I won’t bore you with excuses. Let’s just get straight to the stuff I ought to have mentioned days or weeks or in some cases months ago, shall we? By the way, I recommend that for an optimal experience, you read this list in the same manner in which I wrote it. So go on and have an awful nightmare about teeth, then make some excellent coffee and grab a handful of Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s to munch on. I’ll wait.

• I am quite overcome with shame that I’m mentioning on December 20th something that happened in October, but here it is: I attended the Halloween Extravaganza & Procession of the Ghouls at St John the Divine and enjoyed it very much. There is video of the ghoulish bits, which took place after a screening of Phantom of the Opera.
• I am completely shocked that I have not previously said anything about Quordy, one of my very favorite iPhone games. The multiplayer functionality is what sets it apart from the other word games, many of which I am also fond of but which do not allow you to engage in epic, unending combat with your friends. I like this game so much that I threw three crumpled dollar bills at Nicole in an effort to force her to buy it. (She wisely complied.)
• My Thanksgiving was lovely and relaxing and full of deep-fried meat. Previously I would have said that deep-fried turkey was a thing I would not enjoy, but I am happy to have been proven wrong.
• I am of the opinion that the Devils in my Details is pretty great, so seeing the ohGr show at Blender Theater a couple of weeks ago was a treat. There is video of this, as well. I offer Pepper, Timebomb (my favorite track from the new album), Lusid, Cracker, and a bit with feathers. I believe that now, weeks later, I have finally gotten all of the feathers off of my bag and the coat I wore to the show, but little clumps of them still reside in my apartment. I imagine they will do so for all time.
• And speaking of videos, I have two more to show you, from the John Hodgman & Jonathan Coulton event at the Wired Store last night. Here is Hodgman’s theme song, and here is Code Monkey. I am aware that these clips are somewhat more head-filled than is ideal, but it couldn’t be helped. Of the handful of chairs available, the view from half of them was blocked by comically elaborate camera equipment, and the rest was all heads.
• I am still playing Warcraft, but only barely. November and December are busy times for those of us who make things for a living, even when those things are websites and newsletters. My mage reached 80 some time ago and has mostly languished since then, with Storm Peaks only half-completed and Icecrown still untouched. But I have made an effort to log in for the Winter Veil stuff, for which I have an unabashedly goofy and previously-mentioned affection. I mention this because my entire experience of the game changed earlier this week when I finally installed the large quantity of new RAM sent to me by a concerned friend. It is now an absolute joy to stroll through Dalaran, whereas a week ago I was avoiding it whenever possible as the lag-based rage and frustration was taking years off my life. And now it’s just a lovely floating mage-city! Quite charming, really.
• Being a girl, I am somewhat fond of cosmetics. This time of year is when all the ridiculous holiday makeup palettes come out, so I thought I would direct you to my two favorites: MAC’s smokey eye set, and this absurd and fantastic Tarte collection. I have them both already, so this is not a hint that you should buy them for me – you have been beaten to it! But I don’t have this Givenchy set and I do have a birthday in January. Cough, cough.
• And yes, I can hardly believe that Christmas is less than a week away. I actually enjoy this time of year in spite of its attendant horrors and am a little sad that it’s nearly over. I did a lot of my shopping on Etsy this time around, which was very satisfying, but of course I’m still remembering people I need to buy for even now, when it’s pretty much too late for leisurely pouncing with a cup of cocoa.

Oh, Internet. I am very sorry to have neglected you so egregiously once again. I hope that all of your holiday shopping is done and that you are not as busy as I am and have had time to play in the snow or do whatever it is that people who live in snow-free areas do in December. I will remind you once more that I am somewhat less silent on Twitter, so if you find your days saddened by the lack of me, it is always an option. And if you liked the Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s, try the ones that are covered in dark chocolate.