Random Ramblings

Even though it was a week late, Thanksgiving came just in time this year, providing a much needed respite from the daily grind. Forgive me for stating this so arrogantly but I don’t need a National holiday to remind me to be grateful. I prefer to practice gratitude every day and have a lot to be thankful for. So for me, Thanksgiving is a vacation from the demanding and mundane, a time to relax, a time to enjoy the company of family and friends. I seldom over-eat and even less seldom do I venture into the retail frenzy now called “Black Friday.” In fact the idea of getting up at an absurd hour to join stampeding throngs of shoppers as they make their assault on the nearest Wal-Mart has about as much appeal to me as having my toenails burned off with a soldering iron. Yes, for what little shopping I do, Amazon.com works just fine and with the Internet, everyday is “Black Friday.”
There is one aspect of the modern Thanksgiving that is a bit disconcerting to me however. As a child, Turkey Day always meant going over the river and through the woods to grandma and grandpa’s house and I cherish those memories. Now I’m the grandpa and Rob is the grandma but we’ve yet to have all the kids and their kids at our house for the big feast. With all the in-laws to visit, I guess that’s just the way it is nowadays. Oh well, I’m still thankful.

Traditionally, the day after Thanksgiving is the day our family puts up the Christmas decorations and breaks out the Christmas music. With Mick off at his sister’s and Rob at work, the task of digging the Christmas stuff out of storage was left to me. Alone in the house, I grinned with glee knowing I could turn up the music as loud as I wanted and even sing along. I glanced at the stack of Christmas CD’s but opted for Pink Floyd instead. Stairway to Heaven gets all of the awards but I think Comfortably Numb could well be the best rock and roll song ever. It certainly puts me in the holiday spirit!

Speaking of music, I have a self made iTunes CD that begins with selections from The Chronicles of Narnia, followed by two songs from Sissel, including You Raise Me Up and An Angel Passing Through My Room. You Raise Me Up is one of my favorite religious anthems. Josh Groban does it best but Sissel is a close second. I also have a version by an Irish duo called Secret Garden which is very good.
This disc of downloads also contains a selection from another Irish group: Zombie, performed by The Cranberries. Fortunately, I had the good sense NOT to put You Raise Me Up and Zombie back to back, transitioning between them with Breathe, by Anna Nalick and Nina Gordon singing Tonight and the Rest of My Life. Zombie is followed by tunes from Green Day, REM, Pure Prairie League and Steve Winwood.
I have this lingering concern that some random house guest might see this CD and think I’m a little strange. Do you think I should hide it?

My preferred method of managing stress is exercise; especially running. I’ve been running a lot lately. Thankfully, my legs are still strong and I have time to pound the pavement on a regular basis because if not for exercise, my tension levels would be off the charts. Granted, there are other less strenuous means of stress control—some of which are considerably more pleasurable—or so I’m told. But since I don’t drink and smoking the ganja is an unacceptable alternative, that only leaves the one other popular option and that too requires some limitations—which is unfortunate, because it’s usually much quicker than running.

Can you believe that when we moved to Utah from Kansas, Aron actually told his new friends that I used to be the lead guitarist for Tommy Tutone? Tommy Tutone is the one-hit wonder band responsible for the timeless classic: 867-5309/Jenny. I still love that song even though I gave up performing long ago. Fortunately no one believed Aron so my anonymity has remained in tact.