The Estlers

Update: Lunch New Favorite Meal

2012-01-26T13:33:00.000-05:00

curry cream cheese on a litely toasted everything bagel

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!

Sally Two Forks

2012-01-26T06:25:00.001-05:00

This is a long one, but I couldn't find any more to cut out. Dinner at the table, never dull.

And yes I am aware that our baby is patronizing us.

Did We Make A Maid?

2012-01-25T10:53:00.000-05:00

Just got back from el doctorino, where Yuula got two shots, one for each thigh and she took it like a pro, if a pro screamed and needed two nurses and her daddy to hold her down. "She's strong", said the masked assistant. I must've raised an eyebrow or something. The more curious part was during the regular line of good parenting questioning the doctor asked if she, Yuula, likes to clean the house. Tho stunned I was with the inquriy I still managed to come back with, "No, but I did let her drive here". But apparently she's all good, perfect perhaps, at 23 lbs (avg) and 33" (tall) and a pretzel stick for the road made it all worth it. Right girl?

nice socks

Two Of My Favorite Things

2012-01-24T15:17:00.002-05:00

the NY Giants and bananas!

what did you think I was talking about?

Aural Quarterly, October-December 2011

2012-01-24T15:02:00.000-05:00

As the year ends so slows the release of music unto the world. Maybe musicians are all bears that need to hibernate. Or maybe bears are just musicians. All of them, part of a band or a solo singer/songwriter out in the woods, scratching backs on trees and playing drums. It must be all bears tho, because there's a lot of music coming out nowadays. Bears aren't endangered are they? Polar bears are. I bet polar bears make music like Bjork or Hall & Oates. Save the icecaps so I can hear me some Hall & Oates.

OCTOBER

Let's start it off right with our very own perennial contemporary folk father Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. I have listened to BPB's more raved about albums, holding each one in high regard and to special occasion, but the lesser lauded releases, including Wolfroy Goes To Town seem to slip thru the cracks. After adeptly soothing me on an anxious busride home from Maryland I learned not to ignore the little people any longer. Wonderful. Finally wrapping my head around the brilliance that is Future Islands (right), the album On The Water really got me in a good way, what with its quiet power that sneaks up on you from behind and starts rubbing your neck gently and before you know it you're in a full deep muscle massage, and I feel 17 again. Hitting all cylinders on the hipster tour is Real Estate, playing the kind of smart jangle pop on Days that invoke bliss and head swaying to the strums and cymbals of each little understated gem aboard.

Over the past 5 or 6 years I have become quite fond of Tom Waits (left) and since most of his stuff predated my affinity for his scratch-throat meanderings I have done my due diligence in exploring his back catalog, all of which are magically timeless enough to seem fresh all these years later. Bad As Me fits that mold and continues the tradition of immortality in the musical realms. Never one to shy away from his epic movie-themed heavy synth mini operettas, M83 has released an album that the critics alike think is a masterpiece. I thought Hurry Up, We're Dreaming was good, but I didn't get all crazy on it or anything. In a year and month like this I much preferred the sullen lull of a band like Low Roar, whose quietly unassuming s/t album was a surprise delight, its cover depicting a large buck apparently breathing out birds, conveying the concept of the gentle beauty that can come from a massive beast. Seems about right.

Now let's get on to some acquired tastes. Since it was the year of the saxophone why not highlight the man who builds his entire album around the thing. Colin Stetson takes the instrument to new uncharted territories on New History Warfare, Volume 2: Judges. Implementing his own invented recording techniques and wildly creative electronic transgressions, he breaks all the preconceived notions and makes me wish I never put mine down after freshman year. Sticking with the reedly gifted, German saxophonist Daniel Erdmann scoured the world and gathered a group of talented musicians from Mali, France, and the US to produce Patchwork Dreamer for the public, including Chérif Soumano, Francis Le Bras, Johannes Fink, John Betsch & Alain Julien. I hear it's the jazz musicians most cinematic and cosmopolitan release to date, but I wouldn't know about these things. I do know that it would be my favorite jazzish album of the year were it not for Kip Hanrahan (right). From the first Latin fused grooves of At Home In Anger I was hooked and kept on playing til it faded away in a funky piano scale/handclap duet. Entertaining to say the least. Instrumental albums are like t-shirts, each one making its way into your wardrobe, some wearing out with overuse and others rising to the top of the drawer, possibly set aside for special occasions where you'd like to make a certain impression and/or send an appropriate message to a specific audience. Like Mirage by Moholy-Nagy is on track to become the latter.

Hailing from Rennes (that's France), Trunks (left) is yet another strongly saxophoned outfit that upon first listen I dismissed as noisy noise mess, only to revisit later with a wider range of acceptance in mind as On The Roof has now become one of the go-to albums for getting up and going-to. From The Mouths Of The Middle Class sounds like it may be a dreary listen, but I didn't expect Blessed Feathers to create such a strong travel folk record, trading girl/boy vocals and never more than an arm's reach from that tom tom. Walt Wolfman is the new quickie from Richard Swift, full of new ideas and approaches for the falsetto-when-appropriate singer songwriter. Probably his funkiest collection of tunes, but it was over all too soon. Laura really digs Rachael Yamagata and all she does with song, so I gave Chesapeake a spin or two. Pleasurable.

There was day in October where I relished in the synthy pop goodness of Spanish Prisoners new album, Golds Fool. Once again trading off girl/boy style and adding a little extra drama, at least for a light hearted pop record. I was very much looking froward to the debut by Still Corners (right), but once I gave Creatures Of An Hour a couple turns in the lineup I was underwhelmed by its pace and scale. Not to say I don't like each track as it stands alone, but as a collection I didn't feel compelled to stay together for the kids. Staring At The X is a misleading album title for Forest Fire, denoting a strong focus and intense concentration, that of which I get no sense of with the music that lie therein. But it's like dating someone with a bad name. You still love them, you just give them a sweet nickname sooner.

NOVEMBER

One of my favorite discoveries of 2011 was King Krule (left). A youngen still hailing from the greater London, KK released just a s/t Ep worth of blues/hiphop/jazz fusion material obviously well beyond his years sprinkled with his deep leaning lyrics and managed to get the buzz going and as the blogosphere usually is way off on these kinds of things, I feel like we may have something here. Looking forward to more from him soon. The ever changing approach of Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox and the side project he wears like a gun holster, Atlas Sound, manage to churn out a couple playlist worthy tracks in each attempt. With Parallax he may have finally made the album I can't pull any track from, because it would be a shame to hear them apart. And I remember more than few late fall evenings where I cooked some dinner or did the dishes to the warbly synths and seductive vocals of the s/t debut from Blouse. Hopefully they keep it coming because you never know when you're going to have to score a 1980's Brian DePalma film.

I have never given enough credit to Dakota Suite and their penchant for creating gorgeous song upon song of warm and graceful contemporary classic composition. Bringing Quentin Sirjacq onboard to make The Side Of Her Inexhaustible Heart neither enhanced nor detracted from the usual beauty created on a Dakota Suite record so I recommend them all. Greek postrock poster children Misuse put out April in November. Crazy I know, but it is the band that opens up for big name headliners in the genre for the Greek leg of their tours. And this is the reason for that. Danny Paul Grody (right) released one of my favorite instrumental guitar albums of 2010. Not to be outdone, Danny Paul Grody released In Search Of Light, which became probably my favorite instrumental guitar album of 2011. 2012?

As a response maybe to his wonderfully dreary album released earlier in the year, Cass McCombs (left)sounds downright chipper on Humor Risk, or as close as he can get at least. Either way it's a nice counterpart for an artist brave enough to release two great albums in one year and talented enough to do it. Preceding the release of M+A's Things. Yes I caught a couple silly music videos of 50's workout teams and the like that got me interested in hearing more fluffy computer pop and while I'm sure the album is full of studio wizardry, without the visuals is just comes across a little thin. But I can get down with Luke Roberts and his campaign to save country music from itself. Big Bells & Dime Songs is a collection of songs written in true simple storytelling fashion given slight modern twists and highlights for an outstanding end product. Those other phonies can shove their AMA's in their tailpipe.

Get ready to really love Rich Aucoin (right)because he certainly does. At least We're All Dying To Live has a couple good tracks on it, amongst the many to choose from. Consider him a Sufjan Stevens meets Lady Gaga, because he already does. And tho I've not navigated many of the neofolk albums released by Wooden Wand or many of James Toth's incarnations, I imagine many of them sounding as bright and dare I say, poppy as Briarwood. May be a good starting off point for the uninitiated. Unfortunately named NYC team Caveman put out Coco Beware and sound like Arcade Fire on dilaudid, Brian Wilson channeling Radiohead circa 1984 and baklava. Turkish not Greek.

You need some darkjazz to go with that leftover hecate incense burning a hole in your nightstand? Try some Dale Cooper Quartet & The Dictaphones. Metamnoir is my favorite soundtrack to a David Lynch movie that never was. I think All That We See And Seem, the latest album by The New Lines is better than I may give credit for. I can't tell if the musical choices made within the space psych album were intentionally leading towards a blues rock feel or if someone rocketed an early 80's Led Zeppelin cover band into outerspace and the forgot about them. A genre I don't yet feel totally comfortable around is the electrofusion rock type, possibly due to my relative inexperience with a quality synthesizer, but Fotoshop do some cool stuff, computerizing rhythms and humming melody. Yeah, Lifeforms is a good title for such a humanizing piece of music made by machines.

I don't know what it is about Florence And The Machine that doesn't allow me to be as smitten as most, I do like her and her golden shimmering pipes, and the musical accompaniment always just a step away from full on tribal ritual, pounding heartbeats and arena powerhouse. Ceremonials is a great album, but I probably won't listen to it much after the once around I gave it. Probably. Sea Lions (right) are the ugliest band out there, they know it and that's part of their undenying charm. Everything You Always Wanted To Know About The Sea Lions is the sound of the band falling down the stairs into a pool of chewed gumballs and sticker bushes, twanging their way to the edge, only to pop off their shirt and cannoball back in again. And last but certainly not least, Smashing Pumpkins released some jam packed reissues of Gish and Siamese Dream, unarguably two of the best records from the early 90's, cementing an ambitious foot in the door with the former and creating a still yet to be outdone guitar rock masterpiece in the latter. Both albums are essential to even the part time musical participant.

DECEMBER

December is a rough month to release music but I managed to few a handful of gems and quartzes. None more effective than the British nature duet Colour Sun whose album simply but tellingly titled just ... dangled their dirty dreadlocks over gentle guitar passages and quite honestly made probably a tremendous 1960's folk revival record to date. Continuing my foray into the ambient drones I got all up on Jacaszek, because it's a delicate balance on this kind of record, where the empty space begins to outweigh the more dense moments. Melody can be lost and then you just get dead noise. This is not the case on Glimmer. It is painful beauty and melancholy wrapped in dusty clouds of static and sound. Well done. Relative anonymity can be a winning hand when you're dealing with the fickle love them and leave them world of modern music, and when Happy Particles (left) released their album on Christmas Day they could not have been more brilliant. Who goes to the record store on Christmas Day? Who goes to a record store? If Under Sleeping Waves was your heartbeat, you'd be dead, but it would've been a peaceful passing. The peacefullest.

Possible daughter of baroque pop legend Harry Nilsson (she's not) Molly Nilsson (right) dropped a sweet synth slowcore album called History, justifying her work with genre stalwarts like John Maus and never relying on flash to sell a song or two that already display such strong groundings. Apparently my first listen to Teenage Cool Kids is their last creation as a band. Another victim of the East coast lure, but Denton After Sunset is a tightly wound search and destroy kind of pop record tied together with perfectly dissonant vocals and guttural guitar squelch that led to the this fine finale. Not to discount the lovely renderings of a crew like Glass Pear whose s/t attempt at loevliness, though often quite lyrically cheesy, still manages to find a nice place amongst the years best docile rock records.

Rounding out the big commercial releases from artists courageous enough to brave the thinning winter drought The Roots (left) and The Black Keys each released albums, respectively, the former dropping Undun, a story-laden theme record hopping hips and blasting new alleyways of genre bending soul and blues while the latter attempted to follow a career defining success with El Camino, a mild to moderate success. And squeaking just in time to win the "weird of the year" album, mystery artist Macintosh Plus put out Floral Shoppe, an album with track names all in Japanese kanji and reminded us how srange it would be if we all still embraced the radio soft rock of the 80's. Cuckoo.

So that was 2011. This year is off to a bang. I may rework the layout. Probably not tho. Stick with what works. Who made it?

Godspeed And Goosebumps

2012-01-24T08:29:00.001-05:00

I've become an Earl Grey and grapefruit guy in the morning. Boss is on the road today so I'm not expecting too much time spent in the observatory outside of a few loose ends, but ya never know. I watched Laura disappear into fog before she got to the driveway early this morning and now she's off fighting crime, literally. Godspeed and goosebumps. The snow is melting faster than it fell. It's an odd winter friends. Child is still down but not out completely. Today we're gonna see if she can stay awake for more than two hours before wanting another nap like yesterday. We did keep her up late Sunday night tho. Not my fault the game went into overtime. Night night can wait. Night night can always wait.

Eyes: the baby monitor
Ears: Grouper & Ilyas Ahmed

You Gotta You Gotta

2012-01-23T13:00:00.000-05:00

do yourself a favor and start watching Portlandia

Growing The Icicles

2012-01-23T05:40:00.000-05:00

hopefully today's photo can be titled "Melting the Leftovers"

Our Noses Were Well Smuttied

2012-01-22T23:38:00.000-05:00

Well, that was as intense as it gets. And I am not looking forward to the next two weeks wait, all the conjecture and comparison is going to be dreadful. And I can't help but feel that this whole revenge thing is going to be front and center and it's just not my gig. Can I avoid the sports networks for two weeks? Yes. Will I? Probably not. I do love me some Woody Paige.

No Rematch, No Rematch, No Rematch, Stop!

2012-01-21T20:17:00.000-05:00

I remember 2008, walking thru the Miami airport and seeing the end of the Giants/Cowboys game on a bar television. The whole place erupted, dollars got new owners and drinks were ordered. It was an exciting time to be a Giants fan. Little did we all know what lie ahead. Now it's 2012 and this time it's different. A surprise party is fun when you don't expect it. This year I feel like I should expect the Giants to win the super bowl. Back in the end of November I remember trying to figure out who I was going to root for come post season because the Giants looked awful and it wasn't even a thought that they'd make it to the conference championship. Now that they're there and playing the 49er's (the team I chose to root for sans Giants) I am quite uncomfortable going into tomorrow. I do think they can win, but that opens up a whole new set of worries. I kind of don't want the Giants to play New England in the Super Bowl. What a buzzkill that will be if (and when) Brady & Belichik finally get their revenge on the blue menace. It won't make up for destroying their potentially perfect season, but it would suck. Another interesting game would be Baltimore vs San Francisco, brother vs brother, but they tried that at Thanksgiving and I think it was a snooze. So, of course, by default I'm rooting for the Giants to win, but I'm gonna go against my better sense and root for Baltimore to meet them in Indy. No rematches. I'd take SF and NE if I have to, but I won't like it.

So, I got my burgers, I got my chipotle chips, apparently there will some sort of skype session so I am ready for that. Let there be two good games and I won't be disappointed. I guess.

For That You Get This

2012-01-20T05:35:00.000-05:00

Where has this week gone? Kinda can't believe it's Friday. Haven't really been keeping up with things. Maybe I need to switch to a stronger morning beverage. Maybe I need to stop DVRing First Take. I can't hear the same fabricated arguments everyday. It makes my week blurry and I FF>> most of it anyhow. Enough Tebow. Friday workday. Good to have a plateful at 6am. Yuula is awake but I am not entertaining her. When Laura walked out the front door I heard a cry from the crib. Those two have the Shining. But she's slowly settling back down. I don't think she needs to be up at 5:30am. I think even Sprout has infomercials. Gives me time to unload the camera. And for that, you get this...

the Everymorning

showing maternals

stacked cats

nightsnacks

mini chilly

tastes symmetrical

totfan

Mommy Stickerface

painful piggies

caught her

what? You don't like pizza?

...and

She's back to sleep.

Eyes: NBC sitcoms
Ears: Dale Cooper Quartet & The Dictaphones

Your Tree Is A DJ

2012-01-20T05:22:00.000-05:00

and that's a solo performance

Imagine the woods!

It Is That Fracking Good

2012-01-18T21:45:00.000-05:00

I was recently prompted, by Portlandia, a new favorite show, to discover yet another new favorite show, one that I've heard of and about but never gave thought to actually participate in, but now that I'm halfway thru season one of Battlestar Galactica, I gotta say, it's pretty darn good. Basically a sci-fi series about the potential eradication of the human species by (you guessed it) their very own evolution of artificial intelligence. And I know that sounds wicked hokey and recycled but the show itself is pretty serious and original. And despite the contentious sci-fi requirements and the unfortunate pronunciation of the f-word, I'm hooked. I even tried to sneak in an episode during Yuula's bath tonight. The real challenge would be getting Laura to sit down and watch it with me, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

Damn You Icy Conditions

2012-01-16T23:54:00.001-05:00

Just me and the girl tonight. Laura got stuck in NJ due to a hazardous driving situation. Better to be safe. Read Yuula a few books and she was ready for night-night. Now I gotta figure out what to do with this time usually reserved for foot rubs and a glass of wine. I may stay up late, watch Game of Thrones and fall asleep on the couch or something. It's like I'm back in my bachelor days. Bachelor days with a baby monitor.

Who's Wearing Out Who?

2012-01-15T18:49:00.001-05:00

Packers vs Giants.
Laura vs Yuula.

I Eat Pistachios When I'm Nervous

2012-01-15T17:54:00.001-05:00

Saturday Morn, For A Flash

2012-01-14T12:09:00.002-05:00

Saturday morning in bed watching cartoons. Kinda can't beat it. But life called and Laura wanted to head off to the gym before work (third day in a row) and I finally wanted to cook up some steel cut oats for my family's breakfast and Yuula, well she was content watching Jack Hanna in bed with a bottle of milk so...

Let's see what we can do on a Sunday morning then.

The Rest Overslept Themselves

2012-01-14T11:57:00.000-05:00

And then there were eight. From the Agatha Christie book. No? And Then There Were None. Anyone? You know the original title of that book? I'm getting off topic.

Football! That's right, playoffs this weekend, with four games, one more intriguing than the other, and I gotta get my two cents in. And I'm so terrible at picking winners and scores, you can mostly chalk this up to some comedic relief before the game. It's better than that hack Frank Caliendo and his "comedic" picks.

So let's go in order...

Saints Vs 49ers

What to say about this game? I think that the winner of this game goes to the Super Bowl for the NFC. That's one thing I can say. I've been following the 49ers much more than the Saints this year tho. The only bit I saw of them is when they slaughtered the Giants during the regular season. Embarrassing. But I think my money is on the 49ers today. I don't know why but I think after that defensive domination I saw in the BCS championship by Alabama, I feel like people are figuring out how to quash these potent offenses which is all New Orleans really is. Plus I think if Brees isn't getting his normal easy completions he's gonna start throwing bombs everywhere and I like the chance for some turnovers on San Francisco's side. I dunno. Let's say a low scoring game New Orleans 19, San Francisco 23. That is low scoring for New Orleans.

Broncos Vs Patriots

Good vs evil. East vs West. God vs the Devil. Call it what you will, it's gonna be a good game I bet. Brady & the Belichiks on the brink of inobscurity. Tebow and his minions going out with nothing to lose and everything to gain. I will not be surprised to see the Broncos really give the Patriots a hard time out there and keep it real close. I think the Patriots are going to use a strategy of intelligent design (no pun intended) to try and confuse Tebow and stifle his explosive plays, but I think what they take for granted is that Tebow doesn't play intelligent football where he reads defenses and gets a feel for the blitz and so on. He just yells hike and let's his neanderthal instincts take over. Tebow GO!. Ha. Watch this... Denver 31- New England 28. Surprise.

Texans Vs Ravens

Okay, I gotta admit I don't care as much about this game as the other three, but in saying that I do think that the winner of this game goes to the Super Bowl for the AFC. And I think that team will be the Ravens. I just think it's their time, with Steelers gone, Colts a joke, Patriots not their old selves. This is the fourth born kid taking center stage after the oldest leave the nest. And I don't mind that. Baltimore and 49ers in the Super Bowl. Two teams I haven't seen there lately. One step at a time tho. Houston 10, Baltimore 25. Only blowout.

Giants vs Packers

It's easy to be a humble Giants fan this year, after the hot and cold season they had and the way they backed into the playoffs, for once competing in a pathetic division, but after the last couple of games against the Jets and Falcons, I'm sorry, you gotta feel good about this team and at least a little excited to see them give Green Bay a run for their money. I don't want to jinx and make comparisons to 2007's run to the Super Bowl and so on, but the Giants seem to be clicking here, running, passing, blocking, sacking. They look darn good, but it's not hard to imagine the Packers have been laying low and letting everyone lower their expectations so they can come out blazing tomorrow night. Yeah, that's what they're doing. So this is a biased pick, but aren't they all. New York 34, Green Bay 31.

Fone You Can't Help Believing

2012-01-14T10:51:00.000-05:00

We played the phone game with Laura's number last night. Her phone is named Janet Lee which, when googled, brings up this adorable old sepia tinged photo, from the 40's or so. Apparently Janet Lee Simpson was born into a family of famous pilots called the Flying Hutchinsons with who Janet took her very first flight at only 18 months all over the US. So sometimes when Laura's phone doesn't work now I just say it has jetlag, from the 20's.

The google search also brought up some shady characters with their mugshots, all women charged with larceny, theft, and psychic fraud? That's a new one. I'll let you make your own joke. It also brought up a naked billiard player. I'll spare you the latter, but not the former.

psychic fraud ^

Feeling Darthy

2012-01-14T10:25:00.001-05:00

these made me laugh

Streets I'd Like To Meet

2012-01-14T07:29:00.000-05:00

Ever since that Banksy movie I've been slightly obsessed with seeking out cool street artwork. I hit a goldmine a week or so ago, lost the link and then by luck found it again. Now I've decided to put some of my favorite on here so that when i undoubtedly lose the other link again I know I can always go on over to my very own blogosphere. Blogophone. Blogobot.

Once again, there are quite a few of these so I put in a jump, so if you wanna see them all, which I hope you do, just click 'Read More". We'll get the hang of this.

Keep It Going Eleven More

2012-01-13T18:37:00.001-05:00

I'm having a good year. I've already got more favorite albums in 2012 than there've been days. I finally pulled off that nasty hangnail on my big right toe last night. Little blood, no biggie. My football team is still in the playoffs (for now). Yuula still loves all her presents from Christmas and it's finally snowing here today. Laura's on her way home from work and we're having tater tot casserole for dinner, maybe in front of the TV while we catch up with the new shows we missed all week. Real Time is coming back on tonight and Bill's surprise guest is Herman Cain, oh how I've missed him. That should be entertaining, once I find it online somewhere, because I ain't paying for HBO. I'm not having that good a year. But I can keep this level of happiness up for the next 11 months, because after that... ka-Boom!

That's right, I'm sticking with the Apocalypse thing. It suits me. I don't believe it. I just think it's fun. All year folks. All year.

Too Many Kids Finding Rain In The Dust

2012-01-13T18:33:00.000-05:00

I'm trying the page break thing so the whole blog isn't a bunch of album covers, so if you're interested in hearing some new stuff click 'Read More' at the bottom of this post and you'll see all 50 for your listening pleasuresssssssss

otherwise... carry on

pick and click people

Winged And Powdered

2012-01-13T17:03:00.001-05:00

Winged

Powdered

that was easy to figure out huh?

Meet Emily Nielson, My Phone

2012-01-13T08:06:00.001-05:00

I put on the same cardigan everyday, one is green and one is grey. Apparently I'm writing a poem about it. That's not what I'm trying to get to here. Actually I lost my train of thought. I was going to have some grandiose statement about knowing your surroundings and the comfort of routine and how that correlates to what I'm about to tell you I discovered this morning is now lost on me because I decided to rhyme. Anyhow...

Did you know our phones have names!? Me neither. (or) Well why didn't you tell me? I was curious about this so I, while lying in bed went on to find my phones identity. And here she is...

Emily Nielson

In the flesh people, my cell phone personified. Not bad, blonde, blue eyes, looks healthy. I don't see any signs of all those times I dropped "her" and the constant poking hasn't left much in the way of facial bruising so, yeah, I'm pretty pleased with Emily.

Would you like to know the name of your phone? Ok. Go to this facebook page and scroll down to the post about this subject and type in the last 4 digits of your phone number like this:

@*[000:0]

Then go back and remove the asterisk and press enter and VOILA! your phone's moniker revealed. Then a fun thing to do is google your phones name and post it up on facebook or your stupid blog or something. Yay!

Oh, and I'm wearing the grey cardigan today.

Eyes: Big Bang Theory
Ears: Dan DeChellis Trio - My Age Of Anxiety

Sing About Their Dumb Struggle

2012-01-12T14:42:00.000-05:00

Not very often in my life have I been literally stopped dead in my tracks by music that it's scarred me and I've always said I'd rather listen to Wayne Coyne sing one of his tunes than any "talented vocalist" sing pop crap. Pitchfork just put out this mini-documentary on The Soft Bulletin, probably one of the three best records of the 1990's. It's pretty introspective and focuses in on each songs individually and is just an excellent counterpart to the album itself.

Watch the intro and click here for the rest...

Sweet Monkey In The Morning

2012-01-12T13:37:00.000-05:00

I love when she wakes up and plays in her crib and talks to herself

I may start doing this

Nothing Much Doing

2012-01-12T11:34:00.000-05:00

Thursday huh? Laura has gone in a little early because she's gonna "hit the gym". I hope she's referring to the Planet Fitness she's just joined and not some dude named Jim who's pissing her off lately. I didn't ask. Figured I'd hear all about it when she gets home. Which will be late, meaning it's just me and the girl today, but she just woke up and it's 11:30 so... should be a quick day. She's saddled up with a bottle of chilled milk and some Sprout. It's the news show. Love those ants. So clever.

I have no big plans to do. Have some projects at work that I'll get to today. Right now I'm just flipping thru some new music for the 2012 and reading some world news headlines myself. Heard we can now worry about whether or not our orange juice has funigicide in it. Thanks Brazil. And now our Marines get to urinate on enemy combatants after their dead. That's some patriotic pee. Mormons came out today with the admission of dislike for their very own Mitt Romney, joining everyone else on the planet.

In the good news category..................... I learned of new release dates for the Shins, White Rabbits and Xiu Xiu. The Giants are confident about this weekends game against Green Bay. I guess at this point there's not much more I can ask for there so, good news. And I think girl scout cookies are going on sale soon so... silver lining.

The Headgear Games

2012-01-12T07:30:00.000-05:00

The rules are simple:

have Mommy put a hat on you
run around the table
have Daddy take a picture of you in hat
throw hat on floor and tell it "no"

Some nights she's easier to entertain than others

Strictly Baseboard

2012-01-12T06:13:00.000-05:00

The big news story today is about heat. Heating our home has taken a dramatic turn and just in time for some nasty weather. And the removal of the tree yesterday has exposed a nice eight foot electric baseboard heater that, after initially wafting a strong fragrance throughout the house, really warmed the place up and gave us hope for ridding ourselves of the services of that dad-blasted pellet stove.

No more will I curse the flame. No more will I need to drag 40lb bags of pellets from the shed. No more will I have sooted hands before my morning tea. No more will the industrial racket interrupt our evening viewing. No more will I have to yell at Yuula that those pellets are not baby snacks. No more will I wrestle with the suddenly broken fuel lid.

We may resort to an extra source when the temperatures drop into the single digits or below, but if the recent weather has been any indication, you may have flickered your final blue flame old friend.

I Could Also Use A Neck Rub

2012-01-11T21:11:00.000-05:00

A nice long day of good hard work is usually rewarded with a big tasty meal.

Pork chops, asparagus and sweet potato fries for dinner and at the table again. We're on a roll.

Yuula shows you how her belly is full.

Eyes: The Middle

Ears: Bocca Grand - Little Pianist

UnHolly UnJolly

2012-01-11T21:07:00.002-05:00

It's a depressing day for me when we have to take down all the Christmas decor. Laura loves it. She's a purger. I'm a binger. But I shed a tear every time I drag the tree that once brought us so much joy out to the woods to be piled up with those who came before him. It's an ugly sight.

But it was that kind of day. Ridding ourselves of all the cardboard that's been building up in the shed. Boxes that held slides and trampolines and toys and toys and toys. We could've built ourselves a new house lout of cardboard. And utilizing our new ornament organizers was quite satisfying for myself because I like to keep all the bits and pieces coordinated. Laura can make fun of me all she wants. She'll thank me next holiday season come time to decorate again. But I'm not sure how we got 5 new totes this season and still can't fit everything. Christmas is multiplying.

So at 7:51pm I threw the last swag of greens out the back door and just like that Christmas was over. Except the outdoor lights, and I may just leave them on all night tonight... so I still got tonight.

She Calls This "Make Your Own Shade"

2012-01-11T20:45:00.000-05:00

Busted out the big coloring book today, with the big crayons naturally. She took to it like a Bob Ross in the making. Don't me wrong, she needs a little bit of work, but I have high hopes for her to take the art world by storm before her 21st birthday. Let me see Pollock's first coloring book.

her unique tool grasp gives her the a spastic flow pattern

sometimes wielding multiple shades at once

from above it's easy to spot her original approach

just a glimpse of the masterpiece is all she lets slip

Not too bad, and only one broken crayon...

...but who likes yellow?

Fruit Sandwiches & Ham Smoothies

2012-01-10T21:58:00.000-05:00

Since Yuula did so well with her taco the other day I thought I'd try a sandwich. Ham, cheese and mustard between two pieces of bread and there was no disassembling and nothing hit the floor. What a sandwich head! Good thing I made some smoothies to wash it down. I think we found a new favorite lunch.

Another Night Black And White

2012-01-09T23:59:00.001-05:00

Just another night, we got a sit down dinner, the 3rd of the year, with a little baby craze and foot rubs. Just another night. Black & white. Nothing special. Love those nights. We should schedule another for tomorrow. Maybe Thursday too. And Wednesday.

Eyes: Alabama destroy LSU in BCS Championship
Ears : Why These Coyotes - Where We're

There's A Storm Coming Mr. Wayne

2012-01-09T18:51:00.000-05:00

You and your friends better batten down the hatches

okay then

Five Years, Every Day

2012-01-08T19:23:00.000-05:00

Hi.

Today marks five years of us taking photos every day. Every single day, no matter how dull or uneventful, we found something to put on record and now we've hit a landmark: five years. Good for us. Is that a record? Probably not. I assume that if it's your job to take photos you may be in the same boat, so, big whoop.

Here is us on January 8th, 2007

And us on January 8th 2012

And most of the in between you've seen. But we celebrated with a sit down taco dinner. Yuula's first taco, and she ate it all on her own with no unraveling.

Our little girl's growing up {sniff}

The Carbon Alarm Session

2012-01-08T19:14:00.000-05:00

Our carbon monoxide alarm went off, for the second time in two days. It was going off when we got home from the grocery yesterday but we just changed the battery and it didn't come back on so I figured everything was fine. Then it went off again today, about 20 minutes before kickoff of the Giants game. I figured it wasn't a coincidence so I hurried the family out into the brisk air and called the fire brigade. They were there lickity split and while we wandered the yard taking some photos the firemen informed us that we have a detector set for very low levels of CO which was present and maybe a good cleaning of the ol' pellet stove was in its due. I agreed and after a nice airing out of the house with winter air we have it up and running again with no alarm yet. And we got back in time to see kickoff. Go Giants.

The Carbon Alarm Session

Buhbye Bone

2012-01-08T18:56:00.000-05:00

Bone is leaving for Barcelona in a couple days so the girls got together for one last pajama jammy jam, til May anyhow. Yuula put her right to work.

The evening went on pretty late into the morning, with another rousing set of Shut the Box, a relatively unsuccesful round of Spoons and we introduced the girls to something called vinyl records. They approved of their existence.

This morning I made them all pancakes, because I wanted pancakes and needed help eating them all. Then there was some playtime and they were on their way. Have fun in Barcelona. We will visit you. Or send us a postcard. Yeah, the second one.

We're Gonna See The Salsa Moves

2012-01-08T11:55:00.000-05:00

Big game today, in an hour or so now. I am belly full o' pancakes and ready to plop on the couch. Prepared for whatever may come, win and move on to play Green Bay I think, or lose and go home. Just want a good game from the suddenly exciting defense and receiving core. Maybe a salsa dance or two.

Some people are more confident than I.

Saga Of The Pink French Toast Boots

2012-01-07T19:05:00.000-05:00

One day, while wandering the local mall, I found these little pink French Toast boots for Yuula. I thought she could use some extra shoes and these seemed perfect. I of course wanted to check and see what Laura thought about them so I waited til she could join us on another day. The boots were $28.99.

When finally the three of us were able to take an outing together we visited the same store only to find them completely sold out of the pink French Toast boot. I went online when we got home and found them at the Target website. Only $20. Bargain, I will buy them for Christmas. One pair of size 6 please.

Christmas comes and Yuula opens her pink French Toast boots and for some reason Laura decides to check the size, not only on the box where it read "Size 6" but also on the shoe itself, which just so happened to read "Size 7". That is a big difference when we were already pushing it for her to wear a 6. So we returned them to Target today, where of course, they had no more.

On a whim we stopped at the local mall again on the way home from returning the boots (actually I wanted a new cardigan and thought they'd be having some post-season sales, which they did) and low and behold there was one pair of pink French Toast boots for sale, size 6. On the box and on the boot. $9.99. We snatched them up and she wore them out of the store.

And up the escalator.

In our world that is a saga. Let's hear it for small victories.

This Morning's Blueswaves

2012-01-07T11:25:00.000-05:00

new favorite.... for today

it's like Rick Astley & Morrissey had a baby, something not entirely unbelievable

have another

King Krule via Zoo Kid

Stressed Or Busy, Dancing Is She

2012-01-06T22:14:00.000-05:00

Rough couple of days to end the week. And we never get to say we end the week because weekends aren't our bag, We both work jobs that ignore the weekly work schedule, sometimes a blessing, sometimes a curse. But this week end has come. We have two days off, and tho I may do a little tinkling here and there just to make my Monday less nuts, I think we're gonna kick back. May take the tree down, will watch some football, Laura may have some form of going away party for Bone. Whatever it is it's gonna be enjoyable. We're both a little stressed out, which is quite unlike us, so we're gonna unwind. We've already started. That's the cool thing about having a kid. You can count on them to help you unwind. Every night. Sometimes twice.

Who am I kidding? I love it.

Eyes: Portlandia
Ears: Lucrecia Dalt - Congost

Best Music Of 2011

2012-01-06T20:00:00.000-05:00

Ah 2011. The year of the saxophone. A time hit heavy with the likes of the lady singers, weird synthy goodness and sweet and lovely lullabies. My listening habits have once again taken a turn, for the worst for the first for the thirst. Whatever it is, it's a good thing. Prerequisites abound with my environment dictating all and every mood shift on a daily basis, but isn't that what keeps it all from boring me to death. As is this list, if a little late, but 2011 took time to settle. It still isn't completely but enough's enough. I got 2012 to worry about. Without furt..

150) Cloud Nothings - s/t
149) Yawn - Open Season
148) Puro Instinct - Headbangers In Ecstacy
147) Gotye - Making Mirrors
146) Warm Ghost - Narrows
145) Tapes 'N' Tapes - Outside
144) Luke Roberts - Big Bells & Dime Songs
143) Hauschka - Salon Des Amateurs
142) Forest Fire - Staring At The X
141) Yellow Ostrich - The Mistress
140) Waters - Out In The Light
139) That Ghost - Songs Out Here
138) Key Losers - California Lite
137) Scarlet Chives - s/t
136) Rubik - Solar
135) Happy Particles - Under Sleeping Waves
134) M+A - Things. Yes
133) Deerhoof - Deerhoof Vs. Evil
132) Cults - s/t
131) Snowblink - Long Live
130) Tandy Love - Turk Jerk
129) We Are Trees - Girlfriend
128) Knxledge - Gwapes
127) Oh No Oh My - People Problems
126) Ganglians - Still Living
125) Atlas Sound - Parallax
124) Is Tropical - Native To
123) Bill Callahan - Apocalypse
122) Danny Paul Grody - In Search Of Light
121) Teenage Cool Kids - Denton After Sunset
120) Avishai Cohen - Seven Seas
119) Cat's Eyes - s/t
118) Vetiver - The Errant Charm
117) The Felice Brothers - Celebration, Florida
116) Patrick Wolf - Lupercalia
115) Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact
114) Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
113) Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat - Everything's Getting Older
112) Youth Lagoon - The Year Of Hibernation
111) Foster The People - Houdini
110) Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Mirror Traffic
109) Blessed Feathers - From The Mouths Of The Middle Class
108) King Creosote - Thrawn
107) Empty Space Orchestra - s/t
106) Woods - Sun And Shade
105) Triptides - Psychic Summer
104) Richard Swift - Walt Wolfman
103) Caveman - Coco Beware
102) M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
101) Saves The Day - Daybreak
100) Ryan York - Zipperlegs / If I Am This Forest
99) Treefight For Sunlight - s/t
98) DeVotchKa - 100 Lovers
97) Magnus Moriarty - Kodachromerockopera
96) Wu Lyf - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
95) Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
94) Matt Bauer - The Jessamine County Book Of Living
93) Snowmine - Laminate Pet Animal
92) Lukestar - Taiga
91) The Raveonettes - Raven In The Grave
90) John Zorn - At The Gates Of Paradise / Nova Expres
89) Misuse - April
88) Ernest Ellis & The Panamas - Kings Canyon
87) Cold War Kids - Mine Is Yours
86) Little Wings - Black Grass
85) Fair Ohs - Everything Is Dancing
84) Cut Copy - Zonoscope
83) The Black Ghosts - When Animals Stare
82) Who Are You - Breizh
81) Peter Bjorn And John - Gimme Some
80) Young Galaxy - Shapeshifting
79) The Strokes - Angles
78) The Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
77) Trunks - On The Roof
76) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Hysteria
75) Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Wolfroy Goes To Town
74) Ford & Lopatin - Channel Pressure
73) Blouse - s/t
72) Real Estate - Days
71) Geoffrey O'Connor - Vanity Is Forever
70) Mirel Wagner - s/t
69) Tennis - Cape Dory
68) La Sera - s/t
67) Esta Vivo - Together We Step
66) Monster Rally - Coral
65) St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
64) Cass McCombs - Wit's End / Humor Risk
63) In The Country - Sounds And Sights
62) The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
61) Your Headlights Are On - s/t
60) Colour Sun - ...
59) Sergius Gregory - Sounds Like People
58) Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow
57) Dan Mangan - Oh Fortune
56) Mike Adams At His Honest Weight - Oscillate Wisely
55) Elk - Let's Get Married
54) Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread
53) John Maus - We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves
52) Wild Beasts - Smother
51) The Greg Foat Group - Dark Is The Sun
50) Connan Mockasin - Forever Dolphin Love
49) Low - C'mon
48) I Break Horses - Hearts
47) Josh Rouse - The Mediterranean Sounds Of / And The Long Vacations
46) 40 Winks - It's The Trip
45) King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine
44) Animation - Asiento
43) Canon Blue - Rumspringa
42) Jolie Holland & The Grand Chandeliers - Pint Of Blood
41) Givers - In Light
40) Ducktails - Arcade Dynamics
39) The Sandwitches - Mrs. Jones' Cookies
38) Maggie Bjorklund - Coming Home
37) Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo
36) Radiohead - The King Of Limbs
35) Das Racist - Relax
34) Low Roar - s/t
33) Jono McCleery - There Is
32) Grouper - A I A: Alien Observer / Dream Loss
31) My Morning Jacket - Circuital

TOP 30 ALBUMS OF 2011

{synchronized}

30) Gem Club - Breakers

29) Timber Timbre - Creep On Creepin' On

28) James Vincent McMorrow - Early In The Morning

27) Future Islands -On The Water

26) Bell - Diamonite

25) The High Llamas - Talahomi Way

24) Wilco - The Whole Love

23) Elbow -Build A Rocket Boys!

22) Tom Waits - Bad As Me

21) O'Death - Outside

20) The Horrors - Skying

19) EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints

18) Unknown Mortal Orchestra - s/t

17) Tune-Yards - W H O K I L L

16) Lucrecia Dalt -Congost

15) Akron/Family - The Cosmic Birth And Journey Of Shinju TNT

14) The Drums - Portamento

13) Fool's Gold - Leave No Trace

12) The Luyas - Too Beautiful To Work

11) Anna Calvi - s/t

10) Nurses - Dracula

9) White Denim - D

8) Battles - Gloss Drop

7) Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde

6) TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light

5) Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

4) Bon Iver - s/t

3) The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh

2) Destroyer - Kaputt

1) Lia Ices - Grown Unknown

That's it! That's the best I can do. Take it or leave it. Go 2011. All I know is I've been shuffling thru this playlist (plus spots 150-344) and it's pretty spot on. Largest admittance into the best of yet, by quite a bit. Maybe I'm becoming more versatile. Wanna borrow my ears?

Indecisive After Garbage Detail

2012-01-06T07:31:00.000-05:00

just being cute & goofy

we call it q-fee

Daddy's Cooking Dinner

2012-01-05T18:39:00.000-05:00

And there will be leftovers!

Procrastinating With Superlatives

2012-01-05T17:25:00.000-05:00

While you're waiting for me (I know you are) to assemble my best music of the year list I can hold you over with some superlatives. You know, the album most likely to succeed, best laugh, that kind of thing. If you want. While you wait. For me.

I'm a firm believer that a good cover can bring a lot to an album. On the other hand, a terrible cover can really detract, even if the music itself is great. Here's a few that I came across this year that either got me interested or I was forced to ignore.

BEST ALBUM COVERS OF 2011

Black Ghosts - When Animals Stare

"I would totally hang this in my house, right above the toilet"

Plankton Wat - In Magical Light

"I think this happened to me"

Felice Brothers - Celebration, Florida

"I think this happened to me too"

Bjork - Biophilia

"As always, magnificent in presentation"

Giorgio Tuma - In The Morning We'll Meet

"Simple and classic. Stark and lovely. Well and done."

Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread

"Aw, c'mere boy, want daddy to
scratch behind your ears?"

Russian Circles - Empros

"That's the kinda light I like to see boys"

Thee Oh Sees - Castlemania

"classic toy + creepy hand = classic creepy"

Cults - s/t

"I wanna dance without hearing a single note"

Lee Noble - Horrorism

"Contrast and muted colors, I like it"

Keith Freund - Constant Comments

"This must've been taken during the lockout"

Dankedanke - An Hour In The Leaves

"[sigh]"

WORST ALBUM COVERS OF 2011

The Chap - We Are The Best

"I hate this dog, he's not even funny"

Puro Instinct - Headbangers In Ecstacy

"I feel like it I listen tothis I'll get all sticky"

Danny Paul Grody - In Search Of Light

"Is this the new Loreena McKennitt/Enya record?"

Peter Bjorn And John - Gimme Some

"Kinda lame to give your own album
three thumbs up on the cover,
even if it is good"

Tennis - Cape Dory

"There's good 80's sarcasm, and then there's this"

Macintosh Plus - Floral Shoppe

"Where to begin?"

Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow

"Great album, but I don't want to actually
visualize ANY Kate Bush lyrics"

Ponytail - Do Whatever You Want All The Time

"You missed a color"

Jennifer O'Connor - I Want What You Want

"Was she naming her album or leaving her friend a note
on the napkin in the restaurant before she went to the john?"

The Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck

"I guess if it's your 18th release you can just say "Screw it!""

Dye - Taki 183

"Part Sandpeople part Farrah Fawcett, all wrong"

Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

BEST JAZZ ALBUMS I LISTENED TO IN 2011

Avishai Cohen - Seven Seas

John Zorn - Nova Express

The Greg Foat Group - Dark Is The Sun

Animation - Asiento

Kip Harahan - A Home in Anger Which Could Also Be Called Imperfect, Happily

In The Country - Sounds And Sights

BEST FOREIGN ALBUMS I LISTENED TO IN 2011

Thai? Dai!: The Heavier Side Of The Luk Thung Underground (Thailand)

Mirel Wagner - s/t (Finland)

Kourosh Yaghmaei - Back Form The Brink (Iran)

Abdoulaye Traoré & Mohamed Diaby - Debademba
(France, by way of Burkina-Faso & the Ivory Coast)

Gumnaam Soundtrack (India)

BEST ALBUMS I LISTENED TO NOT RELEASED IN 2011

Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends [1968]

Alice Coltrane - Journey In Satchidananda [1971]

Tom Waits - Bone Machine [1992]

Sparks - Kimono My House [1974]

Hubert Laws - In The Beginning [1974]

BEST HOLIDAY ALBUMS HEARD IN 2011

Rosie Thomas - A Very Rosie Christmas

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Christmas Album

She & Him - A Very She & Him Christmas

Duke Pearson - Merry Ole Soul

Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow

MIXTAPE OF 2011

It's a doozy. Want a copy?

At Bangkok Thru Canadian Eyes

2012-01-05T09:54:00.000-05:00

This morning I got the rare opportunity to see Bangkok. My friends Mike & Andrea (you remember them) are honeymooning there, actually Thailand, but Bangkok is a stepping stone, and they were able to skype with me while they settle in and wait for their flight home. They regaled me with stories of elephant beatings, foot chewing fish and public meltdowns by inebriated locals. Awww wish I could have been there. No really, I wish I could've been there. But I'm sure my expectations of hat-wearing monkeys everywhere stealing your hamburger and small children running wildly about with rikshaws is slightly skewed from the reality.

Or maybe not...

Bangkok {kinda}

Play Hair

2012-01-04T17:11:00.000-05:00

She's created the disheveled trampoline look

Even her locks get crazy when it's time to slide

Best Watchings Of 2011

2012-01-04T09:34:00.000-05:00

That's an awkward way to put it but...

Reflecting back on what we took in on the telly this year, I'm pretty surprised. I guess we had a busy year or something because there weren't much goings on. I don't think we saw a single new movie. I know we didn't go to the theater. We'll probably get out to a big screen this year but it'll be for some Disney-style dreck that we'll suffer through for Yuula to eat all the popcorn and fall asleep 30 minutes into. But there was some good stuff to catch, from new TV to some pretty dramatic series thru the ol' Netflix and I watched a ton of documentaries. A ton. So on with it.

We like comedies. They relax us and, for the most part, there's not some long drawn out story you need to follow so it's not so demanding of you and your commitment. Our regular favorites like Modern Family, Parks & Recreation and The Middle returned to our evening rotation with aplomb and the Office made quite an impressive recovery from what we were sure to be a disastrous and ultimately final season. Touché once again Dunder Mifflin. There was some new potential with shows like The New Girl and Suburgatory, but they could have been benefiting from time slot convenience. And Always Sunny killed it again. The Jersey Shore, Chardee MacDennis and the high school reunion. Keep 'em coming gang.

So all those shows aside, I thinked we really liked two new nuggets especially.

First off, I remember seeing that Conan interview with Louie CK a couple years ago and thinking "This guy is the new Seinfeld" as in his commentary on real life and his ability to state the obvious you never obviate. Then we started watching his show and realized he is much, much darker than Jerry, and the better for it. This guy was hilarious, and sometimes you can't, or at least I can't, help but completely and vehemently agree with everything the man says, even under the possibility of making yourself seem like a horrible person.

Then there's the boys from Workaholics, a show I was sure I'd hate, but one fateful evening in early fall we, out of desperation, took in a mini-marathon of the birdbrained nincompoops and found ourselves laughing hysterically. Classic scenes like sock-puppet rehab session, dragon statues and shooting out tires with a harpoon gun. The show has also become a goldmine of one liners that Laura sometimes doesn't even realize she's saying. Hey-O maggots!

It's hard to say what my favorite dramatically-charged program was this year. They all had their own little styles and methods of presentation that made them unique not only to each other but I'm guessing most of the other nonsense going on in TV land. Not saying these aren't nonsense. It's all nonsense. Just so you know.

Let's start with Dexter. Since we just stream the episodes to the TV we got to watch seasons 4 and 5 this year, and for those of you Dexter loyalists, you know what that means. Heartbreak and a new level of intensity. Laura got to the point where she couldn't watch them one after the other because her heart needed a break. I think the latest season just finished on TV so only a couple months before it pops up for our chance. Can't wait.

Now, with American Horror Story: I got excited about this because I do like scary movies and outside of the old Twilight Zone shows, I don't really know anything frightening coming out regular television [insert Snooki joke here]. It seemed so interesting and artistic and horrorful, not to mention having the best opening sequence this year. Proper creepy. So I wasn't disappointed. The show had more depth than I could have originally hoped for and it wasn't stupid. Don't get me wrong, they had their share of stock genre cliché but when the season finale ended, though I was kind of confused, I was quite satisfied and at the very least entertained. I hear they're coming back for a second season but with all new characters, storyline and setting. So a new show pretty much. Don't know what to think about it. I wasn't done with the Harmon's and the Murder House and it seemed like it was just about to take off, but, what do I know.

I'm done trying to convince myself I don't like zombie/vampire/boogeyman movies. One of the shows I was surprised that I liked so much was The Walking Dead, and regardless of it's occasionally painful portrayal of Southern good ol' boys and girls, it was a pretty great show. The zombies were frightening and the scenes were original, to me anyhow, someone who's seen probably less than 1% of the available zombie footage out there in existence. The part that really sold me on it was how the show seemed not to be as invested in zombie gore and scary bits as it was just trying to depict a reality after the virus hits scenario. It felt like the writers genuinely sat down around the table and didn't focus on the zombies as much as they tried to develop the characters. And I also appreciate when a show can make turns in directions you thought no one would ever be so heartless to go, take a whole leap further and then look at you and say, "What? They're zombies!". Season 2 starts February 12th. You have time to catch up.

Onto the movies, first of which I'll defend my lack of what others may view as quality viewing as limited opportunities at getting a free block of 2 hours to do anything outside of anything as my list of "must-sees" grew to gargantuan proportion, but nonetheless I had some enjoyable characters come across my screen.

The Extra Man pitted two of my favorites upon the same screen, living in the same crowded apartment, hell, trying to live the same life, and while the film itself didn't blow me away I find it hard not to laugh at every line Kevin Kline delivers and relish in the artistry with every nuance Paul Dano commits.

Not exactly a crowd favorite, Brief Interviews With Hideous Men is most definitely a better read than view, but you gotta like Jim from the Office for trying to expand his reaches past the eyebrow-raise/ergonomic-chair-recline wisecracks he has pigeonholed himself into. I liked this movie 90% because of its content and sprawling diatribes, but that's all the more reason that it should probably be flipped thru rather than looked at.

I'm a sucker for a good music documentary and what other band during the recording of what other album could be more intriguing than Wilco during Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Well maybe Sergeant Pepper.

Another documentary (potential mockumentary) that I found interesting was Exit Through The Gift Shop. It's a story of a filming junkie who gets hooked on videoing the late night illegal exploits of graffiti-ists eventually leading him to the grandaddy of mythic street artists, Banksy. It's either an interesting documentary or a genius way at promoting yourself without seeming as self-indulgent as would wreck your enigmatic front you've worked so hard to create. We'll catch you Banksy, someday.

A foreign film for the ages, Dogtooth is the movie I try to pass on to the people who share the same stupid sense of humor as me, because I feel like this movie was made for. Equal parts quirky, awkward, horrifying and just plain nuts, the Greek film centers around a family of five, of which the parents decide to neglect their children the ability to leave, believe in or basically comprehend the real world. They do this through lifelong imprisonment and intentional misleadings, to the point that you get three thoroughly confused therefore hilarious young adults. Not for the weak of stomach.

Here I go jumping on the James Franco bus, but hey I really liked Howl. Could be that I'm easily intrigued by anything based around mid-century counter culture, but the story of Allen Ginsberg and the style in which he and his writings are demonstrated in the movie left me inspired. Moloch whose eyes are a thousand blind windows.

Hanna was a pretty captivating movie with Eric Bana in one of the coolest out of nowhere fight scenes I've ever had the pleasure of rewinding ten times. Good action, good story, vivid background and scene settings bring the extra style points that would separate it from the usual dimlit action flick.

Freakonomics was a cool movie that got me thinking and got me jealous of all those kids complaining about their econ classes, which is hard to do, but now I want the book. I should've asked for that for Christmas. Next year.

You should see I'm Still Here, merely because I'd like to discuss it with someone and have NEVER come across anyone who's ever heard of it. I don't wanna ruin anything for you, in case you do take the plunge, but Joaquin Phoenix has either become my new favorite Hollywood personality or my new favorite human being.

I had an odd little soft spot for this Super 8 movie. I watched it with Yuula just before Christmas, then watched it the day after Christmas with my parents and then watched it with Dani & Vic the day after that. Laura was there for most of this, but I don't think she watched. That's a shame. It had a real Goonies meets E.T thing going on, plus I love the overexposed style it was shot in. Yeah it was a "monster movie" with little kids as the main characters but it's Speilberg and the dude from Lost. It was bound to be quality.

2012: Well... This Is It

2012-01-04T05:10:00.000-05:00

People are really starting to take this whole end of the world thing seriously since it turned 2012. Facebook, news television, Laura. I blame the History Channel. It's all a little crazy if you ask me. Not that I don't believe it will happen, which I don't, but even if it does, so what. I welcome a little fire and brimstone or floods and falling skies, whatever version you like. Shake things up a bit. I'm apocalypse ready.

But for those of you who will spend the next 12 months hiding under your dining room table, see if this eases your mind any.

And if that doesn't work, this should.

Where'd That Plate Come From?

2012-01-03T10:16:00.000-05:00

The house has become an open track - Yuula is off to the races

Mommy is a hiding spot

And down she goes

She identifies the culprit

Have you give up so easily?

Nope, she's off again

They're Always Doozies

2012-01-03T10:07:00.001-05:00

Taking a break from work this morning as it is giving quite a pain in the back of my eyeballs. Reviewing some new truss designs and trying to push along our first job of the year and it's a doozy. They're always doozies.

It is the first really cold day of the winter. Snow is in the air and wind on the ground, I think I should build that cat shelter this weekend. Not many diners showed up for their breakfast. So I have my first construction project of 2012, which is going pretty well so far, two and a third days in. Pleasant day off for Laura yesterday where she did her habitual whirlwind cleansings and soup stewing. Plus Yuula always loves it when she can have Mama home all to herself. She's greedy like that.

See.

And I know what you're thinking... Where are my "Year End/Best Of" lists for 2011. I'm getting around to it. Had a few hangovers on the playlist and I had to clear them for passage. But that's all behind me and I just need to rank it all BCS style. May have some "bestofs" in other categories as well, but there's no huge hurry. I am still eating Christmas cookies for breakfast.

Cruzing On In

2012-01-02T16:45:00.005-05:00

I know, terrible.

On more than a few occasions last night while watching the Giants game I resorted to my sinister laugh and sunk cozier down into my recliner and sipped my tea. As far as I'm concerned the season could end today and I would be satisfied. I have no delusions of the Giants going on and beating any combination of the Saints, 49er's and Packers, even tho they showed up pretty well against 2 of the 3 this season. First things first tho, Atlanta is coming to town next week. Let's see what happens. I'm just excited to see these guys play some more, and we all remember what happened in the 2007 playoffs now don't we........

The Family Resolute

2012-01-02T15:45:00.006-05:00

Yuula has a resolution. To wear ponytails.

Laura's resolution is basically the family eating healthier and more sit down dinners around the table. I can get down with that. She's off to a good start since she's dubbed today the official start of the homemade soup season.

mmmmmmmmmmmnmm

I also have a few resolutions.

Eat a lobster
Use the word nigh a lot
Start referring to my office as the observatory
Make a charitable donation
Work on my penmanship

I've already done one of these. You'll never guess which.

Saffron Flavored Sparklers

2012-01-02T13:58:00.004-05:00

And we're back. Back to life. Back to reality. Back to whatever else Soul II Soul sang about. Laura's home today and I had some workings going on this morning. Little afternoon hiatus before I'm back to it. Taking down some holiday decor. The branches over the table have almost completely shed all their needles off and if it weren't for our new ornament storage boxes showing up broken from FedEx we'd probably be looking at taking the tree down. Thanks to the nice lady at the Container Store call center, she's personally going to the store in Dallas to buy us new ones and ship them out post haste. Seems like the tree just gained an extra week of warmth. I ain't mad about it.

So!

We finally flipped thru photos from New Year's with Eric & Fatih. Good times. Turning of the calendar year draws good company for us. We had a nice dinner of saffron chicken over basmati & asparagus. I smell a tradition. Oh no, that's the saffron.

Yuula stuffed herself full and took a quick mama nap.

We exchanged a few gifts. We think Eric likes this one.

Then it was time to get down to business.

We started off small with some simple sparklers and us running about with them. I think the designs people make says a lot about them.

Laura/Yuula

Eric

Fatih

Travis

The Gang

Near

Far

Laura fell

Teaching Yuula to call cats

Eric had a message for you all

And a dinosaur firework

Then we played a rousing game of Shut the Box, the holiday classic we never knew could be so rowdy.

Shouting things at each other like "That's a high number!" and cursing the nines really made it for us. Plus Laura cheated so she won.

We went back out for a little more sparklers, just in the road this time.

You'd never know.

Then it was on to the big boys.

Mostly this is all captured on video, as you may or may not have seen in our New Year's wrap-up video yesterday. If not... do yourself a favor.

Then it was time for the countdown!!

and we were all too tired to care. We did do some small poppers in the house and then headed out for the grand finale of fireworks where I captured this series of events...

New Year's makes Laura clumsy

Happy New Year folks

Our New Year In A Nutshell

2012-01-01T16:49:00.005-05:00

Turn It Up!

Apparently We Left A Mess

2012-01-01T14:00:00.002-05:00

happy new year

I woke up to a disaster

now I have to un-disaster it

we had a blast last night, literally

now it's quiet, everyone is gone or asleep

the holidays are cruel

we made resolutions, I will review and edit them later

so happy new years

go Giants

Sun Sets On

2011-12-31T17:18:00.001-05:00

it would be such a lovely setting

would these be the last photos of us in 2011?

probably not

Who's The Ones You Chose

2011-12-31T17:14:00.000-05:00

Hanging out with my kid, my wife, Eric and Fatih and hopefully chowing on some delicious Turkish food and having a confetti fight.

With A Sip And A Bang

2011-12-31T17:03:00.003-05:00

tonight's entertainment

I think we're ready

How To Spend The End

2011-12-31T16:55:00.004-05:00

She's being cute here.

Yuula warmed up the daybed for our visitors.

They arrived late but healthy.

Looks like Yuula already knows what she wants next year for Christmas.

Will it be the iPad3 by then?

In order to give Fatih a true Pocono experience we had to take him to the bazaar on 209. The vendors were less than plentiful but I think he got the idea.

Yuula just ran around like she owned the place.

Maybe she does.

What Else But Freakouts

2011-12-31T12:08:00.003-05:00

Eric and Fatih arrived late last night and since we had a good ol' laugh til 2am hearing stories of police brutality and whatnot, everyone slept in this morning and is full of energy. And of course we played with Eric's latest gizmo...

It really brought Yuula out of her shell and now she's on act three of an eight act ballet dance to channel 800, the electronic disco pops.

Takes A Bow Like None Other

2011-12-30T19:40:00.000-05:00

that's a mess

Alien Prequel?

2011-12-30T06:28:00.001-05:00

Looking forward to the 2012, here's something I can get excited about. Seems like a little prequel to the Alien namesake and looks like a pretty cool movie in general. Comes out in June or something, so I'm guessing it'll be on DVD by next Christmas which is when I will get the chance to see it. Already starting my gift list.

Immediate Play Potential

2011-12-29T22:29:00.001-05:00

This is a weird thing to do when you open a gift. I probably shouldn't try it with mine.

It's not as weird as my parents sudden and simultaneous "YAY!"

The Greatest Gift Of Peace Of Mind

2011-12-29T22:24:00.004-05:00

So far my favorite gift for Christmas (besides my slippers which have not come off my feet for 4 days now) is the new video baby monitor. Such peace of mind while I'm at the computer, knowing what she is up to, if she's really sleeping or climbing the crib rails. If she's behaving herself watching Super Why or stoking the fire with her bare hands. Yes it does have a slight Paranormal Activity vibe to it, but I can't wait to use it as a hidden camera and do some secret reconnaissance. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I caught her today relocating some Christmas balls from one side of the tree to the other. I let her.

Sliding Like A Lifer

2011-12-29T22:22:00.001-05:00

I'm so happy she did the excited thing on Christmas morning. That's all that I was hoping for.

Weird Week In Between

2011-12-29T21:48:00.005-05:00

The time between Christmas and New Year's is always very strange for me. My body can't decide if I'm still on a holiday or if it's back to weekday workday like usual. I have my regular but it's with Christmas cookies. I listen to music while I work but it's Christmas carols. And I'm still turning on the lights out on the house at night, so...

Here's the past couple days, post-Christmas

Here's Yuula as what can best described as her pink nightmare phase, possessed kitty-dog and all.

Vic and Laura had a labyrinth showdown. Neither made it past turn 7, tho Laura gave up much earlier while Vic stayed up late into the evening alone in the dining room.

While Yuula was taking a nap the other day I decided to build her a nice sturdy structure she could topple first thing when she wakes up. She did.

We got a package in the mail from Yuula's boy-love in GA. Maybe we left that sweater behind on purpose.

Vic and Danielle served up some delicious pasta with sauce from scratch like only Italians can. We stretched it out over 7 meals.

And Yuula has added yet another aspect to her evening dance routine. A dance partner named Angelina the Ballerina. I can't tell who has better technique.

Bouncing With Big Bear

2011-12-28T10:34:00.002-05:00

Family Photo Fails

2011-12-28T09:55:00.005-05:00

Very few times in the past have we ever attempted a full on family photo at Christmas. This year, with the two most recent additions it seemed only right timing and in the late of the evening in between cooking experiments and nogging it thru Emmet Otter we attempted the un-attemptable.

shot #1

not terrible, could very well be framed and hung proudly, overlooking Yuula's wardrobe malfunctions

shot #2

here we have Dylan finding something much more interesting in the tree to focus his attention on, could work if we go with the story that we got him a Cousin It mask for Christmas

shot #3

this one I forgot to set the timer so no one, including the lens, is prepared

shot #4

finally we get the toddlers to behave, but it's the adults who seem to have been moved by the Holy Spirit

Give Me Ninja Jedis

2011-12-28T05:59:00.000-05:00

Watch to the end, it's pretty funny

Christmas Was Here

2011-12-27T08:11:00.005-05:00

scarves, trampoline, eggnog, puzzles, Santa hats, jacket, family, glasses, socks, hugs, peace of mind, peace on Earth, lights, records, monkey, Russian beer, slide, pickle, recliner, cakes, slippers, tree, carols, perfume, boots, eggs goldenrod, canvas, Emmet Otter, rocking horse, hot ham and apple cheese, sweaters, naps, bumblebee, kitties, giggles, pajamas, shrimp, toys, milk, Rudolph, cooking, stockings, grocery cart, cookies, presents, blocks, dog, s'mores, wine...

...and still going

Merry Christmas {We Are Up}

2011-12-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

For A Dawn Of Redeeming Grace

2011-12-24T21:45:00.001-05:00

for the world over

We'll Soon Be Nustled All Snug

2011-12-24T18:20:00.004-05:00

I've said it before. Christmas Eve is my favorite. I don't need to say it again. Accidentally starting traditions like waffle breakfast and monster movies can only enhance an already perfect holiday. I didn't watch any monster movies today but I did watch Rex Ryan lose to my Giants so.... same thing.

I floated around the house and took a few shots while the baby's in nap mode and Laura is en route. I got about 15 more minutes before I have to go fetch the child and start dinner. And then it'll be an avalanche.

til then...

For Now She'll Love Him From Afar

2011-12-24T17:50:00.005-05:00

We all have one of these don't we? I know I have a couple. Ages 2, 3 and 17. I thought tonight would be an appropriate night to throw this one up tho. With Santa coming and all. Now when he gets here he can go "Ohhhhh. That girl."

While I was scanning this in I skimmed thru some of the goodies from the goodie bag that came along with our $30 photo. A coloring book, some ads and 3D Santa glasses. I had to check that out.

This is how Santa will see our tree when he gets here tonight wearing his 3D Santa glasses...

He must be getting bored.

Bunch Of Dots And Squiggles

2011-12-24T14:51:00.000-05:00

★*˚°。°*。°*。★*˚°。°*。°˚°★*˚°。°*。°*★*˚°。°*。°*★
˛°_██_*˚°。°/ ♥ \*˚°。°*。°*★*˚°。°*。°*★*˚°。°*。°*★
˛. (´• ̮•)*.。*/♫.♫\*˛.*˛_Π_____*˚°。*。°**˚°。°*。°*★
.°( . • . ) ˛°./• '♫ ' •\.˛*./______/~＼*˚°。°*。°*°*❤ ˚°*★
*(...'•'.. ) *˛╬╬╬╬╬˛°.｜田田｜門｜╬╬╬╬╬*˚°。°*。°* ♥♥
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM MY HOUSE TO YOUR HOUSE

Go Blue On Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T11:22:00.002-05:00

I been waiting for this game since they announced the schedules this summer. Didn't think it would have so much riding on it. Either way, win or lose, still alive or most likely eliminated, it's still Christmas Eve.

The Flake Is Strong With This One

2011-12-24T06:37:00.003-05:00

I know, I know. Christmas Eve is no time to geek out on Star Wars, but as a recently appointed master and connoisseur of all things paper-flaked related I just had to take this opportunity to give a little shoutout to this website that not only displays the finished product but also gives a diagram of how to achieve such a tremendously dorkly yet epic set of snowflakes to dangle about at your leisure.

Couldn't Wait Two More Days

2011-12-23T21:19:00.000-05:00

Girl really wants a slide

Good thing it's almost Christmas

Know Yr Xmas: Tree

2011-12-23T21:15:00.000-05:00

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, Americans buy 37.1 million real Christmas trees each year; 25 percent of them are from the nation's 5,000 choose-and-cut farms.
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America's official national Christmas tree is located in King's Canyon National Park in California. The tree, a giant sequoia called the "General Grant Tree," is over 300 feet (90 meters) high. It was made the official Christmas tree in 1925.
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Animal Crackers are not really crackers, but cookies that were imported to the United States from England in the late 1800s. Barnum's circus-like boxes were designed with a string handle so that they could be hung on a Christmas tree.
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Christmas trees are edible. Many parts of pines, spruces, and firs can be eaten. The needles are a good source of vitamin C. Pine nuts, or pine cones, are also a good source of nutrition.
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The northern European custom of the candlelit Christmas tree is derived from the belief that it sheltered woodland spirits when other trees lost their leaves during winter.
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Artificial trees are the most popular with 40,694,463 on display in comparison to real trees at 34,335,809
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For every real Christmas tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place.

Doughing The Finish Line

2011-12-23T18:38:00.005-05:00

Oh it is Christmas time. I know this because today the only thing we received in the mail was Christmas cards. Well, Christmas cards and disc 4 season 5 of Dexter. I'm assuming it'll be a slam-bang finish. May have to wait til after Christmas. But on with Christmas related news, I was left with the task finishing up the cookies today. namely the oatmeal, my favorite.

Laura made a double batch because she figured half of the dough would forgo the baking process and go directly in my belly and she would be right. But I got a lot made. Now the baking is done.

I gave Yuula first taste and despite the expression on her face she didn't have any complaints. Even took another one and laid on the floor to finish it off.

Silly freak.

Snowmen Are Becoming So Liberated

2011-12-23T06:54:00.001-05:00

I wouldn't know anything about this. It's like 74° out today.

Making Me Thirsty

2011-12-23T06:47:00.001-05:00

Know Yr Xmas: Gifts

2011-12-22T20:08:00.000-05:00

During World War II it was necessary for Americans to mail Christmas gifts early for the troops in Europe to receive them in time. Merchants joined in the effort to remind the public to shop and mail early and the protracted shopping season was born.
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Frustrated at the lack of interest in his new toy invention, Charles Pajeau hired several midgets, dressed them in elf costumes, and had them play with "Tinker Toys" in a display window at a Chicago department store during the Christmas season in 1914. This publicity stunt made the construction toy an instant hit. A year later, over a million sets of Tinker Toys had been sold.
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According to a 1995 survey, 7 out of 10 British dogs get Christmas gifts from their doting owners.
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The world’s largest Christmas present was the Statue of Liberty. The French gave it to the US in 1886. It is 46.5 meters high and weights 225 tons!
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1 in 10 – The number of the presents received that will be broken by the New Year.
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Santa needs to visit 832 homes every second to deliver all his presents
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When Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island, died on December 4, 1894, he willed his November 13 birthday to a friend who disliked her own Christmas birthday.

New Attire To Inspire

2011-12-22T18:43:00.006-05:00

Yuula has been adding to the wardrobe "necessities" when it comes to dance time each night. The newest additions are a pair of fairy wings, a wand, an second tutu (over her first tutu) and last night she added gift bows. This is getting out of control.

Watching Ice Station Zebra for the 151st Time

2011-12-22T17:28:00.008-05:00

click em to sick em

what'd ya like?

Say Bye Tree

2011-12-22T13:56:00.000-05:00

A Lil' Holiday Weird

2011-12-22T06:45:00.000-05:00

I Am Not Alone In This

2011-12-22T06:44:00.001-05:00

It Might Not Look As Good Big As From Where We Think It Is

2011-12-21T21:37:00.000-05:00

Know Yr Xmas: Games

2011-12-21T21:34:00.000-05:00

"Hot cockles" was a popular game at Christmas in medieval times. It was a game in which the other players took turns striking the blindfolded player, who had to guess the name of the person delivering each blow. "Hot cockles" was still a Christmas pastime until the Victorian era.
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"Shoeing the Wild Mare" is a traditional Christmas game that goes back to at least the early 17th century. Get a narrow(a few inches wide),strong wooden beam and suspend it from the roof with two even length ropes. The beam is the ‘mare’ of the title and should be level yet high enough above the floor so that a player’s feet are off-ground. A player ‘the farrier’ then sits on the ‘mare’ in the centre, a leg either side. This player has a hammer and has to give the underside of the beam “four time eight blows” at a designated spot. If he falls off, it is someone else’s turn.
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Very popular from the 16th to the 19th centuries, "Snapdragons" (or Flapdragons) has explicably declined in popularity. Gather everyone around the dining room table, place a large flat dish in the centre. In the dish scatter a good handful of raisins then pour on top a layer of brandy or cognac. Set fire to the brandy and dim the lights. Players take it in turns to pluck a raisin out of the burning liquid and eat it quickly down. For a more competitive edge to the game use larger dried fruit such as apricots, one of which has a lucky sixpence stuffed inside.
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In Greek legend, malicious creatures called Kallikantzaroi (also spelled Kallikantzari) sometimes play troublesome pranks at Christmas time. According to the legend, to get rid of them, you should burn either salt or an old shoe. Apparently the stench of the burning shoe (or salt) drives off the Kallikantzaroi. Other effective methods include hanging a pig's jawbone by the door and keeping a large fire so they can't sneak down the chimney.

Christmas City Out-takes

2011-12-21T19:47:00.003-05:00

Here's some more of the photos from the flashgun session we spent on the city streets on Monday. We are proud of how well handled the craziness and the lights were a real distraction, but when it hit 9pm we sprinted down Broadway to the parking garage, but not fast enough to keep Yuula from assaulting a women on the move. "That baby just hit me!" was what she said.

I Got Someone For All Of These

2011-12-21T06:49:00.000-05:00

You should have your shopping done by now

Mrs. Boozely looks like my 6th grade band teacher

They Gave It To Someone Special

2011-12-21T06:41:00.001-05:00

Know Yr Xmas: Ukraine

2011-12-20T21:17:00.000-05:00

At Christmas, Ukrainians prepare a traditional twelve-course meal. A family's youngest child watches through the window for the evening star to appear, a signal that the feast can begin.
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An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian Christmas trees. A spider web found on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck.
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Christmas Day in the Ukraine can be celebrated on either December 25, in faithful alliance with the Roman Catholic Gregorian calendar, or on January 7, which is the Orthodox or Eastern Rite (Julian calendar), the church holy day.
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In the Ukraine, a traditional Christmas bread called "kolach" is placed in the center of the dining table. This bread is braided into a ring, and three such rings are placed one on top of the other, with a candle in the center of the top one. The three rings symbolize the Trinity.
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The table for Christmas Eve dinner in the Ukraine is set with two tablecloths: one for the ancestors of the family, the other for the living members. In pagan times, ancestors were believed to be benevolent spirits who, when shown respect, brought good fortune.

For When They Placed It On Her Head

2011-12-20T18:54:00.001-05:00

...she began to dance around, Oh!

Because I'm Eggceptionally Drowsy

2011-12-20T16:09:00.004-05:00

Eggnog tea. Because I like tea and I like eggnog. Because I am fond of penguins wearing human snow gear even tho they are used to living in climates of -58°F, and impossibly riding antique sleds at such great speeds that one of them would be tossed violently from his post. I can't stop yawning today and these drawings are making me cross-eyed. Called an eggceptional winter black/green tea. Wish me luck.

Holiday Greetings From Kashyyyk

2011-12-20T06:40:00.001-05:00

You should have your holiday playlist set by now