i’m still at a total loss as to what to get anyone in my life for the holidays. while i spend the weekend scouring thrift stores and the marshall’s/tjmaxx complex in midtown, enjoy this week’s roundup.  i worked mighty hard on it for you!

TO READ:

1. The Awl does some Lana Del Rey investigating
2. a beautiful home tour in Refinery 29
3. darling friend Ryry Broderick wrote about the overwhelming Christmas marketing for Motherboard. since i’m definitely not feeling the spirit of the season yet, i enjoyed it
4. just how does your brain distinguish words from sentences? this blog post from Dictionary.com explains
5. as a lover of “Parks and Rec,” i often find Andy’s incontemptence mostly irritating. glad Vulture agrees in their list of TV’s most annoying characters
6. freakin pop up shops are everywhere. i’m starting to feel like buying merchandise at a location that will still be around next week is supremely uncool. The NYTimes tells us these glorified merch tents got started
7. a list of 25 things we should know by quarter life. yes, it’s from christian magazine Relevant, but it’s also advice that could avert some of those crises i keep having hearing about. you know, from friends
8. MediaBistro shares how to be happier at work. point 1 is: be happy you have a job. seriously
9. if you haven’t yet noticed that there are a lot of wines called “Bitch” and “Bastard,” the NYTimes surely did. they explored further, of course
10. a lawyer lady wrote about her experience with online dating for GOOD. it’s nice and all, but anyone who’s spent an evening trolling the trolls on OKCupid (preferably with a bottle of Sassy Bitch chardonnay) already knows what she’s going to say 
11. ever wonder what it’s like to be a butcher? GOOD’s “Makin’ It” feature talks to Dickson’s Farmstand Meats‘ Jeffrey de Picciotto. no shocker: this butcher has a blog
12. another too-cool apartment from Refinery 29. that’s it, guys, i’m going to ikea for more shelves
13. wednesday’s story from the AP about the new charges of molestation against Sandusky made me sick to my stomach. i only got to the second graf
14. what makes a proper journalist? now we have a list to tell us. in true journo fashion, it’s incomplete. they were probably on deadline
15. someone did a study about sleeping on the subway. i’m not really sure why since sleeping is always a good idea. maybe reading the article will tell us
16. in the ever-expanding search for cool, the NYTimes went to see Lana Del Rey at Bowery Ballroom this week. and hated it. how hipster of them
17. speaking of hipsters, NPR has the definite guide
18. The Hairpin did a Turntable.fm interview with Carrie Brownstein of “Portlandia.” more importantly, i’m one episode away from finishing that delightful show
19. i’m embarrassingly late on this one, but 100 Interviews (who won a VV Web Award last year) once sat down with Village Voice editor Tony Ortega to talk about all things journalism
20. a new article in The Atlantic reports that culture is important in education. well duh. save art in schools!
21. The Capital has more research on the trouble journalists have been having with the NYPD
22. a journalist who’s had some trouble with the NYPD herself, VV’s Rosie Gray went to visit the OWS set of “Law and Order.” so topical, that show
23. again on The Hairpin, a post on my favorite holiday movie. i don’t even care what it says, it’s two of my favorite things come together. but why is it called “Hate Actually”?
24. a for-work post, a NYTimes opinion piece on “The Real Way to Help Small Business”
25. and NPR did a little investigative work on what small business owners actually think of the tax increase Republicans in Congress are soooo opposed to. surprise: Congress might be wrong
26. apparently, this week’s X Factor was “the most excruciating moment on reality tv.” that’s what Vulture thinks, anyway

TO WATCH/LISTEN:

1. hear Jean Kilbourne say some amazing things about how women are portrayed in media in her series “Killing Us Softly.” it’s nothing we haven’t heard before, but it’s always worth repeating
2. the “Did you read?” clip from Portlandia, which is the epitome of mine and Sammie Rubenfeld’s best friendship
3. a teeny tiny apartment unfolds. something about origami too. i’m still not sure how it works
4. Vulture music genius Nitsuh Abebe gave us his list for 2011. it’s not a “best of” and for that, i commend him
5. i finally listened to the new last Amy Winehouse album today and was almost in tears
6. my new favorite band The Bandana Splits covered Sir Paul’s “Wonderful Christmas Time”. it’s quite full of loveliness

TO BUY ME:

1. all of my spending money is going on this bridesmaid dress. so if you want to buy that for me, i’ll happily send you the measurements
2. how about this gorgeous gold leaf platter?
3. like all things she does, Jamie (of From Me To You) put together some classy and lovely holiday gift suggestions. i hope they help
4. oh and this initial necklace in D please.