We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Misha and the perfect, ethereal Gelsey Kirkland in the pas de deux in Balanchine's (New York City Ballet's) magical Nutcracker, with music by the amazingly soulful and romantic Tchaikovsky (A 1977 performance):
happened to awaken around 4 AM today (market nerves) and there playing on TCM was a 1948 British film called "The Red Shoes". I only saw the last half or so, but it was mesmerizing -- the ballerina, a redhead named Moira Schearer, was literally enchanting, as i sat and watched her, coffee-starved but unwilling to leave the tv to trudge to the kitchen to make coffee until the durn thing was over. I looked up the reviews, and don't believe I've ever seen more fulsome praise: