Friday Roundup

I've got nothing! Nothing but drudgery interspersed with holiday preparations on this end! Okay, I've got a few small bits and pieces: First up, please do visit/like the Duranalysis Facebook page, if you haven't already done so. There's weird stuff there, like Union of the Snake comics (see above). Hang out, post your own Duranny links, have fun.

Second: Speaking of Duran, have y'all heard Nick Rhodes's weird/awesome spoken-word piece that he made for Warren Cuccurullo's birthday yesterday? It's up on the official Duran Duran website. Worth a listen. Is this the first time we've heard Nick's voice on a track since "Medazzaland"?

Obligatory Christmas tree photo:

Somewhere, my Great-Aunt Bertha (1905-1980) is wincing that I spray-painted one of her vintage suitcases gold and plopped a Christmas tree on it.

I made a kick-ass fruitcake with dried cherries, dried apricots, pecans, chocolate chunks, and cocoa powder. It's mellowing in the fridge right now, wrapped in cheesecloth soaked in a homemade Earl Grey liqueur (vodka infused with loose tea, combined with a syrup of brown sugar and honey; the cherries and apricots were soaked in it as well to plump them up before using). It's freaking amazing. I did a loose adaptation of our mom's much loved recipe, with the addition of the chocolate and some swapping around of nuts and fruits (and hers always used brandy). I have no idea why fruitcake is so maligned. When made correctly, that stuff's unbeatable, like the best-tasting and booziest Clif Bar you've ever had.

In lieu of a Friday song, I present you with a Friday playlist:



I put together a quick playlist of loosely-themed Christmas/holiday songs, mostly from the eighties (Tim Phillips's "Song for Ten" from Doctor Who is most definitely not an eighties song, but dammit, it sure sounds like it could be). There are some obvious picks on the list, along with some oddities.

May your days be merry and bright.