Holiday Selections for your dining and dancing pleasure

Because of my job, I tend to get really sick and tired of Christmas music by November 2. That said, there are still a few songs that evoke the emotional response in me, reminding me of Christmases past that were filled with joy and love. So, in the spirit of the holidays, here's my favorite Christmas songs (in no particular order) and what they mean to me.

Christmas Time Is Here - Vince Guraldi
When Dad passed me the morning paper as a kid, I loved to visit my pals Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Linus. Peanuts was my favorite daily comic strip growing up. You can imagine the effect of seeing an actual comic strip on TV had on me as a little kid. It wasn't officially Christmas until Linus recited the story of the first Christmas, straight from the Bible, and the little Christmas tree was magically brought from a sickly branch to glorious bonsai miniature Rockerfeller Plaza tree each year.

Christmas Is All Around - Billy Mack
One of my favorite Christmas movies of all time is "Love Actually," and while it's not a great Christmas movie like "It's A Wonderful Life" or even a stupid Christmas movie like "Ernest Saves Christmas," it really touched me when it came out back in '03. It had a lot of actors I liked in it, and it introduced me to a lot of actors I've come to like, one of which is Bil Nighy. While his aging rocker character is desperate for a hit and self-destructive enough to be obvious (and oblivious) about it, he's putting out such a charm ray that you just can't help rooting for him (thank god they did cut that one scene with the record execs - seen on the deleted scenes part of the DVD - or you'd get the impression that he's a real wanker). Of course, my favorite version of this would be at the beginning of the movie, as he tries to record this with all the mistakes and cursing and grimaces.

Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
Oh. My. No one ever told me that Christmas could be sexy. (Good thing I found out before I saw "Love Actually," eh?) No one until Eartha purred her little list into my ear. The best part about this song is the tension she brings by going slowly - you can feel each syllable vibrate up and down your spine. At least I can. Right before Sweetie tells me to turn it down. Again.

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon
And it would be a wonderful Christmas if the war, any war, was over. The best of all Christmases would be that all wars are over and never coming back. That is something that everyone should wish/chant/pray/hope for every day.

Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby & David Bowie
I saw this one TV when it happened and it was the weirdest little segment in an otherwise forgettable Christmas special. David Bowie - at Bing's house? And they break into song. But what a song! It's one of the strangest duets ever and it will always remind me of where I was when I saw it. I think that was Bing's last Christmas as he died the next year (if I remember correctly).

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Bruce Springsteen
There's nothing holding you back from becoming a kid again at Christmas, I don't care how old you are. I'm told that Bruce still performs this in concerts around the holidays. Joyful, joyful indeed.

Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid
Activism in my own time, this was recorded when I was learning more about the world at school and how horrible and wonderful it can all be. I think of one of my college roomates, Ken, who taught me a lot about South Africa and what the word 'apartheid' meant.

All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth - Spike Jones
Another song that evokes childhood for me, simply because of how much my father loves this song (and loved Spike Jones). I remember that if I would wrap up my tooth very carefully in tissue for the tooth fairy, I'd find a quarter under the pillow the next morning. I never did find out what happened to those teeth... the mystery remains to this day.

A Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives
I really liked Burl Ives' beard. I thought how great his name went with his facial hair; he simply looked like a Burl, so they had to name him that. This surpasses Rudolph's song by a whisker, as it so fills me with memories of footie pajamas, cocoa with tiny marshmallows, and a sense of wonderment about the season.

Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer - Elmo & Patsy
I know, we're all sick of this song. And yet, it's the funniest Christmas song I know. Yes, I might just be a redneck, but I'll bet Jeff Foxworthy and a ton of other people think so too. It hasn't gone away since being introduced to the world via MTV in 1983.

I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas - Gayle Peevey
I only discovered this in the last couple of years and I fell in love with the idea of a little girl who would NOT settle for a pony, she wanted a supersized Christmas wish fulfilled. She's singing so confidently about getting her hippo hero, she makes you believe all over again in the power of positive thinking. Poor Santa!

River - Robert Downey Jr.
I don't remember the first time I heard it, but I was re-introduced to this Joni Mitchell song by Robert Downey Jr. singing it on Ally McBeal. This one's for all that need a break from the craziness of the season. Imagining that calm flowing river brings some measure of peace to my over-Christmassed mind. Mind you, Robert's not the greatest singer, but he brings a bit of that crazy he's so well known for to his read; it really does sound like a depressive finding his slice of respite hidden under all that snow business.

Santa Claus, Go Straight to the Ghetto - James Brown
Damn straight, James. Santa, please go there before you get to my house.

So now I'm curious - what are some of your favorites and why?

Thank U part 2

Amongst the many things I am thankful for, I'm always thankful for the funny. After all, if we can't laugh, what's the point of breathing?

;-)

Thank U

What, you think I'd skip a week?

It's Thanksgiving, so here's my list of who & what I'm grateful for (in no particular order, so don't get yer nose outta joint)...

My Sweetie - I got really lucky and married my best friend, and she's still putting up with me, many years later. Take it from me - marry the deluded! (Especially if they're deluded about you!)

My family - always loving & supportive, even though they think I'm pretty frakking weird ('cause they know me the best, don'tcha know), and they're probably tired of me asking them all the time what they're listening to. This totally includes my in-laws. I will never be able to make mother-in-law jokes - she's just too damn cool.

My good friends & drinking buddies - Collin, Darryl, Lee & Scott (and our respective better halves who let us), we can't get together often enough, and when we do, the bar tab is usually outrageous (not to mention the food bill - OMG). This does not mean I'm driving next time, either. Pam & Lee, bang on the gong for me. Pam & Darryl, I will babysit - that's how much I care. Coll & Annette, if Buster wasn't an anti-social biter, we'd have regularly scheduled playdates. Scotty, next time your ass is in town, I expect a call. I'm just sayin'...

The folks I work with - I celebrated 20 years in the same company in May. It really says more about the patience of my bosses (well, some of 'em - the real turkeys eventually left) than my staying power. It's a place that really does feel like family, and that they do care. (I had an executive VP call me when I was recovering from the big surgery back in '01, just to see how I was, to see if there was anything I needed, and to tell me he was thinking of me and to let me know if there was anything he could do - seriously. Wow.). I really appreciate the folks I work side by side with, day by day.

Music - without which I would not find life worth living or showers worth singing.

Computers - because there needs to be a certain level of stress in everyone's life... OK, I might get a Mac next time, I'm really seriously thinking about it, since Vista is such a drag...

Pets - specifically dogs & cats, and I can't conceive of life without 'em. They are wonderful companions and they also will not allow you to get too full of yourself. Give a critter a cheezburger and make their ever-lovin' day!

My doctors - let's face it, I wouldn't be here without some damn fine talented folks who've literally had their hands on me and inside of me, as well as the medical research that continues to remind me that reality is catching up a lot faster than Gene Roddenberry would've ever believed.

I wish for you and yours a very lovely and wonderful Thanksgiving. Thank U for your attention.

shorty sketche - new music today

Just finished listening to some new releases, here are my first impressions:

The Hives "the Black and White Album" - Loud, driving, joyous, rock and roll. The kind that your parents (or your Sweetie) will tell you to turn down, it's too loud! Seems to me that they're having a bit more fun stretching themselves out within the genre than they did with " Tyrannosaurus Hives," but it's all fun - these five Swedes are lots more fun than their dour American rawk counterparts. One of the things that I wish rock artists did as well as country artists would be to take itself a lot less seriously. The Hives is one of the very few bands that pull that off and yet are totally straight-faced about it (which makes it even funnier to me). Even Jet sound serious next to these guys. Play this the next time you have a party and you'll have to move.

Duran Duran "Red Carpet Massacre" - and here's a perfect example of a band that needs to take themselves a lot less seriously. Really guys, you survived the 80's, so did MC Hammer and a lot of people. Lighten up just a little. Beyond that, the (Duran)2 remind me that they were a helluva dance band back in the day, and they've updated their beats with what sounds like the beats that were left over when Britney and Timbaland were done in the studio, so there's the disconnect I have in my mind of hearing something modern yet familiar... please please tell me now, is there something I should know? Not particularly. To sum up, it's got a good beat and you can dance to it. Back to you, Dick.

Trisha Yearwood "Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love" - contemporary country and it's some of the best I've heard in a while. I really like female country singers and I've always liked Trisha's voice but never been a fan of her song selection. Here she has done an exceptional job of picking songs that show off her gorgeous voice. She has some funny, some yearning, and some driving country that may win some more converts to her sound. This may be the new country CD I play more than twice this year (and no, I'm not counting Robert Plant + Alison Krauss as country). I know there's speculation about her leaving her label and her new love, but I think it's just Trisha unleashed, in a very good way.

And in other music news, thanks to Nate for turning me on to Jesca Hoop. I still don't know how to describe her, but damn! Catchy, funky, and weird in a good way. I wants more! Muchos gracias, Nate! Please check her out if you want to give your ears a surprise.

Getting older vs. getting old

When I bought cat food at my vet's today, the receptionist insisted (despite my protests) that one of the young vet helpers carry the bag to my car. It was just a ten pound bag. I could easily carry it (which I did when I brought it into the house). I should add that we share medical updates, since she also has some ticker problems, and Sweetie suggested that she might've heard of my recent Mayo trip.

It make me feel kinda old. I guess I am getting older, but I'm really trying hard not to get old.

Old is "it's too loud, turn it down;" old is "we can't do it that way, this is the way we've always done it;" old is "I don't want to understand;" old is "I can't hear you but I'm not listening anyway;" old is "I won't ever change."

Older is "whoa, what's that? never heard that before;" older is "this is the way I used to do it (and why), show me how you do it;" older is "I'm not sure I understand, would you explain it to me?;" older is "I'm curious, what's your opinion?;" older is "change keeps things a helluva lot more interesting & amusing."

Some of you may know that I never expected to live this long. Even as a teen, I believed that I had a relatively short life expectancy because of my bum ticker. Of course, medical science marches on, and they're performing procedures now that were unthinkable even twenty years ago. It gives me hope, it keeps me going; I just want to keep getting older now, because there's so much more to see and it's entirely possible that I might get a chance to see it.

But I never want to get old.

New Kid in Blogtown!

Just got a note from a lovely and dear friend who has begun to blog. She's awfully sweet and funny, lived in LA (and lived to tell about it), throws the grooviest Oscar parties anyone could imagine (still hate that we missed this year's, but she sent us the quiz and party favors and made Sweetie and me feel like we were part of it all), and she's a truly wonderful smartass. Go Mama Mag, Go!

One for the things I've not done on this blog thing yet was to put the usual blogroll on here. I have seriously overloaded my Google Reader with stuff I Haff To Know, yet there's only one category that truly gets read every time it lights up and that cat is labeled "Friends." So I've added a Blog-O-Rama blogroll to the page so you can see which friends I'm keeping up with. Some I know pretty well, others I've only met in the 'net, yet all are very special to me. I'm glad to add Mama Mag in with 'em.

And if you're reading this, thanks. I appreciate you keeping up with me. Let's get together sometime soon and swap stories, drink beers and laugh at each other's jokes! I'm looking forward to it already.

Best. Complaint. Ever.

Yesterday at work I received the best complaint ever.

"Customer states that the music selection at the store does not please everyone. Please look into this."

...and I try SO hard!