We ran away....

               "We ran like vampires from a thousand burning suns, but maybe then we should have stayed...."

Another song I've been holding on to for a while. I remember first hearing and wanting to post it back during my days in NY. Simply because I was about to visit with two friends I had not seen in over ten years. It dawned on me how the time had changed and how so much had gone on in all of our lives since then. Since I had been offered the job at the time and the family coming up to help look at homes, I only got to visit one of those friends. It was like a system overload being flooded with memories of things you had forgotten about from someone who more or less, remembered that person better than I did. It was incredible to reconnect with my who I once was and remember the fun of the past.....even more so to let our kids play together and introduce my family to a piece of me they had not seen except through my own stories.

It occurred to me then and always does now, where have all my friends gone? I feel like such a univeral human being. I have made friends from all kinds of backgrounds and ways of thinking. It seems the older I have gotten and in some cases, the more domesticated I have become, there are less friendships in the world than I once knew. Was I always this alone but living a life that left me with the grand illusion of friendships?

Or I have simply become a person that noone remembers anymore?

I have never been a perfect person and for the longest time, I kept my friendships distant because of my own problems. So when I woke up one day and realized the world seemed quiet? What happened? I share the responsibility in this....

I have loved so very much that social media like Facebook and MySpace and Twitter and even blogging has brought me into contact with so many people. But sometimes a digital interaction isn't enough. I have often considered going silent on my FB just to find new ways to communicate with people.....

We have all become so distant as people and friends these days, sometimes it feels like human interaction doesn't exist anymore. 

As we walk into 2013, I am hoping to rely less on my social media and try to reach out to those friends I know and once knew. I want even the facebook friends who never talk to anyone, to reconnect with me somehow....

To those I may never see or hear from again, I am sorry that our lives never extend in the way I hope.  To the people I connect with, make it your personal mission to connect with someone, anyone besides a digital connection.....ask one question, open yourself to real conversation. 

As I get older, I see us cutting ourselves so easily and honestly, I see the world becoming dumber by the minute...."OMG, something something involving human language in code"

"But we ran away, now all my friends are gone. Maybe we've outgrown all the things that we once loved.
Runaway!
But what are running from?
A show of hands from this audience of one.....
Where have they gone?"


                                                         
                     

We raise our glass....(Tony Sly Tuesday)

....to songs, that we know so well.....

Its almost a day late but here it is. The first post of 2013! I've been holding onto this song for Tony Sly Tuesday for almost three weeks now. My last week, prior to moving to Indiana, this song was playing itself on my Ipod in more rotation than usual(on its own). It originally found its way into my Ipod prior to my trip to California simply cause I found the title interesting. 

I think it hit sometime about halfway through Tennessee after we had dinner and this song came on. I was really leaving the home I had created for myself after 5 years. I was finally leaving South Carolina. I spent so many years trying to convince myself that South Carolina and more importantly Spartanburg was not a home to me. The person I was when I moved there is only a memory compared to the person I am now. I started my family here and found the answers I needed......

When things didn't work out with NY the past year, I told myself to slow down and enjoy the things around me and my store in the way that it was. As soon as I did that, this new opportunity came around. Sometimes when you stop to enjoy the world around you, you no longer care about what frustrated you so much in the first place.....Steph and I had settled into something comfortable without even realizing. I knew I was never going to retire in SC, but I certainly didn't plan on it becoming so comfortable for all three of us. 

"So everybody sing along...."

Only a few days before, I had enjoyed some beer at my favorite brewery, with some of my favorite people and we made an awesome night out of it. It was one of those nights where you wish you could hold onto a good time forever as I said goodbye to good friends....

Liver let die....

So on this dark void of a road, as we headed to our new life, it all sort of made sense with this one song.  It all sort of said what was on my mind for everything leading up to this. 

"This could be tonight's one more song...."

I have enjoyed this song by Joey and Tony on their second release of their acoustic set. Their acoustic piece is by far one of my most favorite pieces of music. Two of my favorite singers, friends, musicians and friends in music putting together their best songs with all this intense love of music and loyalty behind their own words. You feel the album sing with you.....

2013 is here and all the joy of 2012 has passed. We have faced some tough times friends, including the loss of Tony Sly, who inspires these weekly posts. Yet we are always brought together by the things we enjoy most and in times of tragedy, we are brought together by a common understanding of each other and the things that never make sense. 

"This shot we take before the bell. We raise our glass to songs.....that we know so well....."

We all have our songs, we live and die by them. Are you raising your glass? Raise it to 2013 and make it yours already.....

RIP Tony

And the bells were ringing out....(Tony Sly Tuesday)

On Christmas day!!!!


Merry Christmas to all you and yours on one of the few holidays where the world stands still for a moment. Being in the retail business, every day leading up to today is crucial and once Christmas is here, we can all rest easy with friends and loved ones. The world is in a state of total chaos and insanity and then almost in one quick moment, we stop everything we are doing simply to enjoy each other's company. 

Imagine if we skipped all the amping up and insanity and invested that same effort into enjoy every day like today? No fighting for lines at the mall, no mass consumer craziness, just simple quiet and enjoyment. 

This year I am grateful for the things last year has brought me. I have been working so much the past few weeks that I am looking forward to spending time with little family unit today. 

Today is also the VERY last day we will be living in a hotel! We move into our new townhome in the morning, and we couldn't be happier.....

Now, when I think of a Tony Sly/NUFAN song for today, I think of an all time favorite of mine. I have always been a fan of female fronted music, theres just always something to the sound for me. Not just because the sound is backed by a lady, I have just always felt there was something different to offer in music. Cinder from Tilt doesn't fail to deliver any time I hear this song!

Now, I first heard this song after hearing 'On the Outside' and having enjoyed the shared lady vocals, I was stoked when I first heard this song. I probably played it a million times while traveling a greyhound from Colorado to South Carolina when I was 19. The lyrics just reached and grabbed me and sang to my the depths of my being and I have always loved this song. 

Little did I know it was a cover of the Pogues at the time. However it did introduce me to their music. 

The best thing about a cover song is that it can introduce to bands that inspire bands that inspire you discover new music. How can you go wrong with that?

Merry Christmas, RIP Tony!

Getting in the spirit....

Christmas is here and I'm pretty stoked it has come and gone. Its been alot of hard work and preparation. Without a good team at work, I don't know if we would have made it. 
 But the worst is over and now its time to have fun with it and enjoy it!

I actually have a few hours before I need to be up again before my last run holiday run and thats ok! The worst is done and now the rest is smooth sailing....

In music, I have truly believed there are literally maybe ten songs to enjoy when it comes to Christmas. Research shows(aka working in restaurants for 9 years) that its the same ten songs rehashed a million times.

My favorite is when punk bands and other assorted musicians that I personally find entertaining cover some of these songs. First off, you have to hear Christmas shoes, its both awful and funny at the same time. I'm not talking about the actual song but the Patton Oswalt(aka our boyfriend) take on it....





Then we have my all time favorite, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies. The old version is one I love is great but The Vandals do it even better....just add lightning!



And then theres this.....



Murrrrraayyyy Chirrrsssttmmassss!!! *ermagherd*

I'll see you on the outside...(Tony Sly Tuesday)

Of all the things I try to work on with my blog, I have loved this part of it. Tony Sly Tuesday has been a fun run for me and I hope its gotten to some readers who enjoy Tony and his music as much as I have. Hopefully it may have even reached out to new fans who are now picking up on Tony and the world's loss of a great musician who connected with his fans in a powerful way. 

Wow, thats a mouthful right?

I'm very happy to be back to blogging and posting these videos and music. I'm always viewing Youtube in my spare time and listening to anything that catches me. I found this video today out of the blue of a classic NUFAN song 'On The Outside'. Its a song that hits everyone close to home, especially now that Tony is gone. It carries the vocals of Karina Denike to make the song more powerful and carries you with it. I first heard it when a friend played it for me off of the Making Friends album, I was sold ever since. 

I found this video today and I truly love listening to various tributes from musicians I never knew about. Be they big or small, the sound is always great. John Harcus is his name and his sound is great, I loved his tribute and the sound that came with it. You can tell he put he alot of love into one of his favorite songs and his description tells you just how much he really enjoyed Tony and NUFAN. 

Sick of malls and alcohol....

     Now that Mami and I have some time get acquainted with Indiana and all the hectic craziness has sort of calmed down and life has starting catching up with itself, its time to do some blogging!

Back to basics, the music and the beer are the biggest things I love about doing the blog and I miss them when I am away. Theres always music to be shared with everyone!

Alot of things I post will be related to the move and some of the things I left behind in SC. So far things are good and we are making it work while we adjust. We are a family of optimists so theres is nothing but silver linings ahead of us....

When I travel, I am always brought back to one of my favorite bands, Less Than Jake. More particular, the first album I ever listened from them so many years ago, Hello Rockview! 

This album has carried me through so many years and was my first taste of ska that I liked. It was much reviled amongst me and my friends, mostly cause I hated trumpets and the stupid skank dance the trendy kids were doing at shows. But they carry a catchy tune and I listened to them often whenever and wherever I traveled. Their lyrics hit home to me and its mostly why I am a huge fan....

Heres three favorites(I've been gone, so I'm loading up!) from Hello Rockview that I am currently feeling with my move and the travel and my general feelings towards moving and moving forward......

Al's War

"Sometimes I think, I'm the only who feels like going nowhere is like giving up..."

Five State Drive

"Sick of malls and alcohol, just passed the next state line...."


History of a Boring Town;

"Lets take a drink and never think and here's to the past...."

Can it be? We are 3!!

                    "I guess thats why I can never settle for anything less than amazing...."
                                        -Seeking a Friend for the End Of The World

                      "I love you so much, its retarded...."
                                        -Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

              Today marks the day that Mami and I signed a government document that allowed us to share medical benefits and legal names.....awwww its true love!!!

Reading that just makes you think we could probably could care less about each other right? Maybe at the time, we knew we loved each other but we treated the actual marriage more like a business contract. I knew I was going to marry this girl long before we signed any piece of paper. If I didn't have to deal with legalities for the benefit of my family, I may have waited to have the perfect wedding to sign a marriage license. 

To this day, its about whats in my heart for Mami, not what a piece of paper tells the world. 

My Grampa told me just before we got 'officially' married at the courthouse, "No matter how you choose to do it later, this is your anniversary NOW! You can't take it back..."
He was right, no matter how I look at it, I remember that day I told my wife 'I do'. Its for that reason we share our anniversary with Nate, he was our witness!



                                                                                                                                               Stephanie came out of nowhere at the most random time in my life. Through a series of random events, we changed each other for the better. I continue to learn and grow from my life of being married to my best friend. Its not just about how she changed my life anymore, its about how we are shaping it for our future and the future of our family. We are dreaming big and loving even the smallest moments. 

Steph and I have had an amazing year together. So many changes, so many great things, and of course many frustrations. I am so happy to have a partner in crime as well as one who understands me when I need her to the most.

I love her for her endless amount of support she gives me everyday. There is really noone else in the universe I can picture myself carving a beautiful existence with. She is determined to make the world work around her and nothing is too challenging for her. She will conquer that mountain whether you like it or not! But she never forgets to laugh and enjoy a good time when the moments are there.....Steph never misses a beat and she keeps you going when you think have nothing left to give!

Today may be our third anniversary, but Steph continues to give me a lifetime...oh and shes hot too!

I love you booshie lady!


Clearly we make beautiful babies as well such as the warrior boy below....

And of course, little miss Abba Zabba.....