December 2005 Archives
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Things
Variegated Jade
Poinsettias are beautiful plants, but as far as Christmas gifts go, they lack some creative thinking. The variegated jade, despite its intolerance to cold, is one wintry-lookin' succulent that's off...
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The Non-Expert
Auld Lang Syne
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we offer ways to avoid being kissless on New Year’s Eve.
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Books
Ginger Man and Old Peculier
Winter is the season for great books and drink. A nearly unbeatable combination is J.P. Donleavy's picaresque masterpiece The Ginger Man accompanied by a few bottles of Old Peculier....
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Guides
2005 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
You made your list, checked it twice, and still haven’t bought a single gift. With just over 48 hours to go, it’s gift cards or IOUs—or these suggestions for the presents nobody will forget, no matter how much holiday cheer they down.
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Reviews
The Top 10 Albums of 2005
After a year of music, thousands of hours of listening time, and one worn-out iPod, Andrew Womack brings us his picks for the very best music this year.
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Things
French Market coffee
Those $150-per-gallon fancy-schmancy coffees have nothing on French Market coffee, whose motto is: "The essence of New Orleans in a cup." Chicory gives it a strong nutty taste, and also...
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Profiles
Bill Laswell’s Method of Defiance
Acclaimed bassist Bill Laswell has his own way of making music, and these days it involves some serious drum and bass. One performance, and a life’s work.
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Movies
Serenity
Joss Whedon's Serenity, just released on DVD, was easily one of the best movies of the year. Unlike most sci-fi flicks, this space western relies more on smart writing than...
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Destinations
The Blackfriars Playhouse
Living in Charlottesville, Va., I sometimes have felt far away from the world's cultural centers. And then I discovered the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Va. Top-quality repertory in the middle...
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Guides
Twelve Calendar Gifts for a Happy New Year
In 2006 you will remember every birthday, every tooth cleaning, every oil change and tune-up. Your mother will get flowers; you will turn your mattress; you will schedule your vacation months in advance. Our writer picks the calendars that will help.
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Spoofs & Satire
How James Yeh Is Celebrating Christmas in San Francisco
Sometimes you can’t make it home for the holidays: Just ask our writer, who recently moved away from his hometown in rural South Carolina. We asked people from his high school what they thought he was up to; here’s what we learned.
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Books
Uncivil Seasons
When people ask me for a book recommendation, wanting a good page-turner, I love to push Michael Malone's Uncivil Seasons. It's the opening segment in his Justin and Cuddy trilogy...
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Books
Pure Drivel
Podcast, schmodcast. I'm not sure what the hubbub is about--it's just a bunch of audio files. While you're waiting for the next installment of Johnny Dollar, Insurance Investigator, I'm already...
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The Gutless Gourmet
Weighing in About the Holidays
The holidays pose awful temptations for people watching their weight—especially if they’re gourmet cooks with families to entertain.
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Things
Kubb
Ever wonder what the Vikings did for fun when they weren't out raping and pillaging? The answer: kubb. Occasionally called "Viking chess," this Swedish lawn game is a bocce-Jenga hybrid...
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New York, New York
The Hyperbole Towers
New York is constantly building chic apartments for its wealthiest citizens, and what luxury highrise is complete without a fatuous selling pamphlet?
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Music
Cream
Eric Clapton, arguably the greatest white guitar player of his generation and still going strong, rose to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the band Cream. Bassist Jack...
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My Life in the Times
Sour Eggnog: Allegations of Child Abuse
Local authorities scramble to investigate allegations of abuse on Christmas morning.
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New York, New York
If I Can Make It There
You’ve got clean streets, reasonable rent, and plenty of elbow room. So why, oh why, are you moving to New York? Eight million stories, plus one.
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The Non-Expert
What Your Christmas Tree Says About You
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we address the great American class divider: Are your tree lights white or colored, or even (gasp) blinking?
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Web
Knitty.com
Knitting stores can sometimes be managed by people who look down their noses at customers substituting one yarn for another in a pattern or--God forbid--writing their own patterns. But those...
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Gallery
The All Girls School
How do girls include or exclude each other at social functions, and where do they learn it? A gallery of pictures about the relationships between women.
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Music
Sacred Harp singing
Sacred Harp shape note singing was around before the Cold Mountain soundtrack and will probably be around for a while after. Forty-five minutes into Dan Bodah's archived radio show is...
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Birnbaum v.
Barbara Ehrenreich
American business has preserved the conformity of the ‘50s but ditched the job security—what happened? A conversation about the terror of applying for jobs when experience doesn’t matter.
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Books
Thinking of You
Friend of TMN Sam Brown has been making weird, witty, touching drawings for the last five years at Exploding Dog--each drawing inspired by a sentence submitted by a reader--and just...
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Guides
The 2005 Good Gift Games
Being with friends and loved ones is what makes the holidays special—and once you’re fed up with that, it’s time to humiliate them over a board game. Here are this year’s best tabletop entertainments.
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Things
J. Crew women’s shirts
Looking for the perfect shirt to wear under your new winter suit for those days when you've got important meeting after important meeting? Look no further. J. Crew has updated...
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Spoofs & Satire
The Southwestern Canon
Harold Bloom is perhaps our finest Shakespeare critic and certainly one of literature’s most passionate lovers. Who knew he’s a big chili fan too?
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Books
Goodnight, Nobody
Faulkner died 40-some years ago, and whether southern literature passed with him has been a hot topic ever since. Regardless of the genre's health, the region has lately produced a...
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Music
The Esher Demos
In 1968, back from their disastrous confab with the Maharishi, the Beatles took their acoustic guitars to George's house in Esher and set down what has since come to be known...
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Letters From the Editor
Merchandising Your Very Heart and Soul
We used to offer T-shirts around here. You may have noticed. Hey, maybe you even bought one. And thank you if you did. If you wanted to but didn't, it...
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Guides
Fifteen Prudent Gifts for the Budget-Minded
You enjoy the lights, you’re fond of the cocktails; you loathe the stores. Our shopping expert offers her online picks for under $30, so you can focus on making merry.
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Music
Work
For a couple of years now, Sound Team has been issuing cassette releases from its Austin recording studio. Whether to make it difficult on file sharers (doubtful) or easy on...
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Gallery
Real Photo Postcards
Postcards haven’t always been cheesy collages of lighthouses—when Kodak enabled people to make their own cards in 1907, a craze swept the nation. A gallery from a new collection of odd correspondence.