Jetsam: Most common street names

Many years ago, I heard an NPR piece that listed the most common street names in the United States.  I scratched it down on a scrap of paper.  It's time to part with the paper, but not the list.

Most Common Street Names in the U.S.

1.  2nd

2.  3rd

3.  1st

4.  4th

5.  Park

6.  Main

7.  5th 

8.  6th

9.  Oak

Jetsam: Overheard on BART

"Any situation can become an argument.  It just needs enough work."

--anonymous BART rider to her male companion 2/20/08, approx. 8:12 a.m., near 12th St. Oakland station

Errata from our 2007 holiday letter

Our friends and families have high expectations for our annual holiday cards.  We have produced some memorable cards, but it can drive us insane to design and produce 100(ish) handmade cards.  There is the inevitable point when Teresa and I gaze at each other with yuletide frustration.

The 2007 card was a 5" x 7" card with our usual details about the year:  what we did and our favorite books, movies, and the new kids/pets that are in our larger universe.  We cut the card, so that it could be folded to reveal a fireplace with two cats, lit candles, with a stocking waiting to be filled.

To minimize the number of times that Swiss Colony faux-cheese is used as a projectile weapon, we keep starting the project earlier and earlier.  This year we started so early, that some versions of the letter included some predictions that didn't happen and had a few omissions that we couldn't foresee.  Some people even received longer versions of the 2007 highlights.  So rather than include the errata slip in our 2008 card, here are some items to consider:

Errors of commission:

--We did not spend several cozy winter days at a yurt near Yosemite.  T found a roundtrip, direct flight to Munich with a price we could not pass up, so the Yosemite trip changed to our Jan. 2008 Germany trip.

--Neither of us actually finished reading What Is The What until January 2008.  

--In that same vein, though T finished it, I still have The Yiddish Policeman's Union in my reading queue.

--When we said "...Cracker / CVB and friends", we should really have highlighted the band that has reached 7 of the top 10 "Play Count" spots on our iTunes in less than 4 months.  Stop reading this and immediately go purchase First You Live by Dusty Rhodes and the River Band.

--Please note that reading Jane Austin's Northhanger Abbey was not a highlight, but simply the fulfillment of a New Year's Resolution, made at a weak moment after completing Reading Lolita in Tehran.  I promise to keep Ms. Austin out of our 2008 highlights.

--We did leave The Soprano's off the list because in our humble opinions it didn't live up to the hype.  

Errors of omission:

--The Bright Eyes, Gillian Welch concert at the Greek Theater was very memorable.  We caught sight of Victor K. from CVB taking in the show.  We reveled in the lo-tech stage show:  one of Conor's friends was bouncing toys around on an overhead projector that shot the colorful images onto a white-clad stage of musicians.  And the music was stellar, but too short.  Gillian Welch's partner David Rawlings was amazing.

--I doubt T would have wanted me to add this to the list, but Adult Swim online, especially Frisky Dingo and The Venture Bros., kept me in stitches for the last half of the year.  Tim and Eric are pitch perfect at times too.

--And No Country For Old Men was only kept off the list because we saw it after the cards were in the mail.

Friends, watch your mail for next year's holiday card...and just ignore any small errors.