The outdoors is ... not heated
Plus my weekly recommendations, including Argentina's joy, the death of a soul legend, and a place for Princess Fiona
A quick announcement before we get started: As a published author, I am obligated by law to remind you that my book, THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, is available for your holiday purchases. I’ll be honest here … I’m not sure it’s a great Christmas gift. It’s a memoir about my life as an overweight guy, and if you’re giving it to someone else who’s overweight, tread lightly. However: January is what they call “new year, new you” season, and it might be a thoughtful gift around then, for someone you care about … or maybe for you. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll be glad to help.
Also, if you need something REALLY last-minute … you can give a gift subscription to The Writing Shed! Just mash the blue button:
My new favorite newscaster is a guy named Mark Woodley. He normally does sports for KWWL in Waterloo, Iowa. The other day, when Waterloo had a big snowstorm, they asked him to report from the field. This was the result.
Jim Cantore has moved down to no. 2 on the list of Greatest Weather Reporters of All Time.
This morning, here in Charlotte, we woke up to 50-mph wind gusts and power outages all over town (not at our house, so far, fingers crossed). Tomorrow morning, Christmas Eve, it’s supposed to get down to 12 degrees with a wind chill below zero. For North Carolina, that qualifies as arctic.
Many of you lovely readers are in places getting hit even worse—those of you in the upper Midwest, especially. Sometimes God, or Mother Nature, or whatever you happen to believe in, sends an unmistakable message: GO INSIDE. It’s a time for hot chocolate and sweatpants and opening Christmas presents in the warmest room in the house. As noted weather expert Mark Woodley reminds us, the outdoors currently is not heated.
Stay warm, y’all. Have a great Christmas, or whatever you celebrate.
10 things I wanted to share this week:
This week we posted the Best of SouthBound 2022 episode, featuring excerpts from Jason Mott, Tressie McMillian Cottom, Mary Gauthier and several others. We had a very good year on the podcast.
My weekly for WFAE was a Christmas story about Christmas stories.
We’re tying up the loose ends on WFAE’s December pledge drive. If you’re so inclined, please donate. If you’d like to hear my dulcet tones, I’m scheduled to be on the air from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Wednesday the 29th.
Why do we love the music we love? Susan Rogers, the sound engineer who worked on some of Prince’s greatest records, has a lot of ideas.
DOG NEWS: While I work on my book, I’m devoting this slot to dog stories. This week: The tale of Princess Fiona. Bring tissues.
A newsletter I’ve really enjoyed lately: Ecléctico, which delivers one song a day from a wide range—and I mean a WIDE range—of music.
The best podcasts of 2022, according to people who make podcasts. I found several great prospects for my podcast feed in here.
There are a dozen great pieces I read about that epic World Cup final, but my favorite was from my friend Graciela Mochkofsky in the New Yorker, about Argentina and suffering and release.
I posted last week about Mike Leach, the football coach and epic character who died recently … here’s one more story, from Kent Babb, on life and times at Leach’s favorite Key West bar.
RIP the brilliant Thom Bell, who wrote, produced and/or arranged so many of the R&B records that came to be known as the Philadelphia Sound. I could post a hundred clips below, but the one I keep coming back to is the Spinners’ “I’ll Be Around,” which is simply one of the great singles ever made.
See y’all next week, everybody.
All the best this holiday season––and here's to a great 2023.
I just love your writing!! Merry Christmas!