The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus was published in 1902. In typical L. Frank Baum fashion, the story of Santa is filled with marvelous creatures: nymphs and fairies, and Knooks, and Ryls. In Baum’s version of Santa’s life, Santa is an abandoned child. The creatures of the Forest of Burzee adopt him and rise Santa to manhood. But then Santa discovers his goal in Life: to make children happy. Santa starts with carved toys and then branches out. The story of how the reindeer become part of Christmas is charming, too. Those of you who’ve read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz series know what to expect: delight!

I just returned from my semi-annual appointment with my urologist. Last week I had blood work that included a PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test. Today my urologist gave me the results. I scored a 1.1. Any score under 4.0 is good. Guys, if you haven’t gotten your PSA test this year now’s the time to do it. Do not put it off! Ladies, remind the over-40 men in your life to take a PSA test at least once a year. Early detection makes all the difference! And keep eating pizza to protect the prostate! (It’s the lycopene in the tomato sauce.)

Art Scott generously sent me this quirky tome. This is not a “Best of” volume. This is Tom Moom talking about his 1,000 favorite recordings that he thinks everyone should listen to. You can probably guess how this turns out. Minnie Riperton is here, but no Mary Wells, Billy Joel, or Mariah Carey. The Classic music choices are equally quirky. Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart are here, but no Telemann. Browsing through the 1,000 pages of 1,000 Recording to Hear Before You Die took me some time, but it generated a list of CDs I’ll give to “Santa.” There’s something here for everyone. Here’s a sample of the offerings in “A”: (The complete list can be found here)

Gold
ABBA

Moorish Music from Mauritania
Dimi Mint Abba and Khalifa Ould Eide

Blu Blu Blu
The Muhal Richard Abrams Orchestra

Shakin’ the Rafters
The Abyssinian Baptist Choir

Back in Black
AC/DC

Harmonium
John Adams
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (Edo De Waart, cond.)

The Death of Klinghoffer
John Adams
Christopher Maltman, Sanford Sylvan, Yvonne Howard, London Symphony Orchestra (John Adams, cond.)

The Real Me: Johnny Adams Sings Doc Pomus
Johnny Adams

Heartbreaker
Ryan Adams

At the Lighthouse
The Cannonball Adderley Quintet

The Best of the Classic Years
King Sunny Ade

Toys in the Attic
Aerosmith

Éthiopiques, Vol 7: Erè Mèla Mèla
Mahmoud Ahmed

Air Lore
Air

The Ultimate Arthur Alexander
Arthur Alexander

Dirt
Alice in Chains

Allison Wonderland
Mose Allison

At Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band

The Complete General Recordings
The Almanac Singers

Whipped Cream and Other Delights
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass

Arepa 3000: A Venezuelan Journey into Space
Los Amigos Invisibles

The First Day
Albert Ammons and Meade “Lux” Lewis

Spirituals
Marian Anderson

“The House of the Rising Sun”
The Animals

Selected Ambient Works 85–92
Aphex Twin

When the Pawn. . .
Fiona Apple

Neon Bible
The Arcade Fire

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3
Martha Argerich
Berlin Philharmonic (Claudio Abbado, cond.)

The Complete Hot Fives and Hot Sevens
Louis Armstrong

3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of. . .
Arrested Development

Urban Bushmen
Art Ensemble of Chicago

Steppin’ Out: Astaire Sings
Fred Astaire

Chester and Lester
Chet Atkins and Les Paul

Spiritual Unity
Albert Ayler

Somehow Extract slipped past me when it first came out in 2009. But I finally caught up with it and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this indy movie. The cast is impressive: Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Dustin Milligan, J. K. Simmons, and Ben Affleck. The plot revolves around Jason Bateman’s company that sells a variety of cooking extracts: almond, vanilla, etc. But General Mills makes an offer to buy the company. This leads to some funny consequences. The subplot is less interesting. Jason Bateman and his wife, played by Kristen Wiig, are having problems. Ben Affleck, Bateman’s friend, suggests Bateman hire a “gigolo.” The results are head-shaking. But there’s plenty in this movie to enjoy. Worth a look. GRADE: B+

Some Bills fans think their team can still make the Playoffs. There is still a remote mathematical probability of this happening. But the Bills–who haven’t won two games in a row all season long–would have to win FIVE straight games. Not likely. The Bills are 3-point favorites in this “home game” played in Toronto, Canada. Atlanta has problems defending against the run so I suspect the Bills’ ground game will be featured this week. The Bills are coming off a Bye with most of their players healthy. How is your favorite NFL team going to fare today?

Patrick was interviewed about passwords here.

During 1966 to 1972 Michael Critchton wrote a series of thrillers under the pseudonym of “John Lange.” Critchton was learning how to write and finally, with The Andromeda Strain and The Terminal Man, Critchton became a best-selling writer under his own name. HARD CASE recently reprinted the John Lange novels. I read them when they were first published (I didn’t know at the time they were written by Critchton). I found them entertaining. You will too.

As we get ready for Thanksgiving, it should also be time to give thanks to the veterans who sacrifice for us. Yes, I know Veterans Day is supposed to cover that, but Thanksgiving is another opportunity to express our gratitude to our veterans. And, if you aren’t aware of what veterans face returning from Active Service to Civilian Life, David Finkel’s Thank You For Your Service shows the struggles our service men and women have to contend with.
He was shot in the head and the bullet ruined the part of his brain that regulates such things as emotions and impulse control. It also left him partially paralyzed… he has no sensation on his left side. He can’t easily stand. He can’t move his left foot or toes. He can’t straighten his left arm. He can’t wiggle his left fingers. He can’t wink his left eye. (p. 92)
The wives of veterans deal with husbands with emotional and mental problems. Widows deal with crushing losses. I have a heightened appreciation for military veterans after reading Thank You For Your Service. MSNBC’s MORNING JOE picked David Finkel’s book for their Book Club. GRADE: A