Christmas in November

I finally checked out local band Health's web site. They have a Christmas song called Black Christmas. If the Palace Brothers did a Christmas song it might sound like this.

Here is Desmond's letter to Santa. I hope he reads my blog.

Dear Santa,

I want a Scooby Doo book with the Creeper in it and also the ghost clown. I would also like a Batman vs Dracula DVD. A Batman computer would also be great. I would also like a blue light saber. I love you and I like it when you give me toys. Thank you!
Love,
Desmond

P.S. Izabella and I would like an obstacle course.

Weekend Stuff

The big thing was finally tearing the carpet out of the living room. 3 generations of Smiths worked together and finally I wasn't the weak link in that chain. Granted, I was still taking orders from Roy, but at least I didn't step on any tacks in my bare feet and complain when the tv had to go off during Dora the Explorer. Tearing the carpet out wasn't too bad. There were a bunch of staples holding the padding down and while that tore the skin on my pinky and ring finger it was easy enough to do. The real pain was the boards w/ the tacks that hold the carpet around the perimeter. It seemed simple enough, but the wood kept breaking and there were some serious nails holding some of the smaller pieces around the corners and door frames. The whole process took us about 3 hours (not counting moving furniture around). The floor itself looks great. There are a few dings in it and the molding on the bottom of the wall doesn't have the smaller piece of molding that connects it to the floor. That's pretty minor stuff and I can't imagine it taking me more than 2 or 3 years to get around to fixing it up. We moved in the corner entertainment center Cassie P gave us and repositioned some of the furniture. Maria did a good job getting all the junk out of there. It looks like a new, big room. Now it needs some new big furniture. Santa? Is that you?

We went to Durham to PF Chang's for Kevin's birthday. Maybe it was the waiting for an hour and 45 minutes w/ a 1 and 4 year old, but I wasn't all that impressed w/ it. My favorite Chinese food is still Chinese Kitchen in Quaker Village.

Finally, I went to see Dr Powerful at the Corndale house. They feature the former drummer from Polvo and are from Sanford, so how could it go wrong. Well, during the first song the bass player kind of fell out of the area where bands play and was sitting on a nearby couch. Some of his friends propped him up after that, but he would lose his place and just stop playing during pretty much every song. The rest of the band sounded good, but one of the guitar players was visibly pissed and the other 2 guys seemed to be contemplating what they would sound like as a 3 piece. The last song they played was Psycho Killer and it required a bass intro. He managed to get through it, but when the rest of the band kicked in he stopped playing and stood there giving the finger to the rest of the band. Towards the end of the song he threw his bass down on the ground and walked off (ok, he stumbled to the nearby couch and fell down). I was on borrowed time, so that's all I stuck around for. I'm pretty sure there wasn't a fight, but you can check the police report yourself.

Laser Zep

I'm not talking about the drink we had Bob Boster invent at Papagayo's (with the only instruction being put some Galliano in it (or more accurately put some of that shit in the funky bottle in it)). I'm talking about laser generated vikings riding to conquer new lands while the Immigrant Song kicks in at the local planetarium. I was checking out the Natural Science Center for something to take the kids to do, and luckily on December 16th and 17th at 9pm they have just the event I was hoping for. It's a little late for them to stay up, but when Bonzo starts pounding the outro for Whole Lotta Love and a giant heart is shaking to the beat on the ceiling they may never need sleep again.

It was Saturday night, I guess that makes it alright

My beautiful wife decided that she wanted to have a birthday party for me this year. She wasn't satisfied w/ the ordinary cake, chips, and balloons. She decided the best birthday party she could throw would have to include my favorite band Tiger Bear Wolf. She even enlisted Jillian and Cassie P's help in getting the Elks Club to agree to let us have it there. While the hours leading up to the party were pretty hectic, the actual event was charmed. Not only did the band agree to play for free, but the Elks Club let us use the bar area for free too. As cosmic retribution, everybody there kicked in generously to the band donation fund, and the people at the Elks Club bar made a lot more money than usual through the $1 draft fund. I think people really enjoyed Tiger Bear Wolf. They played an extra long set (Guitar, Input, Lens, Earth, Humans, Tongues, Winner, Rats, Body, New) and while the acoustics weren't great if you stood close enough to them it was too loud to be concerned w/ audiophile nonsense like "acoustics." And I know people enjoyed $1 draft beer, so it was a big success.

turducken

There was a feature in National Geographic this month about the town in Louisiana that cranks out turduckens. I think I had heard of this thing before, but I didn't realize how good a turkey stuffed w/ a duck stuffed w/ a chicken would taste (in theory). The only way it could be more appetizing is if they wrapped it in bacon and deep fried it. Anyway, I see Harris Teeter is selling them and they even have a turducken breast. I'm not doing any cooking for Thanksgiving (which may be why I like it so much), but I'm thinking about getting one of those to have around the house for the rest of the weekend.

Fall Foliage Tour

Desmond, Izabella, and I went on a walk in the woods yesterday to enjoy the fall color. We hit the Price Park side and while there's still plenty of green, some of the trees are looking pretty good. We did run into a small problem. The construction on New Garden Rd for the new Target is in the grading phase. There were lots of dump trucks and front loaders whirring around while we walked by the lake next to the American Hebrew Academy. We only saw a single swan swimming in the lake, and w/ all that noise we didn't sneak up on any animals defecating on the path. I'm excited about the Target w/in walking distance, but that walk will never be the same. Next week we're walking to Guilford College for the football game. I expect the trees to look a lot like this picture.

What is a Maryland style deli?

We went to the Charcoal Deli for the first time yesterday. The only thing that seemed to distinguish this place from any other style of deli was that they put Old Bay on their french fries. The specialty sandwiches didn't look that appealing (Italian sausage or Wisconsin brat? Is Maryland the National Geographic Bee state?). However, the 2 sandwiches we got (roast beef and turkey) were awesome. Maybe a Maryland deli is place that makes good sandwiches w/o gimmicks.

Autumn Update

The entrance to our neighborhood is nearing its peak glory. I spend as much time as possible looking through my sunroof while I'm driving through there. There isn't much green left on the leaves making that tenth of a mile off Jefferson Rd a prime place to hit a pedestrian. I hit a deer there recently, but it was kind of a glancing blow. I thought the tire might be down, but my spotter assured me I didn't need to pit. People don't tend to run in the middle of the road, so I've managed to avoid any dog walkers and exercise getters.

The downside of the season (I only feel bad about hitting butterflies w/ my car) is that sickness has spread through our house. I guess Desmond brought it home from school b/c he was sick, then Izabella, then me, and finally back to Desmond (Maria has special mommy powers). Seeing Izabella sick is the worst. Her nose is all stuffed up, but she's too young to blow her nose. We have to use saline drops and a nasal aspirator. I finally went to the doctor today and he told me to try saline drops to break up my congestion. I used Izabella's drops and almost vomited. It was the most sickening taste on that area that connects your nose and throat. Really, if I could have got my stomach involved I could have puked, but I don't have that kind of America's Next Top Model control over my ENT area. Anyway, I feel even worse about Izabella's plight now, but she seems to be recovering pretty well so maybe I won't have to give her those drops again. If I do, I'll be sure to show her that daddy is taking them too and we'll commiserate over a seat lifted toilet.

Random Stuff

My kids went as Batman and Robin for Halloween. It was as cute as you think it was.

I was reading the editorial page in the paper last week and there were 2 columns eulogizing Rosa Parks and another giving honor to a great American leaving his influential position, Alan Greenspan. Guess which one George Will wrote?

I was bringing the trash cans in today and there was some litter that either fell out of the truck or out of somebody else's trash can on the ground. I picked it up to discover pictures of topless women and an ad for free porn. Why couldn't this happen when I was a teenager?

I heard Jeff Gordon almost use the word organizized before catching himself and using the non Taxi Driver preferred organized.