It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Black Friday...
Hell no I don't participate in it. Do you think I'm crazy?!?

Umm...Don't answer that yet...

I choose to not participate in it. Not because I don't like finding great stuff on sale (I do love to buy stuff at a great price), more because I hate being in the middle of large, unpredictable crowds. People watching is always fun however, but only from a safe distance of the actual crowd itself.

I'm sure that at some point in the coming days and weeks I will hear a news report of someone getting trampled because they hesitated when the doors flung open or beat down because they tried to take the last sale item from the shelf at the same time that another exhausted, disgruntled shopper did.

While there are aspects of Black Friday that can be saddening, I'm almost ashamed to say that I find certain aspects of Black Friday comical in some ways.

Almost.

Don't misunderstand me...I hate to see people getting hurt while innocently trying to fulfill the Christmas wishes of a loved one, however the absurdity of the scenario can be bewildering and laughable if your humor is twisted enough. Why anyone would feel the need to ignore the basics of humanity and good nature all because they feel bizarrely entitled to purchase that item at that time is beyond me. Incidentally, for those of you who haven't figured it out yet, anyone crazy enough to spend several days camped out in the parking lot of a store, depriving themselves of rest, decent nutrition, and sanity, all so they can get inside and start shopping at the stroke of midnight is...well...probably crazy enough to beat you down for trying to take that last sale item on the shelf and probably is too exhausted and malnourished to realize that the manufacturers have made more than is physically there at that time. And who is more at fault...the naively deranged shopper that sincerely thinks that they won't get beat down over that stupid toy or flat screen tv, or the other deranged shopper that feels it's necessary to beat someone down because they themselves weren't quick enough on the draw when reaching for the shelf? And what about those half-crazed folks that do the Black Friday shopping because they see it as a challenge? When did shopping become a competitive event? And exactly how do you win? Is there a Black Friday Shopper's League? Are there unified rules that apply everywhere? Can these rules apply in a regular grocery store or convenience store? What about all of those Black Friday deals...why don't liquor stores have them? Is there a required uniform for team play? Where are the referees during all of this shopping?
All of these Black Friday shoppers...Don't they all realize that there is a thing known as the internet, and on that thing called the internet there are online vendors that are more than happy and willing to sell those same items for the same price AND guarantee delivery well before Christmas? Aren't they aware of the money they would save by not burning gas driving to the mall, buying camping supplies, buying overpriced fast food, etc.?
You're right...they probably aren't all that aware. Maybe they aren't all that into actually saving money after all.


However, in spite of it being Black Friday, and in spite of our general distaste for getting in the midst of the insanity, Holly and I did do a small bit of shopping today...
We went and purchased our Christmas tree for this year. This, has become a bit of a family tradition at our house. For us, Black Friday means it's time to go to the local Christmas tree farm, pick out a tree that we deem to be cute and full of personality. It doesn't have to be the perfect tree; anything between the one at Rockefeller Center and Charlie Brown's puny little tree will always do.
Today we went and picked ours out...not too tall, not too full, not too thin. Later, we strung the lights and decorated the tree with ornaments. I even got crafty and actually made some of the things we put on the tree (though, at one point Holly was laughing to the point of tears...at me. Still not sure why, but it did involve a me, a step-ladder, a giant bow that I helped make, and deciding whether or not to have a "pokey-stick-thingy" protruding through the top of the bow). Holly also pulled out various decorative items to place around the house...

Yep...it's definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas. At least around here.

Turkey Day 2012

Well, today is Thanksgiving. A day during which we all are supposed to be thankful and remember all that we are thankful for. It is also a day for a big, televised parade, classic rival football match-ups,  as well as being a day during which extreme gluttony not only occurs...it is also greatly encouraged.
Of course, we all know that Thanksgiving started many years ago when the pilgrim settlers from the "Old World" had a big feast with the Native Americans after the harvest season. I'm not sure what the Natives were thankful for back then...but I'm pretty sure that the Pilgrims were thankful to have not ended up at the wrong end of an atlatl flinging a spear. Not sure if they had a parade that year either...however, I'm pretty certain that the department store had not been invented yet. I suppose that year Santa had to sit on the old Macy's tree stump and convince small Quaker children they couldn't have a new Red Rider Bow&Arrow with the compass in the stock because they could shoot their eyes out...I'm sure he suggested something along the lines of suitable food and shelter instead. After the big feast, I'm sure everyone sat down together and in a sloth-like stupor watched the Redskins whip much ass...though I'm not sure there was actually a football involved at that time.

I digress...

Where was I?...Oh yeah...Today is Thanksgiving.

Today also happens to be my birthday.

It happens occasionally, my birthday coinciding with Thanksgiving...about once every 7 to 11 years. When I was a young kid, I remember thinking that my birthday was such an important day that my mother felt compelled to cook a feast fit for a king...
Boy was I disappointed the next year.

This year, I was rather insistent that Holly and the girls not make a big deal about my birthday. No cake. No celebrating.
It's not that I'm against having birthdays...or celebrating them. It's just that I didn't feel like making too big a deal of it in front of extended family during our hosting of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, which, by the way, was fantastic, even if I do say so myself!

So how did it go?

Well...there was singing...there was a lit candle in a small serving of dessert food...there was a gift...
And all after everyone had left. Just me, Holly, and our girls...celebrating my birthday in exactly the low-key way I wanted.

True, there is lots to be thankful for...
Me?...

I'm thankful for having a great place to live. Not only in regards to the house itself, but also in regards to the community in which I live.
I'm thankful for having a great job. I get to do what I love for a living.
I'm thankful for being able to pay my bills and still do what I love for a living.
I'm thankful for having a reliable vehicle to drive.
I'm thankful for being married to my long-time best friend, Holly. (My wife is awesome by the way!)
I'm thankful for having her and the girls in my life. (Our daughters are also awesome by the way!)
I'm thankful that they remembered me on my birthday...and in such a beautiful and perfect way.
-- Holly, Ashley, Allison...I love you!! --


What are you thankful for today?

Maybe...

Ok...
Here's what happens. We (my bandmates and I) go out and play shows, and usually there is a review of the show the next day in the local newspaper of the town we just played in.
Some reviews are good. Some are not so good. It's all subjective. We know that we can't possibly please everyone. We don't even try to please everyone. We make the kind of music that we love to make and hope for the best in terms of crowd response. The same for our shows...we play what we love to play, to the best of our collective ability, and do our best to put on a great show. And, we understand and embrace the idea that not everyone will like us or our music.

Recently, we got a really horrible review after a show in the midwest. The guy who wrote it clearly hates the band and our music. Not sure why (it was a pretty damn good show if I do say so myself). He had even "tweeted" earlier in the day that he needed to be drinking heavily so he could write a "fair" review of the show. He had also clearly made up his mind about us and our show and how terrible it was going to be for him to be in attendance...never mind the fact that it was sold out show at a major venue and you have to be doing something right to be able to pull off such a feat as an artist. Never mind the fact that we've sold shitloads of records and had a string of very successful hits on the radio. Never mind that the place was filled with fans who were happy to be singing along with damn near every word of every song we played.

Now, I'm no writer. I certainly don't claim to be. However, if I were to be trusted with the task of writing a review of a show, I would certainly approach the whole thing with the mindset of providing a clear, unbiased opinion of what went down. Isn't that what good reporting is all about?

Maybe he's not into the style of music we play. Maybe he is one of those idiots that claims to be a music lover but only wants to hear a band mindlessly regurgitate their hits exactly as was done on their records. Maybe he hates writing show reviews. Maybe he isn't really a reporter. Maybe he still lives in his mother's basement and took a gig at the local paper to help pay the bills while he sluggishly attempts to carve out a plot for that best-selling novel that he will one day finish.
Maybe he was having a bad day or a bad week. Maybe he just simply is a chronically unhappy person. Maybe he is one of those people who could never be happy...no matter what.

However...
That having all been said, I can simply say this to the man who gave us such a bad review...

I am sorry that you didn't have a good time (especially given the fact that you more than likely didn't even pay for the ticket yourself). Hopefully we will do better to make a good impression on you the next time around. In the meantime, try your hand at writing songs, making and selling records, winning over fans, and selling tickets to your shows. Maybe someone will write a "fair and unbiased" review of one of your shows. Let me know how that all works out for you.

post-election...

So...
Everyone knows by now that our Commander in Chief will remain in office for another four years. Personally, I didn't vote for him, I am still of the opinion that he has absolutely no clue how to do the job properly and effectively, and I am still of the opinion that the most powerful guy in the free world is more interested in being famous than he is being an actual leader. I also believe that he has yet to prove that any of his policies are substantive and good for our country. However, that having been said, the American people have voted, their voices heard, and our President will be around for another four years. This is the hand that we collectively have chosen, and consequently, this is the hand that we shall be forced to deal with.
I consider myself to be a very patriotic person. I believe that we each have a civic duty to do what we can to uphold the principles upon which our nation was founded. To quote Kennedy, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

Seems as though more of us should think about that one. There is a growing movement in this country in which constituents are casting their votes for the candidates that promise the most free perks. There seems to be a huge wave of voting people who are eagerly waiting for the government to give them a free place to live, free food to eat, free health care, free training, and even jobs. While that may seem like a great idea, the truth is, what the government will actually be able to deliver to these people will be far less than par when compared to what they are promised. It seems to me the vast majority of this particular group of people appear to feel that they are entitled to be given all of these things. But they don't seem to want what will be provided for them...they want to be given the best that is out there.
What ever happened to working hard and earning something? What ever happened to ambition, and the drive to achieve more for oneself?

While the government can certainly align itself in such a way as to "freely" provide jobs, training, education, health care, food, lodging, etc. for its citizens, it is important to keep in mind that that particular way of doing things is destined for failure. At some point, the entire population of that type of system is completely dependent upon the government...as opposed to the entire government being completely dependent upon the population that it governs. I'm not sure exactly which President said first, but Gerald R. Ford is quoted as having said this, "Any government big enough to give you everything you want, is a government big enough to take away from you everything you have."
Some of you that may read this are either too young to remember or have simply forgotten about the U.S.S.R. as it existed back in the 70's and 80's during the Cold War era. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republic during the height of the Cold War era was the shining example of what socialism truly looks like when in full implementation. I remember being a child and hearing news reports and seeing news reel footage of people standing in long lines for hours on end (sometimes days on end) to receive the one loaf of government provided bread that would have to carry them over for an entire week. I can remember hearing the news stories of Russian citizens defecting to the United States because they were not free to choose what they wanted to do for a living, but rather were dictated to by the government based on the needs of the general workforce. I remember the news reels showing many Russian citizens living in extreme poverty, receiving poor health care, and crying out to the world for help. The socialist government would provide for its wealthiest citizens first and best, while allowing the poor and less desirable citizens to suffer. While there were Marxist and Communist principles at work, the USSR was a socialist society. How long did this particular system of socialized "everything" last until it completely collapsed? Approximately forty years.

Post-Halloween Crud and the Election...

Where did Halloween go? Did it ever really arrive? It came and went and I barely noticed. We had no Trick-or-Treaters this year. It seems that serious Trick-or-Treating has become a lost thing of years gone by. Maybe some of the big neighborhoods still have a few costumed candy crusaders here and there, but it seems as if the numbers keep dwindling down each year. I can remember being a kid and going to every house in my neighborhood, and then to every other house that was within hiking distance. Between my little brother and myself, the take was anywhere from 15 to 20 pounds of candy...each! We would pile it all up in the middle of the den, and then divide it evenly between us both. We would chip away at that pile of candy until well past Thanksgiving and usually finish off the last few morsels just in time to be enjoying the sweet delights of the Christmas holiday season.

I've been fighting the crud over the past seven or eight days. It got really bad a few days ago...bad enough for me to willingly take cold/sinus meds.
--Those who know me really well, also know how much I loathe taking meds of any description.--
So...I've been laid up on the couch, dizzy with sinus headaches and congestion, and, whilst in my haziness, I have been watching election coverage. All I can say is...WOW!
Depending on which network you watch, one or the other of the Presidential Candidates is going to have a landslide victory. Of course, we all know that this election is going to be very close. Possibly the closest election ever in terms of the popular vote.
I won't get into the nastiness of talking politics...especially via a blog. However, I do encourage everyone to go vote.
Let me say that again...

GO VOTE! It is your civic duty as a citizen of the United States of America.

I don't care who you choose to cast your vote for. I would like to think that each and every one of us has the good sense to cast our votes as well-informed voters. (Chances are, most of us unfortunately won't take the time become informed voters.) I sincerely believe that it is our civic duty as American citizens to exercise our right to vote during elections. There are still some nations out there that do not allow their citizens to vote for their leadership. We are very blessed to live in a country that allows for us to have that particular right. We should exercise that right...and with great regularity...

Will I say for whom I am casting my vote? Absolutely not. Suffice it to say that I have my political views, I have taken the time to become as informed as I can about the issues that our country faces, and I will cast my vote for the candidate that I believe to be the best person for the job.

I strongly recommend that you do the same. Either way, well informed or not, at least take the time and the opportunity to do your civic duty and exercise your right to voice your opinion...
GO VOTE!
If you don't vote...then you don't have a right to bitch about it later!


---  "Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government." -Thomas Jefferson  ---

---  "A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have." -Gerald R. Ford  ---

Ta-dah!! Just that easy!!

So I'm hangin' out at the house, and I happened to see a small piece of a television show in which a struggling musician who has just experienced a small career setback says to his girlfriend, "Well, I guess if it were easy to make it in this business, everyone would be doing it."

The phrase struck me deeply for some reason. In spite of those words being spoken as part of a prime-time drama's banter, I don't think any statement could be any more true.

I remember thinking (and saying) the same thing once after having a conversation with a random person at a not-so-random event.

The random guy asked me, "SO...how do I get a gig like you've got?"
My reply was, "That's an interesting question with an interesting story. Why? Are you a musician?"
The next statement was what perplexed me the most...
Random guy answers with, "No. I don't play anything. But I've always thought it would be fun. I've been thinking about buying a really big, really nice, really expensive drum kit, but I don't want to make that kind of big investment unless I definitively know that I can have a high profile gig like yours."
My retort?..."(laughing) Well, maybe you should stick to your day job."

---To be absolutely honest- it seriously pissed me off that this nimrod thought that my good fortune in life was just whimsically gone into, as if I used to be an accountant and then woke up one morning, bored with numbers, and simply decided that I would be a drummer in a well known band.
Sure...it's exactly just as simple as that!!! Quit your job, buy an instrument, and SHAZAAM!! You're now playing in front of tens of thousands of people nightly and conveniently rich and famous! What an asshole.---

"No...really dude," the random guy says. "If I go and drop a bunch of money on a really huge and expensive set of drums, how can I guarantee that I'll become rich and famous like you?"
"(more laughter) No...really. Stick to your day job. There aren't any guarantees that you'll ever become successful enough to even make a decent living...especially considering that you don't know how to play yet."
Random guy gets a deeply concerned look on his face and asks, "So how did you get to become rich and famous?"
My retort?..."I'm neither rich, nor famous...but thank you for thinking that I am. Truth is, I've been very blessed to be able to do what I love for a living. I would do it for little or nothing...and have many times."


As I walked away from the conversation with random nimrod I quietly whispered to myself, "If it were just that simple...everyone would be doing it."

BOO!!!!

Another season has passed us all by, and by my calculations the leaves on trees everywhere north of the Gulf of Mexico are beginning their swan song into winter. I, like many folks, enjoy the colors that fall brings...earthy and vibrant colors that seemingly cannot be replicated by any human means. I have always enjoyed the fall season. To me, the coming of fall always means the coming of my birthday, Thanksgiving, and then Christmas right around the corner. Beyond that, a new year, full of hopes, ambitions, new and renewed dreams, would be standing in wait.

My beautiful wife, Holly, doesn't seem to care too much for fall...she's much more a fan of spring and all of its beautiful colorful splendor that new growth and budding flowers bring to the season.

However...
Holly is a huge fan of Halloween. I still haven't been able to put my finger on exactly why, but I really love seeing her expose her impish, inner child. I also absolutely adore the fact that she takes such time and care to put out Halloween decor around the house. The semi-fancy table cloth that usually adorns our kitchen table has been replaced with a large, lace-like, black spider's web, and atop it, our Halloween punchbowl set (which, incidentally, has been filled with an assortment of fun-sized candy bars and chocolates). In our den, she has strung the ficus tree with "ghosts" that can be illuminated by the simple flick of a switch.

Candles, candlesticks, cute and friendly ghosts, witches, and jack-o-lanterns are all about the house, serving as a reminder to all that come in, that the season of pranks, ghost stories, and trick-or-treaters is here. It is the only time in fall that my wife seems so unavoidably happy...and it's so very contagious.

Her child-like and impish verve during this part of the year makes me love the fall that much more...and her as well!!

Our kitchen table...