Christmas Present: Jewelry

I can't get a picture of this, but Kristen gave me some sweet jewelry her mom made. The third of my pre-Christmas gifts! Whooo! Pre-Christmas!

Time Out for Cute Kittens

Hey Remember When We All Loved Of Montreal?

Veronica Mars should just stay with Logan Echolls

Okay, so I've started watching Veronica Mars. And I agree, on the surface Duncan Kane is the most perfect, sweetest boyfriend ever.

But this does not make for good television. He's so boring. Ugh.

But between Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls? There is television magic. There is witty, cutting banter. There is the thrill of the fact you know this is all wrong and it will blow up in everyone's face.

But its so good. Therefore, Veronica Mars should just be happy with Logan Echolls, god dammit.

Christmas Present Number 2: Tea Kettle

Isn't it cute? Dan had to look around to get a red one.

Literary Obsessions; an embarrassing list

A lot has been made out of this Edward Cullen character, the main love interest in the Twilight series. And really? I'm not that jazzed by him. Oh, he desperately wants to drink Bella's blood and totally fuck her brains out at the same time, but meh.

This is not to say I haven't completely fallen in love with a literary character before. It isn't even to say that I didn't have the nerdiest and most embarrassing loves. And most of these aren't run of the mill, either. I never fell in love with Holden Caulfield or Harry Potter.

For one thing, a few of these also have movies, so they've melded into a hybrid of what happened in the books and what happened in the movie. Bear with me. This list is also in no particular order.

1. Jason Bourne of The Bourne Identity



I read the book before I saw the movie, mostly because the movie looked damn intriguing. What results: a vulnerable hero. A hero who can't remember essential facts like his own name or what the hell he was in his past life, but still knows how to make coffee and kick ass.

Haunted by his own dreams. Et cetera. It really got to me.

2. Homer Wells of The Cider House Rules



I know I saw the movie way before I read the books. But still, the two stories have fused in my mind. In the movie, Homer Wells is an orphan, cast out by his mother and then second best out of two to the women he loves.

Totally sucks to be him. Still, his devotion was appealing. And if it were me, Homer Wells, you would not have been second best.

3. Sandy and Dennys Murray of Many Waters



For a long time, the only thing I knew about Sandy and Dennys (twins) was that they had a vegetable garden in A Wrinkle In Time. Ordinary twin brothers to the extraordinary Meg and Charles Wallace. In this instance, ordinary totally meant boring.

So what a surprise when I ventured into the bookstore to see that Sandy and Dennys had their own adventure. I read it five years after I had first encountered them. Set in biblical times (Noah's Flood...you know when you accidentally time travel), the twins fall in love with the same woman. She's youngest daughter of Noah, not included in the bible...not saved from the flood by any account. After all, it was Noah and his sons on the boat, with their wives. No one ever said anything about a daughter.

Did my heart break a little? Yes. Did I love them? Yes. Was I able to tell them apart? Well, I mean, they are twins. That part wasn't my fault. After all, I still can't remember a fact that distinguishes the two characteristically. The were both noble and courageous and all the things that heroes are supposed to be. Occasionally they were in separate places. That's why its listed as both of them, because who could ever tell them apart?

And that's it. I have read so many books over my lifetime, but these are the only three characters that I ever felt anything for...in the way those teenage girls feel for Edward Cullen. Only not nearly as much, because this is the first time I'm writing about it. And even this is embarrassing.

Snoopy vs The Red Baron

My favorite Christmas song.

First gift of the year: bag of Ghirardelli Chocolate

Received from a resident at the apartment building I work at. Tasty.

Presidents as Television Characters: James Madison

Out of all the founders, James Madison is supposed to be the most boring. Too dull to have a biography written about him, until Lynne Cheney decided she would have tapped that two hundred years ago.

His writing style? "He has the style of an insurance policy writer," says Joseph Ellis.

The qualities we're looking at? He was short. And inscrutable. Who in teevee shares these characteristics and would be hard to read?



That's right. The midget from Twin Peaks. This one makes more sense when you watch it. Short. Inscrutable.

Tally Hall Videos! New Song! New Videos! OMG!

Also known as my fave Tally Hall song. But what is up with the video? Boys, you are pretty. You should show yourselves.

Like in this video you put out a few months ago:



Here is a new song too. OMG you guys should not be fucking around. You need to record this shiznit right now so I can buy it and fall asleep listening to it every single night and day of my life. Why are you wasting time?



Also: excellent job doing a gig in the POLO STORE. Seriously, how do you get contacted about that?

Jens Lekman: Postcard to Nina

Awwww. When he talks, its nice.

The Greatest Breakup Story Ever Told

Roger Ebert Loves This. Although I can't find the permalink for this. Apparently he published his gushment of the short film, then deleted it?

You can never tell. Anyway, a good retelling of the Ramayana always makes people happy.

Quite possibly going to be at the Overlooked Film Festival in Champaign.

[Sita Sings The Blues]

Presidents as TV Characters: Special Edition

If the republic had begun fifty years before, would Ben Franklin have been president? He would have been someone. Instead, he's known as the wisest guy, like ever. Every quote you can think of right now is by Ben Franklin. Dude flew a kite in a storm. He was a part of the old boys club, except by the time American had rulers, he was the oldest boy.

He also loved him some womenfolk. He had illegitimate children all over the place. He loved France because the womenfolk let you do more with them. Even though dude was old, he still had game.

Who loves the womenfolk in teevee world but still gets (some) work done? Who would say something like, "When God closes a door, he opens a dress" ?



Damn that Roger Sterling! What with his mistresses, his cushy job, his mistresses, his leaving his wife, and his old boys club, he might as well be Ben Franklin. He has his own witticisms:

"What do women want? Who cares?"

"Being with a client is like being in a marriage. Sometimes you get into it for the wrong reasons, and eventually they hit you in the face."

Oh man. Dude loves his women and his old boys network. And his women. These two would have plenty to talk about.

Presidents as Television Characters: Thomas Jefferson

I've got to preface this post by saying that lately I've just been hating Thomas Jefferson with the hugest passion. I watched John Adams and Jefferson was such a dick to him. Yeah, sure, Jefferson had great ideas, but he was constantly undermining Adams while he galivanted with the French. Poor Adams was always getting undermined by that bastard and tried his best to keep his presidency going...by creating the Alien and Sedition Act? Not the best move, but dude was desperate...actually reminds me of this other situation...


...when Jack was all, "We gotta stick together." or "We need to leave the island!" or "Lets not kill this girl!"

There John Locke was, fucking things up for the leader. Always doing the dick move.

Eventually, Thomas Jefferson was president. Eventually, John Locke leads the island.

Sucks to be both Jack and John Adams.

Sucks to be these people

Digital Transition Still Sucks

I wrote about this forever ago. The point? The public still doesn't know what the fuck is going on with this bullshit.

Huffpo:

According to surveys conducted by the Consumers Union, a consumer advocacy group that also publishes Consumer Reports magazine, while 90 percent of the nation is aware of the transition, 25 percent mistakenly believe that one must subscribe to cable or satellite after February, and 41 percent think that every TV in a house must have a new converter box, even those that are already connected to cable or satellite.

Okay. Add to this the fact that every time I try to watch the digital station it gets all skippy like a scratched DVD. Ugh. I just want to be able to keep watching television.

I hate this place!

At midday, it was five degrees. Oh My God.

I forgot that I hated this place. Its so cold it takes your breath away.

[Edit: Dan wants me to clarify "central illinois" as the place I hate.]

Top Five Songs of The Year (of my year, not music industry's)

Lots of people think on this list, but I don't follow music well enough to know which five songs that came out this year I really loved. Sometimes I discover (or rediscover) something in 2005 or 1995. Of course, this is going to be heavy on one band, because this year I really discovered one band for the entire year. Oh, yeah, I love Ra Ra Riot, Vampire Weekend, etc, but I discovered a band previously unknown to me that a a back catalogue. And the listening ensued.

1. Okkervil River - Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe



Thanks to Kristen for giving me this album. Thanks to Last.Fm for allowing me to download this track for free.

2. Amy Winehouse - Rehab



An anthem for the night out. Played continuously while getting ready to go out.

3. Okkervil River - You Can't Hold The Hand of a Rock And Roll Man



I kinda love Marie in this song. The character. Anyway, this video is from the Canopy Club. I was told that he was sick during this and it didn't sound good. Lies!

4. Okkvervil River - John Allyn Smith Sails



The last two minutes. Sigh.

5. Vampire Weekend - Walcott



I think I only listened to this spring semester into the summer a little bit. It started with Kristen forcibly suggesting I should be listening to them. All the blogs were a-chatter with this Vampire-y Weekend. Staying in Saturday night to watch SNL with them on it. Et cetera.

Honorable Mention:

Tally Hall - The Whole World and You



God Dammit, guys, make a new album.

Merry Christmas from the auto makers

Andrew Sullivan explains the bailout.

Battlestar Galactica Season 4.5 Promo

Can you believe its been 6ish months already since we last learned anything new?