Holidaze 11/30/13

Mrs. Claus, um, embraces the candy cane, bringing much cheer to the North Pole.

Holidaze 11/29/13

The sun subtles up the southeast sky;
the boughs are nearly bare.
The finest cloak of snowfall can be
spotted here and there.
Colored lights, so warm and bright, oft
tingle skin with cheer.
The reindeer dance, and not by chance:
The holidaze are here!

Gobble Gobble 11/29/13

One last look at the turkeys before they are put away until next November.

It's Not Just Thanksgiving...

It's also the first day of Chanukah (or Hanukah, however you choose to spell it). Hope it's a happy one for all!

Thanksgiving 2013

I hope everybody has a safe and pleasant Thanksgiving!

Oh...and tune in tomorrow, when the Holidaze begin!

At Lunch Today 11/27/13

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/27/13

Gobble Gobble 11/27/13

At Lunch Today 11/26/13

Christkindlmarket Chicago is open for business, no doubt to capitalize on the tree-lighting ceremony later today. This year's collectors' mug is something different--a mini-stein, rather than a boot (as the market has used for much of the last decade) or a standard mug. The design is well in line with what has come before, though. and the Winter Queen who usually appears somewhere in said design never fails to remind me of my late friend, Kaytee, who was, as I recall, quite a fan of the holiday.

Gobble Gobble 11/26/13

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/26/13

Gobble Gobble 11/25/13

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/25/13

Gobble Gobble 11/24/13

The Day of the Doctor

Today is the day: the 50th anniversary of the airing of the first-ever episode of Doctor Who. The 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor," airs today at the same time in both the U.K. and the U.S. (correct me if I'm wrong, somebody, but I think that's the first time that's happened for an episode of the show itself) and stars Matt Smith as the current Doctor (though he's leaving the role as of this year's Christmas special, to be replaced by Peter Capaldi), David Tennant as his predecessor, John Hurt as a hitherto-unknown Doctor and some Daleks and Zygons and such.

Gobble Gobble 11/23/13

On the Way to Work This Morning 11/22/13

Gobble Gobble 11/22/13

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/22/13

Tonight, the BBC airs An Adventure in Time and Space, a made-for-TV movie about the beginnings of Doctor Who with character actor David Bradley starring as character actor William Hartnell, the first of a long line of actors to play the enigmatic time traveler.

Above: A lovely First Doctor figure given to me by Superbadfriend a few years ago. Below: A Mego-style First Doctor figure from Bif Bang Pow.

Gobble Gobble 11/21/13

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/21/13

If you're a typical American, your first introduction to the TV series Doctor Who came in the late 1970s, when PBS stations across the country started airing episodes featuring the Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker. The success of Baker's Doctor in the U.S. played a large part in setting the table for the international success the revived program, which celebrates the show's 50th anniversary this Saturday, enjoys today.

Above: A Fourth Doctor doll from the '70s, manufactured by Mego for British toymaker Denys Fisher. Below: A much more recent Mego-style figure from Bif Bang Pow.

Gobble Gobble 11/20/13

One of my best thrift-store finds ever was this turkey candy dish. I had seen it in an antiques shop and thought it lovely, but the $40 price tag scared me away. About a year later, I saw the same candy dish in my neighborhood thrift store--for $4. Score!

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/20/13

Bow ties? Are cool.

On the Way to Work This Morning 11/19/13

Gobble Gobble 11/19/13

Let the countdown to Thanksgiving begin!

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/19/13

Yesterday's Storms

In the city, we didn't have any tornadoes--we very rarely do--but buckets of rain and lots of wind (not always at the same time).

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/18/13

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/15/13

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/14/13

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/13/13

The City's First Snow of the Season

The suburbs had snow a couple of weeks ago, but the city didn't get in on the "fun" until yesterday, when a cold front drooped down from Wisconsin and left little more than a coating on lawns and leaves. Still, made for a pretty walk home and an equally lovely (if frigid) walk to the train this a.m.

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/12/13

On the Way to Work This Morning 11/11/13

This year's holiday tree--a 56-ft.-tall Blue Spruce--is in its place in Daley Center Plaza. Workers are buzzing around it, constructing the faux-Bavarian village that will be the Christkindlmarket, which opens in a couple of weeks.

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/11/13

On the Way to Work This Morning 11/8/13

Lots of leaves to see this a.m.--including some covered in frost.

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/8/13

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/7/13

On the Way to Work This Morning 11/6/13

The rains that started overnight and continued into this morning have brought down many of the remaining leaves on the trees surrounding La Casa del Terror.

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/6/13

Every Picture Tells a Story 11/5/13