This is an excerpt from a travel essay on Ethiopia by travel writer Pico Iyer.

His description of the joy involved in the Christmas celebration in Ethiopia moved me, and so I share it, again, with you.

I've been listening to Neko Case's album "Fox Confessor Brings The Flood". Great album. The more I listen to it, the more I love it. But this, to me, is the standout track.

This is a series of YouTube videos discussing Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace detailing why it sucks. It's often vulgar and hilarious. It's also 70 minutes long. If you're a Star Wars fan, I highly recommend it.

Surprisingly, he makes a lot of great points about things like protagonists, plot, and film in general while keeping it interesting with lots of humor and profanity.

As is my habit, I went to O'Rourke's Diner to grab a sandwich before work. They had live Irish traditional music. For a brief moment, with the music playing, a delicious house-made ham sandwich in front of me, and a cup of hot chai masala, I felt entirely content. I am grateful for this moment.