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Merry Eve of Christmas Eve, everybody! I have not one, but two Christmas Eve church gigs -- one of them is playing and singing with our very own commonmass!
Since tomorrow will be all about the musically sublime, I thought it would be fun to devote tonight to the musically ridiculous!
But first:
We interrupt this edition of Top Comments to bring you an important bulletin:
I got this message today from one of McDoc's colleagues; it's from her petsitter:
Hello everyone. I have a client with two cats Gizmo and Cody both are 10 years old. Cody has been described as with an "over-stimulation problem" I’ve taken care of Cody several times and have not had any problems with him. Unfortunately the owner has decided to bring Cody back to Pennsylvania this week to have him euthanized and buried on the family farm.
I believe that Cody would be fine in a home as the only pet, he very affectionate, playful and always looking for attention.
If you know of anyone that would like to have a great pet or can provide foster care until a home is found for Cody please let me know attached is a photo of Cody and Gizmo, Cody is the tan and white one. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Thanks
Any pootie lovers in the Boston area who can help? My email is in my profile. Thanks!
We now return to your regularly scheduled Top Comments!
Oh, wait, one more thing!! sardonyx has informed me that this is my 50th TC diary! Hurray for me!! :D
Okay, now we're getting started for reals. :)
I think everyone has at least one: the song that inspires bone-chilling dread every year, as soon as the Halloween are cleared from store shelves to make way for the commodities of Christmas. The song that makes you breathe a sigh of relief when December 26 rolls around. I know I do!
Herewith, Miss Music Nerd's 5 Most Un-favorite Christmas songs!
First, a few parameters:
- Only traditional, widely-known songs are eligible for this infamy, as Miss Music Nerd is not going to waste her beautiful mind keeping up with current pop mediocrity. That's well-covered elsewhere.
- I'm not going to get into the topic of bad covers of songs that may or may not be good; we'd be here all night. The particular performance doubtlessly has an impact on one's opinion of the song, though.
- McDoc asked me what my criteria are for categorizing a song as an un-favorite. If I took my time, I could probably articulate it in more detail, but for now I'll just sum it up: songs that bug the sh*t out of me. :)
1. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
'Jingle bell' and 'mistletoe' are nouns that should not be verbed. That is all.
2. Santa Baby
A common complaint about Christmas is that it's too centered on materialism. A common complaint about Halloween is that costumes for women are needlessly slutty. This song gives you both.
3. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
It was sort of funny the first time... Actually, no, it wasn't.
4. Must Be Santa
Call me an old grouch, but I'm not so groovy with these additive, repeat a phrase eleventy times kinds of things. And a note about this performance: Mr. Dylan, Barbara Streisand called; she wants her hairstyle back.
5. The Boar's Head Carol
I chose this one not because I actually dislike it all that much; in fact, I like the harmony of the chorus quite a bit. However, it commits the musical sin of having the text set such that the ac-CENT goes on the wrong syl-LA-ble. Three times! >:-( The offending syllables are in bold below. That fourth one's a wobbler, but I don't like it.
The boar's head in hand bring I,
Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary.
I pray you, my masters, be merry
Quot estis in convivio (Translation: As many as are in the feast)
CHORUS
Caput apri defero (Translation: The boar's head I offer)
Reddens laudes Domino (Translation: Giving praises to the Lord)
The boar's head, as I understand,
Is the rarest dish in all this land,
Which thus bedeck'd with a gay garland
Let us servire cantico. (Translation: Let us serve with a song)
CHORUS
Our steward hath provided this
In honour of the King of Bliss;
Which, on this day to be served is
In Reginensi atrio. (Translation: In the Queen's hall)
Also, as a vegetarian I can't warm to the idea of eating a pig's head, much as I appreciate the don't-waste-anything ethic it represents. :P
Let's move on to some harmonious Top Comments!
From Benintn:
In a diary about the circular firing squad and progressive outrage, Kitty quotes Gawker to summarize the big news of the week.
From an unnamed kossack:
In the diary: Remember the planks of the Democratic National Platform by Jamess, Dallasdoc nails it.
From trashablanca:
You may as well start at the beginning of the thread with a cool youtube from jnhobbs. hedwig then makes an observation about jnhobbs' sig line, and he responds with the hope that St. Ronnie is plenty warm now wherever he is (a tropical island?), prompting Ray Radlein to make the most cogent observation about Reagan that I have ever come across.
From teacherken:
Some submissions from the myriads of wonderful comments on my diary, This is personal:
From Ogre, a comment entitled simply, Thanks,
in which we find an illustration of how personal it is in the image of Pete Seeger.
testvet6778 offers an important reminder of what service means.
Laughing Vergil moved me incredibly with Some posts....
I have to include an offering from awesumtenor amen and amen, because of the use of language... can you believe "Laodicean eyesalve"??
cybermome1207 shares about her activist daughter.
mahakali overdrive shares I try to do good when I can, where I can.
theal8r offers another expression of It is personal
Just a few of the excellent comments I was blessed to receive.
Always-in-tune brillig brings Top Mojo!
Top 30 Comments excluding tip jars, first comments and stuff:
1) Headline of the week by Kitty — 206
2) It provides a cogent explanation by Pithy Cherub — 123
3) The corporate "center" hates the left by FishOutofWater — 120
4) I am so sick by o the umanity — 114
5) Thanks, slink by flubber — 111
6) Which Democratic party is that? by Dallasdoc — 110
7) Memory lane! by Sara R — 106
8) Yep and Norquist by raf — 106
9) That kind of says it all, doesn't it? by PittsburghPete — 100
10) Ok, this is the number to by Alfonso Nevarez — 99
11) I'm sick of the crybabies by aaraujo — 99
12) @#$% Rahm! by MinistryOfTruth — 96
13) Thanks for this M.C. My wife, daughter and I by rogerdaddy — 94
14) The Bush/Cheney Arms Control Policy by JekyllnHyde — 87
15) This Has Been a Bad Year by JekyllnHyde — 85
16) Then do not learn from the lessons of history. by Pithy Cherub — 83
17) Update: by rserven — 80
18) I can't Rec this diary enough... by APA Guy — 78
19) here's my letter by Jill Richardson — 78
20) It's as plain as day by joanneleon — 78
21) The GOP and its Business Allies Are Stuck by JekyllnHyde — 78
22) And to think... by sullivanst — 77
23) Sen. Graham, the dry cleaners just called. by Randall Sherman — 77
24) there was a piece on npr (I think) by ridemybike — 76
25) Now that's them facts--and aren't we by slinkerwink — 76
26) The Writing Was on the Wall by JekyllnHyde — 76
27) Yes, I just saw her on MSNBC with her new bestie by kat68 — 76
28) Don't forget after Christmas too by Cali Scribe — 75
29) If GM & Ford had any sense by FishOutofWater — 75
30) And I call on Jane Hamsher to resign! by nwgates — 71
Top 30 (plus ties) Comments with no exclusions, aka the Tip Jar list :-):
1) Alms (tips) by Muskegon Critic — 397
2) this by Turkana — 380
3) Do with this what you will by teacherken — 342
4) Cookie jar by occams hatchet — 340
5) a big difference that I've now seen by clammyc — 326
6) Tip Jar by TooFolkGR — 304
7) Tip Jar by DJShay — 289
8) Peace. by Crashing Vor — 274
9) Tip Jar by Jill Richardson — 255
10) Tip Jar by Sara R — 254
11) Tip Jar by jamess — 245
12) Is it possible to filibuster 36.6 million... by JeffLieber — 237
13) Tip Jar by Tom Rinaldo — 235
14) Headline of the week by Kitty — 206
15) Tip Jar by TomP — 197
16) Tip Jar by slinkerwink — 186
17) Tip Jar by grannyhelen — 171
18) Tip Jar by Deoliver47 — 170
19) Tip Jar by Joe Beese — 143
20) It provides a cogent explanation by Pithy Cherub — 123
21) The corporate "center" hates the left by FishOutofWater — 121
22) I am so sick by o the umanity — 114
23) Tip Jar by RadioGirl — 113
24) Thanks, slink by flubber — 111
25) Which Democratic party is that? by Dallasdoc — 110
26) Yep and Norquist by raf — 107
27) Memory lane! by Sara R — 106
28) That kind of says it all, doesn't it? by PittsburghPete — 100
29) Ok, this is the number to by Alfonso Nevarez — 99
30) Tip Jar by GlowNZ — 99
31) I'm sick of the crybabies by aaraujo — 99