Posting a day early, as I'll be too busy picking up the girls' wrapping paper and cooking Christmas dinner tomorrow to be online.
In the spirit of the holiday, did you know that just about the entire nation of Sweden watches Donald Duck cartoons on Christmas Eve every year? I sure didn't.
Our great national double standard continues. When poor people default on a loan, they are lazy and stupid. When rich people do it, it's sound business strategy.
This long Posnanski piece on the new Negro League Strat-o-Matic set is well worth your time; I was on the edge of my seat by the end. I didn't have Strat-o-Matic; instead, I had the 1968 Cadaco spinner-based game, and played the hell out of it. Wonder if it's still at my mom's house somewhere.
Lastly: I posted my favorite Christmas song on FB yesterday, so now I'll give equal time to their other Christmas song. Merry Fishmas, everyone.
I was going to put this in LFF, but it deserves its own post.
One of the DC blogs had a reference to Blelvis this week, and I hadn't thought of him in an age. That got me googling, and I found this Post article, complete with embedded Blelvis video.
I am one of the many with a Blelvis story--two of them, in fact. The first time, we were in Adams-Morgan--I think maybe Joel was with me?--when we were approached by Blelvis, all coming his sideburns. "I am the Black Elvis, I can sing any Elvis song, I can tell you anything about any Elvis movie." We tried to ignore him, but he followed us, so I said, "OK, I was flipping channels the other day and found an Elvis movie, and he sang this goofy song about the bossa nova." That was all it took, and Blelvis busted out a verse of "Bossa Nova Baby". (My favorite part of the video is Elvis pretending to play the organ without looking.) That was worth a dollar.
About a year later, a lady friend and I were again accosted by Blelvis. This time I was all "BLELVIS! My man!" He sang "Mama Loved the Roses" for her, and when it came my time to pick, I said "I wanna hear 'How Great Thou Art.'" "OK," he said, "but you have to sing the chorus with me." And so I had a quintessential DC-only moment, blasting out "How Great Thou Art" melodramatically with Blelvis on a streetcorner.
Where is Blelvis now? I don't get out in the city much anymore, so it's not likely I'll ever run into him again. But I hope he's still out there crooning.
Title: Lerp derp derp
1. Superchunk "Learned to Surf"
2. Santigold "Lights Out"
3. The Broken West "Perfect Games"
4. Company of Thieves "Oscar Wilde"
5. Man Plus "A Ghost is a Ghost"
6. Metric "Sick Muse"
7. Friendly Fires "Skeleton Boy"
8. Lykke Li "Little Bit"
9. Glasvegas "Geraldine"
10. Doves "Kingdom of Rust"
11. Silversun Pickups "Panic Switch"
12. Pela "Lost to the Lonesome"
13. Neko Case "Red Tide"
14. Grand Archives "Torn Blue Foam Couch"
15. The Avett Brothers "Ten Thousdan Words"
16. Bon Iver "Blood Bank"
17. The Temper Trap "Sweet Disposition"
18. Animal Collective "My Girls"
Drop a comment if you want to know how to get a copy.
A little something to prepare you for BEING SNOWED IN ALL DAMN WEEKEND.
I don't read Fake Steve Jobs often, but this tirade on AT&T is making the rounds. He's got a point.
Anyone who thinks sex discrimination is no longer a factor in today's modern world should read this. Not all that surprising, unfortunately.
Krugman on our continued inability to regulate financial institutions.
Lastly, holiday spirits: Look, someone improved on "Do They Know It's Christmas."
Why do so many conservatives insist that global warming is a hoax? Because it pisses off liberals, of course!
Some good questions about escalating in Afghanistan.
Awesome VF interview with Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil. More rock interviews should go down like this.
And now, The Prime Minister, Sinister Pete Nice, who is apparently an avid baseball memorabilia collector, and also sort of mental, apparently.
Mascot throwdown: Chad Ochocinco vs. the Minnesota Viking!
I was out somewhere recently and wandered by Mrs. Fields or some other cookie shop. Amidst the usual flavors--chocolate chip, peanut butter, Heath bar crunch--there was now a cookie with little chunks of Oreo in it.
I am guessing this is inspired by the success of cookies & cream ice cream, a flavor I quite enjoy, and which makes sense there because it imparts a certain flavor and texture differential to the ice cream. But I am bewildered by the cookie offering, because they have in effect created a cookie-flavored cookie. If I want a cookie that tastes like Oreos, I could, you know, go buy some Oreos.
So where else can we take this? Can Pizza Hut make me a pizza that is topped with little bagel pizzas, or Totino's pizza rolls?
Actually, Jim Gaffigan may have been onto something with the Hot Pocket with a Hot Pocket inside.
