Are you going out or staying in tonight?

I'm doing both, out to an early party then back home in plenty of time to watch the ball bounce.

From all of us at TalkLeft, we wish you a Merry New Year's Eve, and if you are online, thanks for spending some of it with us. This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

I am tying up loose ends this morning. J and TChris seem to be busy as well.

Here is an Open Thread.

So many end-of-year details to take care of. And the TL kid is on his way over for dinner. What's on your agenda the next few days?

In the news, Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette has withdrawn her name from consideration as a possible replacement for Sen. Ken Salazar. Gov. Ritter's decision is due any day.

And Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan was fired today, after 21 years with the team. The local news is obsessed with the story.

The Boulder District Attorney's office is seeking to prevent bloggers from live-blogging a locally high-profile criminal trial in which a father is charged with abusing and neglecting his child, resulting in the child's death. The trial will be in Denver.

Nationally, Obama and his bubble is filling air time, and the Israel-Gaza conflict continues, but doesn't seem to be dominating the news.

Hillary and Bill will be in Times Square New Years Eve to drop the ball.

This is an open thread.

I am traveling this evening so I won't be posting today. As you can see, TChris is around and Jeralyn as well I think. In the meantime, here are some excellent posts from our diarists:

Scribe on Bush's unpardon:

Edger reports on the petition for a special prosecutor:

lilburro offers two diaries on the torture issue - Stephen Kappes on the rendition of Abu Omar and The broader CIA Critique.

This is an Open Thread.

What's going on in your world today? Here's an open thread to discuss whatever's on your mind.

I'm sure there is news today, I've just not been following too closely.

Here's an open thread for those with things besides shopping to discuss. All topics welcome.

What do people do the day after Christmas? Shop, eat, clean, work?

Here's an open thread to discuss whatever topic you find of interest today, from what's in the news to the holidays and anything else.

For a variety of reasons, there has been little holiday spirit in my house since Sunday. I'd rather not mention why for a few days as it's sad news.

For Xmas Eve, the TL kid and I made a great lasagna from scratch, which we drank first with gin and tonics, followed by a red Shiraz, as we watched Outsourced. He liked "Burn after Reading" much more than I did, but he also liked "Outsourced" (which I really liked.) It was midnight by the time we finished, and we called it a night. We also made a lot of bacon and egg sandwiches. And put out fancy cheeses and flatbread. For desert: Home baked chocolate chip cookies with Pistachio Gelato.

Now that it's late and time for bed, I'm going to mix up one of Hunter Thompson and Anita's favorite drinks, "the bif", a shot of Chivas Scotch filled partially with Bailey's Irish Cream. No sleeping pill needed after that.

Am I the only one glad this holiday is over?

A moving video I hope everyone can connect with. [Through Playing for Change, a movement to connect the world through music. ]

Merry Christmas everyone.

This is an Open Thread.

If you're in a reading rather than listening mode, here's an old favorite, from The Onion, How the Weed Delivery Guy Saved Christmas.

Happy Holidays to all our readers and visitors, from all of us here at TalkLeft. I'll be back to blogging in a day or so.

This is an Open Thread.

Tonight we get A Visit From Old St. Nick:

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

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