It's over the hills and through the woods, to (Grand)mother's house we go. Christina, Baby T and I are off to Pontotoc for Thanksgiving where we expect to eat much more wonderfully home-cooked food than we deserve.
I hope everyone reading this (and several others, too) have an equally enjoyable Thanksgiving. Looking back on the year, we all have much to be thankful for.
We had our latest ultrasound Monday afternoon.
The doctor says everything is right on target. Mom and Baby T are at the exact weight and size they should be.
And, we found out the sex.
But we're not telling. =)
Yes, I know. I promised weekly music. Well, I lied. Be happy for the music I do provide. =)
I know songwriters are influenced by their backgrounds and their environments. But I think music has a way of carrying all that with it to the listener. Like how the smell of turnip greens cooking reminds me of my grandmother's house. Or how a R.L. Burnside song reminds me somehow of northeast Mississippi. Or how a Charlie Mars song soars to the top of the iPod's most-played list.
I'm sure someone (probably Joe) has heard of Mr. Mars, but he's new to me. I got his song, "Try So Hard" from my favorite source, Filter Magazine.. It actually came off their winter compilation CD and has sat in our iPod for months. For some reason the Pod decided to play it for me the other day and it stuck.
Why did it stick? Well, it's a catchy tune. Kind of Bruce Springsteen meets Goo Goo Dolls. Maybe not Springsteen (odd, just now checked out the ITMS page on Mars and it too compares him with The Boss). But the lyrics are somewhat philosophical with the opening line, "Bless me father I have sinned and I will sin again. For the weight of this unholy ghost I'm living in." And my favorite line is, "I've been thinking you've been thinking you want to hear some truth. The truth is I'm so damn good at lying... here with you."
So, good backup band, well-written lyrics add up to a song good enough to recommend here to my bestest friends. But I figured I should get to know the artist a bit better before I write about him. Googling sends me to his website where his bio states, "Charlie currently lives in Oxford, Mississippi, and motels across America."
And somehow Charlie Mars' song has travelled from Oxford, Miss. to a Los Angeles magazine, to Birmingham, Ala. then through me to Mississippi.
(Editor's note: Christina reminded me Charlie Mars used to play around Jackson all the time while we were there. So maybe it's not such a cosmic connection after all. Oh well. Faulty memory is always providing little surprises like that.)
I usually find these type things full of BS, but, um, this is pretty close...
| Your Birthdate: May 28 |
 You have a Type A personality so big it makes other Type A's shrink away in shame. You never shy away from adversity - and you love to tackle impossible problems. Failure is not an option for you, and more than a few people are put off by your ego. You tend to be controlling, and you hate leaving anything up to chance. Your strength: Your bold approach to life Your weakness: You don't accept help Your power color: Bronze Your power symbol: Pyramid Your power month: October |
Our cat, Callie, has some issues with hygiene. So we washed her.
Turns out, washing a cat is far easier than drying. We got her out of the washing machine and haven't been able to catch her yet. She's ok, cause we keep seeing soggy little paw prints all over the house. Anyone got tips on how to get a washed cat dry?
Yep. One year and a few days and I must say I've never been happier.
Thanks for a great year, Christina. You're a wonderful wife and an absolutely great friend. I look forward to the next 60 years with you.
My parents treated us to a stay in Gatlinburg. I'm a little late in posting, but thought I'd share nonetheless.
I had totally forgotten about it, but Christina had saved the top of our wedding cake and we ate it on our anniversary (which was Oct. 23, btw). I was amazed at how well it kept.
On our way back to Bham, we took several side trips, one of which was to Rock City. A very kitschy, but fun, time. Before that, though we toured the Biltmore in Asheville, NC, which is at the extreme opposite end of kitsch.
Here's another look at my barefoot and pregnant costume. I just think this is hilarious.
For the past five years (excluding 2004 because of a little wedding we did instead) Christina and I have thrown a Halloween party. It's a big deal to us and we really enjoy seeing the costumes our creative friends devise.
This year did not disappoint. In attendance, we had Prince, J. Edgar Hoover (in drag no less), a devil in disguise, Alex de Large from Clockwork Orange, a pothead, an iPod commercial dancer, Mr. Clean, Deb and Napoleon from Napoleon Dynamite, and a CIA dolphin that escaped during Hurricane Katrina. Christina and I were barefoot and pregnant. And Enzo was a hotdog.
We're looking forward to next Halloween when we'll have at least one more person than in past years.
