I also got some merino socks and a pair of furry L.L. Bean moccasins from my mom. Optimal Christmas swag.

This is Episode 122 of the Daughter of Godcast, Have Yourself. Though Christmas 2018 is so totally over and there's less than a week left until next year, I'm excited to share Christmas musings that have been gestating since last week. I'm not really even sure what I'm about to write/say.

Christmas is overlaid on hard-coded astrophysics: Winter solstice, the darkest day of the year. Earth is tilted on its axis as we zip around the sun and so forth. Winter solstice was December 21. Here at the Artist house we celebrated with pancakes and a multifamily sleepover. Little kids vying for the red retro tricycle.

Anyway, the solstice has been around a long time, pretty much since Earth has been going around the sun; way before Jesus showed up, or Santa Claus, for that matter. After the solstice, days begin to get longer. It might still be cold, but spring is coming, warmth and light.

Christmas is an interesting holiday because of the associated vibe: joy. Does there have to be a reason for joy? Some Christians assert that the reason for the joy is because Jesus was born. That's the real meaning of Christmas, they say. I feel this is rather uncharitable of those Christians, attempting to monopolize the joy and make it all about their favorite deity. Then hilariously, hard-core Christians complain about consumer culture mapping the joy onto shopping, the giving and getting of gifts. Classic pot calling the kettle black.

Christianity and Consumption are both attempting to convince us there has to be a reason for joy, cause and effect. A sort of unacknowledged algorithmic approach — IF original sin of humanity neutralized OR Nintendo Switch THEN rejoice! There has to be a reason to rejoice, to feel joy.

What about Earth going around the sun, the winter solstice? The coming of light means warmth, abundance of food, an easy existence. But even that is a superimposition (sorry, pagans). I mean here in Northern Michigan, the months following solstice are often bitter cold, with snow and ice storms. Watermelons and T-shirts are still a ways off, so what's this joy all about?

Clinging to the idea that effects have causes is also the recipe for extra sucky holidays, btw. Here's the pseudo code: IF family is fucked up OR dead THEN frustration OR sadness.

What's the real meaning of Christmas? Maybe the real meaning is there's no reason needed to feel great... or rotten. Maybe we can just decide. Maybe around this time of year we just get an inexplicable boost in our ability to feel everything, and where we apply this power-up is totally up to us. Maybe that's what Jesus, Santa Claus, and the Sun are trying to tell us.

After I lounged for days with my laptop, dog.movie is much improved. The information structure is in place and most of the main pages are cleaned up. I've rewritten and reorganized the movie page with nine elements, a parental warning, credits, access to scenes, the FAQ, our branding of swag (alternative economy of fun), festivals and test screenings, writer-director, podcast, and contact/social media

What's left to do? The link color scheme seems confusing. Plenty of pages have yet to be optimized for search engines. The Alternative Economy of Fun content silo isn't done. Preformatted text is still being truncated in the podcast transcriptions. I haven't figured out whether trusty BeaverBuilder can edit those transcriptions or whether BeaverBuilder's results can render the full screen-color palette on mobile devices.

I picked up the charcoal weathering test sheet from Greg. Mediatronics and VFX with miniatures, remember? Dry brush test results coming up; we've got that to look forward to.

Everything is coming together. Remediating dog.movie is analogous to the recent water fasts or even the semi-daily practice of doing dishes. I texted Emily the other day that maybe the reason we allow messes to occur is to enjoy the experience of transforming them. The minor mess-making and transformation could be thought of as training, getting used to our power and then gradually upping the ante, transforming more ambitiously, From dishes to body to movie webs, all of which are aspects of self.

More research, more exciting discoveries. Meanwhile, we're running low on DOG year. Just 40 or so days left. Remember, the Chinese Year of the Dog ends on February 4, 2019. You can expect to experience some moviemaking miracles pretty soon. I know I am.

This is Daughter of Godcast Season Four, Choice, and this has been Episode 122, Have Yourself. Two weeks of web work so far and more yet to come. The changes are all happening live; poke around our web presence currently in progress and opine about what's working for you and what might not be. The layout of the movie page is fun but there may be too much to explore, for example. Your feedback is most appreciated. No feedback can be too glowing or fierce. We're all in this together; you're as responsible for creating a just, compassionate, and sustainable future as I am. You don't have to construct and shove your very own juggernaut, some giant movie project. I've already got this one rolling, just hop aboard. with reveling, suggestions, complaints even. We, the Daughter of God and myself, appreciate whatever you've got. Joy!