Christmas Card Pictures: The Attempt

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Christmas Pictures

From The Mouths Of Babes

Until last night, my little daughter had not yet put more than two words together to form a sentence. According to a text message my wife sent me at work last night, I was the inspiration for a sweet, heartbreaker of a sentence twice the normal length.

Here's my wife's post about it.

Serious Insomniac Babies

A few nights ago, I came home from work at around midnight. Usually, all are asleep and I go about my routine of taking the dog out and poking around on the web while sipping a beer or two. This night, however, I opened the door to hear my young three year old welcome me with, "Daddy, you're home." I figured that maybe he was sick and that surely his mom was about, readying some medicine for him. Nope. Everyone else was still asleep. He had just woken up and decided to come into the living room to watch a little TV and wait for me to come home.

On the TV was an old favorite show of mine, M*A*S*H. And my little guy had just politely been sitting on the couch watching it. One has to wonder what he had to make of it. No Dora or Diego to be found exploring the mountains of South Korea. Blue was not looking for clues in Klinger's tent. This was unfamiliar territory for Joshua. I guess he assumed it was a funny show, thanks to the laugh track, but I wonder how he was following it. A kid's just gotta watch TV sometimes, I guess.

A couple of nights later, my wife got up in the middle of the night and heard a sound coming from the living room. She ventured down the hallway at 4 A.M. and peered around the corner to find both children, Joshua and his little sister, sitting properly on the couch watching C-SPAN. I'll decide he's watching too many Senate debates if he starts wishing to be referred to as "the gentleman from Tennessee."

I guess it just comes down to this: The kids know how to turn on the television but they don't quite know how to change the channels away from what mom or dad were watching earlier in the evening. And at the hours they seem to be keeping, I guess it's best that we can't afford any movie channels.

I Hear That Train A Comin

On my "Things To Do Before I Die" list is the goal of traveling across America by train. I envision a leisurely week or so of riding the rails with my camera and my notebook. Any destination is fine. I just want to feel relaxed for a period of time and gaze at my country's glorious scenery - not by plane where I am thousands of miles above it or by car where I am focusing more on the road than beauty around me, but by train where I can casually study the view out my window and reflect on all that has happened in this land over so many years.

Usually, when thinking about this, I imagine a trip up into the New England states. I think of timing it to witness the awesome fall foliage. But today, I was talking with my Montana residing friend and did a little AmTrak.com research. There is a route called the Empire Builder that travels from Chicago to Seattle with a stop very near her home. It'd be nice to finally meet a friend I only know through blogging. What a beautiful trip that would be. My wife has always wanted to live in Montana (she even subscribed to the Billings Gazette while in college at UGA). I doubt we'll ever move there, but it would be a nice gift to her to take a trip to Montana.

So, the "Things To Do Before I Die" list now includes AmTrak's Empire Builder route. Paige and I would leave the kids with my mother-in-law and we'd just disappear together for a while. No internet, no blogging, no punch clocks - just leisure time with my love as we get to know parts out west.

I found a nice article on that route and train travel in general at thelobby.com.

What's on your list?

Orphans

"'Orphans' (in stores Tuesday) is a teeming, seething menagerie too antic to be corralled, a leviathan too vast to be easily grasped."

-from a review of Tom Waits' new CD set, by Richard Cromelin of the L. A. Times

I Don't Have To Camp Out For Three Days For Yesterday's Technology

All of this talk of PlayStation3 has me wondering, "Is it time I upgrade to PlayStation2?" I have the first PlayStation system but it's buried deep within a storage unit somewhere and I just don't have it in me to go digging for it. I have no need for the latest technology. I just want something to play Madden football on.

With that in mind, I guess now might be a good time to check eBay for unwanted PS2s.

Craig Wilson Gets My Thanks

Only losers lack the manners to thank the finder - Craig Wilson, USA Today

A Link From My Finnish Friend

In Finland's Footsteps

Good News For Jazz Fans

Nashville gets rare chance to hear live jazz from masters

It's Like This

I can't go into the details because I know better than to blog about work.

Suffice to say that I am finally home, I have beers in my belly, and I have Vern Gosdin playing on the stereo.

There's a song in my mood and disposition tonight. But Nashville is full of writers tonight and I'd just rather leave the writing to them. I've finally got walls, beer, music, and solitude. Ten hours on the clock and I'll take my reward.

[Edit to add: The funk is gone. Why? The workplace is a million miles away, Vern Gosdin has run his course, and I am now listening to 1991's fantastic Bone Machine by Tom Waits. I'm back on top.]

Juggling Two Houses

I'm so glad that our experience with that is a thing of the past. Here's an NPR story on getting caught between two mortgages. With us, it was a mortgage and rent. And the stress of it all just about did us in. It seems that it happens to more people than I had thought.

It's A Good Thing For Them That We're All So Car Dependent

In so many areas of our lives, the people with whom we make deals are held responsible to certain levels of honesty and integrity. Whether it be out of respect to the law or out of fear of losing customers to competitors with lower prices or nicer smiles, we consumers are treated well and with dignity.

And then there is the car business. From dealers to repair shops, it seems that we not only lose out on the deals, but we just accept it as a foregone conclusion that we will be lied to and we will pay too much. We are just too weary to fight these battles. I would love to live in a city with better mass transportation. I would love to not need to own a car. Even if living in a city with a higher cost of living outweighed the price of driving a car in my current city, I would just feel better not having the daily worry of whether or not my car would start and how that would affect my family financially. And essentially, I want to be no one's sucker.

I'm thinking of this after reading the latest in alleged Bill Heard dishonesty:

"We would like to congratulate you on your ‘04 Trailblazer," a voice said.

It's a recording that'd been left on the car's message system by the salesmen at Bill Heard that closes with this zinger:

"I know you got f**ked, but still in the long run, you're going to be happy with it. So, take care!"

I invite your comments on the subject of trusted mechanics and car dealers. Shared knowledge is indeed shared power.

Is That Of Montreal Doing An Outback Steakhouse Commercial?

Yes, it is.

And now The Go! Team is featured in a Honda commercial. It's like this Titans game is being brought to you by Vanderbilt's WRVU. I can't wait for the next commercial break. I'd like to request something by The Mountain Goats, please.

Opening Act

Here at Chez Bez, we pause for dramatic effect.

Video Premiere: Tom Waits: "Lie To Me"

Tom Waits' new video, courtesy of Pitchfork.