Monthly Archives: December 2008

Gobbles!

Wilbur the turkey has been spared a messy end on the dinner table this Christmas — as he’s not very bootiful.

Customers were put off by the nine-month-old Norfolk Black’s “sad and bedraggled” appearance.

He is underweight, has no tail feathers, a misshapen body — and walks with a limp.

...

But the good news for Wilbur is that soft-hearted Peter, 66, and wife Jackie, 64, are going to keep him as a pet at the farm in Totnes, Devon.

Peter, chairman of the Turkey Club UK, said Wilbur will live out his days in a “happy and peaceful” retirement — free to roam the 72-acre farm alongside the cattle, ducks, chickens and breeding turkeys.

Dad-of-four Peter added: “One thing’s for sure — he’s the luckiest little bird in the world.

“Wilbur will become one of the family. He might be an ugly old thing, but we think he’s lovely.”

Timmeh.

Merry Festivus

Frank Costanza: Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.
Cosmo Kramer: What happened to the doll?
Frank Costanza: It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born: a Festivus for the rest of us!

Air your grievances !

Favs of 8

This should be hard.

Looking at my iTunes collection, I'm stunned to see how few new releases I bought in 2008. In alphabetical order:

  1. Andrew Bird - Soldier On
  2. Beck - Modern Guilt
  3. Belle & Sebastian -BBC Sessions
  4. Black Keys - Attack And Release
  5. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
  6. Cassandra Wilson - Loverly
  7. Foxboro Hottubs - Stop Drop And Roll
  8. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
  9. Marah - Angels Of Destruction
  10. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
  11. NiN - The Slip
  12. Robyn Hitchcock - Shadow Cat
  13. Sea & Cake - Car Alarm
  14. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
  15. Tift Merritt - Another Country
  16. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
  17. The Walkmen - You And Me

And if I take out those I haven't really listened to enough to have a strong opinion about (or haven't listened to at all), that leaves:

  1. And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Festival Thyme EP
  2. Andrew Bird - Soldier On
  3. Beck - Modern Guilt
  4. Black Keys - Attack And Release
  5. Cassandra Wilson - Loverly
  6. Marah - Angels Of Destruction
  7. Robyn Hitchcock - Shadow Cat
  8. Sea & Cake - Car Alarm
  9. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
  10. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell

"Buying it and listening to it" isn't much of an endorsement. So if I filter out things that I don't much care for, that leaves:

  1. Andrew Bird - Soldier On
  2. Beck - Modern Guilt
  3. Black Keys - Attack And Release
  4. Cassandra Wilson - Loverly
  5. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell

And if I rank them, I get:

  1. Black Keys - Attack And Release
  2. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
  3. Beck - Modern Guilt
  4. Cassandra Wilson - Loverly
  5. Andrew Bird - Soldier On

And that's that. Not hard at all.