want to get re-elected; my grandfather dislikes that NJ and the Feds aren't giving more money to veterans...of WW2. Actually, I suppose my Grandfather is actually promoting something there. Anyway, suffice it to say that I was in the belly of the beast, and while I do bite my tongue quite a bit, my political views are no secret.

One funny thing was my father berating Bush for living the easy life, safe in the US, when "he should be in Iraq!". OK, so the next day we learned that Bush was in Iraq. So, he must be satisfied, right? I'll let you know after I talk to him...

The general reaction was, unsurprisingly, that it was politically motivated - and an observation that he dared stay in the safest area of the city. Certainly, discomfort at the fact that an evil, stupid Republican could do something...good. The most surprising thing for me is how the country has become a bunch of Karl Rove's - so many people seem to worry about the political implications of things, rather than worrying about the things, or underlying policies, themselves. In other words, when something happens, a good number of people are just skipping the actual event and considering only the electoral implications. I don't think that's a good thing. And I'm not the only one who is noticing this.

On a somewhat related note, I also watched the extended DVD version of "The Two Towers". Wow, again a great movie, and as unlikely as it may sound, much improved by the inclusion of the "new" scenes (i.e. those deleted from the theatrical version). The "new" scenes really help explain the story for those of us who haven't read the books. One subject I brought up in conversation was the pro/anti war arguments provided in the movie. In particular, the argument of whether Sauron should be countered or, essentially, ignored. Back in the theater I felt the movie made a strong case for the war by making the anti-war arguments and then showing those arguments to be ineffective failures. And lo and behold, I pull up Peeve Farm, and there's an exhaustive analysis! I love the Internet.

OK, enough of the politics and movie watching. Tomorrow I'll continue with coverage of the various reactions to Artemis, Christmas gifts, and other topics. Tonight I'm going to follow Lileks' advice and watch Carnivale alone, in the dark, at midnight. I haven't written on Carnivale yet, but I probably will soon - it is a great, great series. Final judgment tonight.

Final note: Suzy Kolber on Sunday Night Football is a talented, subtle sports reporter - just like Jim Rome and Dick Vitale. She should have her own volume control.