All I want is what I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share.

bethje bought tickets for Dorothea and me to see Michaels Ian Black and Showalter at the Fillmore at the TLA at the Station at the Border at the Black Hole at the Center of the Universe on Friday night. Unfortunately, the show started at 9, and I had to work until 10, so I missed all but the very end of Showalter's routine. I did get to see all of Black's, though, so I guess it was worth it. The two Michaels did a bit together, and I'd point out that they had good chemistry, but that's pretty obvious, isn't it? I mean, how long have they been working together? I can't really summarize comedy shows the way I can concerts, so that's all I'll say about the event, but it was fun.

And to begin my brief reviews of Christmas specials, I think I'll go with the old classic that I watched the end of a few days ago, A Charlie Brown Christmas. Compared to later Peanuts specials, this one doesn't have all that much padding. If anything, it's too short. We never find out how the Christmas play went. I'm guessing not well, considering that all the kids wanted to do during rehearsals was dance to jazz music. And where is the penguin supposed to come in? Watching it reminds of how John Linnell from They Might Be Giants once talked about how the girl who played Sally was really young, and had a lot of trouble with her lines, which definitely shows.

A few other brief observations that I'm sure a lot of other people have already made:

• Sure, Charlie Brown picks out a lousy tree, but what do the other kids expect when nobody gives him any money?
  
• Why does Snoopy laugh like some kind of diseased mutant duck, and look about as much like a beagle as I do?
  
• Linus complains that he won't be able to memorize his lines, yet he's able to recite a fairly long passage from the Book of Luke entirely from memory.