Christmas Vacation

'Is Rusty still in the Navy?'

I've been working on painting the nursery for a majority of my time off and should finish this morning. It's a cool set up, but the rooms have a lot of angles and detail work. I'll give you all a tour MTV CRIBS (Ha!) style when it's done. Next up...assembling the two cribs.

The two boys are doing well and growing big time...much like the tummy of Mrs. Famous. 2006 is going to be a wild year for us...no sleep til 2007!!! Anyhow, if I don't get a chance to wish it to thw two people who read this: HAPPY NEW YEAR BITCHES!!! One of my resolutions is to post up here more often, so we'll see how that goes. PEACE!

It's a (beer) celebration bitches!!!

So, at least in my family, the holidays are all about eating and drinking and togetherness and stuff. While I love it all, i'm going to forgo parting w/ my secret recipe for the world's most dangerous fruitcake (which, for the record, isn't referring to Richard Simmons) and focus on the DRINKING. Submitted for your enjoyment, is a short list of seasonal brews i've been digging this Christmas:

SIERRA NEVADA CELEBRATION ALE

As far as a beer you can find in most good groceries and liquor stores, this would probably top this year's list. Great flavor, very hop-laden w/ a slight bit of a fruity taste, but not too overpowering. Just the right blend of everything. Check out their website HERE.

BELL'S WHITE WINTER ALE

Bell's Amber Ale is one of my favorites all year long and their White Winter Ale has proven to be a fantastic holiday alternative. I usually go more for wheat ales in the Summer, but being it's a smooth and lightly carbonated beer w/ hints of clove, banana (!), and cinnamon...it serves as a nice precursor to the darker/heavier stuff i'll be imbibing Jan-Feb. Check out their website HERE.

PYRAMID SNOWCAP ALE

This came in on recommendation from a friend and I had to go to one of those liquor superstores (Binny's) to track it down. A potent red-brown ale, noses and tastes a little bit burnt, and has cinnamon and nutmeg notes. Even though it's spiced, it's not as overbearing as some like beers are prone to be. Check out their website HERE.

MICKEY FINN'S SANTA'S MAGIC ALE

Mickey Finn's is a nice microbrewery out here near where I work in Libertyville, IL and has what may be the best beer I have ever tasted called Santa's Magic. It's a Belgian strong ale...higher alcohol content, but smoother than hell...nice flavor too, a little hint of fruit and spices. Unfortunately, they don't bottle or distribute to other resellers and it's only available for a very limited time (it's already off tap). So, next year, i'm going to get a growler as soon as it's available. Check out their website HERE.

So, there you are...drink up. If you have any favorites of your own, I implore you to take 30 seconds to clue me in via the comments section. Again, please be sure to DL my annual holiday mix a couple of posts down...as you'll need some good holiday music to dance around like an idiot too after enjoying too many of the fine beverages above. My blog...'IT'LL GET YOU DRUNK!!!'

Damn You Casey Kasem...Damn You Straight to HELL!

As this is supposed to be a music blog and the end of 2005 approaches, that means we are on the eve of the inevitable 'Best Of' list that every music freak is required by our Union to put together. I've got mine whittled down, but i'm still fine-tuning. Until then, courtesy of My Blog is Poop, is the 'so dead on it hurts' guide to How To Make A Hip End of the Year 'Best Albums' List:

• Before you begin, make sure you pre-empt your list by saying/blogging/writing in your journal that there weren't many great albums out this year and that music sucks in general right now. If you don't, people will assume that you derive pleasure out of making lists about your favorite things. And that's soooo unhip.
• Remember to include at least one (but no more than 3) hip hop albums. This shows that you are receptive to all types of music (except everything but rock and hip hop) and that you are "down." Don't get fancy, stick with what works: Kanye, Outkast, and A Tribe Called Quest are always safe, even if they didn't release an album this year.
• If you don't plan on naming a couple of Import albums that don't come out in this country until the Spring of next year then stop reading right now and get the fuck out of my blog.
• This should go without saying, but be sure to include one band that nobody's ever heard of. This is a good time to list your friend's band's 3 track EP that he gave you one night when you were out drinking. Including his band's album on your list accomplishes two things: 1) it's a safe bet they're completely unknown, and 2) it makes him happy. Hooray.
• Don't include your actual favorite album. It may have been good when you started listening to it, but now it's cliche. Deal with it.
• Make sure to include an album that just came out. This will lead people to believe that you got an advanced copy months ago and had plenty of time to get into it. But WARNING- BE CAREFUL- make sure it's not something that will become popular or produce a radio-friendly single in the next couple of months. Nothing will kill your indie cred than including the next Killers on your next Hip List.
• If you're gay, don't feel obligated to include the new Madonna album. We'll just assume.
• Space out your "The" band albums appropriately. It doesn't matter if you like The Subways the second most and The Comas third. You throw those two bands next to one another on a list and it's going to look like it's 2001 all over again. Be careful.
• To really drive home the point that you're not mainstream, add a list of "Albums that just missed the cut." There-- and ONLY there-- do you include the bands that had a song on the radio in 2005. That way you can look at everybody else's lists and say "Oh... Bloc Party? Yeah, they just missed the cut on my list. What, you had Silent Alarm at number 2? Ouch."
• Speaking of Bloc Party; If you MUST include them you better rank the Remix album higher than the actual album. You know, to make a point.
• And finally, the best advice of all: don't make an End of the Year 'Best Albums' list. Because you, like, don't have the time for that kind of stuff. Totally. Totally.

The First...errr...THIRD Noel

Felix Navidad!!! This is the third installment of my annual holiday mix, that is given (in most cases, against their will) to family, friends, co-workers, celebrities, heathens, girls named 'Candy', department store Santas, snow angels and casual onlookers. Some of you may have been on the receiving end of the previous two audio lumps of coal ('ALOT LIKE X-MAS' and 'A LOT LIKE XMAS TOO'), so some of these tunes (my favorites) have been trotted out before...just can't break from tradition I guess.

An extra helping of good tidings to Tualla (nicked that Cool Breezes tune) and Wendy (didn't have the Jimmy Eat World tune) for their help in decorating this year's Charlie Brown tree of a CD. As a lot of holiday music you hear this time of year leans more towards the traditional, i'm a big fan of the odd contemporary x-mas tune (ex: Cheap Trick, Waitresses, Ringo Starr)...something that captures the holiday spirit one can only find in clotheslining an old lady at 5AM to get that marked down salad shooter or photocopying your ass at the office christmas party. However, some of these (ex: The Beach Boys, ELP, Smashing Pumpkins)...as cheesy as they may be...really do capture the peace, happiness and hope I feel around this time of year

So, if it's your thing, don your gay apparel (not that there's anything wrong with that), be naughty or nice (the same thing in my book) and, if you're a braver person than I, try some of that figgy pudding the kids are all rapping about. Better yet, as Ray Davies reminds us in what may be my favorite Christmas song of all time...

'Have yourself a merry merry Christmas
Have yourself a good time
But remember the kids who got nothin'
While you're drinkin' down your wine'

Human kindness should a year-long thing, but please go out of your way to do something good for somebody this holiday...donate some time or $ or just a smiling face. May the big man above bless you as he's blessed me 100x over the past year. Happy holidays (WHATEVER YOU CELEBRATE) and a wonderful New Year to you all. Now, here's the music (DL it from the link below)...

A LOT MORE LIKE X-MAS

Track Listing:
Christmas, Don't Be Late - The Chipmunks
Come On Christmas - Cheap Trick
Waiting for Christmas - Adventures of Jet
Come On Christmas, Christmas Come On - Ringo Starr
Father Christmas - The Kinks
Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses
Last Christmas - Jimmy Eat World
Frosty the Snowman - The Cocteau Twins
Socko the Smallest Snowball - The Bell Sisters
It's Christmas Time - Yo La Tengo
Joy to the World (Mocean Worker Remix) - The Cathedral Brass
Christmas is Going to the Dogs - The Eels
The Night Before Christmas Song - Gene Autry & Rosemary Clooney
I Believe in Father Christmas - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Little Drummer Boy - Los Straitjackets
Jesus Christ - Big Star
Morning Christmas - Beach Boys
Christmastime - Smashing Pumpkins
Hello Mr. New Year - The Cool Breezes
The New Year - Death Cab for Cutie