Welcoming the New Year

Asia's New Year's celebrations got off to a good start in Saigon, according to my Sony WEGA (no BRAVIA yet), attuned to some satellite frequency on the Comcast end.

As we're on the Pacific Rim, have Chinese and Japanese Gardens, we have some focus on this holiday in Portland, Oregon. Two of the kids I'm interviewing for Princeton this year begged off doing anything on Monday.

Carla and Scott are due to fly in, joining up with Sam and Judy, plus my mom, Carol, flew in on Friday.

I caught some dot gov Supreme Court exchanges with Congress on CSPAN last night (Anthony Kennedy... Orrin Hatch), after taking in the 1953 version of The War of the Worlds (I'd never seen it before, believe it or not, at least not to my recollection).

Here's from the CSPAN website regarding the above exchanges:

ON AMERICA & THE COURTS
Justice Kennedy Testifies

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Judicial Independence & Security. This is the first time in modern history a sitting United States Supreme Court Justice testifies before a Congressional Committee on legislative matters. This hearing is chaired by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT).

This morning Dawn and I went to breakfast at No Fish Go Fish on Hawthorne, but it was closed, so we went to Tom's on Division, where the waiter was practicing his French.