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Heartfelt greetings for a happy new year, dear readers. We're still recovering from last night's - well, a gentleman wouldn't use a word like debauchery, but you get the idea. Between watching You-Tube video clips (more on that in a moment), eating frozen cocktail franks, and staying up late into the night (nearly 12:30 am!), it was quite the time. Getting old? Ha! That's for less adventurous spirits.
A couple of New Year's Eve observations:
- I'm impressed that for all the success she's had as a solo, Fergie is still also performing as part of an ensemble with Black Eyed Peas. (Can you even imagine, for example, Diana Ross singing background for another member of the Supremes?)
- Say what you want about Dick Clark; when I'm his age, I hope I'm half as tough as he is. In the past I was one of those people saying he shouldn't be appearing on the Rockin' Eve show anymore. Last night, finally, I started to get it. (Turning 50 a few weeks ago has absolutely nothing to do with my new paradigm.)
A few final statistics to welcome the beginning of the end of the holiday season:
- Total Christmas cards sent: 97
- Christmas cards sent to people I would not recognize on the street: 15
- Christmas cards either sent to people I've met once and have absolutely no contact with except - you guessed it - Christmas cards, or that we're sending to people that I made a mush-face when I saw we're sending a card to again: 10
- Christmas cards sent with White-Out applied to a jelly stain on the envelope: 1
- Total Chanukah cards purchased out of habit: 18
- Total Chanukah cards purchased and not needed because of the number of people who, it turns out, have died: 6
- Total Chanukah cards purchased that will be reused next year and hopefully no one will notice it's the same card as this year: 6
Wardrobe Malfunction, Kennedy Center Honors Style
I wasn't home to see the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors when it was first broadcast a few days ago, but caught it on You-Tube last night. It was a wonderful evening, and when it was all over no doubt everyone was left talking about the touching tributes, the funny insights and, most of all, what in the world Grace Bumbry could have been thinking with the collar on that dress.
The nearest I can figure is that either:
- she lost a bet;
- she was at a Star Trek fan convention earlier in the day; or
- a local veterinarian took one of those collars they put on dogs to keep them from licking a healing wound and brought it to the clothing shop where Aretha Franklin got that hat she wore to Obama's inauguration.
Since Aretha was there as part of the tribute to Grace Bumbry, I'm betting on that last one. No hat this time, just a dress that left me wondering if she took it off the table after removing the plates and silverware, or just pulled it out like that trick magicians do. (Curse the luck, I couldn't find a picture, but if you use the links at the location noted below, you'll find Aretha's presentation in Part 8.)
In any event, check out the tributes to Springsteen (including Melissa Etheridge's standing-ovation-inducing "Born to Run"), Robert DeNiro, Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck and Grace Bumbry's collar on You-Tube. It's really worth it. (The link below is for Part 1 of 12, but you'll also see links for the other parts.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKZAVGQ71hA
Sometimes You Just Need to go to a Wedding
I'm a big fan of Alaina's blog to begin with, and to have this front row seat to her wedding is an extra special treat.
Please check out this wonderful entry and, if you do, prepare to feel your heart smile. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Mischief!
9 comments:
Total cards sent out = 43
Total cards received = 5
Tsk.
I hope you and the missus have a better year than 2009!
Ben, you left out a Christmas card category: cards sent to people because they always send cards to you. I predict that in a few years it will be illegal or at least politically incorrect to send Christmas cards, for several reasons: 1) because of all the trees that must be sacrificed; 2) because not all folks celebrate Christmas; and 3) because non-electronic forms of communication will seem so last century. I'm not sure what this says about me, but lately I've been feeling strong urges to start writing letters again. Wait, was that a hot flash?
We celebrated New Year's Eve by staying up until 1:30 AM, so there! I also felt the need to bake (see previous paragraph reference to hot flashes). Now, normally I bake once every decade or so, so this was special. I found a recipe on the Internet for German Apple Cake. It was quite good. So good that I may include it in my new recipe notebook. You'll like this: I've started keeping a notebook where I copy (by hand!!!) recipes I've found on the Internet. I find something lovely and ironic about keeping a hand-written book of recipes gathered from the Internet. I'm hoping that someday far in the future my niece or one of my nephews will find it and treasure dear departed Aunt Sandy's beloved recipes. Perhaps I need to get out more.
thank you thank you thank you for your well wishes!
xxalainaxx
Fabulous read Ben! If it was left to me we wouldn't send cards at all but hubby holds a gun to my head on 20 Dec every year. He sends them to everyone and their wife and dog. Then we have to buy Christmas stamps to put on them. I'm still using up the job-lot he bought last year and last year's stamps are so PASSE, don't you think?
HA! All I can say is that you rock! Loved this entry! Thanks so much for stopping by to wish me a happy new year. We really must visit each other more often so we don't get like "those" holiday only people!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! :-)
nice post. thanks.
Great entry, Ben! I hope you have a wonderful 2010!
I need to feel my heart smile so I will check out the link you suggest.
Jelly stain - well I DID receive a stained card but they didn't even try to white it out so don't fret. LOL.
I didn't see 10:00 on New Years Eve so I missed Fergie & Dick Clark. The man is amazing and has more class than most in show biz will ever dream of having.
Wishing you & yours a happy, healthy 2010.
Lisa
What wonderfully silly things you manage to point out, delightful. I smiled the whole time I read this lol. :-))
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