Wring Out The Auld

YAY!!! IT'S OVER!!!! Away and begone with this season that was colored by a broken washing machine, outdoor lights problems, indoor lights problems (every f#%king light on the tree went out just 30 minutes before a houseful of people show up - I left 'em off), and the really discomforting fact that one third of my Xmas eve guests are gun carriers - and honestly I can only think of one of those people whom I would ever trust with a weapon (he killed a priest in his teenage years - his, not the priest's).

WHAT'D I GET??? I thought you'd never ask! I'll be accessorizing in style this winter with a fine assortment of gloves, scarves, slippers & sweaters. I got the two must-have books this season, Sleeveface and "John Lennon - The Life". And I got a robot, an exact (almost) replica of the one I had as a child. And this was unbeknownst to my wife! And it's named after me! No foolin'! And I got an iPod dock, so now everyone can hear the playlist that goes on in my head day & night. And some other stuff, too, but I'll stop here because space is at a premium.

One of the bright spots of this holiday season is that I got to spend time with my grandson, who, at 3 months of age, shows every inkling of becoming God, or at least the greatest guy on earth. His parents are kinda flaked-out, but I'll make sure he stays righteous.

So now, for those of you who are going out post-holiday shopping, here's my best-of 2008 list (in no particular order):

Vampire Weekend (my favorite of the year); Imperial Wax Solvent by The Fall; Antidotes by Foals; Partie Traumatic by Black Kids; Parallel Play by Sloan; Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!! by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds; Skeletal Lamping by of Montreal; I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark Luke & Laura by Pas/Cal; Ten Kens; Reality Check by The Teenagers; Workout Holiday by White Denim; Rip It Off by Times New Viking; The Stand-Ins by Okkervill River; Nouns by No Age; Tell Tale Signs by ol' Zimmy; and last but definitely not least: Beat Pyramid by These New Puritans.

I'll close this post with a tip of the sexy hat to Miss Earth Kitt, the Queen Diva who merged with the universe on Xmas Day. She was Catwoman in the 60's, had an affair with Orson Wells, was blacklisted, recorded some very sexy music, including "C'est Si Bon", "Cha Cha Heels" with Bronski Beat in the 80s, and of course "Santa Baby", which she hopefully dug this season. We'll miss you, Ms Thing.