Every now and then I end up on the strip in Las Vegas, and when I do, I sometimes pass a drinks stand that does not appear to have a name. Instead, it boasts a large sign that just says “DAIQUIRIS.” The drinks served at this stand are red and blue and green, and they come in tubes and other strange vessels. They are icy and slushy-like, and they consist of cheap booze and artificial flavors and coloring.

• These are made with British Mars Bars, I tell you this not because I am particularly patriotic about Mars Bars, but because chocolate / candy / confectionary that may share the same name around the world doesn’t necessarily share the same recipe. It is therefore possible that bars in different countries may behave differently when melted and baked, but I’m hopeful that you will get similar results to mine.

A holiday essay for you about one of my favorite thought criminals, Mary McCarthy. Happy new year! Perhaps it escaped your notice, given everything else that’s been going on, but this year marked the 60th anniversary of Mary McCarthy’s iconic novel The Group. Published in 1963, it revolves around eight graduates of the Vassar College class of 1933, a cohort of which McCarthy herself was a member. Though the book was dismissed by critics as shallow ephemera, its frank depictions of the lives of educated, pedigreed women, including unmarried sex with drunken strangers, made it a sensation.

Matt Farwell may be the best gonzo journalist working today. He’s a salty (and sweet) Army vet who served between 2005 and 2010, including as an infantryman in Afghanistan. One of Farwell’s earliest pieces came in The New York Times’ now-defunct “At War” section. There, he wrote with clarity about PTSD and his post-deployment struggles — and also how his military training prepared him to be homeless in Palo Alto.

This past Saturday, Matthew Perry, the iconic actor most known for his starring role in the popular “Friends” series, died at his home near Los Angeles. It would be hard to find a more popular figure among Generation X than Perry. “Friends”, along with “Seinfeld” was the show that everyone seemingly watched in the 90’s and into the 2000s as reruns ran on cable. It was a time before the advent of streaming, before the advent of smartphones, and before so many options bifurcated American’s viewing habits.