Holidays
Somebody needs to tell Ross Douthat about the winter solstice
An actual sentence by an actual New York Times columnist on how hard Christmas is for Christians: “Their great feast is compromised by Christmukkwanzaa multiculturalism.” I understand the point though about not wanting things to get muddled. December 25 is already the birthday of Mithras and Sol Invictus; why bring Jesus into it? And most [...]
Christmas music continued/open thread
Sleigh Ride is one of my favorite pieces of Christmas music. And this is the version I grew up with, which still sounds the best to my ears: As a kid I always wanted to hear this over and over again. Strangely, my mother did not share my enthusiasm. Sleigh Ride should never, ever, ever [...]
What are you having for Thanksgiving?
In past food threads we’ve discovered that regional differences in American cuisine are alive and well. (I eat fried okra and blackeyed peas and grits and cornbread; you eat…well, whatever weirdo mess you eat.) Thanksgiving, though, is one holiday when I think a certain homogeneity reigns on the dinner tables of our nation. But hey, [...]
Goodbye to the worst decade ever
Here in the Smoking Lounge we’re seeing in the New Year with a bottle of Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut and a Lindt 70%-cocoa chocolate bar. We’re also bidding farewell to the old year and the old decade, which totally and completely sucked. Noteworthy features of the decade which we are happy to see the back [...]
I only turn on the TV once a year. You’d think there would be something on.
Greetings, people of the world. (Or people who read my blog — not quite the same thing. Though there is the President of Finland.) I’m sitting here in my study, quietly working away on the Christmas gift I’m making for my mother. I have the TV on for company, which is something I only do [...]
I’m giving myself a B+
But that’s just until Raoul gets a job and can start picking up the tab for my prescriptions. Then I think I’ll bump it up to A-minus. What lambert said: asshole. In other hilarious news, President Obama claims that he “did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers [...]
Happy Thanksgiving!
We’ve got almost a whole continent to be [snark]thankful[/snark] for: Click on the image to embiggen. Go here for the original, which is even bigger. Open thread, of course. I’ve got to set the table.
Blog decoration and open thread
I thought I’d put up a picture of a something Thanksgiving-y, but I was distracted this morning by the reviews of Red Cliff, the new John Woo movie. Tony Leung is so beautiful I can’t stand it: The gorgeous Takeshi Kaneshiro is also in the movie, but I prefer the way he looked in House [...]
Dried fruit?
I think it’s fabulous that the Obamas went all out for Halloween. Major style points for the whole thing: the big house lit up with orange, the skeleton band, even the First Lady in a cat woman outfit (which I thought was absolutely adorable). But this, this: Barack and Michelle Obama yesterday doled out presidential [...]
Take back Halloween!
Halloween used to be my second-favorite holiday (after Christmas). Back in the 80s, before Halloween became Dress Like A Whore Day, I used to love going to costume parties. One year I went as a floor lamp. Another I went as a mermaid. I still remember the costume winners at the big Halloween bash in [...]
