even the vegetables don't like him
Hi! Welcome!
I’ve had a rough several weeks, anxiety-wise, and two things have helped more than anything else: heavily restricting my own access to social media, and yoga.
The yoga thing has come as a pretty big shock to me, as I’m not at all athletic, nor do I care overmuch about looking fit? But a friend recommended I look into yoga videos on youtube to help with my anxiety, and in desperation, I did. I started doing Yoga with Adrienne’s 30 days challenge as an experiment, and immediately loved it. It calms and focuses my brain in a way that I badly needed, and for the first time in…ever? I feel like my body and I are on the same page, rather than being in conflict.
I still can’t open twitter without feeling panicky, but that’s a pretty logical response, I feel, to the current state of the world.
Dog Thing
Mixed Media
At some point in the 90s, my mom bought a Christmas music CD boxset at Costco. It had 4 CDs in it, each one jam-packed with a huge variety of songs and other wonders. There’s a King Singers rendition of “Deck the Halls,” in which one verse is performed entirely on kazoo. There’s a track that’s Liberace reading “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” There’s a performance of “O Tannenbaum,” in German, that sounds so much like it was drunkenly sung in a pub that the traditional family response to hearing it is to heft an imaginary tankard. The final disc is just Handel’s Messiah. It is, to my mind, the perfect Christmas music collection. Both my brother and I ripped all 4 CDs when we went to college; there are songs on it that I’ve never found anywhere else. However, we can’t listen to it all the time, so here’s a shortlist of my favourite Christmas music that isn’t from the boxset.
The Muppet Christmas Carol. Obviously. I adore the movie, and the music is so wonderful. In fact, “It Feels Like Christmas” is my very favourite Christmas song. “It’s in the singing of a street corner choir / It’s going home and getting warm by the fire / It’s true, wherever you find love / It feels like Christmas” That’s the good stuff.
A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. The ultimate girl group Christmas album, this is so fun. The last track is just Phil Spector speaking, so feel free to delete that one off. But the music, man. I never get tired of it.
That’s Christmas to Me. I’m a sucker for a capella music, and love Pentatonix’s arrangements and remixes of traditional Christmas music. (I also love their previous Christmas album, PTXmas, which includes their extremely lovely rendition of “Carol of the Bells“)
New entry: Everyday is Christmas. Sia’s new Christmas album is a weird and wonderful delight! No rehashing of old favourites here, it’s all original tunes. My fave track by far is “Puppies are Forever,” in which Sia warns us of the dangers of giving puppies as gifts because after all, puppies are forever, not just for Christmas.
Standout tracks:
“Five Pound Box of Money” - Pearl Bailey Eartha Kitt’s “Santa Baby” is a thing of joy, but for my money (heh) the award for the greatest materialist Christmas song goes to Pearl Bailey.
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings” - Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan A fun, upbeat take on two very old Christmas songs.
“Blue Christmas” - Elvis Presley Despite being 1/2 Memphian, I don’t care much about Elvis. Except for this song, which I adore.
“The Little Drummer Boy (Peace on Earth)” Bing Crosby & David Bowie My favourite of Crosby’s many holiday duets.
“All I Want for Christmas is You” - Mariah Carey C’mon. Am I made of stone?
SO MANY. I finished Diana Wynne Jones’ Chrestomanci Chronicles with Conrad’s Fate, The Pinhoe Egg, and the short story collection Mixed Magics. I really did love the whole series. I also read Jones’ novella The Game, which was a really clever take on story & myth. I read A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, and didn’t much like it, despite not being able to put it down. There was a very nice semi-sentient magical house in it, however. I read Frederik Peeters’ new book, written with Loo Hui Phang, The Smell of Starving Boys. It was very good, a Western with fantasy elements. It’s always interesting to me to see European creators take on the American West.
I went back and gave Carly Rae Jepson’s Kiss another try–I love EMOTION & EMOTION SIDE B, but wrote off Kiss on account of hearing “Call Me Maybe” 300 thousand times in a single summer. It’s a great album! And you know what–“Call Me Maybe” is a great song!
I watched Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble with Harry, which I hadn’t even known existed. It’s a very macabre comedy, not at all the sort of thing I expected from Hitchcock.
Anxiety Pyjamas
Fics I Shouted About
Open for Repairs by FeelsForBreakfast // Harry Potter, Harry/Draco. Harry walks into a muggle repair shop and is shocked to find Draco Malfoy working there. So he stalks him, a little. Maybe.
No Shadow Taller Than Our Souls by khasael // Harry Potter, Harry/Draco. Auror Harry is assigned to work with Unspeakable Draco on a series of missing persons cases possible related to Dementors.
Con tanto amore by tacroy // Chrestomanci, Cat/Tonino. Cat and Tonino keep up a healthy correspondence after Tonino goes home to Italy, until one day Cat’s letters stop.
The Thrill of the Chase by weakinteraction // Star Wars Doctor Aphra, Aphra/Magna. This is currently the ONLY fic for my favourite ship to come out of the Star Wars comics, fast-talking criminal archaeologist Chelli Aphra and the imperial she thoroughly embarrassed. Fortunately, it’s a very good fic.
Strangeness and Charm by FeelsForBreakfast // Harry Potter, Harry/Draco, 8th year. Both Harry and Draco find themselves drawn to the Forbidden Forest.
Lastly
I really enjoyed this article about Ancient Magus’ Bride, which I love deeply in both manga & anime form.
bye!
