Pre-Ramble:  In this grand moment of revelry and reflection, I’d like to take a second to thank you for checking in on the K. blog this past year.

I hope you have been informed, entertained, or even occasionally inspired by a word or two.

My goals for the blog this coming year are to:

1. promote positivity
2. encourage personal power
3. have fun

Promoting positivity means shining a light on issues from a decidedly positive perspective, … emphasizing the dynamic of moving toward things … being “for” stuff, rather than ”against” it. (Please note that this does not rule out satire or snarkiness.)

By personal power I mean owning your gifts and stepping up, … moving personal energy forward to make positive things happen in one’s life and in the world.

As for fun, you can’t take yourself too seriously, … We know fun when we see it (example shown right) and will take it whenever and wherever we can get it — !

The Take-Away:  Sooooo, in the spirit of all of that — Cheers to uncorking a whole bunch of positive energy in your new year!  

Happy 2012!!

Pre-Ramble: I’ve mentioned a few of my favorite holiday traditions here in the blog, … trimming the tree, … cookie baking day, … roasting chestnuts on an open fire (we never do that). Well, so, as we get down to the wire here, I need to mention one more.

Every year in the few days before Christmas, actor/comedian Jay Thomas makes an appearance on CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman” to try to knock a big meatball off the top of Dave’s Christmas tree with a perfectly thrown football (the two shown at right).  Special musical guest, the lovely Darlene Love is also a part of the tradition, but the annual rite of the meatball is what keeps me coming back.

The reason I’m such a fan is that I was actually in the Late Show audience one year to witness the ridiculous spectacle. My husband and I had lived in New Jersey early in our marriage and had taken a quick trip back to partake in the magic that is New York during the holidays. I had lined up a couple of tickets to the Letterman show and was beyond thrilled to be a part of the studio audience, not even realizing that we would be courtside for the hallowed meatball event.

In order to fully communicate its enchanting appeal, I’ve provided this recap from the CBS website:

“It all started one night back in 1998 when New York Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde was a guest. He and Letterman picked up footballs and began tossing them at the tree, aiming for the meatball. Watching their failures impatiently from the wings was Thomas, former quarterback at tiny Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, N.C.

Thomas had discussed trying the target practice with Letterman before the show, but no one told that to stage manager Biff Henderson. He blocked Thomas from going out on stage.

“I fake to the right and Biff goes to catch me and I run around him like a scramble,” said Thomas, who picked up a football and threw with laser-like accuracy at the meatball, accomplishing in one throw what the NFL quarterback couldn’t in several.

Testaverde has been forgotten, but Thomas is invited back each year to see if he can repeat his feat.

Around the same time — Thomas isn’t sure exactly when — Letterman heard about a story Thomas told of his time as a radio DJ in the South when he and a friend had to give a ride to Clayton Moore, star of television’s “Lone Ranger.” We won’t be spoilers; Letterman has called it the “best story I’ve ever heard.”

The story, too, is repeated each year. Thomas said he and Letterman have never discussed why it has become a tradition. It just has.

Thomas practices before each appearance, taking a football into Central Park and aiming at a particular tree branch.

“It is the craziest thing I have ever been a part of,” he said.”

The Take-Away:  Set your TIVO and try to contain yourself — the meatball show (technically taped yesterday) airs tonight at 10:30 CST on CBS.

Pre-Ramble:  So, I was eating a bowl of cereal and paging through the paper this morning, like every morning … when suddenly my eyes froze on the words on the page in front of me.

(Sounds like the beginning of a horror movie, doesn’t it?) … I had come to the obituary page, and there, halfway up the lefthand column, was my name.

My whole name.

Katherine. … A. … Emmons.

Plain as day.

At first, I just sat there, half awake, feeling creepy and struggling to verify that the person in print in front of me was, in fact, not me.

Nope.  Not me.  As in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail , ”Not dead yet.”

Then I wondered, how many Katherine A. Emmons’ there are, actually …

According to Google, there are 18 individuals named Katherine Emmons on the professional networking site LinkedIn (and 14 more that incorrectly spell their names with a “C”).  A few notables:

• Katherine Emmons Force Spencer (1891-1948) was a Christian missionary in the Philippines and prominent in Newport, Rhode Island society
• Katherine Emmons is a scholar and writer in San Diego. She is chair of several dissertation committees and writes children’s books in her spare time which include ”Thunder and Lightening” (an adaptation of the animated movie Cars), and Ratatouilli (an adaptation of the animated movie of the same name — I loved that movie, btw)
• Katherine Emmons (the one in the paper this morning) was a loving mother, sister and grandmother who passed away peacefully surrounded by family …  (She would have been 78 on January 4, 2012). R.I.P.
• Katherine Emmons … me (alive and kicking; shown below) … a brilliant concept development strategist, writer, and all around alive gal (did I mention that I was still alive?)

The Take-Away:  In my search, I found one more Katherine Emmons worth noting …  she goes by Katie Emmons (the name Katie has a nice, snappy ring to it) and she’s an interior designer in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The tag line on her very nicely designed website reads:

“Love where you live … Live what you love”

I like that, and will add a third sentiment — “Love that you live!”

Pre-Ramble:  Ho-ho-ho … Lest your sunny disposition be waning in the hustle of the holidays, consider this very cool mechanism — the Fuhlometer.

Literally translated, “feel-o-meter,” this 16-foot-wide illuminated emoticon uses face-recognition software to analyze the expressions of people in a specific area to capture a general mood — a smile, frown, or something inbetween – which then beams from the giant neon face.

The revealing surveillance device was created by three Berlin-based artists and most recently installed on a lighthouse in the Bavarian village of Lindau (shown at right).

The Take-Away:  ”You better watch out, … you better not cry, … you better not pout, … I’m tellin’ you why … ” … the Fuhlometer could be coming to a town near you –

Happiness is contagious — let your good vibes shine out into the Universe! 

Pre-Ramble:  Yesterday was Cookie Day.  Every year for the past 10 years, three of my high school buddies and I have gotten together at one of our houses to chat, have some lunch, and bake an insane amount of Christmas cookies.

This year, as I was packing up the cookie sheets, I wondered if maybe this was the year that the Cookie Day ordeal might just be too overwhelming, too much of a hassle. One of us’ husband is battling a very serious illness, … another has just weathered a contentious divorce, … the third is a college professor in the middle of finals week.  I’m sure I wasn’t the only one wondering if we wouldn’t all be better off staying home and putting our time to better, “more productive” use.

But, I bundled myself up, hauled the bulky bags of random ingredients and utensils out to the car, and drove to the other side of town — I’m a loyal friend, and it’s tradition, right?  I don’t want this to be the year that we don’t do Cookie Day.

As I get closer to the house, I feel an up-tick of anticipation and energy (could have been that latte kicking in …).  We haven’t seen each other since the summer and there are all kinds of kid/life things we need to catch up on.

I schlep my stuff up to the door and as I cross the threshold, a blast of toasty sweet smells wafts over me. I throw my coat over the banister and close the door on the outside world to join in with the bustling of blenders and buzzers already in full swing.

The Take-Away:  This was our best Cookie Day ever!  Only one batch of peanut brittle got burned and the no-bake recipe turned out just like the picture in the magazine rather than the yard droppings we have experienced in previous years.

But beyond any confectionary or picturesque outcomes, I realized that the real measure of Cookie Day is that mixed in with all the stirring, boiling, scraping, scooping, skimming, rolling, chopping, crushing and sprinkling is the talking, listening, laughing, pondering, speculating, more talking, more listening, way more laughing, and just generally huge amounts of love shared across time and familiarity.  This is a rare and precious thing.

Pre-Ramble:  There will be no pouting on Capitol Hill this year — Senator Al Franken, Democrat from Minnesota, has suggested that members of the Senate exchange Secret Santa gifts as a way to spur a little cross-the-aisle camaraderie.

Ho-ho-ho … On the face of it, this festively quirky activity seems like a great team-building exercise … Never mind that the results for a “Secret Santa” search reveal merchandise that looks way more naughty than nice, I’m sure Al had nothing but visions of sugar plums in mind when he brought up the bi-partisan initiative.

BFF, Senator Mike Johanns of Nebraska, offered to co-sponsor the activity, thinking that it would be a good thing to do “at a time of year when typically everyone is getting on everyone’s nerves … “

Here, here!!  We can only imagine how testy the senators must get with all that idle time they apparently have on their hands. Planning and procurement of gifts for the upcoming exchange should keep the ranks busy.

The Take-Away:  With the cost of the gifts capped at $10, I’d like to suggest the following (gathered from a couple random websites) …

1. Pound of pistachios  (pre-shelled)
2. Gel pens and pretty stationary  (can also be used to sign legislation, should that ever come up)
3. Basket filled with jams or mustards  (always a hit)
4. Gardening gloves with a plant  (“fertilizer” optional)
5. Makeup tote (HD can be cruel)
6. Special coffee cup filled with candy  (precious)
7. Board games ( … Monopoly … CLUE … Get a Clue?)
8. Favorite quote embroidered on a hankie  (if you draw John Boehner)
9. Special soaps and bath puff  (keeping it clean)
10. Lump of coal  (for the naughty)

If none of these fit the bill, our esteemed colleagues in the Senate may want to consider giving the book, “101 Creative Gift Ideas Under $10” by Lonna Weidemann … A steal for the budget-conscious at $8.