The week in travel: Dec. 24, 2010

It’s been a quiet week here at the blog. I only got one post up, despite having several more in the pipeline. I literally couldn’t be bothered to hit “publish” with all the craziness of this week, and I figured most of you are already in gingerbread-induced comas, and probably don’t have time to read what I put up, anyway.

I say this without a hint of resentment. That tightening in my voice? It’s pride.

Because I hope you are all already off enjoying the holidays, and not bothering with my silly old blog. That’s what I’ve been doing, and it’s been fabulous. But on the off-chance that a few of you are still hanging out here in internet-land, I thought I’d send you off with some holiday-themed links. They should tide you over until I’m back (and spreading the same vitriol and spite to which you’ve grown accustomed) sometime early in January.

Until then, have a safe and happy holiday and new year.

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“He pleaded, but I ate him anyways.” (via reddit)

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The work of French Street Artist JR has me pretty rapt. Over time, his pieces are designed to fade and decay, just like the walls of the buildings on which they can be found.

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I’m totally fascinated by the Swedish tradition of watching Donald Duck cartoons on Christmas Eve. Apparently, a pantless mallard is serious business.

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Check out the best Venn diagram ever, in which we learn that TSA agents are either under-qualified to touch our junk, or underpaid in having to do so.

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Amazing article on why Julian Assange and Wikileaks are helping to save the institution of journalism, and not undermine it (as many other news sources claim).

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It’s Christmas. We have ways of making you smile.

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There’s a profound statement being made in artist Dietrich Wegner’s work about the power of marketing and branding, which we are subjected to the minute we pop out of the womb. But really, he had me at “tattooed babies.”

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A brilliant post by Deanna, recounting how she met my (our) friend Christine. It’s wonderful. Read it.

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Admit it: you know a kid for whom THIS would be perfect.

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And finally, to see you off in holiday style, I present the ENTIRE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL. For those of you who don’t know about this train wreck portion of the franchise, it is … well, it simply is. And that, really, should be enough.

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And … that’s it. I might get a few more posts up this year, but I’m not making any promises. I’ve got a lot of cookies to eat, and new presents from Zappos to wear, so, as you can imagine, I’m pretty busy. I hope you all have a fantastic holiday (or, if you don’t celebrate Christmas, I hope you enjoy a few days off). This year has amazing, and I owe it to you guys. Thank you.