TRAGEDY, SORROW AND THE BLOGOSPHERE

Over at Lifehacker, someone asked the question – Is a blog a suitable vehicle for sharing information about a serious illness or death in the family? I don’t know what others think but I was glad that I had this outlet when my sister passed away a few months ago. The news came suddenly and a fast trip to England was necessary. We were separated from the rest of our family by an ocean and 5 time zones.

Keeping people up to date was a way for me to channel some of my grief and I heard from a number of relatives, friends and strangers who appreciated the updates and left comforting comments. This blog doesn’t really have a theme but quite a few of my posts have dealt with personal matters. Posting is sometimes hard, especially when the subject is difficult, but in general I find the experience of committing my thoughts to the web to be cathartic.

LOOKING FOR A HOLIDAY RECIPE?

Over at Fark there’s an interesting thread if you’re looking for a last minute holiday recipe. Some are legitimate and others are, well, not. By far, my favorite was submitted by a submitter named “Danger Mouse”.

2 dysfunctional parents

3 screaming children

5 bottles of wine

1 bottle Jim Beam

4 percocets

add a dash of in-laws

slowly mix with sexy neighbor with roid rage husband.
Serve in a small apartment.

THE MALLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF SHOVING

Got about 3/4 of the Christmas shopping done today. A quick outing first thing tomorrow and I’m officially done!

As usual, I saw the look of quiet desperation in most faces. It’s common in the last few days before the big one and it reconfirms my jaundiced view of this whole retail driven frenzy.

A VERY MATRIX CHRISTMAS

[image:513:c]
The super talented, super strange Goons over at Something Awful put out the call for photoshopped images from the Matrix movies with a seasonal theme. The results were mashed into a little movie that is a joy to behold.

The link to directly download the movie, grab the torrent and take a look at the submitted images is here.[newline]
[image:514:l]You might also want to check out their take on The Lord Of The Rings from this time last year.[newline]

SCARY CHRISTMAS ALBUMS

[image:512:r]When I think of musical genres that drive me crazy, two come to mind. Christmas and Disco. So what could be worse than combining both hideous monsters? How about having a duck do vocals?

Irwin the Disco Duck really knows how to get a Christmas party started. [newline]

SCARY CHRISTMAS ALBUMS

[image:511:l]Years ago, some advertising firm was hired by a group of farmers who wanted to raise the public awareness of their crop. The California Raisins were born. Claymation commericals followed until the masses got so sick of them that the campaign fizzled out. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen before we were subjected to the Raisins and their take on Christmas.

Nothing says Happy Holidays like a bunch of wrinkled, dried grapes.

SCARY CHRISTMAS ALBUMS

[image:510:c][newline]
Following in the steps of Alvin and the Chipmunks, many other animals attempted to cash in on their success. While Sidney the Sloth and Seymour the Squirrel never got their careers off the ground, Woody the Woodchuck at least got some airplay by releasing this collection.

You can actually bid on this classic.

SCARY CHRISTMAS ALBUMS

[image:509:l]
Star Wars Christmas album? What was George Lucas thinking? How do I wring a few more bucks out of this franchise?

If you’re really feeling daring, you can read a review and actually listen to this abomination here.
[newline]