In One Year And Out The Other

The good news: This isn't an end-of-year recap.
The sorta bad news: It's a recap of my Christmas instead. Wait! Don't go! I have pretty pictures!

My mom inexplicably calls these "sweet rolls" when they are obviously cinnamon rolls. I don't get it, either. Another mystery: Why do they taste so good and I why did I eat three of them on Christmas?

It's a Joss Whedon Christmas! Now all I need is Angel and my set will be complete. The first thing I did after opening my gifts was to listen to Commentary: The Musical! on the Dr. Horrible DVD. I cried I was laughing so hard. The extra features and regular commentary are also top-notch. I also got Thinking With Type, ABC3D, Wreck This Journal, SkullCandy headphones (hot pink!), and some other random stuff. It was a beautiful Christmas morning.

Action shot! I made Cherries Jubilee for our post-Christmas dessert. My uncle always makes prime rib, yorkshire pudding, fanned potatoes, and this year we also had smoked turkey. It's a veritable who-feast! (My grandma made the jumper apron. Isn't it cute?)

There was a very frightening period when Kenobi, our ginormous gray cat, decided not to come home for 48 hours. With all the snow and below-freezing temperatures, my mom had basically given up hope. I refused to believe that anything had happened, so when he showed up on our doorstep on the day after Christmas, I was relieved but not surprised. (But he's so grounded for the next month.) Also, Bono thought it would be fun to take a nap in my highly-unorganized ribbon box.

I don't actually know what the markings mean, but I am assuming peace or hope or something like that?

Monday night, we went downtown to see the lights on Temple Square--stunning! Even if my family did get mad that I left them to go take pictures, it was still a fun evening. The orange trees looked like they were on fire and the pink & white lights gave the effect of cherry blossoms.

They have a nativity in the middle of the reflection pool, which is awesomely ridiculous.

Here's to a 2009 that exceeds all of our expectations!
See you next year! (Lamest joke ever, but I laugh every time.)

PoP, Edition 10

Some day I'd like to be well-informed enough about one particular subject to write a truly amazing End of Year Best/Worst List. I'm not there yet, but as a reviewer, it's the least I can do to try my hand at my own variation.

The Top Ten Events That Happened In Gretchen's World of Entertainment in 2008
10. Who would have thought that a love story between robots could be so compelling? Wall-E is a masterpiece and I sincerely hope it gets a chance to win Best Picture at the Oscars.

9. I praise the heavens daily for the gift of TV on DVD. This year, I was able to catch up on Freaks and Geeks, Wonderfalls, How I Met Your Mother, and Battlestar Galactica. Hulu.com is a potential runner-up.

8.Thanks to graduation, I've had much more time on my hands to read for fun. I recommend Graceling, Paper Towns, My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park, and Love is a Mixtape.

7. I'm no gamer, but I can hold my own in Guitar Hero and Rock Band. (If we're talking about the medium setting...) But when I heard that The Beatles were coming to Rock Band, I experienced music/gamer Nirvana. Just the fact that they're planning on making such a game is enough to make this fangirl freak out.

6. Confession: Sometimes I feel inadequate as a music aficionado. There's so much I need to hear and there is much I have to learn. On the other hand, I feel like a had a great year in terms of music exploration. If you haven't done so, please give a listen to She & Him: Volume One, The Raveonettes: Lust Lust Lust, Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago, Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend, Girl Talk: Feed The Animals, Coldplay: Viva la Vida Or Death And All His Friends, Joshua Radin: Simple Times, and Ray LaMontagne: Gossip in the Grain.

5. I have a love/hate relationship with Amy Ryan. I love her for what she brought to The Office as Holly Flax and I hate her for leaving . Her short stint as the HR Rep/love interest was charming and memorable. She brought a spark back to the show *and* to Michael, which is note-worthy indeed. Oh, and then Pam and Jim got engaged. That was a pretty big deal for me.

4. 2008 proved a profitable year for such blockbusters as Iron Man and Twilight, but let's not forget the smaller screen-stealers like Be Kind, Rewind, Ghost Town, Kung Fu Panda, and Cloverfield. (Totally kidding about that last one. Egads, that movie was such a waste of time. But seriously. Go see the others.)

3. One small step for TV, one giant step for Writerkind? The Writer's Strike was not an easy affair, but it was necessary in earning fair pay for telvision writers. I'm not eager for a repeat anytime soon, but we've got so far to go--fingers crossed that things go more smoothly the next time negotiations come around.

2. (tie) A: For what it's worth, I was aware of the genius that is Tina Fey from the moment she took the Head Writer's job at SNL. So I was super thrilled to see her get recognition for her impression of Sarah Palin, but I was even more excited for the exposure it gave 30 Rock.
B: Tina brought in some much-needed levity to the main focus of 2008--the presidential election. This was the first year I actually took an interest in politics. The election was exhausting and overwhelming and fascinating and rewarding. I can't wait to see where 2009 takes us.

1. I hardly need to start preaching the wonders of the world wide web to you all, but wasn't it a stellar year for the internet? Viral content is beginning to infuse all aspects of life and while that's sorta scary, it's mostly awesome. Joss Whedon pioneered a whole new brand of content--the made-for-internet mini-series (Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog). Felicia Day's The Guild opened so many doors for self-made webisodes/vlogs. Twitter exploded as the hot micro-blogging social network. Weezer capitalized on the youtube phenomenon with their video for Pork and Beans. And we really can't forget the genius of How Is Babby Formed.

Keeping Watch Over Their Flocks

Happy holidays, you guys! I wrapped up my shopping (just figuratively, not literally) last night and I couldn't be more excited that it's Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is my absolute favorite day of the year because what's more exciting than anticipation? I'll be back next week, but I wanted to wish you all a very wonderful end of the year. Please be safe and enjoy your time with family and friends. In whatever way you celebrate, never forget the spirit of the season.




Linus explains the true meaning of Christmas




An 'Office' Christmas, Charlie Brown-style

Schroeder and Lucy are SO Dwight and Angela.




"Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel
It wasn't easy to pick just one scene from this movie, but this is in my top three. Also: Buddy jumping the tree to get the star on top and "Thanks, Mr. Narwhal!"


Merry Christmas tomorrow! Happy Hanukkah for the next week! Happy belated Festivus! Have a magnificent Boxing Day, if that's what you're into.

With Some Decorations Bought At Tiffany's

I had this elaborate scheme about the weekly gift guide I was going to write for the holidays, but lo and behold, it's freaking Christmas on Thursday. Instead, I'm just going to sum it up with a little help from the 20-Something Bloggers December Carnival Prompt found here. (Sidenote: The deadline? Totally December 21st. Procrastination FTW!) The goal is to make a wishlist of five items, one for each sense.

Five Things I Would Like That Are Also Completely Unattainable

Dear Santa,
This year for Christmas, there are a few things I have in mind. Thing is, you might have trouble getting them for me. But believe me when I say I've been a very good girl and I know you'll pull through.

Sound
I'd like a private concert with Wilco. Jeff Tweedy would look me straight in the eye whenever he sings the word "honey." Gah, I'm melting just imagining it. The playlist would include "Impossible Germany," "Hummingbird," "California Stars," and "I'm The Man Who Loves You." To which I would reply, "Yes, Jeff, I love you, too." Maybe Billy Bragg would come out for the encore and they'd do a few tracks from Mermaid Avenue.

Taste
Santa, remember when I waxed rhapsodic the pastries on Oahu? I'd like some more of those coconut half-moon pies. The crust was the right amount of flaky and buttery. The way the coconut-sugar filling sunk into your tastebuds was magical. MAGICAL, I tell you. The bakery was settled in a nook of Turtle Bay and while I'd be happy if you just brought me three dozen half-moon pies, I would also be satisfied if you took me along with you. I promise to share!

Touch
Cashmere or chocolate labrador puppy fur? What about a choco-lab puppy dressed in a cashmere puppy sweater? WHOA. I think I just blew my mind with the potential level of proshness. Man, J. Crew is soooo redonkulous.

Scent

Next, I think it would be swell if you brought me a baby to smell. Okay, I know that sounds a little odd, but hear me out. Have you ever really smelled a baby? A clean one, of course. Preferably post-bath, all wrapped up in a plush hooded towel.It's heavenly. And as I don't have any nieces or nephews or young cousins near by, all I need is a baby to smell for...oh....thirty minutes sounds reasonable.

Sight
I'll make this one easy. Santa, I need you to swing an encounter between John K. and I during Sundance in a month. If you do this, I will be the epitome of nice for the rest of my life. PINKY SWEAR.

Hugs,
Gretchen

Silver

Dear Mom and Dad,

Today marks 25 years since you got married in the Salt Lake Temple on that very snowy day less than a week before Christmas. My first reaction was, "I can't even comprehend being with someone for 25 years. I mean, I haven't even been alive that long!" Then I realized that if I had been alive that long, you'd both have some splainin' to do.

In honor of this occasion, there is so much I have to thank you for...

For being the rockingest parents around.

For laughing at each other's jokes and knowing when to say, "It's really good you have a son/daughter who will laugh at your lame jokes."

For playing scrabble with each other on a regular basis.

For holding hands during church.

For communicating.

For going on thrift store dates.

For giving each other books as gifts.

For keeping us safe, warm, and fed.

For spending your 25th anniversary at the Neil Diamond concert.

For taking us on some truly awesome family vacations.

For passing along your love of learning.

For watching "Law & Order" together every single Wednesday.

For getting married even though Dad postponed the original wedding date. (Seriously, Dad, what's up with that?)

For teaching us kids about sacrifice, compromise, and love.

Thank you.

At the risk of sounding unbelievably cheesy, I really hope the next 25 years are even more amazing.

Love,
Gretchen

(P.S. I meant to ask if it was okay to post this picture on my blog, but I, uh, forgot. Hope that's cool. Besides, it's a great picture of you two.)

Giveaway Results/Gratuitous Photo Of Yourself As A Child Wednesday

The winner of the vintage card giveaway is.........srah! Srah was one of the first blogs I started reading. She's absolutely hilarious and can quote 30 Rock better than anyone else and once she made a list of the exact times of Gilbert Blythe appearances on the Anne of Green Gables DVD. One of her traditions is "My mom makes these breakfast rolls on Christmas morning with pineapple and cream cheese filling and arranges them like a Christmas tree with green decorating sugar and maraschino cherries for ornaments. Love it!"

Which is awesome, because my mom makes a tree roll on Christmas morning with green and red sprinkles, but no maraschino cherries because only my dad and I like them. Email me (gretchenalice at gmail dot com) with your address!

(Clearly, I was the clean child.)

PoP, Edition 9

Music
Siriusly Smiling by Various Artists
(Learn more about this album from Stephanie Perkins. The proceeds benefit the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction.)
I remember when Harry and the Potters came on the scene as the very first wizard rock band. Yeah, they sucked, but it was music with terribly clever lyrics about Harry Potter. They spawned a movement that now consists of over 450 wizard rock bands--18 of the best bands are represented on this compilation. The melodies tend to stay in the punk rock/pop genre, but let's be honest. You listen to wizard rock for the lyrics. Romance, teen angst, and incest are just the iceberg's tip of topics. ("C'mon, Harry, let's get frisky/Snogging is better than firewhiskey.") Some are purely tongue-in-cheek, but all of the songs are created with the love of Harry Potter and that's worth supporting.

Costello Music by The Fratellis
I picked this up last week at my favorite used music store and it was the second-best thing I got there. The first was a sticker that says "I dated Rick Astley--Never gonna give!" NOTHING can beat that. Anyhow, Costello Music is the perfect driving cd. Brightly exuberant and sardonic, The Fratellis are masters at the art of creating a song that will get stuck in your head for days. The best part is you never mind that it's stuck.

Books
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
I have this strange goal of reading all of the National Book Awards YA Fiction books before the end of the year. One down, four to go! Frankie Landau-Banks, a sophomore at an elite prep school, is like a slightly more insecure version of Lorelei Gilmore. Frankie's sharp wit and confidence have landed her a senior boyfriend and acceptance with the popular kids. (Her newfound curves didn't hurt, either.) Soon enough she learns that being the girlfriend of Matthew Livingston means staying sweet and pretty, but she resolves to show everyone that it doesn't have to be that way. This is done by taking silent control of the all-male secret society and organizing some seriously awesome pranks. With the potential to be a future criminal mastermind, Frankie is a strong and engaging character. I loved every page and while the book doesn't need a sequel, I'd like for E. Lockhart to write more.

T.V.
Battlestar Galactica, Season One
Two of the biggest BSG fans I know--Ashley and Jenn B--are also good blog friends of mine and I respect their opinons on tv more than anyone else. So you can blame them. I think I might be addicted. I'm not surprised or anything, but yeah, BSG is incredible. I'm kicking myself for not watching it earlier. Without mentioning any spoilers, BSG outshines every other show because it tries to be perfect in everything it does. The showrunners know where they're going and they aren't going to slack off until they get there.
A few highlights:
The music is impeccable. From the war beats to the main theme, the show gains so much from the score.
Jamie Bamber, Edward James Olmos, and Katee Sackhoff. Stunning actors. Like whoa. Also, I would like to eat Jamie Bamber's face.
The characters are complex, fascinating, flawed, and talented. They're real people, which is rare in television where most characters are caricatured.
There are no words for how good the writing is on the show. We'll just leave it at that.
Each episode builds on the already extreme tension that comes from being stuck in space and having cylons on your back 24/7.
BSG raises questions about philosophy, religion, and politics that other shows wouldn't dare to touch.
I know it sounds intense, but (so far) the journey has been very enjoyable. In the words of Dwight K. Schrute, if you're not watching this show, you're an idiot.

Last Chance

Just a reminder (heh...I first typed "remindeer" which I thought was pretty funny given that it's Christmas and all) that the giveaway for the vintage Christmas cards closes at 6 PM. Enter here. In case you need even more reasons to win, I'll also throw in a mix of my favorite holiday tunes and a few other surprises.

P.S. Cuileann found a site where you can achieve the falling snow effect in blogger, so now it's snowing in my blog and outside my office. Yay!

The More You Know

Can I get real for a minute? We need to discuss something that has negatively affected the Christmas spirit and I, for one, am not going to stand for it. That's right, I'm talking about inflatable lawn ornaments. I don't know if this is common elsewhere, but it's freaking rampant here in Utah. I've recently twittered about a couple of the more horrendous examples I've seen, however, this issue obviously deserves more attention. To paraphrase the gay kid from School of Rock, they're tacky and I hate them.

There are the obvious ones like Santa with a bag of gifts, a snow globe with penguins and snowmen, and ginormous round ornaments. The last one's the best, because can you imagine all the material you'd have for naughty jokes? Inflatable decorations cost upwards of a hundred dollars and I've seen homes with as many seven or eight. Seriously, go donate that money to Doctors Without Borders or something.

And what I don't get is that some people think this are truly the best thing to happen to Christmas decorations. Like this lady: "An inflatable outdoor Christmas decoration can turn a bare yard into a delightful display that people of all ages will love. Even though I sometimes look at the snow globe inflatable decoration with envy, I think that we made the right decision for our family." If this is you, I'm somewhat sorry if I've offended you. But only somewhat, because you're the one with a six-foot-high snowman in your yard that is very easily punctured. Just sayin'.

Let's examine the evidence.

(Please note the very popular theme of "Santa Doing Non-Traditional Stuff That Relates To Our Interests.")

 I'll be the first to admit that there's something inherently kick-awesome about Santa on a chopper, but any of that coolness is automatically negated by the fact that this version is puffy.

Jeff Foxworthy would have a thing or two to say about Nascar Santa.

 

"Haha! Look at how clever this is, because Santa is wearing sunglasses and flying his sleigh with flamingos! When he's really from the North Pole! Isn't that just precious?!"  Who in the name of Herbie the Elf thinks up this stuff?

I can only think that single guys must buy this one, because no self-respecting wife is going to allow this in her yard. Then again, I've been wrong before.

 

The inflatable lawn decoration industry doesn't discriminate. (The patent has been secured for an inflatable Kwanzaa Candelabra, but unfortunately, I could not find an inflatable Festivus Pole.)

I'm pretty sure that leg has a cankle, which kind of draws away from the whole "soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the yard" effect.

 

 This Santa is programmed to "climb" up the rope in an animated fashion. But from a certain angle, it looks like Santa can't take his high-stress work environment anymore and is finished with this cruel, cruel world.

Possible Taglines For My Campaign

Talk to your kids about inflatable lawn ornaments. 

Only you can prevent inflatable holiday decorations.

Just say "no" to inflatable lawn ornaments. 

Take a bite out of inflatable Christmas decorations!

Because a beautiful, tasteful, and festive yard is a terrible thing to waste.

YES WE CAN.

Jingle Bell Rock

Today I'm a guest editor over at Rare Bird Finds, presenting my top five gift ideas for music lovers. Please stop by and say hi!

Office Recap, "Moroccan Christmas"

Ahhh, Christmas. A time for singing, giving, wrapping your co-worker's desk in paper, and staging interventions! Wait...what?

Christmases around The Office are rarely normal, but none of them have been quite as out-of -the-ordinary as the Moroccan Christmas. (Sidenote: I'm still mad we didn't get a Christmas episode last year due to the friggin' AMPTP.) The show is usually 50/50 when they have something extremely random happen in the office. Burn your foot on a George Foreman grill? Win! (Sidenote #2: Will somebody please buy me this shirt for Christmas?) Bring in Ben Franklin for a bachelorette party? Fail, in my opinion. Race for a cure for rabies? Win! Have a Moroccan-themed Christmas party just like your grandmother might possibly have? Mostly made of fail. I liked quite a bit about this episode, so it's not gonna be all Debbie Downer.

The party kicks off with vingettes that were reminiscent of the early parties, like Meredith's birthday and the Yankee Swap turned White Elephant. Pam and Jim are flirting at her desk and it's adorable, natch. Michael's serving up drinks despite the no-alcohol rule from corporate that we learned about when Michael got everyone plastered with 15 bottles of vodka. Meredith, as the token alcoholic, is downing drinks left and right. The dancing leads to belly dancing leads to catching her hair on fire. Dwight the Fire Marshall leaps to the rescue with his handy-dandy fire extinguisher--there is a man I want to have around in case of emergencies. (Maybe.)

Back from the commercial break, the men are discussing their schedules. Michael's is problematic because he has a monthly dental appointment for his soft teeth and likes to celebrate Groundhog's Day in private. In true male style, they decide to go for it right then, because it shouldn't take too long, right? Everyone gathers around in the front part of the office, which is still festively decorated in true Moroccan style. The list of "How to tell if you're an alchie" is helpful, with questions like drinking on holidays and if when you drink, you start to question the teachings of the Mormon church.

HAHAHAHA. AWESOME. Okay, I've been waiting for, like, ever for a good Mormon shout-out on the show and they delivered the goods. It's even funnier because my dad pretty much wrote the manual on addiction recovery for the church. (Probably just funny to me.)

Toby tries half-heartedly to stop the intervention, but like most everything else in his life, he fails. Burn! No one has any good examples of how Mer's drinking has affected them, unless you count that time that Kevin scored free movie tickets from her. I, for one, liked the Schrute five-step method of intervention: Awareness, Education, Control, Acceptance and Punching.


Top Three Things Meredith and Amy Winehouse Have In Common
1. Really lousy hair
2. People tried to make them go to rehab, but they said no, no, no.
3. That's it.

My main beef with the episode was the dragging-out of the rehab scene. It wasn't even the kind of uncomfortable-awkward that can be laughed at--it was the kind of pointless-uncomfortable that doesn't belong even in The Office. "I'd like to deposit an alcoholic" made me chuckle, but the rest of the scene felt poorly timed and out-of-character for Michael. Yes, he's needlessly "helpful" at times, but why for Meredith? Wait, I can answer that. His workers are his family and he'll go to any length to do what it takes to aid them. I guess it makes sense, but I still didn't like it.

Maybe the issue I have with the plot is that Meredith has never been a worthy personality of having multiple storylines devoted to her. She's a sex-crazed/boozy single mom which should be enough to make a good character, but it's never worked for me. She's static--exactly the same as she was from day one. And I'm okay with that, as long as they keep her in the background. Yet I can think of at least four episodes where she had a central role. Why are they attemping to flesh out (pun, because she has an affinity for going topless) her character now? I need to mull this over some more.

I'm done with that for now. Let's talk about Dwight. Gaining the upper hand in all aspects of life is important to him, which is why he bought out all of the stores of the hot holiday toy--Princess Unicorn! Her horn can pierce a hole in the sky! It's shiny and vaguely phallic! Dwight's marketing them to local parents for 200 bucks a pop. Way to turn a tidy profit there, dude. Even Darryl gets in on the action, until a desperate Toby buys it for twice the price. Annnnnd Sasha's getting an African-American Barbie for Christmas. Dear Office writers, this was on par with 30 Rock. Make sure you check out every page on the new Princess Unicorn website, found here. "Do not play with Princess Unicorn if you are allergic to lead based paint."

Ever since she caught Dwangela deep in the throes of passion, Phyllis has used that to blackmail-but-not-really Angela into doing her bidding. Well played, Mrs. Vance, well played. From tossing Baby Jesus into the drawer to making Angela double-toast the hummus, it's been quite the reign of terror. Angela, as power-hungry as Dwight, can't take it and claims that Phyllis will never tell. Oh, let's not speak too soon! She spills the secret to everyone BUT Michael, Meredith, and Andy. Oops. Notice the smirk on Dwight's face? This couldn't be more perfect for him.

Andy comes out for a Christmas-themed sitar piece he learned just for his darling. It might be sweet, if it weren't so painful. Clueless as ever, Andy takes Angela home and he wishes them all a good night. Fun fact: Ed Helms is extremely good at learning musical instruments. I bet that in writer's room, they say to themselves, "What can we have Ed pick up this week? I know, the sitar!"

Well, kids, this is the last new episode for A WHOLE MONTH. (weeps quietly to herself) Did you think it was a worthy episode to end on or did it feel like Santa didn't bring you a Princess Unicorn doll?

Endnote: My favorite throwaway moment was Michael nailing Toby in the head with the pen. And here's a testimonial for Princess Unicorn from Gov. Sarah Palin! "Princess Unicorn not only is a wonderful Christmas gift for children but she is also utilitarian as she assists in drilling for oil. Not only does she pierce the sky but she can go through the depths of ice-covered shale."

Vintage Christmas Card Giveaway

So my dad has the awesomely massive collection of vintage greeting cards and postcards and he's graciously donated a set of Christmas cards for this giveaway. Isn't he the greatest? There are nine pairs (eighteen cards total) and they're gorgeous. The insides are as stunning as the outsides--I'm such a sucker for fabulous typography. I don't have an exact year for when they were made, but I'm guessing late 60's/early 70's. Find out how you can win after the pictures!

Win a set of vintage Christmas Cards!
Two ways to enter:
1. Leave a comment on this post with a holiday tradition that you love.
2. Blog or tweet about the contest for an additional entry. Link to the blog post or tweet in a second comment. (This is important so I can have an accurate count of the entries.)

Formalities
The contest will close Tuesday, December 16th at 6 P.M. MST and announced on the 17th. Open only to residents of the United States or Canada. The winner will be selected using random.org. If you don't have a blog or twitter where I can contact you, please leave a valid email address. If the winner doesn't respond within 3 days, I will contact the second person on the randomized list.

If this is your first time here, hi! I can't wait to hear about your traditions. Thanks for playing and happy holidays!

PoP, Edition 8

Music
Let It Snow! EP by Michael Buble
Sexiest. Canadian. EVER. (Don't hear that very often, now do you? Unless, of course, we're talking about Ben.) Purely delightful--this man can even make me like the song "My Grown-Up Christmas List." My only complaint is that it's only five songs long. Michael darling, will you release a full length Christmas cd soon? Pretty, pretty please?

Set Yourself On Fire by Stars
Amazon's MP3 store has recently started a series of Daily Deals in their shop. Full-length albums are knocked down to anywhere from $1 to $4 for a period of 24 hours. Follow them on Twitter or add the twitter address to your feed to get updates. Anyhow, I've picked up some great albums without the guilt of spending loads money on digital music, as I prefer to buy actual cds. Set Yourself On Fire was my most recent purchase and it was well worth the $2 I dropped on it. Heck, I probably would have paid full price for this one. It's accessible without losing any of its indie edge. Stars is a band that doesn't beg to have your full attention, but when you do listen closely, you're rewarded handsomely.

Reckoning by R.E.M.
Most of my R.E.M. exposure comes from their radio play, which really is a shame. One of my very qualified music friends recommended Reckoning to me when I told him what I'd been listening to lately. I wasn't at all surprised to find out that he was right--it's a great album and perfect for me right now. The songs work well individually and as a whole. "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" is the first single and a darn fine rock song.

Books
The Tales of Beedle The Bard by J.K. Rowling
This new addition to the HP canon isn't enough to fill the hole in my heart left by the end of the Harry Potter series, but it somewhat quelled the pain. Four new fairy tales by Beedle the Bard and one already published story ("The Tale of the Three Brothers" was already included The Deathly Hallows) are included in this short tome. The stories (cleverly translated from the original runes by my homegirl Hermione) are along the same vein as muggle tales by The Grimm Brothers--there are morals and good vs. evil and dark humor. The real joy of the book, however, lies in the endnotes written by Albus Dumbledore. They're brimming with all of his timeless wit and wisdom and they made me miss him so much. I know it's weird to say that about a fictional character, but I CAN'T HELP MYSELF, OKAY?
The book is convieniently stocking stuffer-sized and proceeds benefit the Children's High Level Group.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Alison Morris writes a book blog for Publisher's Weekly called ShelfTalker--it's one of my top three book blogs to read. Last week, she discussed the books that no self-respecting bookstore should be without. In her list of YA fiction and non-fiction, she listed this book as an instant classic. It also won the National Book Award and with those two things combined, I resolved to read it ASAP. Basically, this picked-on Indian kid named Junior Spirit decides to go to the white school to escape his hard-knock high school. He's a cartoonist and the book includes cartoons from him (expertly drawn by Ellen Forney). It's very funny and heartbreaking, because life on the Reservation is tough and you need a sense of humor to cope. Maybe it's just because I've read a number of books lately about teen boys who go through an exploration of life lately, as I'm not sure this would make my list of essential YA fiction. But is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian worth all the accolades it's received? Absolutely it is.

That's it for this week, because I've been deeply engrossed in Battlestar Galactica S1. I'm almost done, but I'll post my review next time when I'm finished with the season.

Snails See The Benefits/The Beauty In Every Inch

Things I Love: December '08

1. Christmas music starts early in Utah--like, the day after Halloween early. And every year I say to myself, Gretchen, you should probably wait until post-Thanksgiving to begin listening to it. Anything after that is just, y'know, excessive. And then on November 2nd I'm flipping through radio stations and I'm all, Okay, I'll listen to "Sleigh Ride" just this once and by the 5th half of my pre-sets are stations that play Christmas Music 24/7. The best part is that I'm not sick of it yet! I have a problem, but it's a festive addiction, so that's okay, right?

2. My dear bloggy friend Cuileann spent her Thanksgiving touring Iceland by herself. I've dreamed about doing stuff like that, but she actually had the courage to go through with it. She's just started to recap the trip, so you can read from the very beginning. (A very good place to start.)

3. It was love at first sight when I saw the online store for Layers Clothing. Imagine my surprise when I learned that their actual shop was only miles from my house. Layers is ahead of the curve (pun?) when it comes to fashion that is both modest *and* affordable. I'm obsessed, to say the least.

4. I didn't give Paper Towns enough attention last week during PoP, so let me give credit where credit's due. John Green, author of YA masterpieces Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines, is the voice of the current generation of American youth. At surface level, his books are about boys who hopelessly love the quirky girls in their life, but deeper down, they're about identity and love and an infinite amount of other important topics. Paper Towns is ragingly well-written and hysterically funny to boot. Really, the difference between a good book and a great book is how much you think about the book after you've read it. It's been a week and a half for me and I can't get it off my mind.

5.

Enter the Oh How Lovely Shops Big Holiday Giveaway!

Go enter, because Jamie is awesome for organizing that. Also, get pumped because I've got some cool stuff up my sleeves for a giveaway later in the week.

6.I don't know what sparked my interest, but I've been consumed with the thought of adopting a retired racing greyhound. I'm not even a dog person and I want one SO BADLY. My life needs to be more settled down before this will ever become a reality, but it WILL happen someday. (Photo via Whackapedia)

7. The Big Bang Theory is the latest addition to my tv line-up. I was skeptical because it a) is on CBS and b) has a laugh track. It's like if the guys from Friends were super nerdy and hopeless with women. (Okay, I guess that does describe Ross.) The uber-geeky humor makes me proud to understand most of the references, especially when the Lil' Bro looks at me like I'm crazy and demands an explanation about what's so funny. Usually, I'm like, "You see, it's awesome because back in the 70's George Lucas had this friend......oh, never mind."

8. Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks--Is there anything more ubiquitous on Love Lists? Um, no. There is not. So I'll just sum it up in two words: Liquid Crack

9. I'm no longer a Trader Joe's virgin! We stopped by the one in ABQ and I made the fateful choice to share my pita chips with my family when suddenly the bag was empty. Blerg! I was so enamored by the design of their holiday bags that I snagged a couple for myself.

10. We held a charity auction within my Singles' Ward (which is the congregation for all us single LDS peeps) on Saturday and raised nearly $2,000 for Sub for Santa. If that doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will.

Office Recap, "Surplus"

Or
How The Office Got Its Groove Back

NBC, if you're going to promote yourself as "Comedy Night Done Right," then you're going to have to crank out more episodes like tonight's The Office and 30 Rock. It also might help if they stop promoting Kath & Kim as their hot new comedy. Seriously, guys, you're not fooling anyone.

Also! I couldn't ever recap 30 Rock because I would just end up quoting the whole thing, so instead...I'm going to cite an uncanny similarity that I have to Liz Lemon from the episode. Trust, there's always one, usually more. This week's confession? Like dear Liz, I would also buy cream soda in bulk. Yum.

But enough about that, let's talk about the awesomeness that was "Surplus." Oscar, the only competent accountant, dumbs it down for Michael, who still recognized it was a surplus yet needed the lemonade stand analogy. The $4300 needed to be spent by the end of the day and I suspect that Oscar was holding out on that little tidbit of information until he'd be most likely to get the copier. The matter is taken to the whole office where an EPIC showdown begins--Oscar in one corner, Pam in the other. Use the chair, Pam! *rimshot*

Toby thinks the money should be put towards air quality control and I never realized how much I missed him until Michael threw back at him, "You're the silent killer!" A barely-audible "You'll see..." made up for the ridiculousness of him coming back.

Jim is firmly in the copier camp, which puts him at odds with his fiancee. I know that in some less-than-intelligent corners of the internet, people were freaking out that this was going to be the end of JAM, along with every other minor conflict. Dear people-who-cannot-comprehend-subtlety: Jim and Pam are going to have a long, blissful life with one another and they will bear many floppy-haired, artsy children. STOP WORRYING ABOUT IT.

I knew none of you were actually concerned about that; I just needed to get it off my chest. Pam's competitive streak has been shown in other storylines, but she was on fire this week. The difference between Pam of "Frame Toby" and the Pam of "Surplus" is that she was dealing with the whole office as opposed to just Michael. She knows how to control him better than any one else. As for convincing Jim, she fluffed up her curls and applied some seriously hot red lipstick. It's a good try, but Jim somehow resists her temptation. I'm sure they have real fights out of the office, but anything we see on camera is just to keep their mundane work semi-interesting.

I was surprised to find that I wasn't very invested in the Dwight-Angela-Andy plot at the beginning of tonight's episode. For going on months, they've dragged it out and I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but my interest has started to dwindle. On the other hand, I'm always in favor of a trip to Schrute Farms. The conditions seem less-than-ideal for a wedding, like how "no slaughtering" must be requested at an additional fee. Andy steps in manure not once, but twice. Is there a term for doing a lame joke once and then repeating it so it seems funnier? I guess I did laugh the second time, so it worked. Dwight has converted one of the barns to be a sweetly romantic setting for the wedding. I'll admit, I can see why Angela gets the American Girl Doll clothes charmed right off of her. In a twist you could see coming from 186 paces away, the German Mennonite Minister weds Dwight and Angela right there and then. It's a confusing time for her anyhow and then Dwight has to go and ruin it all. In an unexpected display of affection, Angela sucks Andy's face off during work, post-tuna sandwich. Ugh.

Bonus: MOSE!
Bigger bonus: Mose squarely hitting Andy in the head with a ball.

There are a number of tactics used in the final surplus decision, such as letting Hank the Security Guard decide to everyone suddenly showering Michael with the affection he so often craves and never receives. Choking down his tiramisu, Michael learns that he can get 15% of the ending amount. $645 can buy a lot of coats or one awesome fur coat. Instead, in a rare display of workplace ingenuity, Michael lets Oscar and Pam duke it out. That would have been fun to see, but we as the viewers only get the end result--chairs win! The show excels when it takes small plots and expands them to the main plots, which is what made the halcyon days of Seasons One and Two so wonderful.

How great was that tag scene with Jim and Pam? Making copies has never seemed sexier. Congratulations to John Krasinski for Sundance selecting his film, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, to be shown at the festival. And more importantly, congratulations to me for living in the state that hosts Sundance, so you better plan on some hardcore celebrity-stalking going on that week. I'll probably call it Operation:JKras.

Last thing--I have to know, would you have sided with Oscar or Pam? I would have wanted new chairs.

In Which I Channel Simon & Garfunkel And Have A Fine And Fancy Ramble At The Zoo

When I was younger, one of my many career aspirations was to be a photographer for National Geographic. Hence, I've got this obsession with the zoo because it was as close as I was going to get to actual wildlife. I'd also like to point out that if I had the means, I would be one of those psycho ladies who breeds lions in her backyard.

These were all taken at the Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque, NM, where I spent my Thanksgiving break. (Edit: Albuquerque in general, not the zoo.)

Wait, I lied. This last one was taken in Old Town. Let's just say there are reasons why New Mexico is called The Land of Enchantment. I'll spare you the long recap and say that there was food through the rafters, a heated arm-wrestling contest, and a trip to the burger joint where my friends and I would go during middle school. The burger joint was kind of like our version of The Max from Saved by the Bell, except a lot more ghetto.

PoP, Edition 7

First off, I'd like to thank the wonderful Laura of Quirkology fame for designing this absolutely perfect graphic for my PoP feature. Could it be any more awesome?

Once I realized that NaNo was something of a futile effort, I actually got a lot of reading done. And thanks to a new subscription to eMusic, my iPod is happy and full. Also, what's with companies that insist on capitalizing the second letter? This drives me cRazy. Anyhow, here's the list of my November readings and watchings and listenings.

Music
Biggest Blue Hi-Fi by Camera Obscura
Elliott Smith by Elliott Smith
Hello, Starling by Josh Ritter
In The Aeroplane, Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
meiko by Meiko
Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down by Noah and the Whale
Prospekt's March EP by Coldplay
Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
Wisely by Wisely
All-encompassing review: I love them all, but Josh Ritter and Elliott Smith are probably my faves.

Books
Things I Learned About My Dad (In Therapy): Humorous and Heartfelt Essays edited by Heather Armstrong: Some of the essays almost brought me to tears and the others almost had me peeing my pants they were so hilarious.
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson: Underwhelming. I like her other work, but never really got invested in the story.
He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo: Yeah, I'm now one of those girls that quotes this to her friends.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: DUDE. SO GOOD.
Ivy by Julie Hearn: Enjoyable and well-written, but not memorable.
Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier: I first read this six years ago and it's stuck with me all this time. Deliciously and vividly rendered.
Paper Towns by John Green: SO GOOD TIMES TWO. Read this book.
The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: Eh, I'd rather read Catcher in the Rye, but I overall liked it.

TV
30 Rock: Season Two
Yes, again.

Movies
Ghost Town
Yes, again.

Twilight
Twice, as a matter of fact. And I loved it. I had low expectations and I was very surprised. Yeah, it's super flawed, but all of those imperfections are exactly what the book suffered from. (For instance, cheesy dialogue, weak plotting, obvious narration, inconsistent pacing of the romace.) But it's both genuinely and unintentionally funny, which is great for a teen movie. The scenery was gorgeous and while some of the camera work bothered me, I approved of things like the lighting, costumes, and transitions between scenes. Also, the music was shockingly good. Kristen and Rob did fantastically in areas that I didn't anticipate, like the chemistry between Bella and Edward. I'll totally see it a third (and maybe a fourth) time in the theaters.
Sidenote: If you haven't read it yet, Eric D. Snider wrote up a pitch-perfect rejected Twilight screenplay.

Yankee Swap is like Machiavelli meets........Christmas

Here's a little something-something to help kick-start the holiday season.



It's embarrassing a) how much I love this song and b) how many times I've watched this video. Happy December!