Happy New Year, leftovers and stuff

It's good to be back here in the blogosphere with a new year upon us all.
I thought it might be a good idea to catch up on a couple of issues that we all kind of pounced on in the waning days of 2006:
1. Margaret is laying off the saki from now on, so we can all celebrate that decision.
2. There seems to be some question as to whether my kids can be both smart as the dickens and morally upright. I don't think it's an either/or proposition.
When Susan was pregnant with our first child, I told her I thought the most important thing was for the kid to be smart. Sue answered by saying there are far more important attributes to be hoped for.
"Like what?'' I asked.
"Like being a loving, caring person,'' she answered.
And she was right. Smart is good. But compassion is better.
But let's not get all bent out of shape about literature. Great literature can help a person become more loving, and more caring.