The holiday season

I'm trying to see how long I can go for before I blink and actually buy gifts for people. The family's also holding off on getting a Christmas tree. It's like playing chicken, but just about everybody else is playing the same game.

¿Que?

While I was in the airport, I saw a Mexican restaurant that said that they were "redefining Mexican food". Are you allowed to do that? I don't think you really have the power to redefine things like that. What would they serve? Beef bourguignon... con queso?

Manscaping

Manscaping is like landscaping. It's always best if you do it yourself, instead of hiring someone to do it for you.

The best thing ever in the world. ever.

Apple had a secret, and they wanted all of us to speculate about how awesome it would be. They were talking it up, as though it was going to be a massive, life-changing event. So what was their new secret? Streaming tv content? A possible Pandora and HULU killer?


They're now selling Beatles albums on iTunes.


In other words, their ground-breaking, world-changing story is "a famous record label decided they'd like to make more money"

I did it all for the snookie, the snookie

Breaking news:
Jersey Shore "star" Snookie is famous for reasons that defy logic and common decency. In any event, the totally legitimate and not a broadsheet rag New York Post reports that the 23-year-old's birthday party will be sponsored by Lifestyles Condoms.

Thank you Lifestyles, for taking the initiative to help ensure that anyone even loosely associated with Snookie will not reproduce.

An open letter to nature

Dear lawn,
I'm not sure where our relationship soured, but I'd like to make our interactions better. I truly believe we can make things work and learn to live together happily.
In case you are unaware of what you did to upset me, I'm going to remind you. Earlier today I had decided that I would like nothing more than to walk barefoot upon you. A simple request, and in my mind, not an unreasonable one. And yet this idea displeased you. With nary a warning, you jabbed several missiles into my most vulnerable of foot-parts - and on my very first foot-step no less.
I cannot understand why such defense systems are necessary. You are a lawn - you are meant to be enjoyed in bare feet. And yet, you insist on cultivating defenses against this very practice. It seems that this is an evolutionarily unstable practice. I could rip you out and put in more patio, but neither of us truly want that outcome.
I'm sorry for whatever it is I did to you to hurt you. But you did hurt me. Not just my feet, but you hurt my pride too when I was forced to do that awkward short-steppy walk that happens when you're trying to not put weight on half of your foot. But I'm willing to forgive, and hope you're willing to do the same.
Best,
Nick

Who steals a front lawn?

Woke up this morning¹ and the front yard was gone. A 2 foot high brick wall and a collection of sticks which was at one point in time a garden, were missing.
Two scenarios are possible:
A) Housing is telling us the truth, and workers were repairing a gas main
B) They're demolishing the house bit by bit, to see when we start to notice that something's amiss.

Of course if it's option B, we're still going to leave passive-aggressive notes.
"Hey guys, when you're done demolishing the living room, can you please take out the trash?"
"It's cool if you take out the patio, but can you stop taking my mustard? Seriously, buy your own"


1. afternoon