It's time I come out.  I have an affinity for Dolly Parton.  At this time of year, that means I listen to this a lot!  It's a Hard Candy Christmas.  Can you believe I've never seen The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas?

Today is a very special day.

It is my official start to the Christmas season.  I can now put up lights, get a tree, hang the wreath, and blare carols in my car without feeling guilty!  And, just in time, I discovered another well-known musician who has put out a holiday album this year.  Fred Schneider from the B-52s joined up with a couple of lesser-known musicians and formed the Superions.  Their new work features gems like "Who Threw That Ham at Me," a ditty about creative ways to get out of shoplifting mishaps, "Crummy Christmas Tree,"" and "Fruitcake," which needs no explanation.  The Superions are an acquired taste, but if you like the sometimes harsh sound and campiness of the B-52s you will probably like Schneider's new work.  I really think John Waters and the Superions need to hook up and create something special together!

Here's article that turned me on to the Superions and their holiday music:  Fred Claus.

A Kind of Thanksgiving Video

In honor of the holiday, one of the few redeeming things about Thanksgiving*: mashed potatoes!  (And good food in general.  And having people you love around.)

I hope you all have plenty of each today.



* Check out the essay I wrote this time last year for reasons why I am dubious about the celebration of Thanksgiving.

Or watch it on YouTube to see what the cat has to say about all of this.  His comments really are the funniest part.

This day has developed a theme.

And that theme is new Christmas-y music.  A friend posted this link today.  It's the music video for God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, off of Annie Lennox's new holiday album.  The first few seconds of the video I thought it was terrible, but then the drums and stuff kick in and I got sucked into the mystical, vintage-looking video.  It's so rare to see traditional carols reinvented!  Santa Baby and that kind of song is remade all the time, but not classics like this.  This may sound mean, but I think the only bad thing about this song is the fact that it's Annie Lennox singing it.  She has an awesome voice in many ways, but this is not the best application for it!  I think Sinead O'Connor would be the perfect voice for this version of the song...every bit as strong but a whole lot softer.

Today NPR posted a sneak peak of a song off Paul Simon's new album, So Beautiful Or So What.  The available track is called Getting Ready for Christmas Day, and, although the album is being released after Christmas, it still has the festiveness that I associate with both Christmas music and Paul Simon.  Listen to it here.

Celebrating Halloween!

I celebrated Halloween over a span of 3 days, from this past Friday until Halloween itself.  I had no plans for Friday night until my friend D called out of the blue and invited me to her grad program's Halloween party, which was sponsoring a traditional Cuban band.  So, after rushing through a few loads of laundry, I threw on the quickest "costume" I could come up with, the ubiquitous Catholic School Girl outfit.  It was a great opportunity to wear my Stewart plaid pleated skirt!  After an hour of driving, I arrived at the small campus to find a swinging, salsa-dancing party in progress.  Almost every single person was dressed up, and there was clearly a lot of creativity in the air.  I had a brief, sweet moment when I was reminded of Antioch College, the first college I attended.  I was greeted by D and her husband, and we walked into the party together.  I was also greeted by a rather scrumptious Robert Pattison upon arrival:

I just had to.  Don't ask.

The band was really good, but I'm not into long bouts of salsa dancing, so I mostly enjoyed the eye candy, the costumed party-goers in a myriad of awesome costumes:  cupcake, sushi roll, Max from Where the Wild Things Are, four Where's Waldo characters, Carmen Sandiego, Sookie Stackhouse, vampire, toilet stall, dorky school girls (other than myself!), mad scientist, drag queen (which is apparently a Halloween costume), and "family of goats."  Don't ask about that last one, either.  It was nice to get to see my friends and not have to spend Friday night sulking at home (it had been a blah day). 

On Saturday I assembled my official costume.  I dressed up as a Skunk, the distinctive brand of groupies made infamous in the 80s film Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains.  I was pleased with the costume after spending so much time fretting about finding something good that didn't necessitate me being a fat version of the real thing (i.e. fat Sookie Stackhouse, fat Mary Poppins, fat Lady Gaga).  The trick, I learned, is wearing a costume that is based on a fictional costume--in this case, the one all the impressionable fans of the Fabulous Stains wore!  Here's my inspiration, followed by two photos of my imitation:

The skunk stripes (I opted for NO mullet):

I forgot how to use my camera's timer, so I wasn't able to get a full body shot.  Which is too bad seeing as I was wearing almost-hot pants!  I had a fun time going downtown afterward to see my visiting friend, B, although it was disappointing that no one in town got the reference.  It is a little sad to put effort into a costume that makes sense to no one but yourself!  I had to work Saturday night, so I changed into something more appropriate.  Meaning, no more almost-hot pants for me.  :(



The next day, Halloween, I put on pretty much the same thing I wore last year:

My thrift store orange sweater with black "fur" trim makes me so happy!  I work in a residential area, but got into work just after the trick-or-treaters had finished their rounds, sadly.  I had really been hoping to get to hand out some candy!  I need to have kids so I can do this stuff all over again.  (And yes, I recognize that that is a very bad reason for procreation.)  Overall, a good Halloween, and I did learn two big lessons:  Don't buy Halloween candy that you actually like for trick-or-treaters, and especially don't buy it weeks before Halloween!!  I had to buy candy twice, first my favorite Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins, and then, once I got smart, Pixy Sticks, which I don't care for.