White Elephant Parties

Umm...I have a question for everyone: What does the phrase "$20 limit" mean to you? I thought it meant don't spend more than $20. Evidently, some people take it to mean "Jibba Jabba Blah Blah Bibbity Boo." I brought a modest gift to our Christmas party today, and it turned out to be the dreg of the party. I ended up with it. Oh well...Merry Christmas right?

Give me Thanksgiving...food and done.

Rolling Stone Magazine

OK...have you ever read Rolling Stone? By "read," I mean actually go through the articles and soak up the contents...not just your typical Barnes and Noble flip-through. They have some incredibly well-written articles, but sometimes they make some outrageous claims. This is completely aside from their political views, which I find mildly amusing as well as typically aggravating.

What I am really referring to is their way of rating music; I seek out a great deal of music that Rolling Stone holds in high regard. Why not? I am always down to experience something new. Monsters of Folk, the New Black Crowes album (Before the Frost...Until the Freeze), and others have been well received by my quditory processes. However, sometimes Rolling Stone makes claims that confuse me. I just got their issue dedicated to the top music of the last decade. In it, they praise U2, Bruce Springsteen, and Radiohead as the greatest artists of the decade. I am neutral on the first two...don't really listen to them, but I have always heard good things about Radiohead, so I decided to investigate.

Among the scads of music on my hard drive that I have yet to ingest, I have 3 Radiohead albums. I listened to them, as they are all from this decade, and they were all mentioned by Rolling Stone as being amazing and that they are emblematic of some sort of beautiful resurrection in music. Well, the First, titled Kid A, was interesting and viciously original, but never in all my years would I view that album to be as symbolic and important as Rolling Stone did. I listened to the next album, Amnesiac, and I really liked it. I can safely say I "get it," but, again, I would not call it the music of change. I'm not saying I know more about music than Rolling Stone, but it is just interesting to me.

This difference of opinion is what makes music so great though. There is a type for each person on the planet ,and for those that claim not to like music...how hard did you look to find something you liked? Maybe it didn't matter...hmm...sounds like you might have the inner workings of an Emo fan. Maybe you are too stubborn or independent to be labeled by music like that...hmm, sounds like The Ramones and the rest of the punk revolution are waiting for you. Maybe you are just lazy...well, I don't have something witty to write here for that one. There's a tune for every attitude, and there's a song for every spirit. ...at least that's this guy's opinion...

Jingles to Jam:
Radiohead - I Might Be Wrong
Jimi Hendrix - Villanova Junction

RE: Christmas Addendum

After posting my rather strong words yesterday about holiday music, I did some looking. I heard a CD that James Taylor put out through Hallmark that was really good. He did a bluesy version of Jingle Bells that rang my bell (couldn't resist that one hehe). Anyway, I am now on a mission to find more of the same. Musicians that are doing Christmas songs within their style and comfort zone are, I believe, what I was speaking of in my post yesterday. James taylor doing a "Steamroller"-ish Jingle Bells is a great example.

Now what I am waiting for is AC/DC doing a "Night Prowler"-ish holiday tune, or, perhaps, Eric Clapton laying his expertise down on a carol with the feel of "Tears in Heaven" or "Let it Rain." We'll see.

In other news, it's Friday!!!!!!!!!! Not a moment too soon either. I don't think it could ever be too soon for a Friday. Everyone around the office is in a subtly (spelling?) jovial mood, and conversations of Christmas shopping, holiday obligations, and weekend plans are floating around the office, which is uncomfortably warm today. Good times...heaters make me tired.

Anyway, I hope this post finds everyone enjoying their day. Talk to you soon.

Tracks upon which to snack:
Masters Apprentices - Easy to Lie
James Taylor - Jingle Bells
AC/DC - Night Prowler (and the rest of their tunes from pre-1980 that aren't on the radio)
Eric Clapton - Let it Rain

Christmas Addendum

OK, I know that previously, I commented on ho much I was enjoying the Christmas music in the office. However, after my 5th or 6th helping of Michael Bolton's overdone cheeser "Jingle Bell Rock" and my 3rd lap through the version of "Jingle Bells" done completely with dog barks, I am ready for Spring. Is it that Christmas is a topic not conducive to great music? Do its many different stories not lend themselves to being told in an awesome song with lasting power? Why can't Pearl Jam bust out a "Yellow Ledbetter"-ish Christmas Carol? What's stopping Wolfmother from conjuring the Christmas spirit in a face-melting extravaganza of sound? Ahh...there are some tasty holiday tunes out there. Happy hunting my friends.

Christmas Chr-aziness:
Robert Earl Keen - Merry Christmas from the Family (I know I already mentioned this one once, but it is relevant to the topic of the day)
Dave Matthews - The Christmas Song (possibly my favorite Dave song)
Manheim Steamroller - Deck the Halls

Pandora

Ever heard of Pandora radio on the internet? It can be found at pandora.com. If you are unaware, then do your musical mind a favor and educate yourself. It is a free, yes I said free, site wherein you type a genre, song title, or artist name into the search field, and a radio station is created based on the musical attributes of your search word(s). It is crazy. They go so far as to include songs with similar key tonalities, guitar strumming methods, influences, and lyrics. It plays for free as long as you care to listen, and you can create a profile that saves your stations for future reference. I have never received any kind of solicitation in my inbox from them either. Check it out...you will be reminded of songs you may have long forgotten, and you will be introduced to new songs you never would have experienced before. Supa fun.

Tracks to intake:
Little Feat - Fourty Four Blues
Fat - Country Girl

Christmas Music / Snow Outside

Typically, I don't seek out Christmas music, even during this time of year. It's not that I mind it, but it's a far cry from my usual favorites like Jimi and AC/DC. However, they have started playing holiday tunes over the speakers at work, and I must say I am enjoying it.

This could easily be due to the fact that the typical musical experience here is a delicious blend of soft rock, contemporary, and other "sleeper" music. To each his own, but, again, not exactly Angus Young (of AC/DC fame) ripping a face-melting solo on his Gibson. The holiday music is a welcome addition to my workday. Everyone seems to be in a good mood today as well. This is due to a few reasons, I believe.

First of all, today is Friday: enough said.

Second of all, it has been snowing heavily today. In typical Houston fashion, the snow only collects in small amounts on cars, and the landscaping is brandishing a palyful dusting of it as well. I keep seeing people standing by the window just watching in a kind of quiet wonder that strikes me as almost childlike. People are captivated by these little white flakes fluttering around.

I think it was Issac Newton who coined the phrase pairing an action with it's equal but opposite reaction wasn't it? I have no idea, it holds ture today also. As people casually stop by the window for a glance at the seldom-seen sight outside, others are uninterested, and they mill about as they would on any other day. I spoke with one of them while making copies, and he mentioned that Chicago was his home, and he had seen a great deal more snow than this. he commented on how crazy Houstonians get with extreme weather. I agree. The first rain afer a prolonged drought, snow, or any other non-typical weather situation causes Houstonians to act like crazy people, and they lose the ability to operate vehicles. I love my city.

Anyway, that was my ramble for today. Have a good one out there, and stay warm.

Tunes to experience:
Rolling Stones - Midnight Rambler (from Get Yer Ya Ya's Out)
Robert Earl Keen - Merry Christmas from the Family

IT Support

My new job at Methodist Hospital is going to be great. I am really excited about it, but in our computer-dependent, login-ridden world, there are some things that just crack me up. I am completely unable to peform 2/3 of the tasks assigned to me right now simply because my login has not been set up for our computer system. I mean, in the annals of one of the country's top hospitals, the importance of a login for a contract employee is surely low, and I have no doubt that there are far more pressing tasks present right now. It is just a funny instance of relativity. For the hospital, my login can wait, however, in my world, it is the single most important and instrumental part of my job. It is interesting how things turn out sometimes.

Songs to check out:
Black Crowes - Sting Me