I think it’s a good thing for people to have side quests in their lives to keep things interesting. They don’t have to be anything particularly grand, like finding The Antidote or something, but just a passive side hobby of sorts.

I have had various side quests in my adult life, and my two longest-running ones are:

• To find the perfect Bloody Mary cocktail
• To find the perfect rendition of O Holy Night

For that first one… I’ve gotten close. Sadly the two most perfect ones I’ve ever tried were both at restaurants that closed in the pandemic. So, that quest continues.

For the second one… y’all, Jennifer Hudson just announced her first Christmas album coming this winter. I am THRILLED. I already asked if O Holy Night will be on it, and she responded (!!!) and said YES on track #5!! After recovering from the shock of Jennifer noticing me, I realized with a thrill that this side quest of mine that has spanned over a decade will potentially, likely, come to a very exciting close.

As a total side note, I’m really excited that Jennifer Hudson is putting out this album. My favorite singer ever is Whitney Houston (Jennifer is a close second), and I always thought that Whitney’s Christmas album arrived too late, when her voice wasn’t what it once was. I think if she had sung O Holy Night in her prime, she would have taken that top spot and my quest would have been unnecessary. Mariah Carey’s is good of course, excellent even, but it’s definitely an exploration of range more than a justice to the song, in my opinion.

ANYWAY.

I think I might need to rustle up a new side quest!