Who Mistook the Steak for Chicken?

I am a fan of The Moldy Peaches. One of the greatest lines in any song ever is:

Without 40 oz. of social skills
I'm just an ass in the crack of humanity.
I'm just a huge manitee.
A huge manitee
--Nothing Came Out

Apparently, the Moldy Peaches are on the Juno soundtrack, so it's just a matter of months before they are HUGE. Like, maybe nine months.

JACK-SON!

Some friends of mine have an annual swingin' holiday party that is always a "can't miss" event. It's pretty much guaranteed that I'll see half a dozen or so high school friends that have strewn themselves across the country. It's the kind of party that always includes a cold keg, sarma in a crock pot, and karaoke in the basement. I unfortunately had to leave early, because, well, being hung over with a soon to be three-year-old sucks, so I only caught a few tunes. I believe they were, no particular order:

Sarah, Smile
Sunday Girl
Mr. Brownstone
Me and Bobby McGee
Jackson, sung as a duet
[a couple others I know I'm omitting]

"Jackson" has experienced a bit of revival due to the success of Walk the Line. But all I can think of when I hear it is The Meadows radio commercial circa late 70s. Anybody else remember this jingle? Lyrics were something like:

We're going down to The Meadows
[something, something] racing track
We're going down to The Meadows
And we're never turning back[...]
[...]fast racing action
And that's a natural fact.

I searched hard for some audio, but came up with nothing. If anyone can find this for me, I'll send you a cheesecake.

(I did uncover this gem during my searches. Enjoy.)

'Tis the Season To Be Merry*

I'm pretty much done with my Christmas shopping. Not trying to gloat here, it's just that I have to start really early or else the holiday goes whooshing past in a tumbleweed of gift receipts, postage stamps and curling ribbon. I like to reserve the week before Christmas to bake, watch Christmas Vacation* repeatedly, and check out neighborhood light displays. Doesn't always work out that way, but this year I'm ahead of the game.

Online shopping has made it much easier for me. I worked retail for years and have grown to hate the frantic and desperate last minute shoppers. They shop less with "the spirit of giving" and more with the spirit of "Holy crap I have to drop a whole bunch of money RIGHT NOW or else Christmas is ruined for everyone!" I started online shopping to avoid the teeming hoards of mall zombies, but now I shop online because I can spend more time finding things that I think people will actually use / like / not return on Boxing Day.

I've hit Etsy up pretty hard this year. Etsy's a great site where you can buy unique, crafty items instead of trying to make them yourself and failing miserably. And it's set up with shops that make sense to me, like "Geekery", where you can pick up this "not right" Nativity scene. A lot of the vendors at the recent Handmade Arcade also sell on Etsy, including this talented soap maker. I recommend the oatmeal bars. Smell good enough to eat. And since they are organic, they probably won't give you SOAP POISONING. (This blogger is not liable for any ailments caused by soap ingesting.)

Another great site for the quirky, one-of-a-kind gift items you won't find at the mall is Archie McPhee. It is the premier establishment for procuring all your meat product-related gift items and religious action figures. I personally hope to find a yodeling pickle in my stocking this year.

This article on MSN Money introduced me to the Purseket, which I think must be the best gift idea ever for the organizationally challenged like myself. I caused a small flurry when I forwarded the link to the women in my office, and my mom was all over it like reindeer poop on Santa's boot. It's so awesome I'm surprised it's not on Etsy. Oh, wait. It is.