There are other games I enjoy more and play year round, but something about playing dominoes in late December feels just right.

Three posts in January. I think that’s doable. Bring Back Blogging is an initiative (and directory of participants) to kick of the newww year with a healthy blogging habit. Sign up before December 31st.

I signed up with my regular address (not my microblog) becuase I’d love to post more than once a month over there.

🎵 New music from The Ordinary Things! This track is called Live in Love 🎶

🔗 Rice University: ‘Carol of the Bells’ wasn’t originally a Christmas song🎵

“Very few people realize that the composition ‘Shchedryk’ was composed and performed during a time when there was intense political struggle and social upheaval in Ukraine…The same choir director who commissioned the song formed the Ukrainian National Chorus, mandated by a fledgling Ukrainian government, in 1919 to promote Ukranian music in major cultural centers in the West. Touring across Europe and North and South America, the chorus performed over 1,000 concerts.”

🔗 Library of Congress: Is it “Four Calling Birds” or “Four Colly Birds”? A “Twelve Days of Christmas” Debate🎵

An important Yuletide investigation.

Neat little dark mode UI feature: The Vivaldi browser (in dark mode) will highlight the favicon on your active tab with a tiny white outline. Looks beautiful with SVG icons.

Download Vivaldi from https://vivaldi.com/

🎧 Listened to four part podcast series My Year in Mensa this weekend. 🎙️

Content warnings: toxic, culty behavior; online harassment; IRL gaslighting; Arizona.

Started reading: They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent by Sarah Kendzior 📚

Arc, Firefox and Vivaldi are all fighting to be my default browser this week. 🌹

Found an excellent remastered bootleg of Thelonious Monk and his band at Maison De La Radio, Paris, France from February 1964. 🎵🎶

Lineup: - Thelonious Monk - Piano; - Charlie Rouse - Tenor Saxophone; - Butch Warren - Double Bass; - Ben Riley - Drums