There and Back Again...A Turkey Tale

So I have something to admit my Gentle Viewers...

I'm sometimes lazy, and the blog things, well they don't write themselves. But enough with the excuses, and more with the update.

Two holidays have came and went since we last spoke. Halloween was fairly uneventful, but I did walk around that day wearing a hockey mask and got a lot of great stares from people. As I walked about like a Voorhees, I went and picked up the new Deftones album, Saturday Night Wrist. I have to say, I'm very impressed with it. Definitely a return to form, and much better than the self-titled release of 2003. The songs for the most part can be described as violently beautiful, and has probably gotten more spins than most albums for me lately. I'm completely re-infatuated with the Deftones. I agree with whatever review it is that I read that said something to the effect of, "if you don't have any heavy albums in your collection this should be the first." I would recommend it to new and old fans alike.

I've also been to 3 shows since last we shared:

Electric Six - This was such a fun show. Dick Valentine (which is the coolest stage name imo) has great stage presence, a great sense of humor and rapport with the audience and the band were tight. I danced the night away listened to them non-stop afterwards. This is a band that is more than the "Danger! High Voltage" song. I have a feeling they'll be making fun, danceable music for years to come.

(As a side note in a similar vein, check out the new Rapture album Pieces of the People We Love. Brilliant stuff, and makes me do a happy jig.

Beirut - Wow. That's all I can say. I've never been to a show like this before. It was at the intimate Crocodile Cafe and it was the perfect setting for the band. The 10 or so members squished together on stage, blaring out the best gypsy music this side of the Balkans. The main guy crooned and played trumpet, and the band flowed through song after song of beautiful, exotic music, at times even encouraging the audience to get into the act by wandering around the crowd with tamborines and trumpets. It felt more like a house party than a formal concert. Plus, openers A Hawk and A Hacksaw (main guy was the drummer of Neutral Milk Hotel) were fantastic, definitely setting the mood for the the music to come.

Because of this concert I have really been into Eastern European music, and in specific, the music of the Balkans and Gypsies. I've grabbed discs where I can and have been trying to absorb it all. It just takes me to a far away place in my mind, most of the time back to wander the small cobblestone streets of Stare Mesto, Praha. I feel this passion and pull towards the area. I feel as if I'm destined to return there someday. Hopefully to stay for a while, teach English, live. Even though I value stability, and I like having nice things. I just can't see me as a "company man" who keeps the same job for 20 years with a new plaque every few years on his desk. More heart yearns for more, and my mind wants to absorb everything this world has to offer. It's just that right now this is the forefront in appealing. Egypt is somwhere on that list too. As is Turkey, Thailand, and Antarctica.

Kool Keith - Hey thanked the "Seattle Organization." A LOT. He asked ladies to put on thongs over their clothes while he played "Girl Let Me Touch You There." Even after most of the crowd was gone he was still ranting about "sniffing the artwork" and "No more camera phones." It was a crazy show, and fun as hell. He did hits, he did more obscure tracks, new ones, and even flowed a couple of times. It was a show to be remembered. I'll forgive how long it took him to get out onto the friggin' stage because he was so spot-on. The weirdest thing was when he was playing a song called "The G Spot" and some trashed looking girl with a mohawk stumbled onstage and started dancing provocatively and after the song he ramble about it being "so exotic" and like "being in the Navy. I'm on the water for 2 minutes, I'm in the navy." Whatever that means. She proceeded to stay on stage and bump into the DJ, who got PISSED OFF and had her removed from the stage. Haha. A night of hip hop to remember.

I got a job for a while working at the UW Medical Center in the Materials Mgmt Dept. I did inventory in all sort of creepy places and put speculums in a bag! It was boring and sucked. I never saw my boss, and people were always telling me different things to do. Plus there was NO formal training, so it was basically sink or swim. So eventually they decided that even though they didn't see me hardly at all, but somebody always had something for me to do, which someone else thought was wrong, I decided I "wasn't working out." But I guess you figured that from my use of past tense from the very beginning. Good on ya. Have an interview at the Mac Store tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. Maybe I can be a sales monkey...again.

So, on to more recent things like Thanksgiving holiday! I arrived home last Tuesday night, after missing my original flight that morning. I was angry, but it was no big deal. We had a great Italian dinner, and afterwards I hung out with the Suttons, Fer Fer, Robert and his wife, and Blunck! We talked, drank, etc. It was so great to see everyone. I was so freakin' happy about it, especially to see Blunck, who I haven't seen in around a year. I really missed that fool. Every night I got to see more and more familiar faces, including my awesome sister LeAnne, Mark, Crab, Mike Jones, Pookie, mi hermano Marshall, Robert, Jennifer "Ruth" German (!!!) and many more. Drank, smoked, talked, laughed, video gamed, and I loved every minute of it. (Even the inevitable shopping where I found the monkey slipper below)

On a different note, I got to spend quality time with my Grandmother, who turned the big 8-0 this past Saturday. We had a huge gathering at our house with relatives, food, champagne, and even a vocal performance from my mostly MIA cousin. It made her so happy, and it was great to see her get all of that attention and care. She needs and deserves it. She lives in a nursing home, and I won't even get into how awful I think that is.

The last day of my trip home my mom and I went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. We saw an IMAX film on Greece that has inspired me to make it a goal to sail around the Greek islands. We wandered through the exhibit halls, seeing dinosaur bones, African wildlife, shells, precious gemstones, and much more. It was fun and educational day, and good bonding thing to do with my mom. She really enjoyed it, which shows me that my parents can do fun and interesting things, they just need a push to think outside the box of movie theater and mall.

So now I'm back in Seattle. It's colder than witch's teat here. In the 20s. Snow still on the ground and rooftops. All I have is a stupid radiator, which I don't think is very effective, so I'm wrapped up in a blanket. I think I'll go make some hot chocolate and take a shower. Think warm thoughts for me. Oh, and while we're thinking about it, think high-paying job thoughts for me too.

Cheers.