We take a short brea from our all-Christmas program to report on another concert: Bloc Party at the Marquee. It was pretty awesome. I was unimpressed with the openers, the Dum Dum Girls. Musically, they were decent, but they were just too caught up in being Girl Rockers. The truly great female musicians are great because they’re not preoccupied with telling us how legitimate it is for them to be in a band–they’re too busy rocking out. Exhibit A: Karen O.

Moving on! Bloc Party is so awesome. Their lead singer, Kele Okereke, had a cold, but managed to play a full set. I can’t lurch to the office to sit in front of my computer when I have a little cold–and to play a concert? I can’t imagine.

Back to Christmas: above you see peppermint bashed to bits in preparation for peppermint bark-making. Melba helped vacuum up the resulting mess, but I have no doubt the area around my kitchen table will be crunchy with peppermint bits for weeks to come. It was worth it, though: I got to put my cast-iron skillet, absolutely the best money ever spent, to use for yet another task.

What’s your favorite kitchen implement?