It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas.

With the temperatures here hitting 80 degrees a couple of days in a row, it sure doesn’t feel much like Christmas. But with my mother entering full-on baking mode, it sure smells good around here. This morning she made some Galettes, which I believe are the Best Cookies in the World. I mean with the primary ingredients being sugar, butter, and eggs, how can you go wrong? Besides the galettes, she’s making Russian Tea Cakes, homemade Reese’s Cups, and something German that I can’t spell (but I can surely eat).

They probably don’t want to know what I’ve named my stuffed animal…

Score one for religious tolerance! The Sudanese president pardoned Gillian Gibbons, a British school teacher who was imprisoned for allowing her students to name a teddy bear “Mohammed”. I don’t know what the big deal was, she only drew 15 days, and she was pardoned after only serving 9. Apparently there were some protesters calling for her to be executed.

I’m not going to pick on Islam in particular. Most religions tend to breed extremism in one form or another. Whether it’s people killing doctors at abortion clinics or flying airplanes into buildings, it’s amazing what people will do when they’re convinced that they are Right. Not just right, but Right. Thankfully, I’m never sure that I’m Right, so my mistakes are somewhat more limited in scope (like choosing the wrong drapes, for example). So I guess I’d better get rid of my toy octopus named Jésus, huh?