I spent part of this past weekend preparing for Christmas. I put up my tree on Saturday, and bought wooden ornaments to paint on Sunday. I went to Michael’s Arts & Crafts with Dawn, Neil, and Helen. I had to practice some mad self-restraint while I was there. There are TONS of beautiful decorations. I had to keep reminding myself that all of the holiday decorations I buy are only going to be displayed for a month.
I’m super excited about Christmas this year. I’ll be spending it with my family, as usual. We open presents in the late morning / early afternoon, have Christmas lunch, watch the Planet of the Apes Marathon on TV, and listen to Pat Boone’s White Christmas album. Even though Pat Boone is a total homophobic dipshit douchebag, he sure knew how to croon in the old days.
Since I’m probably going to be busy all of Thanksgiving, I decided to write my holiday post a little early. Every year, Thanksgiving is becoming more and more like a birthday that happens on Christmas Eve. I think it really loses its significance because its almost completely overshadowed by Christmas. Target was even selling Christmas decorations right next to the Halloween decorations this year, which is a little ludicrous to me. But anyway, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and I don’t let it go by without at least counting my blessings. And I do have a lot this year.
I’m grateful for my family and my friends, which have always been the biggest blessings in my life. Every day I’m thankful. I’m not sure where or who I would be if it wasn’t for their love and support. I’m grateful that even after years of hiatus from music, I’m playing better and I appreciate it more than I had before. There aren’t very many things that make me happier than making music. I’m glad that the work that I do makes a difference within my community and I’m not hustling for a company that’s only interested in the bottom line. I’m grateful that I’m finally living in a place that I consider my home, after 20+ years of moving from one location to the next along the west coast.
There are so many great changes that took place this past year… and I’m truly much happier than I’ve been since.. well, since I can remember, really.
I’m looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with the people I love. I hope everyone takes a moment before devouring turkey dinner to remember the things that matter.
At 2:00am, Felicia and I were standing in line at Bella Terra in Huntington Beach for the New Moon showing at 2:55am. We wanted to avoid the teeny-boppers and though since school was going to be the next day, we figured there wouldn’t be very many people there. Needless to say, we were WRONG. But thankfully, the high schoolers that decided to see the movie went to the 12:00am showing. We were standing in line with mostly college students from around the area.
They let us in the theater around 2:45am. While we were sitting and watching the other people come in, I saw a couple with their children. Half of the kids were young teens and the rest were young children ages 4-7. Seriously, people! If you have kids, what the hell are you doing bringing them to a movie theater at 3:00am in the morning?!?! Isn’t it past their bedtime?! Well, at least they were well-behaved. When I went to see The Passion of Jesus Christ with G the weekend it came out in theaters, moms and dads were bringing in their infant children. Children that they brought into the theater on their strollers. I don’t care how smart parents think their children are at age 3, I highly doubt that kids are going to get much value from watching a man on the screen get lashed every inch of his life. During the entire movie, babies were screaming their heads off and I left the movie theaters pissed off as shit.
But anyway, New Moon was worth the wait. It was definitely worth the wait. Chris Weitz directed a movie that was very consistent with the novel. There were a few scenes that were slightly awkward, but it’s still a major improvement over Twilight. Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson are more mature in this movie, so old folks like me can feel less ashamed about drooling. Haha. That’s really not the reason why I go and watch these movies or read the books. I’m just a sucker for love stories. I think it’s pretty obvious when you look at my extensive collection of rom-coms.
I’ve started working on Alexandre Desplat’s “New Moon (The Meadow)” today. I know… kinda silly… but I love songs that are in A-minor. There’s something very heartfelt about that particular key… well, at least for me. I’m posting the intro and hopefully by tomorrow or Sunday, I’ll record a cover of the complete song.
Alexandre Desplat – New Moon/The Meadow Intro (Cover)
How did I spend my Veteran’s Day? I spent the whole day sleeping. After I finish this entry, I’m going to sleep some more until I have to wake up and get ready for work. Margie and I often talk about how great it would be if we were reincarnated as bears. You get to gorge on food and hibernate in a cave for nearly 100 days through winter and into spring. Ahhh… now THAT would be the life.
Sam Beam kinda reminds me of a bear. And camping.
Speaking of camping, I haven’t gone in awhile. Maybe if I don’t end up visiting Korea next year, I’ll use my vacation days instead to go camping and traveling up the coast with some friends. That would be nice.
This might sound a little hokey, but what I enjoy the most about camping is that it gives me a chance to experience and enjoy nature. I work in the city. I live in the city. My day-to-day is city life; the hustle, the traffic, the high-rises, the high-tech electronic devices that we can’t leave home without. It’s just such a relief to break away from that every once in awhile. And right now, I can use a little peace and quiet.
I went out to BFE to see Margie and Bridget today. I’ve discovered that I really enjoy driving through the desert. I don’t like being IN the desert since the heat is awful, but it’s almost meditative to travel through it on my way to Margie’s house and back. I think I’m going to miss it when they relocate back to LA at the end of this year. Well, at least there’s always road trips to Palm Springs and Vegas! Although, I highly doubt that I’ll be thinking of the peaceful and spiritual journey through the desert when I’m on my way to Sin City.
I tried a toasted cricket today for the first time. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The taste was slightly nutty.. but I think it was masked by the salt and vinegar. The texture was slightly flaky and crunchy. I agree with Margie that it’s probably better when it’s freshly toasted and not out of a cardboard box. I think that the taste is lost in distribution, just like meaning is lost in translation from one language to another, from one place to the next.
Anyway, I’m glad that I had a chance to see Bridget and Margie today. We just hung out, talked, went out to eat, and played guitar until I had to leave. Tomorrow’s another day to start looking forward to the weekend.
After I got home and signed on to AIM, Daniel showed me this really awesome 16-step sequencer online. It was fun to give it a go:
Stillness filled blank pages in bound diaries
Memories carefully preserved in blue ink
Hearts’ expression without force or dramatic flattery
Stop swimming to descend into a slow and blissful sink
Reinforcement of leather and intricate knots
Our steady, circular breathing as thoughtful as hymns
Droplets drip down words lost in a pool of blots
Sensing your absence as aching phantom limbs
Eyelids crinkle and line in time with old age
Yet, earth and ocean beneath the skin remember
As we write our own verses on the last page
The end will remind me of a frosty December
Following volumes penned with distinctly signature text
Carrying the image of you close to me from this journey to the next
