The War on Christmas begins! -- Mr. Sun is on the front lines in "The Taking of Frosty"! After braving the Christmas Tree Shop in Somerville for the second time this weekend, I'm starting to think war might not be such a bad idea after all...

"...and they lived happily ever after." -- From Jane Austen to Nick Hornby, what makes the last line of a novel so memorable? Is it more satisfying to wrap up the plot definitively, or to leave a lingering doubt in the reader's mind? I tend to favor the former, but then again probably the most amazing last line I ever read was "There is no resolution." Gahhh!

Meet Michelle Bachelet -- are you aware that this socialist, divorced, single mom is poised to become Chile's first woman president?

"Sexual relationships often lower the self-respect of both partners—one feeling used, the other feeling like the user." -- A direct quote from the pro-abstinence teaching materials provided to your local high school by the Bush Administration. Don't miss the Freudfest about the "dragon" and the "noose" either.

It's never not a good time for some Roadside Sightings, right?

* On a sandwich board outside a nondescript industrial building in Burlington: "KARATE FENCING." Presumably two separate events, but you never know.

* I bought a baked potato from a Wendy's drive through. The following things were stuffed in the bag alongside: napkin, plastic fork (but no knife), receipt, mini tub of Wendy's brand Buttery Best Spread ("0 Grams Trans Fat!"), strange beignet-shaped package of Wendy's brand Reduced Fat Acidified Sour Cream which had so many ingredients the list took up nearly the entire package. Mmmmm!

* Sprinting across a side street near my house late last night: a little brown bunny. Hope he has somewhere warm to wait for the snow tonight...

UPDATE: The latest, greatest bumber sticker sighting! An unremarkable tan Corrolla displayed an AAA seal, a Marines seal, and a purple "I AM JANE EYRE" sticker. Um, OK.