Any shopping trip where you only really need one thing and you're under no time pressure. It's like being the designated driver at an Eagles Game, you can just sit back and watch the circus. On Monday evening, I went to the Target to pick up Christmas cards and was amazed. The place looked like a trailer park after a twister convention. Not only was merchandise strewn everywhere, but the customers had hollow eyes and were pushing what looked like all their belongings in shopping carts.
Spider-Man, The Musical. The most surprising thing about this entertainment pinata is that it's news at all. It didn't even really sound like a good idea when it was first gestating, and now that it's struggling through labor pains it makes even less sense. The venn diagram containing Spider-man fans, Julie Taymor fans, and U2 fans doesn't really seem like enough to warrant $65m and numerous cast injuries, does it? And after those 47 people in that venn center see it, and everyone who works for Marvel sees it, who's gonna go? If you want seats in the action, I hear they cost over $250 bucks a pop. For that money, you could get every U2 cd ever recorded, as well as the iPod to play it on, or -- every Spider-man movie, plus the blu-ray player to play it on, or -- enough Spider-man comics to keep you reading for weeks on end.
Nouveau Drinking. I love how a whole new generation has decided it's now hip to drink, and especially hard liquor. It's as if bourbon was invented last year solely for their amusement. From those of us who have long been aware of the pleasure of spirits at the holidays, I can only say, "welcome to the party." Somehow, I always knew if I just kept drinking consistently, I'd eventually be in fashion again.
Cheers and happy holidays!
