Xmas Island Screamer: Leaky Bugs & Butter Lies

The McKennas of Texas have concluded Christmas, many checkbooks wounded. Most excellent visits from Charlotte Beavers, followed by travel to PHX for fat-assery and stocking exchange. Awesome times both.

Was able to spend varsity time with the McKennas of SF, specifically their left guard, a mighty posse.

We look forward to Dick and Ryan and Sway, ushering us into 2010. We'll be following that event on the tube.

From couple weeks back, Beaver visit, with Senior Beck, Taylor TX, Louie Mueller's:


Rouladen assembly:


Beav on decor, ten plated:


Moments before some fucker smashed our new car windows. Christmas not canceled, karma sucks shitballers!



Jane with her favorite xmas gift, toad. Followed by Jane expressing dismay over the proximity of a learning tool, in her new shopping cart.



To Phoenix, Desert Botanical Garden night time bag lighting:


America's worse golfing family, practicing. Tiny can now hit a man drive, which may be a game changer. That's my double broken forearm.



Jane, doing girly move upon xmas tree visual.



Xmas morning, Clee & JB, still digging their bottles more than their new jumpers.



Xmas meal prep, Tiny B on alligator tail.



After the draining of the Rothschild.



McKenna heirlooms:


Range life.


Off to eat French tacos and ogle Brian Bosworth. That's an attempt at a Fonzie.



For Geldoff:




Happy holidays druids. Recommend the Sherlock Holmes, abstain at all costs from the Apatow / Sandler trainwreck. Four poops!

<<<<<<< Top Ten 2009 >>>>>>>>>

In the nick of time, bad puns.

Banner year for the McKennas, not so much for the long format rock and rollers. We sunk all our money in getting the Volvo repaired, so didn't buy all the hits this go around, but managed a little commerce.

Without breaking traditOn, avoided everything gangsta, twee, dots or bleepsy.

1-3 in order, the rest kind of run of play:


1. POLVO "In Prism"

Not only the best record of the year, one of their best records, period. Realize no one gives a flip about this comeback, but this made me impossibly happy. The soundtrack to Jane's air guitar lessons.

2. KING KHAN and BBQ SHOW "Invisible Girl"

Not as fantastic as the Shrines record of last year, but still remarkably offensive.

3. PHOENIX "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"

Eagle on this one early. 4-5 hits here.

4. CASS MCCOMBS "Catacombs"

Cass gets ass! Writes music poems about it.

5. M WARD "Hold Time"

Not as good as the last couple, still better than anything mildly Oberstian. Goes good with pancakes.

6. DEERHUNTER / ATLAS SOUND "Rainwater Cassette Exchange / Logos"

Left the Microcastle off last year's list, this is the make good.

7. SUPERCHUNK "Sur La Bouche"

Live chunk, when they still wrote face melters.

8. OBITS "I Blame You"

Night Moves from the new Bob Seger.

9. MERGE XX "the covers"

Worth it for the Tenement Halls cover alone.

10. GOURDS Haymaker

Jane pick.

Hon Mention: Pissed Jeans "King of Jeans"

Always a gas.



SINGLES

Telekinesis - "Coast of Carolina" (thanks Beck, you were right)
Animal Collective - "My Girls"
PHX - "Lizstomania"
Grizzly Bear - "While You Wait for the Others"
Spoon - "Got Nuffin"
Beach House - "Green River"
Polvo - "the pedlar"
Wavves "No Hope Kids"
Bob Ivan - "Blood Bank"
Atlas Sound "Shelia"
Japandroids - "I Quit Girls"
Julian Strokes - "11th Dimension"


PLAYCOUNTS ('09 load in, '09 listens):

1. Deer Tick "These old shoes"
2. Shins "Plenty is Never Enough"
3. Avett Brothers "Die Die Die"
4. Benji Hughes "I went with some friends to see the flaming lips
5. David Kilgour "Today is gonna be mine"
6. The Comas "Last Transmission"
7. Seam "Look Back in Anger"
8. The Clean "Slug Song"
9. M Ward "Shangri La"
10. Atlas Sound "Ativan"
11. Nashville Ramblers - "The Trains"
12. KK - "Welfare Bread"

SHOWS:

1. JL / LSF / Fucked UP - FUn FUn FEst
2. PHX - La Zona Rosa
3. Mastodon - Irving
4. Gourds - Batfest
5. Black Lips - Mohawk
6. Decemberists - Radio City
7. Buster's Wedding Band
8. Magnolia EC - Mohawk
9. Superdrag - empty WHOM
10. Elijah Wood on Yo Gabba Gabba


Don't get it / want to get it: Miley, Party in the U.S.A.

My vote for POTY: Yossi Benayoun

Meal: Marlowe Send Off

C- : Wild Things

Rental: Downhill Racer / Once Upon a Time in the West

Resolution: Fitness


Toby Keith Shock'n y'all!

A

A Kikilaus Kristmas Primer

As usual, less than two weeks out and the McKennas of Texas are in the weeds. Made some small headway today, tree secured, decorated. Jane identifies Santa with "Ho Ho Ho", and has her reindeer and all that mess sorted.

Broke out the xmas records today, being bludgeoned by the Gospel Keynotes of Tyler Texas, right now. Heavy soul. Like pencil in eye heavy.

Between the Tiger news, sacking of the Groh and the lines at the HEB, we are in scramble mode! Year end best of lists coming, in time for giftage (Tuz). Ten steamers for certain.

Apologies, new wheels:


The Kringle Kinder, architect of fudge zone.




A few from the Lee Brothers visit. Attempt to finger the interloper here:


Matt fun with fridge:


Meatloaf & CSA collards / My first Carne Asada. D-f*cking-lish.




Lead-in to very decent video:





Here's M.O. with McNair, T-day:



And the elf who got left. Coal face!


Leave for PHX in a week. Beavers here Tuesday, rouladen getting made week's end.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!CONGRATS TO THE BOSTIC / FLOYD ROEBLINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOKOKOKOKOKOKOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Leftovers

The main course for our weekend in Charlotte: Tiny turkey thighs!

And some Janebug leftovers:

Another brilliant outfit designed and produced by Coco:

Chopsticks!

Jane's working on her list.

Adorably filling out one of last year's Christmas presents (from Uncle Tiny & Aunt Kelly)

Finally, playground shenanigans:

Pilgrims and Small Flightless Animals

Very juiced to report that we have broken bread with nephew McNair, he appears to have Senate potential. Pictures of the viewing on other camera, we'll remedy that shortly. Texan McKennas back from Charlotte; lovely T-day, ate well, slept well, saw the kids, got a new facejug for my birthday. It's four star, nine teeth.

Back to the cultural frontlines - This STAR TREK reboot is quite well done, sadly the Pelham redo with Revolta is a massive rotten stinker of steaming proportions. Wolverine not terrible. Jury still out on new Avett Brothers. Ditto this T. Woods bulljive. We are probably OK with the sacking of A. Groh, however.

The one constant - Jane's threads. Carrot legs:


From the dinner table, full compliance.



Booty loop.




Back on Christmas Island. Monkey Hat.


The Beaver Wurlitzer.




Lee Bros. in town tonight. Dad's off the dips. Hard like a helmet.