Fun Stuff, Maynard!

Not a lot to say. I'm just gonna give you some links and say, "Have fun!" (Okay, I'll say a little. Read on.)

27b/6 - Brilliant email exchange between someone who wants something for nothing and someone who isn't willing to oblige. Thing is, I can't figure out if this is fact or fiction. Funny? Yes. True? Who knows, but I'm sure someone will dig deeper and let me know.

Are you familiar with Marmite? Nasty stuff. Totally an acquired taste. There's a new book out about it that sounds like fun, though. Check out The magic of Marmite, best digested in book form.

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As it is officially December, it's time for that odious of all Christmas songs, The Twelve Days of Christmas. Since 1984, PNC Wealth Management has been doing a breakdown of what it would cost if you actually followed the redundant admonitions of that song and bought everything on the list x 12. You can also read about it in the Washington Post. Here is "12 Days of Christmas" items would top 87k.

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Have you switched over to Blogger's new interface? I just did. What do you think? I wish there were more font options, because there are so many lovely fonts out there. I suppose I could add them to the HTML code by hand. Hm.

In that same vein, why are everyone else's comments showing up and being accounted for, but my buddy Gilahi's are not? Is it Gilahi or is it Blogger? These are the kinds of questions that keep me up at night, folks!

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Remember last week's Lost in Translation with the Transex transport company and Wankdorf City? Well, here's another anecdote. Saturday, before we left Basel, we went to the Christmas Market. In addition to the handcrafted trinkets and gifts you can find, there's also gluhwein and heisse Marroni to be had. One day, I'll write about the culinary yuck that are roasted chestnuts, but for today's purposes, I'm here to talk about the bag they came in.

We got 100 grams of the holiday nut. It came in a bag that said, "Das sin' d' Marroni vom Barfi!" Translation: "These are the chestnuts from Barfi!" Inspiring, no? Obviously the Family Barfi should consider a name change. If I can get a picture of the bag taken and processed in the next day or two, I'll post it here.

Meanwhile, that is all.

Christmas Music

This being the first Sunday of Advent, it's officially the start of Christmas-music listening! I've got the tunes on right now. Between my English and German Christmas music collections, I have enough music for four days of non-stop listening.

One of my favorite holiday rituals is going to Borders Books & Music or Barnes & Noble and looking for new Christmas CDs. I don't have this luxury this year and I'm not so sure I'd be entirely keen on Christmas music in French. Here's where you all come in, though:

Recommend your favorite new* Christmas album to me and I'll consider downloading it from iTunes.

* New does not necessarily mean a new artist. It could be a new release of Christmas music for an older or long-since dearly departed artist. Bring it on, folks.

Photo course: Das Stadtblog für München

Bearable

Anyone who has been reading my blog for any length of time knows my least favorite Christmas song is The 12 Days of Christmas. Most odious, pedantic, dull song out there. Repetition takes a beating on the head with this song. I'd almost rather have fingers down a chalkboard than listen to this song.

That said, while uploading my vast collection of holiday music to iTunes a year or so ago, I stumbled across a rendition by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir that is truly fabulous! It's the only version of The 12 Days of Christmas I'll listen to.

And why, you ask?

Because they sing each verse in a different classical music style and that makes it fun and less tedious than butternut squash.

Here, for your holiday enjoyment, is The 12 Days of Christmas by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Please note, it's 12 minutes long, but worth every minute!

Holly in my Heart

It's that time of year when everyone is all charitable and cheery and packin' on the pounds at parties and parceling out packages of home-baked goodness.

Meanwhile, over in Minnesota, some dude named Pierre just received the gift of a lifetime: a fruitcake that is nearly 100 years old. Yes, you read that correctly. Fruitcake. 100 years old. I don't know about you, but after the odious holiday "carol" 12 Days of Christmas, fruitcake is the second most vile thing imposed upon the season of tidings of great joy. The only thing that nasty concoction is good for is as a door stop. Pierre's would certainly qualify as that, and more. Read Hear the One About the Fruitcake Made in 1911?

And, I'm sure many of you have already festivized your house with a tree and garlands and all the finery of the season. Hopefully yours doesn't look like this. (Be sure to click through the photos. Some are more hideous than others and a few make Charlie Brown's Christmas tree look positively divine.)