Sunday, December 26, 2010

Love this...





















'And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.'

- Roald Dahl

(classic children's writer, 1916-1990
James & the Giant Peach, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)

Friday, December 24, 2010

'...all is calm, all is bright...'

Well, it's not calm at my house, but it is bright.
Merry Christmas Eve!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Especially loving Vienna at Christmas...

Friday, December 10, 2010

Today is the one year anniversary of the last gig at the Dog. It was a christmas banquet. I remember it as clearly as if it happened one hour ago. The stunned mix of melancholy, relief, disbelief and the awful surrendering of a dream.

It takes a long time to get over such things.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

TV Guide - Holiday Specials

I'm really looking forward to The He-Man and She-Ra Christmas special on December 18th.

DECEMBER 6
• Little Mosque on the Prairie Christmas Special, 9 p.m. ET, CBC
• A Charlie Brown Christmas, 8 p.m. ET, ABC (repeats Dec. 16, 8 p.m. Also airs Dec. 18, 6 p.m. ET, YTV, and repeats Dec. 19, 8:30 p.m., Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m.)
• Will You Merry Me, 8 p.m. ET, W Network

DECEMBER 7
• The Last Christmas, 10 p.m. ET, W Network
• The Night Before the Night Before Christmas, 8 p.m. ET, W Network (repeats Dec. 11, 2 p.m. ET)
• A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, 7 p.m. ET, CTV (repeats Dec. 18, 5 p.m. ET, Comedy)

DECEMBER 8
• Chopped Holiday Special, 10 p.m. ET, The Food Network
• It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas, 10 p.m. ET, W Network

DECEMBER 9
• Ace of Cakes: Holidays on King, 10 p.m. ET, The Food Network
• Shrek the Halls, 8 p.m. ET, ABC (repeats Dec. 24, 7:30 p.m. ET, CTV)
• Olivia: Snow Lady, 5:30 p.m. ET, Treehouse (repeats Dec. 21, 5:30 p.m.)

DECEMBER 10
• Rita MacNeil’s Cape Breton, 8 p.m. ET, CTV

DECEMBER 11
• Decked for the Holidays, noon, HGTV
• The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Holiday Special, 4 p.m. ET, The Food Network
• Jason McCoy: Christmas at the Grand, 7 p.m. ET, CMT
• Hockey Night in Canada — 3D, Montreal vs. Toronto, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBC
• Frosty the Snowman, 8 p.m. ET, CBS (repeats Dec. 17, 8:30 p.m.)
• Frosty Returns, 8:30 p.m. ET, CBS (repeats Dec. 17, 9 p.m. ET)
• The Flight Before Christmas, 9 p.m. ET, CBS
• Max & Ruby: Christmas Passed, 11:30 a.m. ET, Treehouse
• Team Umizoomi: Santas Fixers, noon, Treehouse
• Santa Baby, 7 p.m. ET, W Network (repeats Dec. 12, 10 a.m. and Dec. 20, 9 p.m. ET, CMT)
• Santa Baby 2, 9 p.m. ET, W Network (repeats Dec. 12, 4 p.m. ET and Dec. 24, 9 p.m. ET; Dec. 21, 9 p.m. ET, CMT)
• Disney Prep & Landing, 7:30 p.m. ET, CTV
• Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special, 11 p.m. ET, Comedy
• A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All, 10 p.m. ET, Comedy
• It’s a Wonderful Life, 8 p.m. ET, CTV/NBC (repeats Dec. 24, 8 p.m. ET.
• Gremlins, 12:05 a.m. ET, CTV (repeats Dec. 20, noon, The Movie Network/Movie Central)

DECEMBER 12
• Food Network Challenge: Holiday Windows, 7 p.m. ET, The Food Network
• Spike: The World of Santa Clause, noon, YTV
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York City, 6 p.m. ET, YTV (repeats Dec. 17, 7 p.m. ET, W Network)
• Christmas in Canaan, 11 p.m. ET, W Network (repeats Dec. 15, 4 p.m. ET, Dec. 22, 8 p.m. ET, and Dec. 25, noon; Dec. 19, 10 p.m. ET, CMT)
• Deck the Halls, 10 p.m. ET and midnight, Showcase (repeats Dec. 25, 10 p.m. ET)
• A Heartland Christmas, 8 p.m. ET, CBA Being Eric Holiday Special, 9 p.m. ET, CBC

DECEMBER 13
• Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas To You, 9 p.m. ET, ABC
• Holiday in Handcuffs, 1 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. ET, W Network
• Under the Mistletoe, 11 a.m. ET and 6 p.m. ET, W Network

DECEMBER 14
• I Want A Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown, 8 p.m. ET, ABC (repeats Dec. 18, 8 p.m.)
• The Penguins of Madagascar: The All Nighter Before Christmas, 7 p.m. ET, YTV
• The Town that Christmas Forgot, 7 p.m. ET, W Network
• Silent Night, 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., W Network

DECEMBER 15
• Iron Chef America: Holiday Battle, 11 p.m. ET, The Food Network
• Holly Jolly Special, 7:30 p.m. ET, YTV (repeats Dec. 19, 8:30 p.m., Dec. 21, 9 p.m. ET, Dec. 23, 9:30 p.m., Dec. 24, 3 p.m., Dec. 25, 2 p.m.)
• Back at the Barnyard: It’s an Udderful Life, 8 p.m. ET, Nickelodeon
• All She Wants for Christmas, 8 p.m. ET, W Network
• Being Erica Holiday Special, 9 p.m. ET, CBC

DECEMBER 16
• Merry Madagascar, 7 p.m. ET, YTV (repeats Dec. 19, 11:30 a.m., Dec. 24, 4 p.m.)
• Olivia: Christmas Surprise, 5:30 p.m. ET, Treehouse
• Holiday Wishes, 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET, W Network

DECEMBER 17
• Yes, Virginia, 8 p.m. ET, CBS
• This Christmas, 9 p.m. ET, YTV
• Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas, 6 p.m. ET, Treehouse (repeats Dec. 19, 7 p.m. ET)
• Fred Claus, 9:30 p.m. ET, W Network (repeats Dec. 18, 10 a.m.)

DECEMBER 18
• Genevieve’s Holiday Home, noon, HGTV
• A Garfield Christmas Story, 8:30 p.m. ET, YTV (repeats Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m.)
• It’s Christmas Time, Charlie Brown, 6 p.m. ET, YTV
• A Flintstone Family Christmas, 7 p.m. ET, YTV
• ‘Tis the Season to be Smurfy, 8 p.m. ET, YTV
• He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special, 9 p.m. ET, YTV
• Alf’s Christmas Special, 10 p.m. ET, YTV
• Sidekick: Beneath the Missile-Toe, 10:30 a.m. ET, YTV
• Snow 2: Brain Freeze, 7 p.m. ET, W Network (repeats Dec. 19, 10 a.m.)
• Snow Globe, 9 p.m. ET, W Network (repeats Dec. 19, 5 p.m.)

DECEMBER 19
• Santa Clause 2, 7 p.m. ET, ABC
• Santa Clause 3, 9 p.m., ABC
• Pearlie: Jingle Bell Park, 7:30 a.m. ET, YTV
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 2 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET, Showcase (repeats Dec. 23, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
• One Magic Christmas, 7 p.m. ET, CTV (repeats Dec. 22, 9 p.m. ET)
• Uncle Buck, 9 p.m. ET, CTV

DECEMBER 20
• Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, 7 p.m. ET, YTV (repeats Dec. 25, noon and 8 p.m.)

DECEMBER 21
• Meet the Santas, 1 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. ET, W Network
• A Wind at My Back Christmas, 11 a.m. ET and 6 p.m. ET, W Network

DECEMBER 22
• A Dog Named Christmas, 9 p.m. ET, CMT (repeats Dec. 23, 1 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. ET, W Network)
• 12th Annual Home for the Holidays, 8 p.m. ET, CBS
• Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus, 1 p.m. ET, W Network
• Eve’s Christmas, 11 a.m. ET and 6 p.m. ET, W Network

DECEMBER 23
• Kenny vs. Spenny Christmas Special, 9 p.m. ET, and 11 p.m. ET, Showcase
• 12 Days of Christmas Eve, 9 p.m. ET, CMT
• Home by Christmas, 11 a.m. ET and 6 p.m. ET, W Network
• Trailer Park Boys: Christmas Special, 10 p.m. ET, Showcase
• A Christmas Carol, 9 p.m. ET, CTV (repeats Dec. 24, 12:05 a.m. ET)
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated), 8 p.m. ET, ABC

DECEMBER 24
• The Christmas Clause, 5 p.m. ET, The Movie Network/Movie Central
• Ice Quake, 7 p.m. ET, The Movie Network/Movie Central
• Four Christmases, 9 p.m. ET, The Movie Network/Movie Central
• It’s a Wonderful Life, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., ET, W Network
• The Family Man, 10 p.m. ET, W Network (repeats Dec. 25, 10 a.m.)

DECEMBER 25
• Miracle on 34th Street, 1 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET, W Network
• Cancel Christmas, 6 a.m. ET, Showcase
• Holiday Switch, 8 a.m. ET, Showcase
• Christmas in Wonderland, noon, Showcase
• Christmas Crash, 2 p.m. ET, Showcase
• The Yule Log, 5 a.m. – 10 a.m., Citytv and 6 a.m. ET, CTV
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, 3:20 p.m. ET, Mpix

DECEMBER 26
• Rugrats Kwanzaa, 7:30 a.m. ET, Nickelodeon
• Christmas with the Kranks, 6:30 p.m. ET, W Network
• The Sound of Music, 7 p.m. ET, CTV/ABC

Friday, December 3, 2010

Next Year's Christmas Tree

This will totally horrify my oldest son.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

















Writer and chef Anthony Bourdain talks about drugs and making choices:

‘At no point in Kitchen Confidential, that I can find, does it say that cocaine or heroin were good ideas. In fact, given the book’s many episodes of pain, humiliation, and being constantly broke-ass, one would think it almost a cautionary tale. Yet, at readings and signings, I am frequently the inadvertent recipient of small packets of mysterious white powder; bindles of cocaine; fat, carefully rolled joints of local hydro, pressed into my palm or slipped into my pocket. These inevitably end up in the garbage—or handed over to a media escort. The white powders because I’m a recovered fucking addict—and the weed ’cause all I need is one joint, angel dust–laced by some psycho, to put me on TMZ, running buck-naked down some Milwaukee street with a helmet made from the stretched skin of a butchered terrier pulled down over my ears. Smoking weed at the end of the day is nearly always a good idea—but I’d advise ambitious young cooks against sneaking a few drags mid-shift at Daniel. If you think smoking dope makes you more responsive to the urgent calls for food from your expeditor, then God bless you, you freak of nature you. If you’re anything like me, though, you’re probably only good for a bowl of Crunchberries and a Simpsons rerun.

On the other hand, if you’re stuck heating up breakfast burritos at Chili’s—or dunking deep-fried macaroni at TGI McFuckwad’s? Maybe you need that joint.

Treating despair with drugs and alcohol is a time-honored tradition—I’d just advise you to assess honestly if it’s really as bad and as intractable a situation as you think. Not to belabor the point, but if you look around you at the people you work with, many of them are—or will eventually be—alcoholics and drug abusers. All I’m saying is you might ask yourself now and again if there’s anything else you wanted to do in your life.

I haven’t done heroin in over twenty years, and it’s been a very long time as well since I found myself sweating and grinding my teeth to the sound of tweeting of birds outside my window.

There was and is nothing heroic about getting off coke and dope.

There’s those who do—and those who don’t.

I had other things I still wanted to do. And I saw that I wasn’t going to be doing shit when I was spending all my time and all my money on coke or dope—except more coke and dope.

I’m extremely skeptical of the “language of addiction.” I never saw heroin or cocaine as “my illness.” I saw them as some very bad choices that I walked knowingly into. I fucked myself—and, eventually, had to work hard to get myself un-fucked.’