How far we've come and a goofy association

Today, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We're less than 24 hours away from celebrating history by swearing in the first African-American President. I confess I was a little choked up watching and listening those who joined King's Civil Rights Movement. These brave, selfless individuals helped pave the way for a more tolerant society and their contributions are invaluable.

I think President-elect Barack Hussein Obama made profound statement when he said and I'm paraphrasing (hopefully not out of context), This is something our children should take for granted but not those who came before them. I've watched and listened to the widow of Ralph David Abernathy and South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn who reiterated we still have work to do. Clyburn said we're imperfect, but we can strive to make this a more perfect Union.

Those of us who didn't live through the years leading up to 1965 can really grasp how divided we were. Imagine having firehoses spraying you down with such force you're knocked off your feet, gnarly dogs biting you, forced to use poor, unkempt facilities, and treated with disrespect and condescension. It's only been a little more than 40 years and look how far we've come. This has me believing that America is a place where dreams and possibilities are endless.

Connection to the most hilarious movie I've seen this year

I watched a very corny horror movie on FearNet a few days ago, Christmas Evil (or also known as You Better Watch Out). This film portrays a man who has an epiphany about a dream he had when he was six-years-old. As his life moves into a downward spiral, he regresses into his childhood fantasy of believing Santa Claus can bring good riddance to those good and extreme measures for those who are bad.

It was hilarious watching his actions. He would wake up in a Santa suit, turn on a popular Christmas tune, and begin to mimic all the actions he had seen and read through mythology Santa does. He also spies on his neighbors. One young boy he catches looking at a Penthouse magazine he places in the bad book lists: "Picks his nose," "Poor body hygiene," and "Has impure thoughts." After watching this film, I decided for some strange reason to look it up on Wikepedia. It turns out the starring character is the father of Fiona Apple. Immediately, I thought about one of my favorite swanky tunes and first album of hers.

Personally, Apple was unfairly treated by music snobs, particularly those at Spin magazine. She truly was a prodigy who released a beautiful debut album filled with roots in jazz and pop. This song has now been stuck in my head for a few days. I've also highly respected her love for poetry, which I was heavily involved in when this album was released. Her lyrics complement some brilliant compositions. I'm deciding to let this song out for all to hear:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVpHFLF2gNY