Famous First Words: My Dorabella couldn't... --Wolfgang Mozart Cosi fan tutte (La mia Dorabella capace non è)
What will 2026 bring? Here are some predictions I found on the internet. Your dreams will be livestreamed. Neuroscientists are developing tech that maps dreams in near real-time using brainwave patterns. With the rise of streaming culture and oversharing, the next evolution could be broadcasting dreams live—raw, surreal, and unfiltered. ~~I can see where this is going. It will start with Reality Tv Stars -even the losers- having their own channels. Instead of 15 minutes, each has 15 channels of fame. Dreams would only be one of 15 pieces of life that will be in the cloud and on your internet forever. Someday we'll all have our own channels. You get your first one when you're born and gather additional channels as you grow up. I'll have one site that's animated and I'm a curling champion.
In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. --Khalil Gibran
..........we tak a cup o' kindness yet.........Robert Burns …..Auld Lang Syne
Humanity has the stars in its future, and that future is too important to be lost under the burden of juvenile folly and ignorant superstition. --Isaac Asimov
It is gray Friday morning. The sky is heavily ladened with a thick cloud layer which has no light or dark areas; the sun gives no hint whether it is shining above or not. Nonetheless, the birds are out singing and eating sunflower seeds. Squirrels are out too, but they are silent. Willow limbs are moving sluggishly as if they are still hung over from their New Year's Eve party. Puck went out but did not stay long and now he is snoring on his pillow. (I wonder what he dreams about.) Veronica, the cat, put in a brief appearance earlier but left right away and I haven't seen her since. Perhaps she has been partying with the willow tree. Ah, it is a new year and I am still writing to you. That's wonderful.
Hope your weekend and your year hit all the bright spots, dear hearts.
New Year's Jokes of the Week: Mitch McConnell Vows To Continue Falling Down Stairs In Face Of Fascist Takeover. --the Onion
First Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Idk, it feels pretty irresponsible to start another year like RIGHT after this one. Borderline reckless. --Jonathan Edward Durham
Edible Clothes: Food designers predict a crossover with sustainability: clothes made from rice paper, seaweed, or fruit leather that you can eat once worn. Perfect for festivals, survival gear, or snack emergencies. ~~Cocoa Chanel's Basic Black Forest Cake Dress or Heidi Plum's grapeskin leather jacket or Martha Stewart's Knitted Kale Kaps. Anyway, they say any pair of panties are edible if you're confident and you try hard enough.
A smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside. --Denis Waitley
..........by New Year's night.........The Eagles …..Please Come Home For Christmas
Trivia Questions: It is National Science Fiction Day because it is Isaac Asimov's birthday.
What was the first science fiction book published?
What is the best-selling science fiction book ever?
Who issues the Hugo Award for best science fiction book of the year?
How many books did Isaac Asimov actually write?
What is your favorite science fiction book?
Big Hello: Miga – Teribe (Panama and Costa Rica) https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hello.htm
Second Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The word nun is just an “n” doing a cartwheel. --Submitted by INRITH
Image of the Week: Image from the Webb Telescope … start the new year thinking big...
New Year's Joke of the Week: Trump Assures Wall Street He'll Go Back To Just F**king Over Poor People Soon. --Submitted by The Onion
The Kelce-Swift wedding will spark global economic growth. ~~I haven't read a single thing about this wedding. Since I heard it was an engagement I have hoped that it is held somewhere besides Kansas City. I fear the city would put wedding bell decorations on every lamppost in the city. I imagine very, very long white lace banners streaming from every tall building in a 30 mile radius. “Tweens from all over the world coming to the city to stand in the spot that Taylor stood in on their first KC date. “...human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together. Mass Hysteria...”
The lessons from the peace process are clear; whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load. --Elizabeth II
..........When the bells all ring and the horns all blow.........Ella Fitzgerald …..What Are You Doing New Year's Eve
Moonbeam: The poverty of the country is such that all the power and sway has got into the hands of the rich, who by extortious advantages, having the common people in their debt, have always curbed and oppressed them in all manner of ways. --Nathaniel Bacon c. 1670
Blasphemy of the Week: The Christians stole the winter solstice from the pagans, and capitalism stole it from the Christians. --George Monbiot
New Year's Joke of the Week: Trump Issues Executive Order Reversing All Vasectomies. --Submitted by The Onion
Coffee Joke of the Week: Sunday is when I get to drink coffee for pleasure instead of necessity.
Distant Cousin of Coffee Joke of the Week: Coffee is just anxiety with better branding. https://www.facebook.com/maythecoffeebewithyou
Next Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: The Philosophical Musings of the man who has everything...What do you take from the man who has nothing? --Submitted by Philosophy Matters
Obesity drugs for everyone – even for pets. The availability of GLP-1 in pill form shaves the waistlines, even for pets. ~~I took GLP-1 and now my fork feels like a shovel. I'm basically eating air and feeling full. So many people said “Polly want a cracker?” that my parrot got really, really fat. She finally died of it. But actually, it was quite a weight off my shoulders.
We are not cisterns made for hoarding, we are channels made for sharing. --Billy Graham
..........And baby, let's make promises that we can keep..........Otis Redding & Carla Thomas …..New Year's Resolution
1) Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) is widely seen as the first true science fiction novel for grounding fantasy in scientific possibility.
Almanac: It is Friday, January 2, 2026. The moon will be full (Wolf) tomorrow (1/3) and is in Gemini. Today is Happy Mew Year for Cats Day, National Buffet Day, National Motivation and Inspiration Day, National Personal Trainer Awareness Day, National Science Fiction Day, Pet Travel and Safety Day, Stop Spam Day, and World Introvert Day.
Among those born on this day were Nathaniel Bacon (1647), Mily Balakirev (1837), Martha Carey Thomas (1857), Louis Breguet (1880), Sally Rand (1904), Isaac Asimov (1920), Davod Jerbert (1927), Julius LaRosa (1930), Dabney Coleman (1932), Roger Miller (1936), Ricky Van Shelton (1952), Diane Lane (1965), and Tia Carrere (1966).
On January second the Staatsoper of Hamburg opened (Adam und Eva, 1678), Austria ended interrogation torture (1776), Georgia ratified the US constitution (1788), Cosi fan tutti premiered (1790), the free black community of Philadelphia PA petitioned Congress to abolish slavery (1800), the Liberator began publication (1831), the first US Curling Club opened (1832), Der Fliegende Hollander premiered (1843), the White House hired its first female staffer (Alice Sanger, 1890), Jupiter's satellite, Elara, was discovered (1905), the National Woman's Party formed (1913), there was another Irish uprising (1919), Lithuania gained independence (1919), JFK threw his hat in the ring (1960), the Jets signed Joe Namath (1965), Sid Vicious went on trial (1979), Philadelphia swore in its first black mayor (1984),
Night Sky, 1/2: The night sky features a brilliant, nearly full Wolf Supermoon rising with bright Jupiter, forming a striking pair near the Gemini stars (Castor & Pollux). This coincides with the peak of the fast-moving Quadrantid meteor shower, although the bright moonlight will make fainter meteors hard to spot, with prominent constellations like Orion, Taurus, and Auriga overhead.
Fraternal Picture of the Week: The Christmas Swing
New Year's Joke of the Week: Trump Denies Writing 36-Volume Comic Titled “Don And Jeff: Time Pedophiles”. --Submitted by The Onion
This Week: Saturday, January 3 – Festival of Sleep Day & JRR Tolkien Day & National Play Outside Day
Night Sky, 1/2: The moon reaches full at 10:02 am in Cancer. The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks January 3-4, 2026, offering a potentially strong display (up to 200/hr) but with poor viewing conditions due to the bright, nearly full "Wolf Supermoon". Originated by asteroid 2003 EH1, look for fireballs after midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.
Sunday, January 4 – Trivia Day & World Braille Day & World Hypnotism Day
Monday, January 5 – National Bird Day & National Screenwriters Day & Twelfth Night
Night Sky, 1/5: Look east for Jupiter (very bright), with Pollux above and to its left, as the Moon passes Regulus in Leo in the early morning before sunrise.
Tuesday, January 6 – Bean Day aka National Bean Day & National Shortbread Day & Three Kings Day aka Epiphany
Wednesday, January 7 – Harlem Globetrotter's Day & Old Rock Day & National Bobblehead Day
Night Sky, 1/7: Sunrise: 7:38 am Sunset: 5:04 pm (9 hours and 26 minutes of daylight) Moonset: 9:35 am Moonrise: 8:03 pm
Thursday, January 8 – Argyle Day & Midwife's Day aka Women's Day & Show and Tell Day At Work
Night Sky, 1/8: Saturn is best observed shortly after sunset. Venus and Mars are not prominent evening objects as they are near the sun's position in the sky. Comet 24P/Schaumasse will be at perihelion (closest approach to the Sun). It might be visible through binoculars or a small telescope, but not to the naked eye,
With scent-enabled devices being tested (like OVR Technology), we might soon be able to “smell” a recipe, perfume ad, or forest walk from our screen. That's either revolutionary or deeply cursed. ~~Hopefully, we're still aways from recreating the actual smell of the person you are seeing. It will be interesting for online dating apps. Will you pick your fragrance after you enter your personal data? Will the consumer be able to pick which flavors are included in any given whiffbar? Whole lines of scents created just for the chemicals in the device. Can't wait.
Everybody has losses – it's unavoidable in life. Sharing our pain is very healing. --Isabel Allende
..........Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone.........Fleetwood Mac …..Don't Stop
2) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is by far the best selling with over 100 million copies sold surpassing other giants like 1984 and Dune.
Preantepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: I bet the ultimate secret of the universe is something stupid. --Existential Comics --Submitted by MMS
Moonbeam: Success is not defined by what others think, but by what you believe. --Sally Rand
New Year's Joke of the Week: Kids, if you like men with big white beards, the color red, and the redistribution of property, have I got a book for you. --@shujaxhaider --Submitted by USDS
Fun Fact of the Week: Happy Mew Year is a playful way to say Happy New Year to your cat, celebrated annually on January 2nd, a special day for cat lovers to show extra appreciation for their feline companions, give them treats, toys, and focus on their health for the year ahead, making it a fun tradition for pet owners. ~~FYI there are weight reduction drugs especially for cats.
Video of the Week: Sally Rand's famous Fan Dance (2:54) https://youtu.be/ahldaCK0DDI
And above all things, never think that you're not good enough yourself. A person should never think that. My belief is that in life people will take you at your own reckoning. --Isaac Asimov
Talent is always conscious of its own abundance, and does not object to sharing. --Alexksandr Solzhenitsyn
More people are declaring independence — literally. Micro-countries like Liberland or Sealand are already real. In 2026, expect a boom in digital micronations with their own laws, currencies, and Discord-based governments. ~~I think a micronation of 1 may be a little too tacky. So I am accepting applications for citizenship in Brayacia (Bray' a shi ah) {Bray is my maiden name.} You must be at least 16 years old, alive and kicking, and you must pick a name for yourself that is unique to this nation. Brayacia has no currency or formal governmental structure. My Brayacian name is: Lady Bird Fart.
..........We're gonna celebrate.........Daft Punk …..One More Time
3) The Hugo Awards are given out by members of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS) at the annual World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon).
Antepenultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Jeffery Dahmer said tattoos taste terrible. Stay safe from cannibals. Get more tattoos. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088716755199
Weird Word of the Week: Chrysalism: The peaceful feeling that comes from being indoors during a thunderstorm. https://word-lists.com/word-lists/100-rare-words-with-beautiful-meanings/
Dragons of the Week:
New Year's Joke of the Week: The Impotent Potus intends to write Netanyahu a strongly worded check. --Submitted by The Onion
Thank you, Canada, for holding our hair back for all of 2025. We owe you.
Wacky Uses for Common Products: Fertilize azaleas or gardenias. Watering azaleas or gardenias with Coca-Cola increases the acidity in the soil, which azaleas love, and boosts plant performance. The sugar in the Coke feed microorganisms in the soil, increasing the organic matter in the soil https://word-lists.com/word-lists/100-rare-words-with-beautiful-meanings/
Life is all about sharing. If we are good at something, pass it on. That is the pleasure I get from teaching – whether its television or books. We should all share. --Mary Berry
SpaceX announces an IPO, supercharging extraterrestrial markets. Financial markets go into orbit, to the moon and beyond as SpaceX expands rocket launches by orders-of-magnitude. ~~Elon Musk will create a galactic stock market in order to sell stock to extraterrestrial markets since he already has all the money minted on Earth. Rocket stocks soared to new heights but then a minor guidance problem caused them to plummet.
...........Kissing the old year out.........Bing Crosby ….Let's Start The New Year Right
4) Isaac Asimov was incredibly prolific, writing or editing over 500 books, along with hundreds of short stories, essays, and articles, covering science fiction (like his famous Foundation and Robot series) and popular science, history, and more, making him one of history's most productive authors.
Penultimate Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Gary basks in the glow of a fifteen-minute window with no empty cardboard boxes in the house. --Benjamin Schwartz --Submitted by The New Yorker ~~Side note: 2025 is the 100th anniversary of the founding of The New Yorker.
Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Painted Desert Fur Con (1/2-4, Phoenix, AZ) ...Arizona's destination for the furry community. https://painteddesertfc.org/
New Year's Joke of the Week: Trump Vows To Reopen Joanns As Prison --Submitted by The Onion
Short Labor History of the Week: It is the birthday of the International Workers of the World aka IWW aka Wobblies. It was created at a Conference of Industrial Unionists in Chicago in 1905. The mission of the IWW was and still is to form One Big Union!
Spark of Joy of the Week: It is the birthday of the Wobblies and here is a collection of IWW cartoons...cartooning capitalism https://www.cartooningcapitalism.com/iww-cartoons
Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing. --Elie Wiesel
China demands all payments to them be made in actual gold. The white house staff tried melting down all those gold appliqués that the president had stuck to the walls but it wasn't enough. The US may have to just send the key to Ft Knox to Xi Jinping.
..........May we all have our hopes.........Abba …..Happy New Year
5) My favorite is The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. “Gully Foyle is my name. Terra is my nation. Deep space is my dwelling place, the stars my destination.”
Protest Sign of the Week: One Nation Under Distress
Quote of the Week: Bless you, wherever you are. Windswept child of a shooting star. --John Lennon
New Year's Joke of the Week: A modern Christmas Carol remake where Scrooge doesn't change his ways but instead makes his whole personality about how the woke Christmas ghosts are trying to cancel him. @vonTraphaus
Final Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: My advice on growing old: Go ahead and do it. --Hershel Franklin --Submitted by bu of ks
Today's Peace of History: January 2, 1995: An estimated 100,000 Bangladeshi women traveled from the countryside to attend a rally in Dacca, the capital, to protest Islamist clerics' attacks on women's education and employment. Khaleda Zia, the country’s first female prime minister, had introduced compulsory free primary education, free education for girls up to class ten, a stipend for the girl students, and food for the education program.
I'm just someone who likes cooking and for whom sharing food is a form of expression. --Maya Angelou
JD Vance takes over the white house and redecorates it like PeeWee's Playhouse. He changes the name of the Green Room to French Horn Haunt with an automatic applause machine for whenever he plays. And the Blue Room changes to Erika Kirk's Game Room. And he requires that every room have at least 3 “young” couches.
..........I love the days we spent together.........Nat King Cole …..Happy New Year
Masthead of the Week: Friday ePistle, January 2, 2026: Predictable ePistle . Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/ Exclusive editor: Christine Smith. Lawrence, KS.
Moonbeam: The man's world must become a man's and woman's world. --M Carey Thomas
Cost of War:
As of 01/01/26 State Department Costs: $283,431,727,533
As of 12/25/25 State Department Costs: $282,903,955,387
As of 01/01/26 Homeland Security: $ 1,219,572,461,971
As of 12/25/25 Homeland Security: $1,218,999,203,600
As of 01/01/26 Interest on War Debt: $1,350,757,968,320
As of 12/25/25 Interest on War Debt: $ 1,349,283,761,430
As of 01/01/26 Military Costs: $ 3,185,260,814,791
As of 12/25/25 Military Costs: $3,184,141,458,478
As of 01/01/26 Veterans Care: $4,664,354,201,478
As of 12/25/25 Veterans Care: $4,653,177,494,231
As of 01/01/26 Total Cost of Wars: $10,703,380,813,758
As of 12/25/25 Total Cost of Wars: $10,688,507,503,721
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/
Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is. --Isaac Asimov
Famous Last Words: Hier steh' ich treu dir bis zum Tod --Richard Wagner The Flying Dutchman (Here I stand true to you until death.)
..........Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you.........Taylor Swift …..New Year's Day
Our father's and our family's music is focused on uniting people through justice, peace, and love; and sharing a meal can bring togetherness, community, love and understanding. --Cedella Marley
Luigi is exonerated for killing the CEO of UnitedHealthCare. He runs for office and wins. Everybody gets national health care. ~~Sigh. I can dream can't I?
May Peace fill you with hope
And Joy fill you with anticipation
prairie mama
christine
Last Laugh:
