How Thanksgiving has already come and gone baffles me.  Really.  I mean this year flew faster than ever before.  That means New Years is right around the corner and then we start all over again.

This is truly the most wonderful time of the year, for so many reasons, however it seems to do funny things to people.  Aside from the standard family drama that comes out during this time, people all over the world at one point or another are overcome by loneliness.  It’s like right after Halloween, that feeling starts setting in.  But why?

Could it be because of the endless commercials where the girl gives the guy the awesome sweater or the guy gives the girl a mysterious red box and her face lights up?  Or the festive holiday greeting card aisle at CVS that appears and is dedicated solely “To Him” and “To Her”?  Or because the most amazing movies are played at this time, people leave town, and it’s fun to be lazy with someone? Or because it’s also the time when you remember loved ones that are no longer living or part of your life?

I get it.  Holiday loneliness is a different beast altogether.  It’s the time you create memories and feel all warm and fuzzy inside and want to share it with someone, not just in a friendly way.  It’s the season of songs like “All I want for Christmas is you,” “I Miss You Most at Christmas Time,” and “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and movies like While You Were Sleeping and The Family Stone. I’ve been in relationships the past few holiday seasons so I can’t say that I have felt this strain of loneliness in a while, however there was one year that I went as far as having a “Winter Boyfriend” to avoid it.  He was, and still is, a friend that was in town over the holidays and we were both single, yet interested in the possibility of dating.  We decided to give it a shot so we’d always have a plus one or date during that holiday season.  We were together Christmas day on my family’s boat in Miami, and together on New Years Eve as well.  Then the holidays came to an end and so did our winter relationship.  It was genius.

That particular situation worked out but I wouldn’t suggest settling just to have a body around during the holidays if you don’t really have an interest in them.  If you’re overcome by loneliness, I suggest spending extra time with family and friends and reach out to people you haven’t seen or spoken to in a while.  Maybe buy a Snuggie so you will be cozy sans snuggler.  Start going to the gym now instead of waiting until you make a New Years resolution for it.  Create a blog, if I can do it, you can too.  Anything to keep you busy.   Enjoy the holidays and focus on all of the wonderful things you do have, rather than the one person you don’t have. If all else fails, go to as many holiday parties as you can and stand under the mistletoe.

CONTACT Chris Parisi FOR GUEST LIST OR TABLE RESERVATIONS – www.facebook.com/crispy59

This year, find out what West Seattle has known since 1994 - The best New Year’s Eve celebrations begin at Mashiko Restaurant!  Hajime has put together a great menu for only $60 per couple.   This sustainable dinner includes some of our most popular items to share:

1 tempting appetizer (from the sushi bar)
6 tasty pieces of nigiri
1 scrumptious roll
1 delightfully oversized bento
1 delicious desert

Reservation times for New Year’s Eve will begin at 5:30pm.  Call us at (206) 935-4339 soon as this night always fills up quickly.  We hope to be a part of your New Year’s Eve 2010 festivities!

New Year's Eve is a fine excuse to drink more sake.

Sure

We look forward

To the boar and

Timber of 31^st

December, Times

Square pervading

And invading the

Next year to

Come, balloons

And new moons

And new Sabbaths

And hot baths yet

To come winter

Is not fun, new

Season come and

Run its way in

Our lives, 2000

Came, Okay at

YTK but still

They partied

And drank and

Sung and sank

The ship to

The future

For tomorrow

We will die,

Eat, drink,

Be merry,

Next year

Is a cherry on

A shake, only

One celebration

At a time at

Times Square

Madison’s

Garden,

Sears Towers

And twin towers

Nine years gone,

What makes us

Think tomorrow

Will be there,

Times Square

Clock still

Tick tocking?

What makes

Man sure he

Will see tomorrow?

Hello Everyone,

I will be performing this New Year’s Eve at Howard Johnson’s in Toms River, NJ. The price will be an amazingly low price of $40 per person if tickets are purchased in advance and $45 per person if purchased at the door. This includes a Buffet Dinner & Show and Champagne Toast at Midnight! The show is my Special Music & Comedy Show of about 2 hours plus. Doors will open at 8:30 PM. This is going to be a fun show, to say the least. (They also have package deals available of Room, Dinner & Show) Call Andrea at 732-244-1000 Ext.508 for more info or tickets. START THE NEW YEAR OFF WITH LAUGHTER!!

AND NOW FOR MY UPCOMING SHOWS:

Date: December 31, 2009 (NEW YEAR’S EVE)
Venue: Howard Johnson’s — Toms River, NJ
Phone: (732)244-1000 Ext. 508 Ask For Andrea
Other: Dinner & Show plus Champagne Toast at Midnight ($40 in advance & $45 at the door) SPECIAL: Room, Dinner & Show Packages Available to make it a special evening!!
Other: THIS SHOW WILL DEFINITELY SELL OUT FAST so BUY TICKETS EARLY!!

Date: January 7, 8, & 9, 2010
Venue: Wiseguys Comedy Club –Syracuse, NY
Phone: (315)477-9898
Other: Located at 201 South Salina Street

Date: January 15, 2010
Venue: Toms River Elks Club — Toms River, NJ
Phone: (732)240-2711 Ask For Becky
Other: Fundraiser Show For The Special Children’s Committee

Date: January 16, 2010
Venue: Port-Au-Peck Fire House — Oceanport, NJ
Phone: (732)921-8025 Ask for Jim Gallo
Other: Fundraiser For The Oceanport Firefighters

Date: January 22 & 23, 2010
Venue: Wisecracker’s Comedy Club — Scranton, PA
Phone: (570)788-8451
Other: Located in The Clarion Hotel off of I-81

Date: January 29 & 30, 2010
Venue: Wisecracker’s Comedy Club — State College, PA
Phone: (814)238-3001
Other: Located in The Ramada Inn on Atherton St. (Route 322)

I hope one of these dates is near you and that you can attend. As always, thank you so much for all of your past support!

Don’t forget that my BRAND NEW COMEDY  DVD that was recorded at The Strand Theater this past July is out now and doing very well and I wanted to thank everyone who have purchased it so far and thanks also for the great e-mails about it. I am very happy with the response thus far. If you are interested in purchasing it just go to my online store at www.comedytornado.com/merch.htm. It is called ‘Hanging By A Strand’ and it is the live show plus added bonus footage of the question and answer session I had with the audience at the end of the show… Makes a great Christmas gift stocking stuffer.

Also, speaking about the holiday season, for people interested in hiring me for your Holiday & Chrismas parties, whether it be private or corporate, let me know soon because my December dates are almost gone.  All I require is a 10 ft. wide by a 6 ft. deep area and I bring my own P.A. System & Lighting, all you have to bring is the laughter. I also can book other acts if you are looking for something different than my act.

Thanks for being on my mailing list,

Paul Venier

www.comedytornado.com

www.myspace.com/paulvenier

Don’t miss out on the annual community-based, family-oriented, alcohol and drug-free New Year’s Eve celebration, jointly sponsored by Wesport and Weston from 3 – 9 pm on December 31st.

Features:

• Downtown Westport Venues
• Fabulous Fireworks
• All ages Entertainment
• Teens at Toquet til 11:30 pm

Button Price only $10; children 2 and under free!

Momma says: Buttons will be sold at the Weston Town Center prior to the date of the event.

Check www.firstnightww.com for updates.

It’s only a week, give or take a few hours, since I left Ireland and yet we’ve managed on cramming in New York, Panama City and we are now in Quito, Ecuador. Even though it sounds like we’ve been really busy, we’ve spent quiet a lot of that time chilling. Good times!

New York was great. I was never really excited about going away for this trip but New York turned out to be a lot of fun so I’m hoping this bodes well for the rest of the trip. Richard was grumpy for some of it and I was trying my best to be good (i.e. not get cross, not moan which is hard for me!). I guess he was just wreaked from his lack of sleep when going from Leeds to London and from London to New York. He perked up the more Marie and Manny fed him and they really fed us lots!

Anyway, we were quiet good at being tourists. Went to the Metropolitan Art Museum, Central Park, down 5th Avenue and all the nice shops, Time Square, got the ferry to Statin Island to get some pictures of the Statue of Liberty, went to Ground Zero and just wandered around New York.

The Statue

It was freezing though; wind chill put it at 0 degrees Fahrenheit at one stage. We had some snow and those layers Richard said I should buy came in handy!

Spent New Year’s Eve in Joe’s pub (Tempest Bar) with Joe, Margaret, Pat and their friend Kitty. Was a really fun evening. Richard’s nerves showed though, he was downing pints of Stella and by 4am was trying to speak French to two French guys. We were going to head down to Time Square to see the ball drop but it really was too cold and the bar was warm and comfy and we were happy.

Other than that, we just relaxed in Marie’s. Marie and Manny and all the family were really kind to us. Lots of food including our first taste of rice and beans and they made a big family roast on New Year’s Day. Oh, when Richard came through the visa part in the airport, he had written down Marie’s address and the lady was like “Oh very fancy, the upper East Side.” Probably the

DowntownNY 

only fancy place we’ll stay for the next four to eleven months!

Early flight out of JFK to Panama on the 2nd – 5.17am. What a random time! STA messed up my flights and I was booked to go the whole way to Quito while Richard was going to Panama. If I hadn’t been so sleepy I would have been cross. Took ages to sort it all out and we had to run to make our flight.

Other than that, the bloody backpack weights a ton. It’s those damn hiking boots, self inflating mat and the likes. Definitely not the three cardigans that I’ve decided are necessary for me! Ha!

Today is known in America as Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving is the biggest day for discounted merchandise at American retail stores. That makes today the biggest shopping day of 2009. I don’t exactly know why it’s called Black Friday. Maybe it’s because it’s absolute hell for store workers. Though a more likely explanation is that it’s absolute hell for the guys being dragged along for the shopping. Today’s column subjects aren’t exactly being dragged through hell but most aren’t seeing things as all peaches and cream, though.

Time for the regular radio plug. We were on this week. Here’s this week’s episode about H1N1, hockey and the assorted randominity that we usually do. We’re going to tape both December shows this weekend. December 8th is our gift giving guide and December 22nd is our Christmas special featuring the weirdest Christmas music we could find. They’re always fun shows and we can’t wait to do them.

Black Friday
Why not make this post sorta eponymous. I don’t really know what that word means but I’m pretty sure I’m using it in the proper context. I also know that’s the smartest that my snarky column will sound today so don’t get used to it. Anyway, I read an interesting fact earlier this week. Most retail stores are in the red until today. For non-bean counters, stores have lost money all year. Their sales are less than what they’ve spent on merchandise and running the store. That all changes today. Most stores will be in the black (profitable) by the end of the day. You may think that they wouldn’t make as much money because they’re offering sales. While they won’t have as great a profit per unit sold, the volume will more than make up for it. It doesn’t matter if they make $1 instead of the usual $5 on Product X today because instead of selling three of X in a day, that store will likely ring three through the registers every ten minutes until they sell out. Also, holding inventory costs money because you can’t sell the favourable shelf space or bring in new merchandise that will sell better. Black Friday may seem like a win for the consumer but it’s really a bigger win for the faceless corporation whose store you’re stampeding through with hundreds of other crazed/zombified shoppers. And, guys, if you’re reading this, find the other men being dragged along. There’s strength in numbers. By which I mean it’s easier to trample one guy on the way to the newly announced sale than it is to trample the twenty of you standing off to the side to escape the madness.

Canadian Holidays
You know what I don’t get? Americans have more days off than Canadians. We get about 10 days off a year. The Yanks get at least two more off the top of my head. The Americans just had Thanksgiving yesterday while we had ours in October. The Yanks got Columbus Day to match our Thanksgiving. We get Victoria Day, they get Memorial Day. It’s like we can’t get a day off without them getting one to match us. Well I say that it’s time that we showed them that two can play that game. I say that 2010 is the start of a new Canadian tradition. So on the fourth Thursday of November we will celebrate something… McDonald Day? Gretzky Day? It doesn’t matter anyway. It’s not like Columbus Day is a real holiday anyway. We just need something to match. And it’s not laziness, it’s sensible. Most of women at my 9-to-5 booked today off to go shopping in the States. Extrapolating that across Canada, about half the workforce is shopping in America today. There’s no valid reason not give us Friday off, I figure.

American Music Awards
I hate awards shows. They’re all boring, self-congratulatory twaddle. I don’t have the time for them. The best things that ever happened to awards show are Michael Moore and Neil Patrick Harris. The only thing worse than an awards show where an unnamed panel of judges vote for their buddies is one where fans vote. I consider myself one of the common folk (and I’m sure Jackie would agree that I fall into the lowest common denominator) but fans can’t be trusted to vote. For example, in NASCAR, Dale Jr.’s pit crew was winning the best pit crew in NASCAR competition based on the fan voting element despite being 25th in the points standings. Either he’s really got a great pit crew & Junior’s a 35th place driver or the fans are stacking the vote. Similarly, the big winners at the AMAs were Michael Jackson and Taylor Swift. Their qualifications for winning this year, near as I can tell, are being dead and being interrupted at another awards show. I’mma happy for both of them but they could be the most undeserving award winners of all time. Fan voting just can’t be trusted because it’s a popularity contest. Taylor Swift was a nobody until she got the rub from Kanye. Michael Jackson was the butt of jokes until he died. Cruel and insensitive statements? Yes. Are they untrue because of that? Hell no.

Mininova
It’s a sad, sad day on the internet. After The Pirate Bay was persecuted into shutting down as the world’s greatest Bit Torrent tracker, Mininova took over. I thought it was much better and easier to use than TPB. Sadly, all good things come to an end and a Dutch court ruling has forced Mininova to shut down. I would have thought that the Dutch wouldn’t have minded downloading copyrighted material. They’re usually so high on whatever drugs they’re taking that you wouldn’t think that they would mind torrents. I guess they were so drugged up that they had the munchies and just ruled against Mininova so they could order lunch. Of course, there are some folks that will say that torrents are theft. I say bullshit. People pay for content if it’s worth paying for. Some TV shows don’t air in Canada and I can’t get them through a station’s website. Is there something so wrong with getting content when you otherwise wouldn’t be able to? No. Do I mind people just downloading my show? No. Hell, I found some episodes linked on beemp3.com and was flattered by that. Maybe it’s different with other “copyrighted” content but I put time and effort into the show and want to share my craft with the world. The actors and artists that actually perform the music or are in the show or movie don’t mind the downloads. It’s just another cash grab by big, faceless, soulless corporations. It’s not their shit so they can fuck off as far as I’m concerned. They don’t care about us, just the almighty dollar. So, godspeed, Mininova. Hopefully forward thinking folks like you guys aren’t scared off by those corporate fat cats.

Secret Service
So Barack Obama held a state dinner for the President of India this week. I’m not really sure what a state dinner is or who gets invited to these things. I do know who doesn’t get invited. That couple from Virginia that snuck in and posted pictures on Facebook. In America, party crashing apparently is national news. Granted, these two relative nobodies snuck past the Secret Service into the party but it’s not like anyone else noticed. I can’t really blame the couple for trying to sneak in. If I could walk into a state dinner, I would. Being able to rub elbows with some of the most powerful men and women in the world has a certain appeal. However, I can’t really blame the Secret Service. They were supposed to be checking the guest list to make sure no one was sneaking in but that probably wasn’t explicitly stated in the job description when they signed up. I guess being maitre d’s was under “other duties as assigned” and is far more difficult than “take bullets for the President.” Though I have an alternate theory of how that couple got in. The last President wasn’t particularly well thought of. The Secret Service could have been working under the old Dubya protection orders of “look like you’re working but don’t actually do anything.”

Vanier Cup
Regular visitors know that I’m a fan and former radio analyst of Canadian university football. Well, the championship game is on Saturday on Canada’s #1 sports channel. If you happen to watch TSN, you wouldn’t know which teams are in the game. They run a generic 10 second promo saying the game is on Saturday at noon. They haven’t had one report from Quebec City about the game even though Wednesday was media day. Basically, if you happen across the game on TV, it’ll be most likely by chance and not through the efforts of TSN who are treating some of the best football in the country as a red-headed stepchild (to use a popular blogosphere analogy). Meanwhile, if you’re in or are going to Quebec City, you have an entirely different, yet similar, problem. You won’t be able to watch the game because you can’t get tickets. A report suggests that all 17,500+ tickets to this year’s Vanier Cup have been sold. Mind you, most were Laval fans expecting their team to be there but it still counts. There’s no home team for the locals to support. That really makes last year’s game a disgrace. It was in Hamilton which was an hour’s drive from London. The Western Mustangs were essentially a home team but there were only 13,500 tickets sold to the game. It’s amazing considering that there are more people within a two hour drive of Hamilton than Quebec City. It’s even more amazing than that when you consider that I would estimate the number of Western fans may have only outnumbered Laval fans by a ratio of 2:1 or 3:2 based on what I could see from the press box. That should have been a purple crowd but busloads of folks made the 15 hour trip overnight for that game. Maybe the whole CIS should pack up and host every game in Quebec from now on. It sure couldn’t hurt financially.

Thanksgiving Football
The great debate this time of year is whether the NFL’s two Thanksgiving staple teams should be bounced for rotating teams. The main argument for giving Detroit and Dallas their annual Turkey Day home games is tradition. Well, Detroit’s might be tradition. Dallas only became tradition when Jerry Jones wedged his way onto Thanksgiving because he saw dollar signs. I think that was the same reasoning behind the NFL Network getting the broadcasting rights to a new created third Thanksgiving game. Anyway, the outspoken minority want rid of the Lions and Cowboys from Thanksgiving. They hate the Cowboys on principal and the Lions suck too much to get a big nationally televised football game. Not exactly sound reasons to change a schedule. I’m a Cowboys fan so I can’t really provide an impartial reason to keep them on Turkey Day other than it’s impossible to get regional coverage of them in Canada. The Lions, however, really have nothing to look forward to every season but this game. It’s the highlight of an otherwise dreary season for Detroit. The fans in Detroit have gone through enough stuff that we can’t devastate them with another catastrophic loss. The town has pretty much gone bankrupt, the team sucks, the city suck, just leave them their dignity.

Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson got the call from NASCAR. In desperate need of a big storyline, they helped Johnson win his fourth straight Sprint Cup Title. I’ll admit, cynicism aside, that it’s neat to watch history being made. You know what I hate about Johnson winning his fourth straight title, though? All the drivers and media saying that the fans have to give Jimmie the credit he deserves for being a great driver. To some degree, they may all be right. To a greater degree, the drivers are all scrounging for excuses. Jimmie and his crew aren’t that much better by exponentially greater skill. After all, Jimmie was a nobody while driving in the Nationwide (then Busch) Series. No, Jimmie and crew outthought everyone else. While there are 42 cars trying to win a whole season, Jimmie and company try to win the final 10 of 36 races. Why did they charge past everyone in the Chase and not the regular season? Because they didn’t care about the first 26 events, just the final 10. So the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series shouldn’t claim to have been outdriven. They were out-planned, out-thought, and out-played.

Dubai
Well, the fallout from America’s economic crisis has finally covered the globe… I think. The government-owned investment company that holds most of the nation’s debt has announced that they need a six month break from repaying its debts. So that’s why you woke up this morning and all your retirement savings disappeared again. (If you live in the States, your retirement savings never recovered from your own crisis so enjoy your job as a Wal-Mart greeter into your 80s.) Dubai was the crown jewel of the UAE and Middle East and has been in the midst of epic growth over the last decade. It’s easily the most modern place in the world. I would have said one of the richest places to but oil money will only get you so far. Property was the next big thing in Dubai but there’s a small problem. The US economic issues started because of property-related problems. Those problems seem to have caused a trickle-down effect that has caused the bottom to fall out of Dubai’s property market. Basically, the US problems caused business to cut spending which meant that jobs were lost in Dubai. People had no reason to stick around so they just up and left the country. Everything floods the market, supply out strips demand and shit hits the fan. Pretty straight forward. Let’s face it, Dubai couldn’t keep building all those new buildings and spending money without it eventually biting them in the ass. But we can still blame the US for expediting things and making us all have to work longer because of it.

New Year’s Eve
Everyone’s on about Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas so I’m going to fast-forward past the tedium and hit New Year’s. I never really understood New Year’s traditions. Maybe it’s because I get more miserable every year so I don’t relish the thought of a “fresh start.” I don’t know why we have family over either but we let them eat us out of house and home. The only thing I understand less is why there are big network TV parties for New Year’s. There’s a ball drop in Times Square. Big deal. An elevator runs up the outside of a tower in Niagara Falls. Don’t care. But both come with giant concerts and become a grand spectacle made for TV. I just don’t get it. I bring this up because Green Day has been booked for NBC’s New Year’s show. How do I know this? Because they already taped their performance. While they were in LA for the aforementioned AMAs, they taped an outdoor concert that will be rebroadcast as part of NBC’s New Year’s Effing Eve With Carson Daly. How can a New Year’s Eve special be pre-taped?

Peppermint Mochas are BACK!

I woke up full this morning, my stomach is hanging out over my pajama pants and I have 24 emails in my inbox advertising Black Friday deals at various online stores.

Yup, it’s officially Holiday Season!

While Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday of the year, there is something about the time from Thanksgiving to New Year’s that makes me blissfully happy. Sure, it could be the sheer amount of sugar that is pumping through my bloodstream right now (I ate pumpkin pie and brownies and cookies and apple crisp for dessert last night), but everything about this time of year makes me wanna run and dance and sing… and shop. Seriously, the people making those commercials should get a raise because they work on me every. single. time.

I know I’m not the only one out there who ate until they wanted to barf last night is head-over-heels in love with the holiday season, so this week I asked the CollegeCandy writers to share their favorite things about this time of year.

What do you love most about the holidays (and yes, “getting presents” is a totally acceptable answer).

Ricki – University of Michigan: The holiday music.  It is impossible to get in my car without becoming cheerful.

Ness – Sheridan: My favorite thing about the holiday season is sleeping until (after) noon, and not feeling guilty for missing class. Ah, how I love you Christmas break.

Nina – Michigan State University: I actually really love buying presents for other people. I don’t care that I’m spending inordinate amounts of money when it comes to people I love!

Teresa – UCSD: Hearing cheesy holiday music at the mall. It never gets old!

Kendra  – University of Pittsburgh: My favorite thing about the holiday season is having marathon movie binges with my older sister. There’s nothing better than being rooted to the couch and watching Disney classics, several seasons of Weeds, and every Zac Efron movie ever made while my parents bustle around getting the house ready for guests.

Elizabeth – UC Berkeley: My favorite thing about the holidays is listening to Bing Crosby’s “A White Christmas” without people thinking I’m crazy.

Sarabeth – University of Texas: My favorite thing is the amazing desserts that come out around this time. Eggnog milkshake? Peppermint brownies? Yes please!

Jackelyn – San Francisco State University: Honestly? My favorite thing is knowing that we get ridiculously long and deserving breaks off from school. Oh, that and all the gorgeous lights that everyone puts up!

Thu – USC: Knowing that I will soon wipe everything that I have learned (if anything) over the past few months from my mind and not have to think about school for a while.

Alex K – Lakehead University: My favorite thing about the holidays are holiday movies! Elf, The Santa Clause, even those claymation specials from like 100 years ago! I love it all!

Zahra – Northwestern University: I love that holiday season, for me, is the best of both worlds since I’m from Miami: presents, Christmas music, holiday food, etc. AND an uninterrupted month of lying on the beach.

Carly – Grinnell: I love being with my family around the holidays! Call me old-fashioned, but that warm, fuzzy feeling of being near them makes me so happy.

Lauren – University of Michigan: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is you” on replay. For 6 weeks straight.

Brithny – Duke: Shopping for clothes that won’t fit until February, but OK with it because dinner feasts provide a legit excuse to pull out the elastic-banded sweatpants for now.

Leah – Ryerson University: Seeing my family for the first time in four months is definitely the highlight for me!

Erica – Kent State University:  Eggnog, hands down.

Katie – Michigan State University:  Sleep. I’m dead serious. I could care less about the food and presents – sleep is what makes my holidays so precious.

Maddie – Tufts: Cranberry bliss bars from Starbucks… sooo good. And being home to devour all my moms cooking. Better whip out the spandex…

Rosie – Duke: My favorite thing is going home to a real mall where I can go shopping all I want on my parents’ expense… and  then run back to school before they get the bill.

Kari – Florida State: I love the Christmas-Carol-only radio stations! It severely diminishes my road rage. Also, all the fun charities and parties that come with the holiday season. Getting to see adorable little kids play with fraternity boy- Santas, then later doing shots with said Santas? Sign me up!

Elise – Stanford: Red cups from Starbucks! Cinnamon flavored everything! Christmas music blasting. No classes!

Desiree – Columbia: Christmas carols are a big, big part of the season for me. As soon as Thanksgiving is over, I put on my “Merry Christmas, Baby” playlist. It’s an eclectic mix of about 120 songs, with selections from everyone from the Jackson 5 to a group playing traditional Turkish instruments. My top picks? Christmas with the Rat Pack and Little Drummer Boy by Jimi Hendrix. I crank up the jams, put on the same Santa hat I’ve had since the 4th grade, and deck the halls.

PURE Nightclub in Las Vegas is hosting rapper 50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) to get 2010 off to a great start. 50 Cent’s rise from street hustler to rap superstar is legendary in the rap industry and was the basis of the hit movie “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” in which he portrayed himself.  The movie album shot straight to number one and sold 1.5 million copies in its first week and a half of release, the highest ever for a debut album. His hits include the smash “In Da Club,” “Candy Shop,” If I Can’t” and “Just A Lil Bit.” 50 Cent continues to rap either solo or with his group G-Unit.  50 Cent expects to expand his showbiz career to act, write, produce and direct in true superstar fashion. 

Down the Las Vegas Strip, LAX Nightclub will welcome the Grammy Award-winning The Black Eyed Peas to help Las Vegas ring in 2010. The Black Eyed Peas, who are comprised of will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie, have become a music phenomenon since their album “Elephunk” debuted in 2003. The group’s hip hop and dance-oriented style has catapulted them to music stardom, as the group has sold an estimated 20 million albums worldwide and 13 million singles. Their most recent album, “The E.N.D.” includes hit singles “Boom Boom Pow” and chart-topper, “I Gotta Feeling,” which was the number one US single for 26 consecutive weeks, more than any other song in history. 

Tickets for both performances begin at $150 and will be sold exclusively at Vegas.com.

She was crushed to death on Black Friday.
First in line at the local Wal-Mart
she arrived at 2 am.
The crowd filled in behind her
got more antsy as the hours passed,
the temperature started to dip,
on a day approaching winter
more than Indian Summer.

Though the store was scheduled to open early at 5:30 am
packed like sardines
people started to push around 4:30.
At first just irritating -
then disconcerting -
finally the jostling morphed into joustling,
became a real concern.

Disoriented she tried to hold her ground
the back of her thighs ached, tightened
from being pushed to the tips of her toes
like a ballerina, which she wasn’t.
A rope divider in front of her
like the red carpet at the Oscars
cordoning off the line
to leave enough space so the store
could actually open the doors when the hour came.

About 4:55
pushed up a few inches at a time
she tried to yell for people to ease off
no one could hear -
except for the few in the same predicament, directly behind her -
the deafness of impending catastrophe.

The crowd acting as if in Times Square at New Years,
started a countdown to the opening hour.

By 5:25 no more than a few inches from the glass
she started to rap, with her purse.

She had no idea that her own death was imminent
it was not in the sales flyer -
although not prone,
fear spread through her veins
as if she lay flat over the pit with the pendulum’s blade
moving closer and closer to her chest.

When the blue coated attendants appeared
on the other side of the plate glass
the crowd surged.
Slapped against the pane
the way she had once slapped a rude patron in a bar,
crushed against the door
as if in a giant human vice,
she attempted one last futile call
just before she lost all breath.
Diaphragm and lungs flatted like a pancake.

Few of her Wal-Mart “shopping colleagues”
ever noticed her predicament
too busy reading the sales signs
or the coupons they held in their hands like prayer cards.

When they straightened out the hysteria,
- a story in and of itself -
her lifeless body slumped to the sidewalk.

Sobbing, crying, screaming hysterically
a 17 year old high school senior
working part time
saw the whole thing from the lobby of the store
inches away, separated from death by plate glass
watching Black Death’s work
as one would watch Piranha in an aquarium
eat the others.
Observed life’s form, as it left the shopper,
fog the outside of the door pane glass.

Later she would be haunted by the likeness
left in last breath’s steam on the panel
like’s Christ’s face on Veronica’s veil
this poor soul, human sacrifice to a strange god
which required attendance at the Churches of Commerce
on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

What was bred from us
that this crowd could continue on its way
walk right over the body
as they would walk past a homeless man
curled in a sleeping blanket on the street
on the sidewalk in New York?

To be only 17
stand helpless
in the face of another’s death.

Who can comprehend
why this should be -
why it came to pass -
crushed to death by her own people
on a day aptly named – Black Friday.

Ray Brown

Three years of careful restoration work has brought back the ancient splendour to a little village in Lombardy, dating back from 1711, when it belonged to the illustrious and noble Strigelli family. Today, as then, it is the passion of a family, the D’Angelo family http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amedeo_D’Angelo, to make this jewel into and discreet charm, and of which its most important characteristics are a an exclusive estate, which exudes an ancientwarm welcome and a feeling of well-being. The “ 1711 Contrada Resort” is situated along the banks of the river Adda, within a beautiful natural park, and yet not far from cities such as Milan, Bergamo and Como, which are at the heart of the most active and pulsating economic centre of Lombardy and Italy. It is part of the town of Arlate, which like many other towns in this area, has its roots in Roman times, and became important in the medieval times. The buildings of the “1711 Contrada Resort” are grouped harmoniously around the reception area, where there are 23 rooms http://www.contradaresort.it/ , the restaurant Tavola del Conte http://www.contradaresort.it/it/ristorante_como_tavola_del_conte.html and the Wellness Center Ti Sana SPA http://www.contradaresort.it/it/tisana_spa_massaggi_lecco.html, it provides ample and well equipped space for conferences, seminars and business meetings. At the same time it is possible to spend a holiday, pampered by the unique natural and cultural surroundings. The Adda valley offers exciting and enjoyable activities with magical foot and bicycle paths along the river and within the park, canoeing, easy access to the golf course and much more. On the eve of the its 300th anniversary, the ancient village lives again, in the courtyards and around the old well, in the dwelling places, along the paving stones, you can hear the sounds, the voices which have made its history. Each house, each wall, each stone reminds you of the noble and great style typical of the tradition in Lombardy, to which, the famous writer Alessandro Manzoni, while by the banks of the river Adda, dedicated some of his most illustrious pages of the masterpiece “The Betrothed”. The character of the place and of its surroundings is born, of a natural elegance, not ostentation; the attention to the guests is the result of a tradition of warm and sincere hospitality; the choice of food respects the seasons and the traditions, and also man and his natural health; exactly as in the SPA, which believes in the individual harmony and equilibrium of each person as the most important vital element, abandoning fashion and external appearances. For further information visit http://www.contradaresort.it/

‘Tis the Season, for various reasons, that we’re jazzed about Living!
Let’s share love, show others caring, and also be jazzed about Giving!

We get lost in the day to day, the weekly grind, and a year passes by.
Let’s also take a breather to pause and have fun as time continues to fly.

Of our sense of goodwill, and heartwarming dreams, to ourselves be true.
Let’s find the time to connect with family, and friends (both old and new)!

As I am writing, ‘Rocky’ is wooing ‘Adrian‘, and the turkey is baking.
Be you a fan or not, the awarded film’s storyline can be heartbreaking.

As Rocky, we nourish our hearts, stand up to challenges, bringing joy to some;
Let us reflect, pray, or meditate on the ‘now’, and wonderful things to come!

I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to write about my favourite bar, Cabinet Bar & Balcony. Apart from the great staff, the deck overlooking Swanston Street and the amazing cocktails named after regular customers [try the Ceri Colada and let me know what you think ], they have a daily Happy Hour from 5:30-6:30pm [$3 tap beer and $5 house wines] and all day on Tuesdays, as well as a $10 Flatbread frenzy Wednesdays from 6:00-8:00pm.  I love this bar so much that I have taken all my friends there, we’ve all had birthdays there, after work drinks happen frequently, we’ve had Tuesday lunches, Sunday afternoon ciders, post-Yum Cha drinks, taken dates there, met new people, had Tweet-ups there and now I’ve managed to book my office Christmas lunch there. Winnah!

But I finally had my resolve not to write about Cabinet broken when they announced that they’re going to be having a special New Years Eve event. Oh drat. Instead of having a special event where you pay $100 or more to get in and have limited drinks included (some venues are halting included drinks at midnight!) and are locked in all night, the switched-on staff at Cabinet have decided to have two shifts instead: the pre-fireworks crowd and the party crowd and I would definitely recommend that you book if you’re planning on having dinner before the show. If you’re on your way out somewhere and want to warm up or haven’t quite decided and want to start somewhere central than Cabinet is going to be perfect! I have friends coming down from Sydney and they want to check out the city before heading out to a house party so guess where we’ll be…

I first started crushing on Cabinet when one of my friends started working there and I came in to visit. The staff are all so friendly, talented and really good at remembering people, drinks and how to party themselves. When I realised I had a usual order which I hadn’t verbalised in weeks, I knew I was in love. Not to mention they look after their customers really well with excellent table service, regular water top-ups and knowing just the right time to ask if you need a top-up or a bowl of fries (and they are goooood fries).

My usual order is just the house red, as they don’t just have a crappy bulk buy for their house wines. I’ve switched over to the house rose for Summer but they also have my favourite beers, Kirin & Little Creatures Bright Ale as well as their Pipsqueak cider. The cocktail named after me is called the Ceri Colada and it has Havana rum, pineapple, coconut syrup & chocolate liqueur with a rim of dessicated coconut. It is heaven. Flatbreads are divine; tomato, boconccini, vasil & pesto is my favourite, my friends love the Cajuan chicken, mango & aoili or smoked salmon, cream cheese & capers ones as well. The bruschetta tasting plate is awesome, so are the spiced cashews (sooo moreish)  and there are still plenty of menu items that I haven’t gotten around to eating but make my mouth water, like the European picnic or the chocolate fondue…

Stuff people say about Cabinet:
Host Alan Bell [is] one of the city’s friendliest and most talented bartenders – CitySearch Melbourne
Your home away from home – That’s Melbourne and several other places!
Food ‘you always wished your mum would make’ – CitySearch Melbourne
http://www.cabinetbar.com.au – 11 Rainbow Alley, Melbourne. Near the corner of Swanston & Lt Collins.

Cabinet is sadly, not open on Mondays when I feel I most need it, but they’re open from noon every other day during the week, from 4pm on Saturdays and 2pm on Sundays. I feel like that’s not nearly enough for me.

Hi Guys,its Mets here. I will be posting updates about once a month here,as well as Graphics. I may do a Special New Year’s Day Header,but I need some ideas. So,please help by pitching your ideas as comments below.  Now back to Poptropica. There are two new ads on Poptropica. The First one is Night at the Museum. When I first saw the Ad,I was thinking “What the Heck could they possibly have me do. Well,they wanted me to find a Dinosaur’s bones in 60 seconds. Then,they wanted me to reassemble it!!!! Major UGH!!! But,I was able to do it anyway. Here is the Costume I got as a reward:

Pretty sweet Costume huh? Well,if you think thats cool,wait to you hear about the Phineas and Ferb Ad!!! It is Poptropica’s second Christmas Ad,and It’s still Thanksgiving!!! (Oh yeah,Happy Thanksgiving xD). Anyways,the Phineas and Ferb Ad requires you to organize Santa’s gifts by Country. The Countries are Brazil,Canada,France and The USA.  They gave me a free sleigh and a Cool Costume for Savin Christmas (I’d ask for more,but I’m not THAT greedy xD). Here is a picture of the Sleigh:

And here is the Cool Costume I was talkin bout:

I’m using it to get my poptropican ready for Christmas. Well,thats all the news I gotz for ya.

-Metsfan21

Note: All pictures belong to Poptropica and are copied from The PIB with permission.

edie sedgwick

my inspiration for new years eve

Snowshoe tracks in Algonquin Park near Algonquin Log Cabin Lodge

As promised in last week’s post, we’ve got some great ideas for New Year’s Eve this week: a family New Year’s Eve in Niagara Falls, elegant dining north of Toronto and in our nation’s capital and an Algonquin Park wilderness adventure complete with a log cabin lodge stay.

The Americana Conference Resort & Spa in Niagara Falls has “Family Spectacular” – non-stop New Year’s Eve fun for the whole family. It’s a big hit every year with an all-you-can-eat buffet and lots of entertainment like The Smudge Fundaes and the Zero Gravity Circus. More info here.

Water bucket and wave pool at the Americana in Niagara Falls

The Americana also has one- and two-night packages with the new Rink at the Brink. The one-night package includes tickets to the Rink at the Brink which is right by the falls, passes to Americana’s Waves Indoor Waterpark as well as your accommodation. Two night packages are the same except they’ve added a $50 meal voucher for the in-house restaurant and Waves snack bar.

Check out Tourism Niagara for more news on Rink at the Brink and other things to do in the Niagara region.

Holiday decorations at the Millcroft Inn and Spa

In the Caledon Hills, 45 minutes northwest of Toronto, the Millcroft Inn and Spa will ring in the new year with its “New Year’s Eve Gala Getaway”. You get two nights at the inn, a welcome reception on December 30th and then a three-course dinner from their a la carte menu. On December 31st there’s a Country Continental Breakfast Buffet, an Al fresco Lunch (on the Pinnacle or wedding garden, weather permitting).  The New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner has live entertainment with the Brenda Lewis Jazz Band, festive party favours and a champagne toast at midnight. January 1st starts with a light breakfast buffet. But if you sleep in, you can catch the New Year’s Day Brunch a little later.

Gratuities on food and beverages are included. This package starts at $299 CAD per person, per night (plus taxes, based on double occupancy and a two night stay, subject to availability). Valid December 30-31, 2009.

To get in touch with the Millcroft, call them at 1-800-383-3976 or check them out on the web. Also see the post we did on them last August and some comments about their food from last week.

Brookstreet’s four-diamond Perspectives Restaurant

The elegant Brookstreet Hotel might be the way to go in Ottawa. It has a seven course New Year’s Eve dinner planned. The food at Brookstreet is exceptional (CAA four-diamond rating for both hotel and restaurant) and the place has a real contemporary feel. You can get late night seating times for dinner priced at $149.95 per person and, if you decide t0 make a night of it, they’ll throw in a room for $99/double occupancy. Taxes and gratuities are extra. Personally, I have my eye on the 850 square foot Master Suite with Jacuzzi and balcony, but I haven’t called for a price on that yet. There are a lot of package options at this time of year, so check out the website for details and pricing.

The Algonquin Log Cabin

This next New Year’s Eve idea combines a log cabin stay in the Canadian wilderness with traditional Canadian winter activities. The place is Algonquin Log Cabin near Algonquin Park. Nothing beats a jump in the snow fresh out of this lodge’s wood-fired sauna! But hey, that’s just my opinion. If you want black dresses and high-heels on New Year’s Eve, you may prefer the Brookstreet or the Millcroft.

“Snowshoeing, Torch Lit Skating and Backcountry Skiing” are planned from December 31, 2009 to January 2, 2010 at Algonquin Log Cabin. This spectacular split log lodge with its huge fieldstone fireplace is on a lake bordering Algonquin. In winter, the park is a land of frozen lakes, waist-deep snow, and lots of crisp clear air.

Accommodation at the lodge is double occupancy with shared indoor washrooms, as well as a sauna and shower cabin. Group size is limited to 12 guests and two guides who prepare all the meals. After an invigorating day on the trail, it’s the perfect place to hang out. This New Year’s Eve getaway is priced at $475 per person. Add-on activities include ice fishing and dogsledding. Return transportation from Toronto is available for $175 per person. See the website for further details.

Happy Thanksgiving Cazmos!

Hope your all Having a Great Time! I Know this site has been kinda down lately but im Promising! it is back! so keep viewing! Back to Cazmo….

//

ALLISON IRAHETA CONCERT IS COMING NEXT WEEK! ALLISON IRAHETA DETAILS Visit the Caz Rox Cafe Friday December 4th and Saturday December 5th to watch Allison Iraheta of American Idol fame perform! WHEN: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4th – 7-12 PM ET SAT, DECEMBER 5th – 12 noon – 12 midnight ET Concert begins every hour, on the hour TOYS FOR TOTS BIG HOLIDAY BENEFIT SHOW! On December 18-19th Planet Cazmo will be hosting the first of it’s kind, holiday music festival, with all the Cazmo Cash proceeds from the week going to the charity Toys For Tots, helping kids in need this holiday season! Don’t miss this amazing event featuring some of Cazmo’s biggest stars, as well as surprise guests! BEST RATED ROOM CONTEST! With the new rate room feature comes the Best Rated Room Contest! Spruce up that room to win prizes! As Always, Spread the World! Thanks for your support! Planet Cazmo   Tannerlejord PCap52

Whenever I think of New Year’s Eve, I think of Champagne… I simply adore the flavor, the bubbles and the festive feeling it conjures up. Every year I shop for a very special bottle well ahead of the festivities and then look forward to the moment, at the last stroke of midnight, when we’ll pop the cork with great joy, and — I must admit — a fair amount of noise!

So it’s not surprising that for New Year’s Eve I was inspired to create a dessert that’s all about Champagne! The idea came to me as I was contemplating the famous French cocktail, the Kir Royal (Champagne with a dash of cassis liqueur). So why not take the concept of the Kir Royal, but give it an American twist and make it an ice cream-champagne float?

The result is simply sublime. Served in a gorgeous martini glass, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of raspberry coulis spiked with Chambord liqueur and a splash of Champagne are transformed into a dazzling dessert — one that will invariably make heads turn and taste buds sing.

Viviane’s tip: I’m always a bit nervous when serving dessert to a large crowd. The revelation here was that I could make dozens of my Raspberry-Champagne Fizzes in minutes, letting me enjoy the festivities and celebrate with my guests instead of scurrying around the kitchen all night. Now that’s a terrific way to ring in the New Year!

Raspberry-Champagne Fizz

serves 12

For the raspberry coulis
10 oz  frozen raspberries — thawed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons organic sugar
2 tablespoons Chambord or Cassis liqueur

For the fizz
1 quart vanilla ice cream
3 pts fresh raspberries, as garnish
1 bottle Champagne or sparkling wine

Step 1: To make the coulis: Place the raspberries, lemon juice, sugar and liqueur in the bowl of a food processor and process at high speed until very smooth. Pass through a fine sieve and pour into a large squeeze bottle. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Cook’s note: The raspberry coulis can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Step 2: To serve: Squeeze a little raspberry coulis in a martini glass. Top with one or two scoops of vanilla ice cream, depending on the size of your glasses. Garnish with the raspberries. Top each glass with sparkling wine or Champagne at the table, it makes it more fun for your guests!

© 2009 viviane bauquet farre – food & style NY LLC

Here is my lovely mum and dad in 1976 on New Years Eve. I just submitted the photo to My Parents Were Awesome. I really hope they post it! Deb and Dave would be so excited. I think…

Rihanna will receive for her first concert in the Middle East the amount of $ 500,000.

The famous singer had to concert at Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi in May, but after the Chris Brown incident in February, she canceled most of her shows.

Although it may sound colossal, the amount of $ 500,000 is not such a big sum by Middle East standards. In 2006 George Michael received 2.6 million dollars to perform 13 songs for Russian tycoon Vladimir Potanin and last year, Amy Winehouse received 1.6 million dollars to sing in an old bus garage for Daria Jukova, Roman Abramovich’s girlfriend.

The Rolling Stones received 7.3 million for the 60’st anniversary of billionaire David Bonderman.

Aretha Franklin is another favourite of Soulussion

Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as “The Queen of Soul”. Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop, R&B and Gospel music. In 2008, the American music magazine Rolling Stone ranked Franklin #1 on its list of The Greatest Singers of All Time.

Franklin is one of the most honored artists by the Grammy Awards, with 18 Grammys to date, which include the Living Legend Grammy and the Lifetime Achievement Grammy. She has scored a total of 20 #1 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, one of which also became her first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100: “Respect” (1967). “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” (1987), a duet with George Michael, became her second #1 on the latter chart. Since 1961, Franklin has scored a total of 45 “Top 40″ hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In 1987, Franklin became the first female artist to be entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Franklin was the only featured singer at the 2009 Presidential inauguration ceremony for Barack Obama.

Soulussion is a band based in Edinburgh. We are very proud of our city and encourage visitors to sample the great Scottish welcome here. What better time to visit Edinburgh than Hogmanay? The official website for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is here

The opening event of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2010 is the spectacular Torchlight Procession. Join thousands of torch carriers as they create a river of fire from the historic Royal Mile to the Son et Lumiére and fireworks finale on Calton Hill.

Proceeds from the sale of torches go to both Radio Forth Cash for Kids and Barnardo’s Scotland.