charlene.

spotted at my local racially-sensitive Best Buy.

If only I could find something that makes me as half as delighted as this magazine did when I was a kid. My months revolved around the day when I would receive my issue in the mail, at which point I would savor it for as long as possible before devoting my attention to waiting for the next one.

Oddly enough, the only feature I can clearly recall is the Darkwing Duck comic that was sometimes in the back. I found both the comic and the cartoon too action-packed for my tastes, as well as less clever than Ducktales, which it had spun-off from. I also recall feeling quite miffed that in a world of vastly variously-sized ducks, hawks(?), bears, goats, etc., Darkwing was able to keep his identity a secret. That just seems silly.

candy cane ice cream @ milk

I kind of absolutely adore this couple.

hi julio you’re so pretty.

Impromptu post-dinner bang trimming.

Inside this case lives my brand new Teeth Grinder’s Mouthguard (cringe).

Mouthguard and I are not quite friends yet.

Finally got around to picking up Augusten Burroughs’s new collection of Christmas-themed essays, and am looking forward to seeing if it’ll be joining David Sedaris’s now-classic Holidays on Ice* as an annual read. In any case, it’ll be a nice treat along with my vanilla scented soy candle and shea-infused candy cane striped socks.

(Having a Real Job this year has fully earned me the rights to partake, albeit conservatively, in the consumer-y delights of the holiday season, dagnabbit!)

Other memoirs I have recently inhaled:

• The Imposter’s Daughter by Laurie Sandell: This is a good one for those of you with word phobias. Sandell tells the story of her larger-than-life (and possible con man) father in graphic novel form. With memoirists frequently using humor to deal with their squalid pasts, it’s interesting to see someone express themselves through their drawings instead.
• Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin: I admit, I sort of kind of just wanted to read the juicy deets about Kathy’s alleged relationship with the Woz. While she delivers with a charming chapter devoted to email correspondence between the Apple founder and herself, Kathy’s autobiography also gives an insider glimpse into the comedy scene in the 80s/early 90s—Phil Hartman, Jerry Seinfeld, and Jack Black being just some of the performers that appear in anecdotes.
• House of Cards: Love, Faith, and Other Social Expressions by David Ellis Dickerson: Frequent This American Life contributor Dave Dickerson was, surprisingly, brought up as an evangelical Christian and converted to Catholicism as an adult before becoming the liberal he is today. Dickerson’s struggle to stay satisfied in Hallmark’s corporate world is undoubtedly relatable. Plus, he gets bonus points for being a word puzzle genius.

*Sedaris’s 1992 NPR reading of “Santaland Diaries” can be found here