Christie's birthday is tomorrow, & I've thought about 10 different ways to start this blog about her, but they all seem rather silly to me. First, I wanted to tell a story about the first time we met, but I don't think a story about how she was expecting me to be my friend Ryan would really do her birthday justice. She says that I never talked to her too much, I just think I was scoping her out & playing hard to get. I was trying really hard not to beat her in darts. I also won't tell you about how on our third date I took her to see a crude movie (Clerks II, not nearly as brilliant as the original), or how I thought the place we went on our first date was perfect but she didn't think so. I was going to compare to the 1984 Detroit Tigers since she was born that year, but that probably wouldn't come off right. So, I'll just tell you how happy she's made me. Had you told me when I was 25 that I'd have a dog sleeping in my bed, a stereo with country music presets, that I'd some day see Carrie Underwear in concert, that I frequently watch What Not to Wear & that I'd be enjoying every minute of it, I'd spit in your eye. That's just how she is, though. She'll make you enjoy something you never thought you would. She's beautiful, intelligent, loving & compassionate & I'm a very lucky man.
Happy Birthday. Haha, you're going to hate that I posted that picture, but Winston really wanted it included.
Five Favorite Songs of the Day
Our Town-Iris Dement
Under the Red Sky-Bob Dylan, Masonic Temple, Detroit April 12, 2005
At a time when I think our company might be better served to condense it's hours of business due to slumping sales, it does the opposite, making it mandatory for every store to be open Sunday & an hour later during weekdays. That's an added 11 hours a week with no more hours added to the budget, probably to be absorbed by yours truly. I've been told that nobody higher up than me wants to hear any complaints or arguments as to why this might not be a good idea, that's usually a good indicator that it's not a good idea. But what do I know?
In other news, our castle is in a state of transition as we prepare to put our floor in next weekend. I can't fully enjoy sitting in my favorite chair knowing that the ominous stack of flooring next to me needs to be reckoned with.
Five Favorite Songs of the Day
Billy-Bob Dylan, Stockholm, Sweden March 23, 2009 Bob Dylan debuted this song from 1973 at his first show of 2009, a mighty fine outing, if you ask me.
One More Cup of Coffee (the Valley Below)-Bob Dylan, Oslo March 25, 2009
To Go Home-M. Ward
Northern Sky-Nick Drake, Bryter Later
I Believe In You-Bob Dylan, Stockholm, Sweden March 23, 2009
One of the trade offs of being happily married is that the break up & unrequited love songs just don't have the same sting to them. I've been listening to the George Jones classic A Good Year for the Roses a lot lately, though. What a perfect country song, it paints such a clear picture I can see the table that the ashtray sits on & the baby's room down the hall & the unkempt lawn. The second verse tells you that a wife is leaving his husband, but the facts of their marriage don't tell nearly as much as the inanimate objects of the first verse. I'm not sure what happened to country music since this song came out, but I wish it would more closely resemble this.
I can hardly bear the sight of lipstick On the cigarettes there in the ashtray Lyin' cold the way you left 'em But at least your lips caressed them while you packed Or the lip-print on a half-filled cup of coffee That you poured and didn't drink But at least you thought you wanted it that's so much more than I can say for me
What a good year for the roses Many blooms still linger there The lawn could stand another mowin' Funny I don't even care As you turn to walk away As the door behind you closes The only thing I have to say It's been a good year for the roses
After three full years of marriage It's the first time that you haven't made the bed I guess the reason we're not talkin' There's so little left to say we haven't said While a million thoughts go racin' through my mind I find I haven't said a word From the bedroom the familiar sound Of one baby's cryin' goes unheard
What a good year for the roses Many blooms still linger there The lawn could stand another mowin' Funny I don't even care As you turn to walk away As the door behind you closes The only thing I have to say It's been a good year for the roses
Along the same theme is a song by Wilco, in which the singer tries to tell himself that if he only cleaned the house & did the laundry & kept the small little details of the house going that it would bring back the wife that's left him.
Hate it Here
I try to stay busy I do the dishes, I mow the lawn I try to keep myself occupied Even though I know you’re not coming home
I try to keep the house nice and neat I make my bed I change the sheets I even learned how to use the washing machine But keeping things clean doesn’t change anything
What am I gonna do when I run out of shirts to fold? What am I gonna do when I run out of lawn to mow? What am I gonna do if you never come home? Tell me, what am I gonna do?
I hate it I hate it here When you’re gone
I caught myself thinking I caught myself thinking once again Have to try to keep my mind out of this Try not to pretend
I’ll check the phone I’ll check the mail I’ll check the phone again and I call your mom She says you’re not there and I should take care
I hate it here When you’re gone I hate it I hate it here When you’re gone
I try to stay busy I take out the trash, I sweep the floor Try to keep myself occupied Cause I know you don’t live here anymore
Five Favorite Songs of the Day
Hate it Here-Wilco, Sky Blue Sky
I just read there's a new Wilco album in the works soon!
Before I met Christie, I'd never seen the ocean, let alone take a week long vacation. So, here it is, two vacations within one year. I'm off to Florida, today. I hope the ocean is still blue.
Five Favorite Songs of the Day
Overpowered by Funk-The Clash, Combat Rock
Watching the Detectives-Elvis Costello
Caroline-Old Crow Medicine Show, Tennessee Pusher
This Side of the Blue-Joanna Newsom, The Milk Eyed Mendor
Friday's nice, the last day of the work week, that is unless you have to work Saturday's. Saturday is nice, but there's too much pressure put on Saturday, either to have a great time or to get something accomplished. If I don't get something accomplished on a Saturday, I feel kind of guilty. Me, I'm a Sunday man.
Let me tell you how my average Sunday goes. It may sound boring to you, but to me, it's perfect. I wake up somewhere between 6:30 & 8:00 & I get ready for church. I let the dog out, make some coffee (coffee always tastes better on a Sunday morning) & I'll either putz around on the computer or watch television for an hour or so. I'll either catch up on reruns of "Spectacle, Elvis Costello with..." or I'll watch the Sunday morning news programs, my personal favorites are Meet the Press (although it's not quite the same since Tim Russert passed) & Reliable Sources. Around 9:00 or so, I grab the dog & plan a stealth attack for waking Christie up. I'll drop the dog right around Christie's face so that he licks her until she wakes up. I'll grab her coffee & then go back to whatever television show I was watching.
10:30 church starts. I hate to say it, but we're those people that always show up about one minute before the service starts. From there, it's on to breakfast. We switch back & forth between the Wharf Pavillion & the Morningstar. The Wharf is faster & more inexpensive but the food isn't quite as fancy as the Morningstar. Each place has it's charm. From there, we usually go to the Bookman & pick up a magazine or two.
Sunday afternoon is hardly ever planned out. Many times we'll talk about doing something substantial, but we usually end up sitting around the house. Lately, Christie has had a lot of homework to do, which leaves me to read, play video games, take the dog for a walk or find some documentaries to watch on television. In the summer, we'll go for a walk on the pier or downtown with the dog. Sometimes we'll go shopping. Dinner on Sunday evenings is always at home, nothing special. Christie usually watches Desperate Housewives on Sunday evenings, in which case I'll either read or listen to tunes in the other room. I'll usually go to bed around 10:00 or so.
Some great discoveries have been made on Sundays. I took a walk in downtown Grand Rapids about 9 years ago in the wintertime & stumbled upon Vertigo Records. When I lived in Grand Rapids, I'd usually save my trips to Vertigo for Sunday. My friends & I used to have a tradition of going to New Beginnings restuarant on Sunday mornings until we wised up & discovered Wolfgangs or the Sundance Grill. Going back further to when I was a kid I remember going to bed & listening to the Mitch Albom show on WJR on Sunday nights. It was at that point that I learned to enjoy the last few hours before Monday came around.
Five Favorite Songs of the Day
Godspeed-Jenny Lewis, Acid Tongue
Bridges & Balloons-Joanna Newsom, The Milk Eyed Mendor
On Eagle's Wings-Hymn
The Tracks of My Tears-Smokey Robinson
Uphill Mountain-Jackie Greene, Giving Up the Ghost
There's too much depressing news lately. Here's some songs that might put things in perspective. If there's something bad about the internet (I'm sure there's plenty) it's that it is so much easier to post a link to an article or a video than to say something original, but when in Rome, right?
Jenny Lewis-Sing a Song for Them
If you sing a song, sing a song for them If you sing a song, sing the song for them For the bats and belfry and the fairies on Main Street For the deadbeat daddies and the Boulevard freaks For the little girls with the carousel eyes And the brick-a-brak finding housewives, losing their minds
Sing the song for them, if you sing a song Sing the song for them If you sing a song, sing the song for them
To the never-made-its, and the unrecognized To the alley rats and the tenement flies To the weekend tweakers, the blond and the blind To the ex-thrill seekers in the methadone lines
Sing the song for them If you sing a song, sing the song for them
To who you are, and will never be To the shaking hand of the maker we’re all going to meet Sing the song for them If you sing a song, sing the song for them
Old Crow Medicine Show-Lift Him Up
When a man has got the blues and feels discouraged And has nothing else but trouble all his life But he's just an honest man like any other Living in a world that's tearing at his mind If he's sick and tired of life and takes to drinking Do not pass him by don't greet him with a frown Do not fail to lend your hand and try to help him Always lift him up and never knock him down
If he stays out late at night because he's troubled Or because his home is not what it should be Have a smile for him wherever you might meet him It will help him find the right way don't you see If he gambles when he's in the town or city Tell him what he ought to do to win the round Do not fail to lend your hand to show him pity Always lift him up and never knock him down
If he has no friends and everything's against him If he's failed in everything he has tried Try to lift his load and help him bear his burden Let him know that you are walking by his side If he feels that all is lost and he has fallen Help to place this poor man's feet on solid ground And when this world has turned its back against him Always lift him up and never knock him down
Last but not least, this is also an Old Crow Medicine Show song, but most of you would be more willing to watch Norah Jones. This is wonderful. My mother might even like this one.
Well my friend, well I see your face so clearly Little bit tired, little bit worn through the years You sound nervous, you seem lonely I hardly recognize your voice on the telephone
In between I remember Just before we wound up broken down Drive out to the edge of the highway Follow that lonesome dead-end roadside sound
Chorus: We’re all in this thing together Walkin’ the line between faith and fear This life don’t last forever When you cry I taste the salt in your tears
Well my friend, let’s put this thing together And walk the path that worn out feet have trod If you wanted we can go home forever Give up your jaded ways, spell your name to God
(Chorus)
All we are is a picture in a mirror Fancy shoes to grace our feet All that there is is a slow road to freedom Heaven above and the devil beneath
(Chorus)
Five Favorite Songs of the Day
Hard Ain't It Hard-Woody Guthrie
Caroline-Old Crow Medicine Show, Tennessee Pusher
Anything I Say Can & Will Be Used Against You-T-Bone Burnett, Tooth of Crime
Happy Monday, friends. It was a pretty uneventful weekend here in little old Grand Haven, which is usually how I prefer it. I did see something in church this weekend I won't soon forget. I feel like I was invading on their private moment when I saw it, but I couldn't help but watch it. There is a family in church every week that has four boys, probably ages 8-15. One of the boys is mentally challenged. It doesn't look like he can walk, speak or communicate in any way. Unfortunately, I don't know hardly anything about the family, although I overheard once that the father sacrificed something for the health of his son. During the sermon & during the prayers, the father would hold the son's hands & stroke them in such a way that seemed to me as though he was trying to pass the message on in any way he could. Perhaps this is part of their regular routine, but it was still incredibly moving. It must take an incredible amount of faith to be in their position. I can't begin to know what is in the head or heart of that kid, but maybe he knows his Lord & Savior in ways we never will.
Five Favorite Songs of the Day
When You Awake-The Band, Before the Flood
You're A Big Girl Now-Bob Dylan, Hard Times in Alabama
I Will Follow You Into the Dark-Death Cab for Cutie, Plans
