Skip to main content

There isn’t much this week, no real surprise since the shopping season is pretty much over. In movies I only mention Stephen King’s A Good Marriage because of the author. Likewise, I only mention the TV show Banshee: The Complete Second Season because its from Alan Ball, who turned True Blood into a small screen roller coaster of a show. Without those mentions, I don’t think I would have anything to put there.

In Anime, Onimonogatari: Shinobu Time is the Fourth arc to the Monogatari series’ second season. Time traveling is involved, and The Darkness is coming to take everyone over. In case you were wondering, Monogatari is how you say Story in Japanese, and Oni is the word for Demon, so the second season is called Demon’s Story, where the first season Bakemonogatari means Ghost or Monster Story. The light novels these are based on are quite good; if you are a fan of them, this DVD/Story Arc is the 11th book in the series.

Just a few tracks from the world class Tokyo Ska Paradise to travel with you on your journey through this holiday weekend, starting with their 2009 release Pride Of Lions. The next song is a collaboration between Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra and Asian Kung Fu Generation called Wake Up which came out this past June, and I admit that was not a combination I saw coming. Finally, 2013’s 10 Feet to keep you dancing through the weekend. If you are a fan of Ska, this is a band you should seek out and listen to more of; they have a huge library of music for you to explore.

I wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday, from Merry Christmas to Happy Hanukkah and everything in between. I hope 2014 has been a very good year for you, and that the new year brings you one even more enjoyable.

One of the things that I enjoy about this season is the lights and festive displays. Last year I was in the UK for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, and since it took place near the end of November the city of London was fully decked out in anticipation of the holidays. I took quite a few photos there, since everywhere I looked seemed to have one holiday decoration after another. Sadly I am not a very good photographer, and a lot of the pictures I took didn’t turn out very well. So it was a good thing my companion on that journey is an amazing camera person with a true eye for what makes a great photograph; thanks to her skills and efforts, I have a few holiday images to share with you today. Enjoy the slid show, and may you and yours have a great holiday and an excellent new year.