School's out for Christmas! (Brandon Mass Email)

Well kids, I'm one final shy of completing my first (and there's a decent shot it won't be my last) semester of grad school, and it got me thinking...Why do you earn your masters then your doctors?

What sounds more important - yes master or yes doctor. What sounds scarier - Yes master or yes doctor - Okay, assume that this question was asked before we started evaluating the proposed health care reform. Now what sounds sexier - Yes master or yes doctor...Okay, that one's a draw.

It's weird, though, isn't it. It's sort of like getting a gold medal for coming in second place and a bronze for winning the whole thing. Except for lawyers, but that one makes sense. They are more like that elementary school track meet where everyone got a blue ribbon, regardless of how they placed. That actually sounds a lot like law school from what I understand - attendance is far more important than performance.

But being done with the semester also means that I'm one step closerto real holidays! We are watching Frosty the Snow Man (about a hundred times so far) and each time I watch it I get a little more bothered for the following reasons:

1) What terrible school forces kids to go to school on Christmas Eve?
2) They can't afford to get to the North Pole so they opt to go the hobo route and hop a train? What lesson is that teaching?
3) Why did the little girl have to wake up a second before Frosty was locked in the heated cabin? Not only did her friend have to die, the writers took time to make sure that she woke up just in time to watch her friend burn to death.
4) I had no idea what a creepy dude Santa was until that movie. The movie ends with him leaving a little girl on her snow covered roof top in the middle of the night and then taking off. Really? I'm not one for frivolous lawsuits but if either of my girls is ever left on the roof, I will own the North Pole and wil finally own not just one, but many, many midgets.

I hope I didn't ruin it for you when you get your opportunity to watch it this year - Merry Christmas. Speaking of Merry Christmas we are finishing up our Christmas letter. We will be sending it shortly so keep an eye on your inbox. That's right, folks, inbox. Thanks to Amy's having a sequoia for a family tree (with one incredibly worthless branch named Michael) and is now a member of a stay at home mom's sorority, our list was HUGE. In an effort to not overload the postal system, we're sending electronic holiday greetings this year. Seeing that most of you are capable of opening an email, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you're equally capable of opening an attached document...if this is in fact asking too much, reply to this email, but reply all so I'm not laughing alone.

Well, I have to go, I'm being drug away by the little ones...Jordan is a living example of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle - you can tell either where she is, or where she's going, but not both at the same time (why do I have this weird feeling that Downey is the only one laughing?)

Merry Christmas all and stay safe

B

PS Traci, next time we accidentally talk don't forget to tell me you're pregnant. Congrats and good luck with the little one. If you're having trouble with names, I'd strongly recommend Allison or Jordan.