Christmas Day 2018

Merry Christmas, everyone. I'm off work until next week--see you all back here in 2019!

Holidaze 12/24/18

Awwww...this li'l cupcake is so darn cute, I just can't bring myself to eat itNOMNOMNOMNOM...oops.

Holidaze 12/23/18

Paul Dini's Jingle Belle makes her return in this festive one-shot which, as usual, brings the laughs, but also the feels.

Jing is the rambunctious, rebellious daughter of Santa Claus who is pressed into service every year to help Santa deliver toys to good girls and boys all over the world. Jing, like most acting-out teens, would much rather hang out with her friends (who include a witch and a cowgirl--y'know, like most of our friends do) than do anything her dad wants her to do, but often winds up doing good, in spite of herself (and her parents).

This time around, Jingle Belle has to face off against the mysterious, powerful Queen of Toys, who goes 'round the world to gather all the homemade playthings that get discarded each year. The Queen has a plan this year--to take down the Kringle family and make Christmas her own! Only one person could stand in her way. Who could it be? Aw, you guessed...

Writer Paul Dini (author of many a Batman tale) knows how to deliver the funny and the heart, imbuing the bratty Jing with just enough caring and sensitivity to melt even the most frozen soul, with Nicoletta Baldari on the artwork and Stephanie Buscema (granddaughter of comics legend John Buscema) handling the eye-catching cover. (See above.)

Holidaze 12/22/18

The current Holidaze cup at La Casa de Mama.

Holidaze 12/21/18

The reason for the season.

Holidaze 12/20/18

Holidaze 12/19/18

Holidaze 12/18/18

Holidaze 12/17/18

Every Picture Tells a Story 12/15/18

A Foggy Day in Chicago Town

Holidaze 12/14/18

Holidaze 12/13/18

Holidaze 12/12/18

I don't buy many CDs anymore, mostly because I don't have a proper CD player. However, my home laptop, Bettie, can play some CDs (some are compatible, some aren't--total crapshoot), and lately I've been bouncing around town, trying to find something that would put me in the holiday mood.

A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector? Sure. That works. (Hell, it was what was constantly running through my brain the last time I was in the hospital back in 2016.)

Something from Tony Bennett, maybe? Of course--even though he's in his 90s now, Tony can belt out a tune with the best of the golden-age crooners.

The Beach Boys? That would be great...if I could find their Ultimate Christmas CD...which I can't.

However, there was one that I found at the wonderful Laurie's Planet of Sound (on Lincoln Avenue just south of the elevated tracks) up in my former neck of the woods, Lincoln Square, that works just fine: The Monkees' Christmas Album.

"What's that?" you say. "A Monkees Christmas album? Hell, any Monkees album in 2018? Are you shitting me?"

Nope. Not shitting you at all. This is a real thing.

And more than real? It's good.

Yes, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith and Davey Jones all deliver heartfelt renditions of holiday classics such as "The Christmas Song" (you know: "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...") by Nesmith, "Angels We Have Heard on High" (Tork), "Silver Bells" (Jones) and "Wonderful Christmastime" (Dolenz).

No, the Monkees don't perform together at any point--all of the songs are performed individually, not as a group. Dolenz has the overwhelming majority of cuts on the album (nine), and Jones has just two songs on the album--most likely because he died back in 2012. But there are also fun interpretations of more recent Christmas songs, like Andy Patridge's "Unwrap You at Christmas" and Michael Chabon and Adam Schlesinger's "House of Broken Gingerbread."

So I'll be rockin' around the Christmas tree this year to that other Fab Four--the Monkees.

Holidaze 12/11/18

Holidaze 12/10/18

The regal Christmas tree in Lincoln Square.

Every Picture Tells a Story 12/9/18

Every Picture Tells a Story 12/8/18

Holidaze 12/7/18

Holidaze 12/6/18

The Christmas tree at Mom's house is modestly sized--a four-footer--and, missing a leg, is propped up against a paint can to keep it upright. It remains festive, though, and looks good next to the TV, which is showing Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol.

This Bird Has Flown

Olivia is gone.

She went quietly and quickly, in a small veterinary hospital near Mom's house. They'd never seen Olivia before, but they treated us both with kindness and dignity. The vet examined her briefly, then asked what I'd like to do--should they try to treat her, or should I let her go? I was surprised that they'd given me the option, considering her condition when I brought her in: Nonresponsive, barely conscious, hadn't eaten in a couple of days and couldn't stand on her own. Still, I suppose it's a question that must be asked--there are a lot of pet parents out there who will fight to their dog/cat's last breath for their survival. I've been there myself, with Ms. Christopher.

I knew coming in what needed to be done, though. My little bird had been through enough. Enough pills. Enough shots. Enough poking and prodding. It was time to let her go.

Don't mourn too much for Olivia. She made it six years past her diagnosis with chronic kidney disease. And? For the least three years--since I had my heart attacks in June 2015--she had been entirely untreated for her CKD. (If I'm being absolutely honest, I didn't even remember having treated her for CKD until much, MUCH later--after I'd lost La Casa del Terror and all of her medical supplies and fluids.) My brother deserves much of the credit for that--the fact that he was home all day to keep an eye on her certainly helped keep her steady, and I could often hear her running back and forth through the apartment upstairs.

Now? The upstairs is silent. Mom's cats downstairs all stayed close to me Monday night and through the day yesterday, which I took off from work because of a chest cold coming on. (Snurfle.) One of them, Cocoa, is a dead ringer for a younger, healthier Olivia, and has the same incredibly soft fur. She doesn't really like people--Mom had to trick her into coming into the house, and she spent the first few months trying to sneak back out.

But last night? She sat on the couch behind me, letting me stroke her fur and scratch her chin.

Cats are empathetic creatures. They know when someone is sad. Even when they don't really want anything to do with you at all.

I had always hoped that, when I moved out of Mom's and lived on my own again, Olivia would come with me, that we'd spend the rest of her years together. That wasn't meant to be. Even if she hadn't declined so rapidly, my brother told me that Olivia would have to stay behind, that she needed someone home all day to keep an eye on her.

But now she's at rest. Her fight is over. And, given how long she lived on after I thought I'd have to say goodbye, she deserves her rest.

Goodbye, Baby Bird.

Holidaze 12/5/18

Festive holiday decorations adorn the Merchandise Mart food court.

Holidaze 12/4/18

I know I've posted this photo before, but it's worth another look, especially since its subject, Angelique, is one of the few survivors from La Casa del Terror. This year? She'll be making an appearance in the workspace. Look for her soon.

Holidaze 12/3/18

I used to have a full run of commemorative cups from Christkindlmarket. Now? I only have one, given to me a few years back by my friend Gillian. But I will get a new one this year. Oh yes, I will.

Every Picture Tells a Story 12/2/18

Yes...well...deeeeeear...I'm sure I know a few people who'd disagree with this statement...

Every Picture Tells a Story 12/1/18