The nicest thing my youngest son has ever said to me? This is straight out of a Courtship Of Eddie’s Father espisode.
He asked me today:
“Dad, is parenting hard?”
It was a Yes or No question right? He didn’t ask me how I felt about parenting.
So, I answered honestly:
“Yes”
His reply (and I’ll never forget this one):
“Well, I’m trying to make it as easy as possible”.
Last year was our first year to blog about the annual “Where’s Baby Jesus?” Christmas ritual which happened this week at the Ausbury house. Collin has outdone himself this year as Baby Jesus gets to ride on Joseph’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
I doubt this sold a lot of Levi’s. However, it is definitely one of the most clever commercials ever done:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVY04NQUpxk]Ok, I know it’s cheesy to blog song lyrics, but the lyrics from Daniel Amos’ “The Pool” have meant a lot to me over the years. So, there.
The Pool
The pool is very deep and cool
and nothing here is hard to do
Nothing that should trouble youShrouded forms that start and sigh
As they pass this wanderer by
Lakes that endlessly outspread
Foamy blanket river bedsI stand
Stand by the water
Knee deep
Deep in the fountain
Now down
I go under
Then rise up
Rise up foreverThe waves that mount and tumble high
I meet the melancholy sky
And all I have I count for loss
There in the clouds one single crossYes, deeply I have slept
And now I rise as one who has gone down
Into the well springs of new life
Down across the milk white sands
I wade out into the sleepy cove
And bathe in the holy stream
Then suddenlyI shatter the level mirror of the lake
Upon an everlasting tide
Into the silent pool I glide
I plunge to wash this black heart clean
And rise a swan upon the wing
I’m still adding 3-5 new CDs a week to the collection. My family thinks something is wrong when the mail doesn’t include at least one CD-shaped package.
“Dad, no CDs today. Is everything ok?”
I just finished listening to my friend, Dr. Tony Shore’s countdown of the Top 12 songs of the year. One of his top songs (I won’t say which # and ruin the countdown) is in major rotation here and that is Josh Fix’s bouncy, piano pounding “Don’t Call Me In The Morning”. You can almost change the name to “Don’t Listen To Me In The Morning” because if you do, you’ll be singing the chorus all day long. Talk about catchy!
I’m a huge Chicago fan. Similar to one of my favorite bands, Yes, I like the old Chicago and the new Chicago. I’ve written a few times before (here and here) about how the 5-star brilliance of Chicago II impacted me and set me on my musical way. I have a 5.1 surround version of Chicago II in my Acura which is just spectacular!
Anywho, the latest Chicago album is quite good. It’s a nice blend of the 80’s, ballad-crazy Chicago and the old brassy Chicago from the early 70’s. The CD is called “Stone of Sisyphus”. Now that I think of it, that does sound like your kidney has an STD, doesn’t it? However, the title cut on the CD has an amazingly catchy chorus that will have you singing:
“I’m gonna take the stone of sisyphus
I’m gonna roll it back to you”
You may think, “I’d never go around singing that.” Trust me, you will. Dang, I think I ruined it with the kidney STD thing.
I’ve always been a fan of Rick Springfield’s music and his new CD, “Venus In Overdrive” is the best he’s put out in years. He seems less tormented on this CD which is great to hear. I have this thing about not playing the same song over and over and I have to admit, I played “What’s Victoria’s Secret?” two times in a row (gasp!!!). Great, great, great guitar and yet another catchy chorus!
After their last few, I was surprised how much I like the new Oasis CD. The buzz about it being Beatlesque is definitely true. I love that sound.
I can’t say enough about how much I enjoy Mew’s CDs: “Frengers” and “And The Glass Handed Kites”. If you like these boys from Denmark, you will like what I call “Mew Jr.”, a band called Deas Vail.
In looking for techno music for my youngest son, I bought a CD by accident. The band is Every Avenue and the CD is “Shh. Just Go With It” which was a very pleasant surprise. Check them out here.
CDs I’m looking forward to getting:
Tim Finn – The Conversation
Secret Machines – Secret Machines
Lambchop – OH (Ohio)
Deerhoof – Offend Maggie
The Firemen – Electric Arguments
Minus The Bear – Planet Ice
Until next time.
One of our quirky family traditions at Christmas was started by Collin, who does his own version of “Where’s Waldo”.
Collin’s version involves moving baby Jesus somewhere within the nativity scene. This year, I’d like to report that baby Jesus was found riding on the donkey.
