You’ve had a holiday hangover for six days straight due to crashing your friends’ lame office parties because yours was canceled due to “cutbacks.” The highlight of your work day is arriving at the office and crossing off the day on your vacation countdown calendar which you’ve told your boss is actually a memory aid for the Sanskrit course you’re taking at night. As usual in December, your mind is not on work. Except this year you can’t afford to spend your last days in the office doing your Christmas shopping online. That’s why we’ve compiled this short list of things to do at your computer that will while away the hours sufficiently.

1. Live out your secret Geppetto fantasies with two interactive videos from Arcade Fire. Either pull the strings and make lead singer Win Butler your puppet in Neon Bible or play producer and rearrange Black Mirror.

2. Insult your co-workers for free with these fantastic e-cards. You’ve spent 2000 hours stuck in an airtight, windowless office with them since last Christmas. You deserve it. Among my favorites are “Get Well Soon So That I Find You Attractive Again” (for the guy in the next cubicle who insists on coming to work despite revolting winter cold symptoms), “I hope the colder weather won’t deter you from continuing to wear slutty summer dresses to the office” (for the interns), and “You’re a hard person to half-assedly shop for” (for the boss).

3. Laugh your ass off looking at the Greatest Photo Bombers of All Time. Seriously. This is the only email that actually gets funnier with time, because you usually miss about 50% of it upon each viewing due to hysterical laughter. Not advised if you’re still operating under the loose pretense that you’re actually working at your desk.

4. Calculate what you drank last night in terms of calories with this convenient BBC calculator. Those zany Brits have boiled the damage down to measurements of more appetizing nature, equating last night’s wine with how many onion bhajis (fried Indian treats) and Jaffa Cakes (tasty orange and chocolate cookies) you would have consumed. In typical British fashion, it makes drinking seem fun and tasty.

5. Take the Shining Heads Poll! Weigh in on everything from Eliot Spitzer’s footwear and Obama’s inauguration to the best method of cooking bacon in our annual poll.

–Julia Clarke

Can you believe it? 2008 has nearly reached its close. So once again, we’ll reflect on the past year by offering up the annual Shining Heads Poll!

If you’ve been around adult rock radio for a while, you’ve probably seen a few of these by now and know just what to do. If you’re a newcomer, here’s the drill: this is our attempt to celebrate one more year working in this nutty world and emerging (mostly) intact. We ask questions about music, sports, books, politics, the holidays, and the amazing individuals we’re lucky enough to surround ourselves with. Hopefully, they’re all questions you’re not likely to see anywhere else. Some questions are serious but most are intended to be fun. All of your answers will remain anonymous.

We want to thank all the folks who submitted ideas this year, especially: Dave Sloan, Kyle Smith, Martin Anderson, Joel Frank, Hillel Wachs, Sheryl Northrop, and Bruce Warren.

When you have ten minutes or so, take the Poll. Results will be posted in the New Year.

–Sean, Melanie and Julia

While for most of the Triple A world, Milton is a brand new name, he’s long been enjoying support from your colleagues at New York stations and venues — WFUV, WDST, WKZE, Joe’s Pub, and the Living Room, to name a few. Milton’s new CD Grand Hotel is characterized by an easygoing sound and songwriting smarts. Don’t let the holidays hit before you lend this record your ears. Julia’s podcast will give you a primer.

 

 Milton podcast [4:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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