My sister Annie (pictured above, in NY last year) just called me from Boston, from work, just so that we could laugh at her laryngitis and the squeak! honk! squeeeeak! that replaced her usual pleasant tones. She runs a infant day care at Harvard and she said the babies were not too happy with the monsterclown voice.

I made Annie call back and leave a voicemail, where she left the most hilarious rendition of “Deck the Halls” you’ll never hear. I say “never” because my covert telephone recording skills ended after the Cold War and I simply lack the wherewithall to get this voicemail converted to MP3 for your listening pleasure. However, if you see me in person, ask me to play it for you.

In other news, Wacom Technology is sending me daily advent-calendar-style emails. Each one is titled “Power of the Pens”. Oh dear. You must know how I misread that, every time. Not that I disagree with it — I totally acknowledge the power of the mighty, throbbing pens.

Because I mention “advent” above, consider this a segue. Those of you that are enjoying my advent calendar, you get an early treat later — the window to December 15 will be available for opening today. That is because I will be hittin’ the road, brothers and sisters, up to the northland to create some candy-cane-flavored mischief. Honk! Squeak!