Let's Play Christmas Songs!

OK I'm ready now, here is the first Christmas recording for this year:

Jingle Bells (2009 recording):



"Wow what was the deal with that?" you are probably asking yourself. Well, truth is, I need to be creative right now, and busting out weird recordings of Christmas songs is really fun and releases a lot of creative energy that is pent up. And really, for me right now, the weirder, the better. If you hate it, good. If you love it, great.

Hungry for more? Here are my xmas recordings from the past in case you forgot:

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen:



Jingle Bells (2008):



Frosty The Snowman:



Little Drummer Boy:



Silent Night:



O Holy Night:



Jingle Bells (2006)



This isn't actually featuring anything by me, but I made a Christmas video in 2006. It is half awesome and half embarrassing. But I have no regrets for anything I've created, so here it is:



BRIAN OUT.

Fresh Pork Chops

So we got a half of a pig from New Roots Farm in Newmarket, NH. Here is the freezer WITHOUT the ham and bacon (which we are picking up soon now that it is done smoking):



Last night for my birthday we decided to start in on our super local and hopefully super delicious meat. Two pork chops, coming right up!





The darker meat was excellent, as was any meat around the bones. I think I may have overcooked the chops as a whole, though.

I am going to start planning out meals for all of the other cuts we have, including the trotters (that's right, the feet). Keep an eye out in this album for updates on the wonderful things we cook up. I'll probably also post them all here tagged under local pork.

BRIAN OUT.

Thanksgiving Project: Upside Down Apple Pie

Amy found a recipe for upside down apple pie and I couldn't resist, it looks so great. Recipe is here.



It came out really great! The gooey butter-sugar-pecan topping that cooked underneath the pie was everything I'd hoped it would be. And it was REALLY easy, so it is highly recommended for people who are frustrated by traditional pie.

Below is my Thanksgiving plate of food. It was, as usual, excellent.



For not that many more pictures I took of food from Thanksgiving at my mom's house click here. There may also be pictures of humans.

BRIAN OUT.

San Diego

I went to San Diego on business. I was there for just over 24 hours. I was pretty busy the whole time, but did take a couple of hours early one morning to explore San Diego Bay. Here is a panoramic:



Click here to see more photos. I got some interesting shots from the flight over, with views of the entire NH coastline, as well as the Rockies and other stuff along the way.

BRIAN OUT.

Playlist for the Business Trip

Part 1

1. As Tall As Lions - You Can't Take it With You
2. Eddie Vedder - Setting Forth
3. John Denver - Leaving on a Jet Plane
4. Led Zeppelin - Going to California
   
5. Jeff Buckley - The Sky is a Landfill
6. John Denver - Country Roads
7. Regina Spektor - Blue Lips
8. R.E.M. - How The West Was Won And Where It Got Us
9. Walter Wanderley - Summer Samba
   
10. Joni Mitchell - California

Part 2

1. Bob Dylan - The Man in Me
   
2. Ray LaMontagne - Three More Days
3. Little Richard - Money Honey
4. Ani DiFranco - Evolve
   
5. Thrice - The Weight
   
6. Pearl Jam - Love Reign O'er Me
7. N.E.R.D. - Thrasher
   
8. Kiko Loureiro - La Force De L'ame
9. Muse - City of Delusion
10. Daft Punk - Human After All
    

Part 3

1. Queen - It's Late
2. Paul Gilbert - The Jetset Elite (Are Coming Home For Christmas)
3. Joni Mitchell - This Flight Tonight
4. Sirens of Titan - Virginia
   
5. Van Halen - Jump
6. Steve Stevens - Water on Ares
7. The Who - I Can See For Miles
8. Thrice - Silver Wings
   
9. Eddie Vedder - Rise
10. The Beatles - Oh! Darling
    

I either actually listened to these songs while flying or in hotel rooms, not really thinking much about the relevance, or found them while sitting here in my current hotel in Irvine, scrolling around on my iPod for about the past hour. And I gotta say, I'm kind of impressed with the diversity I squeezed into the above lists. Songs that everyone knows, songs that only a few people on the planet know, and all very applicable to my feelings throughout the trip.

BRIAN WILL BE HOME IN ABOUT 16 HOURS OUT.

and a fire

heard a story on this american life about a woman who was living out her dream to live where laura ingalls wilder grew up (here)

seemed about right. what book has or will change my life? walden? leaves of grass?

i don't know that yet. i do know that this box of tea is pretty significant to me, though:



and last night amy said next year at this time we should be surrounded by trees and not be living in these condos. she is right.

BRIAN OUT.

Costumes

Found old pictures from various Halloweens!

Me as a Care Bear, Joey as a honker (1984?)

Me as a Ghostbuster, Tim as a Carebear, Joey as a California Raisin (1988?)

Joey as Dracula, Tim as a Tiger, and me as a dinosaur (1989?)

Me as a Leonardo, a Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtle (1990)
(my costume is way better than the Raphael behind me)

Me as Waldo, with my prize-winning look-alike pumpkin. The prize was the painted pumpkin to the right. (1991)

Me as a robot (1992)

I "dressed up" (2005)

Amy as Miss Piggy and me as Kermit (2009)

If I ever find more pictures from other years, I will add them to this entry.

BRIAN OUT.