2010 Christmas blog #2

Remember in October when I posted about seasonal horror movies? Well, I left out the king daddy of scary Christmas movies. "A Christmas Carol." That's right folks, Charles Dickens's classic holiday tale is also a classic horror/ghost story. Let's examine.

Okay, so you've got your main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, somewhat of a villain himself. Classic horror move, the most appealing character is the most disturbing one. The serial killer, the head of the cult, the cannibal, whomever is playing on our fears in whatever movie we happen to be watching. And who's scarier than a slave driver boss?

So we've established that the guy is pretty evil, or at least a giant jerk. Now this is where it gets good. We are then treated to a glimpse of his own private Hell. Each of the spirits Scrooge is visited by drive him further into torment. His old partner, Jacob Marley, being the warning to Scrooge (a cliche' of early horror). And then the descent begins.

In Christmas past Ebenezer is shown the good old days, a glimpse of the way things used to be and sees the happiness he could have if he had made the right decisions. My guess is that's too familiar to a lot of us.

Christmas present is perhaps the scariest part of all. Scrooge is forced to take a look at his life as it actually is. Not clouded by his own opinions or misconceptions but reality for its own sake. Many of us try to escape reality on a regular basis, and those who think they live in and understand reality are largely kidding themselves. When reality hits, it can be scary as hell.

And then, of course the ghost of Christmas future shows him what will assuredly happen if Eb (that's right, called him Eb) continues his ways. And, get this, most filmed versions of this tale use the Grim Reaper himself to represent this character. Awesome. Also quite appropriate as death is exactly what we're dealing with here, it is the bleakest part of the tale. Any gothic horror/ghost story worth its salt is dark and depressing in the third act and "A Christmas Carol" is no different. Oh, and they kill the kid-which is still a no-no even today. Dickens was ahead of his time here.

Adding to the horror aspect of this work is the possibility that this is all actually happening. Sure, Scrooge awakens from tormented sleep throughout the tale, but if we're talking about the supernatural here...well that's how it works. It is my understanding that when God reveals himself through visions they often happen during dreams. Most alien encounter stories (if one believes in that sort of thing) happen at night, many people claim to have been contacted in their sleep. So it's not completely out of the question. The other possibility is that ol' Eb is actually going insane, which is a delicious alternative for the horror fan to think about.

As we all know, the story turns out all right with Scrooge gaining back his love of people and Christmas, being given a second chance on life and love. You know, like the one camper who survives...

Anyway, the happy ending to this sort of movie was commonplace up until the mid-late 1960's, and certainly was expected back in Dickens's day. Most people, however fixate on this as being the point of the story, to keep Christmas and the love and charity it brings in your heart year round. WRONG. It is a warning about getting lost in your own wants and desires and what can happen to those who do. It also features the most evil villain in all the world, the human mind.

So yes, enjoy "A Christmas Carol" this year. It's okay to get the warm fuzzies at the end, that's certainly a part of the experience, the relief after the tension. Just remember that there is another side to this story, if you choose to see it.

Just in case you're wondering, my favorite version is the 1951 version starring Alistair Sim. His commitment to the role is total, and the Christmas morning giddiness he displays is unequaled in all filmdom. The movie suffers a bit from the techniques of the time, and the fact that the original masters have had some wear to them, but Sim's portrayal of Scrooge is one of the true great performances and makes up for any other shortcomings the film may have. Makes George C. Scott look like an amateur, not to say that Scott's portrayal is bad, but it doesn't touch this one. No one else can either. Well, maybe Scrooge McDuck from 'Mickey's Christmas Carol", but that's it.

2010 Christmas Blog #1

Remember last year when confessed my love for Christmas music (traditional and modern) and listed a bunch of my favorite songs? Well, here's the opposite of that.

Even a self proclaimed Christmas music geek like myself has a line. There are songs I just don't like. I'm not talking about a mild dislike here either. For example, "The First Noel" isn't exactly a favorite of mine. Not a bad song, mind you, and it's got nice lyrics, it's just not my cup of tea. But that's not what we're dealing with here. These are the drive-me-crazy-turn-it-off-or-I'm-gonna-give-you-a-shiner-for-Christmas songs.

DAVE'S TOP TEN MOST DREADED CHRISTMAS SONGS

10. Where Are You Christmas-Faith Hill
-A relative newcomer to my consciousness and already on the list. Overblown claptrap with no real emotion behind it. The entire first half is just filled with "poor me" lyrics about how it's harder to get in the spirit as an adult than as a child. And then when she "feels" Christmas at the end (whatever that means), it doesn't sound like an emotional breakthrough at all-just a lousy key change. And, on a side note, when did Faith start sounding like Vanessa Williams?

09. Blue Christmas-Elvis Presley
-Always hated this one. Not clever or interesting or heart tugging or anything. Just a bad song. Can't blame Elvis though, no one can make this song sound good. When even Johnny Cash can't make it tolerable you know you're in trouble. Oh, and that Elmer Fudd parody that gets played on the radio each year isn't funny either. It just makes a bad song worse.

07. The Christmas Shoes-I don't know, some guy, don't care
-This is how songs like this one are written. "Let's make it overly sentimental and use chords and instrumentation designed to tug at the heart strings just right, and let's put a kid in there too. Oh, and don't forget to have someone dying on Christmas Eve, that'll get 'em to buy this thing. Wait, gotta throw in Jesus too...and put in a vague glimmer of hope and redemption so the Christian soccer moms will love it too." I hate this kind of song. I hate this prefabricated way of writing music. I also hate that this song works on me every time and I well up like a little girl when I think about that poor kid and his mama. Curse you, Christmas Shoes!

06. Jingle Bell Rock Bobby Helms/Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree-Brenda Lee (tie w/disclaimer)
-The reason these songs are a tie is because they are interchangeable. They were safe, sanitized rock and roll when they were written and have remained so. Neither have much to do with rocking. These songs are trotted out every year by people who think that this sort of thing is fun and exciting and to show kids that Christmas music can be hip-even though much hipper has happened since. But here's the deal-you can keep one of them. I'm not completely unreasonable. I know people truly like these songs, and they're both used in a lot of movies so I understand the significance. Therefore I will allow society to pick one to hold on to, I don't care which. Just let me know so I can finally move on.

05. Santa Baby-anybody
-I used to think "The Chipmunk Song" was the height of greed in Christmas music. But "Santa Baby" is the clear winner in this department. A song about children's greed is one thing, but coming from an adult it's just pathetic. Pretty true, but still pathetic and certainly not something I need a song about. Is this supposed to be sexy? Some lady trying to seduce a man for presents? Sounds like just another day in Beverly Hills to me. Is it supposed to be funny? It's not. It's annoying and sexist. Not sexy-sexist. Heh. Spinal Tap reference. Anyway, hate it.

04. Mary Did You Know-Kenny Rogers
-Well, I think she had an inkling. I mean, she was told the deal upfront. Gonna have a baby. Gonna be the son of God, the Messiah. So to a degree, yeah, she had some idea of what she was getting into. Now, she couldn't have known all the details or how things would wind up, but she wasn't completely blind to it either. Nice thought but a flawed concept. Incidentally, this song was originally written by Mark Lowry, a Christian stand up comic (and a pretty good one at that). Poor guy made the jump into music and this was all he came up with. Too bad. You know, I used to be a comic, and I write songs now too...kinda makes me nervous.

03. The Little Drummer Boy-traditional
-The only acceptable version of this song is the Bing Crosby/David Bowie duet. Why? Because a.) Bing sounds so blitzed that the "rumpumpums" all run together in a fun way and B.) Bowie drowns out this awful song with another song on top. Plus, both Bowie and Bing are awesome. No-one else is allowed to sing this anymore ever. the "rumpumpums" hurt my brain. Next person to sing it gets a good swift kick. And by the way, why in the hell would you bring a drum to play for a baby?

02. All I Want For Christmas Is You-Mariah Carey
-Got no problem with Mariah overall, but this song just sucks. I think she was going for a Phil Spector/Ronnettes style tribute with this one, but failed. Miserably. spector's stuff was dense, sure, but crystal clear as well. This song is just a mess. Nice sentiment, poor execution. It actually hurts my ears to listen to this. Sucky, sucky, five dollar.

01. Do You Hear What I Hear?-traditional
-If it's the single most annoying Christmas song ever, then yes I do. The repetitiveness (if that's even a word) of this song just gets too me. It's lame and juvenile. No, wait, that's insulting to the young folks. This song is not only awful from minute one, but for Christians it should raise some concerns. Okay, first of all, talking animals? Sounds kinda pagan-ish to me. Also, which king would this song be referring to? When the sheppard boy informs the king of the Messiah's birth, the king seems to be overjoyed, prays for peace and declares the child bringer of the light. Huh. Last time I read the Bible King Herod wanted to have the Christ child killed. What is this, retro-active PR? Terrible song, bad theology.

And there you have it. Feel free to leave your most dreaded Christmas songs in the comments. Might be fun.

Until next time.

Great Googly Moogly

Well, the Christmas season has started and I rang it in by seeing Dweezil Zappa at the Pageant on the current version of the Zappa Plays Zappa tour. Okay, so it's not exactly Christmassy but the band did play "Yellow Snow" and that's close enough for rock and roll, right?

I enjoyed the show quite a lot. I went in with no real expectations, just hoping that it wouldn't be "Dweezil exploits his dead father" for two and a half hours. Fortunately this wasn't the case. The music was treated with respect (and it does deserve respect), played faithfully yet playfully with room left for a little spontaneity here and there.

Frank Zappa is known for being weird, and writing songs with goofy lyrics which can be pure silliness, vicious satire, or pure filth. This is only scratching the surface. Musically, Frank was a genius. His instrumentals are quite complex, often giving each musician the chance to shine and yet still having memorable melodies, despite the turn on a dime nature of his compositions. They combine avant-garde jazz, blues and rock and roll in a way that no one before or since has managed. These songs were plentiful in the show (mostly second half) and emphasized not only the quality of the music but also Dweezil and the band.

As for the other stuff, y'know, with words, the entire "Apostrophe (') album was played which includes the aforementioned "Yellow Snow", a trip to "St. Alphonso's Pancake Breakfast" and a dissertation on that dreaded condition of "Stinkfoot". Also played was an off the cuff and (like totally) perfect version of "Valley Girl", an audience participation dance party to the tune of "Keep It Greasy", and of course, "Titties And Beer". Therein lies the secret of Frank Zappa's music. Silly, sophomoric humor mixed with high art. Brilliant, but an acquired taste...and not for the easily offended or anyone under 18.

The coolest part of the show however were the times when they played a video of Frank singing a vocal or playing his guitar and piped it through the P.A, so father and son could play together. Could have been cheesy but it was kind of sweet in its own way.

So, all in all a good time. Kinda hard to get into the Christmas music after that though.

November Wrap Up

So we've come to the end of November. Thanksgiving is in the books and Christmas is a comin'. Here's one o' them random posts to share what's on my mind.

1. Really enjoyed the family Thanksgiving dinner in Cape Girardeau. The only complaint is that there's just not enough time to visit with everyone you want to. Especially now that there are 10 kids under six there, it seems that we're all just chasing them around all day. Though that does open up conversation with people I haven't talked to much in the past, so that's a good thing.
Still, the food was excellent and it's always nice to see everyone. There were a few people who I hadn't seen for some years, like my cousin Terry and his family for example. Didn't get to talk much, but always nice to see him. And cousin Jennifer...who showed up married. We all found out at the same time, kind of a shared family experience. Her new husband, Matt, seems like a good guy so congratulations you two. I like how accepted Valerie is in the family as well. Everyone treats her as though she's been around forever, and she and Julie (second cousin Mitch's wife) had a really nice conversation. So much pleasantness all around.
Oh yeah, and the twins were a hit. Patterson wasn't quite his normal self, but was still lovable all the same...and Melody proved herself queen of the raspberries (much to Pam's delight). Tessa was in top form too, being all cute and rambunctious, and also an icing/whipped cream thief. Maybe the dessert table shouldn't be so close to the play area...

2. Also went to Valerie's family Thanksgiving on Saturday night. That's right, two Thanksgivings! Once again, good food and good people. These are largely the same people who will be at the Christmas celebration in a few weeks. At that party we usually play games for gifts. Nothing too extravagant of course, just token stuff, but a good family bonding thing. Well, my son's behaviour has inspired a new game to play: The Patterson Puking Game. The initial version was that everyone would guess how many times he'd puke on someone (well, spit up really, but on the receiving end it feels like puke). Saturday night he got four of us: Mommy, cousin Christy, Grandma, and Tessa's dinner roll somehow, which counts on a technicality.
I think we need to change the game though, to guessing who he'll puke on. Everybody gets one guess, you can't guess yourself, no duplicate guesses. Then we just pass him around all night and see what happens. Jostling of the boy is not allowed, nor is sneaking him treats.
Game planning aside, it was a good evening. Plus I got to check out Mike's Silverado which is a pretty sweet truck. I might buy a truck in a few years so every time he gets a new one for work I get to check it out. Preliminary shopping without the pressure. Nice.

Non Thanksgiving Stuff:

1. I'm on the Facebook now. Just so you know.

2. Christmas lights are up. Garage door is broken. Kinda evens out.

3. White Castle for lunch plus chili for dinner equals bad idea.

4. Did you find this Kate?

5. We are getting all excited about Christmas in this house. Our lists will be out soon for those who get one.

Well, that got longer than expected. More stuff to come but let's call it good for now.

Update-Long Time Coming

Sorry it's been so long since an update. Here's a list of what's going on.

1. Spent this last week sick. I thought it was allergies on Tuesday, by Wednesday I had a severe head cold. Went to the doctor on Thursday and was diagnosed with a walking pneumonia. I am currently on the Z pack and have greatly improved. This is only the second day in a row that I haven't slept for like 16 hours. Not sure if that's good or bad.

2. The smoke detectors in my house have a history of going off for no reason. Here's the thing though, they don't go off when we're cooking (which would make sense), they go off in the middle of the night. Between midnight and 6:00 a.m. Not fun. They are all hardwired into the house so if one goes off they all go off. And each one is 80 decibels. It's like waking up in the middle of a Motorhead concert only less awesome. It happened so much that I no longer checked for fire, I just shut off the fuse, which is both sad and dangerous.

Thankfully I was finally able to sort out the warranty situation and got the company who installed the electric in my house to come out and fix them. So far, all's well.

3. Jake, my dog, is officially nuts. Now, he's always been nuts, but it's gotten worse lately. He can't seem to get full, and when he eats something he's not supposed to it's not some leftover parcel from the trash can. Nope, it's clothing. Specifically, the twins' clothing. There were two or three bibs he chewed up...and two or three that he ate entirely. He also completely ate one of Patterson's pajama sleeves, and the front of the jammies too (although he did eat around the snaps, so he's not stupid-just crazy).

I took him to the vet and we did some blood work to see if it was any clearly recognisable diseases. They also took a stool sample-no parasites found, but some yellow cloth with stars on it. Tessa's first bib. Nice. Anyway, the diagnosis is that he's either just whacked out or he's got inflated bowel. The only way to check for the bowel thing is to cut him open and do an expensive biopsy or do an expensive (and surely disgusting) colonoscopy. Or, we can just assume he's nuts, put him on Prozac and see if that fixes the problem. Doggie Prozac is like 10 bucks, so guess which one we picked?

Yep. Drugging him up. I wouldn't be so quick to do it to my kids since we don't yet know the consequences of all these drugs we've put into our kids over the past 15 years...but yeah, let's spike Jake's food and see what happens.

And on the lighter side...

July 17, 2010-Going to see U2 at Busch stadium here in St. Louis. It's the day before my birthday so that was a pretty easy decision for my family to treat me. Pretty excited about it, I haven't seen them since 1992 so it should be a lot of fun. I know it's early but...we're gonna need a baby sitter. Also, please, no funerals, weddings, family reunions, recitals or zombie apocalypses that day, okay? For my birthday(ish)? Thanks.

Okay, that's it for now. I'm going to eat my home made Frito pie and watch the Ram's game. Talk to ya later.

Doo-dah-dippity.

Happy Christhanksmaween!

Have you noticed that over the past five years or so that Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas have just sorta blended together into one big glop? I mean, Halloween has become huge and poor Thanksgiving is just a stop-gap between the two big holidays and is sometimes just viewed as the night before Black Friday. At the store today I saw Christmas stockings hanging over Halloween costumes two aisles down from horn of plenty centerpieces. I think retailers should begin referring to this time of year (late Sept. through early Dec.) as Christhanksmaween. I was going to call it Hallowgivingmas but that's a little unwieldy, and a little too accurate.


So in that spirit I present this year's horror movie list, featuring films that focus on the holidays.



Halloween:
1. Dark Night Of The Scarecrow
This is a forgotten classic that relies on story, atmosphere and characters to succeed as opposed to the ultra-violence, buckets of blood approach. Quick version: little girl is friends with local retarded man, Bubba. Little girl is found bloodied, mangled and presumed dead. Local rednecks decide Bubba killed her, and set out to seek justice. Bubba hides as a scarecrow in a field but they find and kill him. Turns out the girl was attacked by a dog, she's alive and Bubba saved her. Rednecks cover up the crime, but as Halloween approaches, the scarecrow begins showing up in their fields and picking them off. Is someone out for revenge? Or is something even more sinister going on?

I can't recommend this enough. Charles Durning is in this as the main baddie, and he's fantastic as always. Dark Night Of The Scarecrow was originally released as a made for TV movie in 1981 and has obtained a semi-legendary status among horror fans since. It plays and feels like a full fledged theatrical movie, which is how it was filmed. That's why it still stands up. Quality stuff folks.

2. TrickRTreat
I know I raved about this last year, but it's good enough that I want to remind people to give it a look. An anthology horror film set on Halloween night in a small town that takes it all seriously. The stories in the film all intertwine in interesting ways. Minor characters in one story become the focus of another, and some events are directly affected by others in separate stories. And it's all overseen by a creepy little guy named Sam, the mascot of the movie and keeper of the rules of Halloween. TrickRTreat is tons of fun, with some genuine scares, creepy moments, sick humor and surprises to keep the viewer engaged all the way through.

Thanksgiving:
1.Thankskilling
Man, Thanksgiving horror movies are seriously messed up. You will know whether this movie is
for you or not by the next four word sentence. Talking killer turkey puppet. And that's all you really need to know. Lots of blood and some pretty disgusting slasher style kills...done by a turkey. Too bad a movie to be good, but too stupid not to like.

2. Blood Freak
And you thought Thankskilling was weird. Blood Freak is the story of a young man back in the early seventies who, through a strange series of events winds up working at a turkey farm where two scientists are working on making a bigger turkey for the Thanksgiving season, and also becomes addicted to drugs after being given a super joint by his Christian girlfriend's no good sister. Got that? Doesn't matter, the movie sucks anyway, but I sat through it so the least you could do is read all this.

Now, our recently drugged out friend is forced to taste the genetically engineered birds, and has horrible consequences...he turns into a giant monster turkey! Well, he has a turkey head anyway, but if the producers had more money he'd be a monster. Oh, and the story stops throughout the film to give the director a chance to appear and comment on the action. Anyhoo, it's kinda hard to score drugs when you have a giant turkey head, so the dude becomes a vampire-drinking the blood of other addicts.

Wow this is horrible. But if you like bad movies, or are in the mood for a pro Christian/Anti drug movie with a good amount of gore in it, this is for you. I told ya, Thanksgiving movies are messed up.

Christmas:
1.Christmas Evil (a.k.a. You Better Watch Out)
Okay, cheap exploitative title but this film is better than it sounds, or in fact has any right to be. But then, the same could be said for asparagus, so...

Here's the story of Harry, and he's got a problem dealing with Christmas. As a child he saw something disturbing on Christmas Eve and has had issues ever since. At first, it's small stuff but after a while Harry tries to be the real Santa. He spies on local children, making a list of naughty and nice kids, and delivering them presents accordingly. Well, long story short he has a mental breakdown and bad things happen (to naughty adults, not kids) and it all goes off the rails. A true cult classic, and the favorite Christmas movie of none other than John Waters.

By the way, this movie predates the truly exploitative Santa as slasher movie Silent Night Deadly Night by several years. So if it seems familiar, that's why.

Bonus: Season Of Belief (Tales From The Dark Side t.v. show)
I don't like most Christmas horror movies (a few, but we'll save them for later), but I wanted to share this episode with those who may not be familiar. I saw this as a kid and it scared the hell out of me. In a defensive move, my brain had changed the ending and name of the creature so I couldn't properly recall the experience. I found it on you tube recently and re-watched. Though I know the ending now, and am seeing it through the eyes of a veteran horror movie fan I still like it. Pretty predictable but still kinda cool.

The idea here is that it's Christmas Eve, and this particular family has decided there will be no t.v. for the kids, just a quiet evening. The kids ask for a story, but not a Santa one. So Dad gets the idea of telling them a scary story. On Christmas Eve. Oh, this can't end well. And it doesn't. That's all I'll say about it as any more would be a spoiler for anyone who looks it up. Maybe it's not quite as good as I think it is, but it should be a good watch. Oh, and it's the single greatest "Santa exists" propaganda piece I've ever seen.

So there you have it, the 2010 Halloween movie post, and on time to boot. To the best of my knowledge all of the above features are available on DVD, Netflix, or You Tube. So you should be able to seek out any titles that interest you. If nothing else, see the Scarecrow thing. It's really good.

I'll be back with more stuff.

Outsider

I am thirty-eight years old. I have never fit in. It doesn't matter the situation, whether it's at parties, in the workplace, church groups, extended family, whatever, I almost always feel like I'm outside looking in. Like I don't truly belong.

There's not any one reason I feel this way, if there was then it would create a pattern as to why I feel both distant and alienated. Sometimes I feel as though whatever I do it's not good enough. Sometimes I feel like I'm just not good enough as a person. Because of my inherent weirdness, I'm the kind of person who can be easy to criticize and pick apart. Ultimately I realize that other people's negative opinions don't really mean anything because I know who I am and what they are so I'm usually pretty good at letting insults, rude behavior and idiocy go. However, there's a (decent sized) part of me that is afraid they might be right.

I've learned to accept my different-ness and outsider status. I've even managed to embrace it, and use it as a source of pride in many ways and on many occasions.

But sometimes it still hurts.

To be fair, there are some situations in which I feel at my ease and a full part of things. Obviously at home it's good with my wife and kids, and with my immediate family. I tend to feel pretty good with any of the artistic projects I'm involved with (bands, performing arts and what not) but that's pretty much it.

I know, I know, everyone feels this way from time to time. But I feel like this most of the time. As a teenager, I always clung to the idea that these feelings would somehow all get better when I became an adult. Well, here I am. Is it better? Yeah, a little. But it never goes away.

Hey, all things considered I'm a lucky guy and have no reason to complain. I'm proud of who I am. In fact, there are a lot of times when I'm glad I don't fit in. I just sometimes wish that I could be a little bit more accepted for who I am. Well, maybe accepted is not the word...maybe I'd just like to be a little less misunderstood. And I wish it didn't bother me so damn much.

So the bottom line is that I am proud to be an individual, but I long for approval and, yes, acceptance from a society and people from which I have purposely distanced myself. Not a great place to be. I guess that's why I write. Songs, jokes, blogs, any writing or performing I've ever done has been an attempt to get that approval and bridge the gap. To make me feel like I'm better than me. Probably has something to do with my mother,

Anyway, sorry to put you all through reading that. Just some things I needed to get out and get sorted. Thanks for being my guinea pig/punching bag/shrink and for your patience with my strange ramblings. Movie post next time as promised.

I'm Back

Haven't posted here for a while now. That's mainly because I had too much going on. There have been some things I felt I shouldn't write about-and some others that I wasn't sure I wanted to, but it's time I put something up here. So this is another one of those random posts I do. Here we go.
*****
Can't believe I didn't review the Drive-By Truckers show here yet. For those who wondered, it was really good. Nice mix of songs, 26 of them to be exact, seven from the latest CD and one (possibly two) from the new CD coming next year. There were some nice surprises in the set, like "Road Cases", "72 (This Highway's Mean)", "The Deeper In" and "Love Like This". As with any show there were a few songs I would have liked to hear (doesn't seem right to see DBT and not hear "Sinkhole"), but when a band does that many songs and eight of them are the encore, well, you can't say you didn't get your money's worth.

My only small complaint is that the show slowed down a little too much in the middle (after a hyper-fast version of "Shut Up And Get On The Plane"), oh, and the opening songs could have been flip flopped. Otherwise a great show which is only as it should be.


*****

In other music news, my brother and I are getting closer to letting everyone hear the new band. Music and web stuff is coming soon, but I can reveal the name of the band. We are now called Two Hangmen. Right, because there are two of us.

Here's the concept. We are taking the type of material we've been writing for the past few years and stripping it down to its essence. The two of us. When we record we'll be handling all of the instruments; guitar, bass, percussion, vocals, all of it. As for playing the songs in a live setting, we'll be playing guitar and bass only. We may get a friend to sit in from time to time playing a snare drum behind us. That's right...one drum. And maybe a cymbal. See? Stripping it down.

The music we're making is quite definitely rock, but with an alt-country vibe to it that most people who have heard the songs really seem to like. So we still have some work to do in getting everything to work within this format, but we're excited about it. We won't keep y'all waiting too long. More soon.

*****

Got a nice bonus at work the other day. Came with a very positive review. Things have been a little stressed/nuts/tense around the ol' office lately, so it's nice to get a pat on the back and told how much you're appreciated from time to time. To me, that's more important than the actual bonus. But it was a really good bonus. The family and I are grateful.

*****

As far as the family goes, everyone is healthy and happy, thank God. Money has gotten a little tight here lately, which one would expect with three kids in diapers. We need to tighten the belt a bit for a while, but it could be much worse. Good timing on the bonus thing, huh?

*****

Okay, that's enough for now. It's show/auction week at work and it's one of the most taxing times of the year, so I'm pretty beat. I'll pick this up again this weekend (I hope) with the first of two or more Halloween movie blogs which I know you all look so forward to.

See ya then.

Oh, and happy birthday to Sammy Hagar. Have a shot for me, Sam.

My Daughter The Mimic

I've told a few people these stories, but just in case you haven't heard them here you go.

Tessa is at the age where she repeats/processes/imitates much of what she hears. Most of the time I think I'm pretty good about what I say in front of her. Unless I'm tired or frustrated, then all bets are off.

Here's an example of unfortunate mimicking. One Wednesday I was home with all three kids. Patterson would not stop crying. Really, no matter what I tried it was over 45 minutes of crying-and the boy is loud. Needless to say my patience ran out, and I said to him "Patterson, please stop crying. Just shut up for five minutes." Not the usual tone I take with the kids, but again I said it to him, I didn't yell.

Well, maybe I should have yelled as Tessa heard me say it, and since I said it as calmly as possible, the phrase didn't raise any red flags for her. So a little later on it was nap time. I put her in her room, and the first thing she did was go to her stuffed turtle and say "Shut up Simon. No crying."

Ouch. Way to hurt a guy, Tessa. So then we had to have the whole conversation about how we don't say "shut up" and Daddy made a mistake and all that. So I've tried to be a little more intentional about saying things better, especially to the babies.

Her other mimic moment happened just a few weeks ago. It was early morning and I was trying to get Tessa up and out of bed. In true Brink fashion, she did not want to get out of bed. She was saying stuff like "No Daddy, don't wake me up." Even as I changed her diaper and changed her clothes she was saying "Quit waking me up." She resisted at all opportunities. She refused to move, making her body limp in an attempt to keep me from lifting her. She argued with everything I said, I've never heard the word "no" so many times in a row before.

Being a night person in the mornings is difficult. I'm tired when I wake, have little patience, and one or more things on me hurt. So obviously I lost it.

I picked the girl up and put her over my shoulder to go downstairs to breakfast. I can't remember exactly what I said, but I know that I was yelling at her about her behavior (and yelling at a child to behave is counter productive, I know, but how good are you at 5:30 a.m.)?
I remember yelling "We shouldn't have to do this, Tessa! You need to follow instructions and eat your cereal. Don't mess around in the mornings. I don't want to yell Tessa! I don't like having to do this first thing in the morning!!!"

Well, after breakfast we were getting her dressed for the day. Tessa has a game where she pretends to be a different person in the family and she assigns you another person to be. Sometimes she's Mommy, Melody is Tessa, Mommy is Dora the explorer and Daddy's Patterson. Vivid imagination on that one.

So she says to me "You Tessa and I be Daddy". Well, here's my chance to be a wiseacre. "I'm Tessa?" I asked. "Okay."

I put on my whiniest voice, "Don't wake me up Daddy. Quit waking me up."

She looked me in the face, called up the deepest voice she could muster and said "I don't wanna do this Tessa. I no like to yell Tessa!"

Damn, she got me. And I couldn't do a thing about it because she was right. And it was funny. And I deserved it. But it's still a little embarrassing.

Oh well, at least it's better than that time she yelled "cock" in the library. But only just.

Just Some Stuff

A few random disconnected and disjointed thoughts floating around in my noggin.

-Rams won one today. Doesn't happen too often 'round these parts, so you gotta dig it when it does.

-Kings Of Leon did a make up show here in St. Louis the other night. I heard it was average at best, and kinda short. They also showed up at the Rams game today and were introduced over the P.A. and shown on the big screens. People booed. Made me happy.

- Last football thing: Donovan McNabb needs to put some weight back on. I've seen him play twice this year and it seems that getting skinny has thrown off his balance or something. He's just not himself-and I like the guy. Just, seriously, have some ding-dongs or something. The man looks friggin' gaunt.

-Drive By Truckers are in town on Saturday. Once again I'll be there, this time with Valerie, Derek and Dad all in tow. I finally e-mailed the web site about naming my son Patterson. Maybe there'll be a response (hopefully positive), and maybe not. Either way, I thought I should share.

-Valerie and I had our first official date last night, one with just the two of us, since the babies were born. That was nice, we should do it more often. Went to dinner and a movie. Saw "The Other Guys" with Will Ferrell. Decent flick, pretty funny and a little bit better story than I expected. The best thing about it though is that Michael Keaton is in it. Always good to see that guy pop up in something.
Movies, by the way, have gotten ridiculously expensive in the past year or so since we stopped going. Really makes you do your research before you go.

-Speaking of movies, it's almost October which means horror movies aplenty for me and a blog post for you coming soon.

-Woke up this morning with a charley horse. Leg still hurts, and stairs suck. This used to happen to Valerie a lot. Sorry I didn't take it more seriously.

-Tessa has learned to mock me. More on that next time.

-Only three months til Christmas.

-Haven't mentioned Melody yet so...Melody.

-Read a lot from the second "Bloom County" collection I mentioned here a while back. I read it just before bed with a glass of milk and a snack. Had to stop, started dreaming about Opus and Milo. That's nuts, and a little disturbing.

-I wake up with a different song in my head every day. Last week I had both "The Hustle"by whoever that's by, and "Mmm Mmm Mmm" by the Crash Test Dummies. You tell me which is worse. Mornings suck.

Awright, that's enough. I'll try to get back into the swing of things with this whole blog deal soon.

Long Time No Type

Been a while since I posted anything here. No real reason, just been a little tired at night lately and haven't had the time. I'm here now though, and I suppose the best way to do this is to get random so let's go.

1. Jackie Joyner Kersey came into the store today. Kinda cool. she posed for pictures with people, and upon my telling her about Valerie's love of the Olympics offered to bring back an autographed picture. Nice lady and a class act. Also really tall.

2. My father is on a blues vacation right now, traveling through the Delta from Memphis to Tupelo. He's going to be visiting some cool sites and obviously hearing some good music. A big highlight will be the Robert Johnson museum (located at a crossroads, maybe?) and Stax records if he can fit it in. Sounds pretty cool. Hope he's having a great time.

3. In other family news, my second (?) cousin Ray died last week. I didn't really know him, but family is family. Condolences to all. Rest in peace Ray.

4. Also it appears that my Great Aunt Marguerite isn't doing well, so prayers for her.

5. In happier family news my brother Derek and I are going to be able to reveal the info about our newest band soon. New name, new presentation, some new songs. Same us. Well, three out of four ain't bad. Ha. Seriously though, I'm very excited about this whole thing and I think people will dig it. Watch this space for details.

That's it for now. Back soon.

Labor Day Round Up

I'd mentioned before that I had lots of plans for Labor Day. I also have two twin babies. Therefore, not a lot got done. Here's what I did do, in no particular order.

1. Watched the MDA Telethon. Mostly. Actually, this was the first year in a long time that I slept through at least as much of it as I watched. Again, twins.

2. Got my hair cut. Severely. As promised, I'm conducting an experiment to see if I can get down to two haircuts a year. We'll see. When I cut my hair super short like this, I never fail to be surprised by how German I look. I tend to focus on my Irish heritage, but there's a strong German streak there as well, and right now you can really see it. I'm also still trying to get the beard to look right. When I first got it cut, the beard looked really long, and looked shaggy and unkempt. Not like terrorist levels or anything, but not good. The trouble is, when it gets too short it just looks pathetic. Oh well.

3. Went to the in laws on Saturday for a family get together. Played catch with the kids, by which I mean I caught them as they flew off the elevated slide in Granddad's back yard. Not as easy as it sounds, a little too late on my part and it's flat on the face and crying. We really had to enforce the taking turns rule to the point where I wound up scheduling the order. That was Tessa's fault-in her excitement she went down the slide too early-when I had just caught her cousin Abby, who wound up on her butt and was not happy about it. But she was okay, so it's all good. Also Melody peed on her Aunt, which she will never live down.

4. Went to Vintage Vinyl on Friday night with my brother. Did a little "crate digging" through the used L.P. section. Wound up with four records for ten bucks...not too shabby. It's probably a good thing I don't live very close to Vintage anymore or I'd do nothing but spend money there. Now if I'd only hook up that turntable in the basement I could play 'em. One of those things I meant to accomplish this weekend I'm afraid.

5. Spent time with the family. That's the best thing about actually having a normal weekend off for once. I already feel like I don't get enough family time some days so it's nice to have that. Sure, the kids can drive me crazy when they all act up simultaneously but there's more to it than that, fortunately. Apart from playing with Tessa at her Grandparent's house I took her shopping with me, did a little reading with her and made up some stories together at bed time. I was also able to connect a little more with the babies, even getting Melody to begin repeating sounds after me. So even though it's a lot of work having three kids and they take away a lot of my time and most of my energy, it's all worth it.

So all in all, a good weekend. Back at work tomorrow like the rest of you. Hope it goes well for us all.

Until next time, remember: Don't pick at it, you'll only make it worse.

Seriously...Give

Hope your Labor Day weekend is going well, mine is. Hey, while I've got your attention, how's about we get serious for a few minutes, okay?

As I type this, the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon is on television. Actually, it's the local part, but you know what I mean. Look, we all know that the telethon is the biggest train wreck on t.v. We all cringe at the talent, laugh at the crap production, and long for the days when Lewis was intentionally funny as opposed to the hot mess he is now. And we've all been guilty of tuning out during the testimonials.

But we should be better than that. The tuning out part, I mean, that other stuff is okay. Why do we tune out the hard part? The whole point of the telethon is the stories we hear about the people whose lives are affected by Muscular Dystrophy every day. This is a disease that can and does strike anyone, anywhere, anytime. People's lives get turned upside down all the time. Parents lose their children. Children lose parents. Brothers and sisters are taken away. Slowly. Painfully. And there's still no cure.

That's uncomfortable and scary. And that's why we tune it all out. We, as a whole, don't like to watch that kind of stuff so we don't watch it, we don't think about it and we don't do anything about it. Again, we should be better than that.

Okay, fellow parents, this part's for you. Most of us are used to watching our kids grow stronger every day. We enjoy watching them grow up and become responsible citizens, and carry on as well rounded adults who will one day give us grandchildren and take care of us in our declining years. But what if that wasn't the case? What if our kids were getting weaker? What if we had to sell everything we had to keep them alive? What if we had to watch them die and we were powerless to stop it? Don't you think you'd want someone to listen to your story and help?

Or, how about this...what if you hit your mid fifties and suddenly begin to lose control of your speech and your muscles? What if it's your spouse? Try explaining to a small child that Mommy can't hold her kids anymore and she never will again.

See, MD, in any of its forms, doesn't care about you. It doesn't care how old you are, how rich you are, your gender, your race, if it's your birthday or Christmas or anything. It's not necessarily hereditary, and people don't cause it. If it wants to get you, it will. And there's still no cure.

Feeling scared yet? Feeling guilty yet? You should be. So give a little something why don't you? You don't have to give a lot, even a dollar is welcome. Hey, you see a firefighter throw fifty cents in his boot. Well, make sure he's part of the program and actually taking donations-don't just bum rush the dude. You get the point. Call in during the telethon, or go to http://www.mda.org and give a little something. You'll be doing a good thing and you'll feel good too.

Alright. You may now go back to your Labor Day celebration in whatever form it takes. I'll check back in soon with some lighter stuff. Good night and God bless.

Choppy

The following will be a very choppy and stream-of consciousness type post. Sorry.

So last week we got the twins dedicated at church. The babies did well at the ceremony, nobody cried, everyone stayed awake, it was all good. Pastor Mike dedicated Melody, and Pastor Keith dedicated Patterson. We had Tessa on stage with us, and she was pretty good too. Melody went first, and Tessa was okay with that, but when Keith started with Patterson she got a little upset. "Give him back. Give him back." Very protective, that girl. Fortunately she didn't say it loud enough for anyone to hear her and once she realized that Keith wasn't going to keep Patterson she was fine. In fact, after a while I had to hold her back from getting back up on stage with other families. Wonder where she gets that stage thing from? Hmmm....

Anyway, it was a good ceremony and I'm glad we did it. This is the first step in getting the kids on the right track as far as their spiritual journey goes. So far we've done pretty well with Tessa, she loves going to her Sunday school class, she sings the songs, she prays at dinner and, though I'm sure she doesn't quite understand yet, she knows the terminology and that Jesus is her friend and God loves her. Pretty good for two years old. We may not be perfect in the religion department, but we try to point our kids the right way, and try to get a little better ourselves one day, week, sermon at a time.

Speaking of Pastor Keith Scarborough, he is leaving our church to start a new church plant in the Shaw neighborhood downtown. Keith is a good, genuine guy and has enriched our lives through his sermons and presence at Morning Star church. His attitude and sense of humor are some of the reasons I was drawn to this church to begin with. He will be missed, but I'm sure he will find success in his new church. I'm going to try to attend and possibly volunteer once they open in January, but we'll see what form that may take. Anyway, like I said, Keith's a stand-up guy, so give him a prayer if you're so inclined.

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This coming weekend is Labor Day, and all that entails. More on that later, but I'll mention now that I actually have all three days off this year. Doesn't happen much so I'm excited. Among the plans I'm making for the weekend is getting a hair cut. The plan now is to get on the twice-a-year plan. So I'll be getting a cut on Labor Day and St. Patrick's Day each year. Partially because it's easy to remember, but also because it might make for some funny cuts in March after celebrating all day. But, once again, that's the plan now. We'll see what happens when I get in the chair, I may wuss out and not go that short. It also may not work depending on how short I go and how quick the hair grows, but I'm going to try it. So if I look like a total freak for a while, you know why.

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I've been watching Man V. Food all night. I kinda feel full, and really want a steak. Weird.

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Funny thing from work.

I work with a guy named Norm (and I only use his real name because a.)this is funny and b.) I'm pretty sure he would want credit for the line. Anyway, the thing about Norm is that he's not afraid to tell you when he doesn't like doing something, even if you're the customer. So the other day a customer walks in with a book of stamps, and Norm is, reluctantly, the stamp guy.

Norm: Welcome, may I help you?

Customer: I have a book of stamps with me that have been sitting in my parent's house and haven't seen the light of day for fifty years.

Norm: Jesus, I wish you'd have said "seventy", 'cause that would be twenty years from now.

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So that's about it lately. Been playing with my new iTouch a bit, that's fun. Listening to a lot of Rush and the new Iron Maiden CD, "The Final Frontier". About 4 out of 5 Daves for those who care-the first half is very good, and three of the others are top notch as well, and the whole thing is leaps and bounds ahead of the last record, so I like it. There's your quick review. Probably my quickest ever. Neat. Also still working with my brother on getting the next version of our band together. More on that story as it develops.

Alright, see you all soon. And remember kids, if you don't eat your meat you can't have any pudding. (How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?)

Rush in STL

"So this is where that pigeon thing happened, right? Well I just want to let you know...No matter how many pigeons shit on him (gestures towards Alex) we're not gonna stop.-Geddy Lee 8/22/10 St. Louis MO.


Last night I went to the Rush concert here in St. Louis with my brother Derek and good friend Tim. Also found out another old friend Jim was there too, he called me tonight to see if I'd gone and we caught up a bit which was nice. Anyway, this was my 11th rush show and, though not my favorite, certainly among the best.

In an unusual move, the band is touring without a new CD, although they did play two new songs to whet the appetite of the loyal fan base for next year's new release. So with little new material to focus on, Rush freed themselves up to play whatever they wanted from their 30+years in the business. The tour's name and concept is "The Time Machine", a clever way to mix songs of the present past and future into an entertaining package.

As always, the band were firing on all cylinders last night, proving themselves to be consummate musicians, and making it all look easy. Geddy Lee (bassist, keyboards and vocalist) was in top form. Though his voice is beginning to show its age (can't quite hit all those high notes anymore), it is still quite strong, and his skills as a player are still phenomenal. A very energetic performance from Geddy as well. And then, of course, there is the man widely believed to be the greatest drummer in the world, Neil Peart. Even on a night when Neil's not 100% he's still better than just about anybody else out there. This is arguably the best rhythm section in all of rock (only Baker/Bruce and Entwhistle/Moon come anywhere close).

This leaves the other member of the band, Alex Lifeson is often overshadowed by his band mates, making him one of the most underrated guitarists ever. Alex isn't your standard shredder, but he plays with a lot of heart, and is more about feel and texture than multiple rapid notes. However, when he does let loose it's absolutely fantastic, as anyone who witnessed his solo on show ender "Working Man" last night will confirm.

As for the show, the focus was on Rush's most popular album "Moving Pictures" which they performed front to back. Every song on that record can be considered a classic (even the ones I'm not crazy about). Though for me, the real treats were in the first set when the band played little heard and overlooked gems "Presto", one of my personal faves, and "Marathon". It was also nice to see some songs return to the set that had been given a rest for the past few tours like "Time Stand Siill", "Closer To The Heart" and "Stick It Out". I did think the first set could have flowed a little better, but the songs were all good ones, so no real complaint there.

Visually, this tour is stunning as always. They may have gotten rid of the lasers but the lights, pyro, fire and video all added their own special magic to the evening. Speaking of video, these pieces are getting more and more involved and elaborate each tour. Rush have used video projections for years, but now with two sets a night, they are taking full advantage of the medium. They are even going so far as to make goofy little movies starring the band as different characters, giving the boys a chance to ham it up a little. Sure, it;s kinda silly and they could probably do away with them and play another song or two. But these silly movies make the evening a little more special, and tend to make the audience feel more connected to the band-and that connection is what this whole music thing's about right?

Other than a few sound problems first set (overly tinny, a few slight drop outs) this show was about as close to perfect as you can get. Rush is still one of the best bands going. Can't wait for the new CD and the 2011 tour.

P.S.- To those expecting a dedication post, I'll cover it next time.
-Dave

My All Time Favorite

I have done three different drafts of a new post this week and haven't been happy with any of them. Stink city, man. So I've decided to scrap it entirely and share with you my all time favorite commercial instead. Enjoy!

An Open Letter To Missouri Voters

Dear Missouri voters,

I have always been a proud Missourian. I have defended this state to those who want to write it off as being second rate in regards to its culture and its citizens. I have long sung praises of the beauty of our state. The wildlife, rivers and scenic areas are among the best in the country. It is clear to even the most casual of observers that Missouri is a great sports state. We have top notch Universities and hospitals, and our contributions to the arts are many and varied. I have always felt it an honor and my privilege to call myself a citizen of the state of Missouri.

But no more.

While I can't pretend I am surprised, I am deeply saddened and angered by the approval of Proposition C. The fact that it passed by such an overwhelmingly large number is just alarming. Embarrassing, actually. I am dismayed to know that there are that many selfish, backward, uneducated people in our midst.

As mentioned in my last post, the approval of Prop. C sends the message that we Missourians wouldn't know progress if it came up and bit us. But beyond that, it's just hard for me to believe that there are so many calloused, insensitive and heartless people out there who would deny helping their fellow man. For a party who claims to be the choice of Christianity, the Republicans have really dropped the ball here. I have no problem seeing my money go towards helping other people, but that seems to be what it boils down to for the other side. It just goes to prove the stereotype that all Republicans care about is money. Their own money, not yours or mine. And to see Roy Blunt on television claiming this victory to be the first step in securing freedom for future generations...well, it just made me sick. I actually yelled at the television and suggested he dine on something very rude indeed.

Now, you may be wondering why this upsets me so. Believe it or not, it has nothing to do with party loyalty. In fact, the Democrats have passed an incredibly stupid tax law which we'll explore at a later date. My reasoning for supporting national health care is simple. I believe it makes sense, and I am directly affected. I have a lump in my lung that, thank God, has not tested to be cancerous. But it needs to be monitored just in case. Which means it could turn cancerous at some point. It's unlikely but it could happen. The problem is that due to my job, my insurance has changed three times in five years. "Lumpy" is now a pre-existing condition and not covered by any insurance. Therefore, if I am to continue with the tests that my doctor ordered I have to pay for them myself. I don't know about you, but I don't have $3000.00 every third month to get the tests done. Nationalized health care is my only hope. So this is not just another issue to argue about for me. It's personal.

So, yeah, I'm angry with my fellow Missourians, but this is just the last straw. I've put up with the personal property tax, exclusive to this state. I have lived with the concealed carry law though it makes me uncomfortable. Most of the gun owners I know are fairly responsible, but I'm still a little nervous, even around them. And now people are trying to deny me cancer tests. It's just about as much idiocy as I can take.

The only upside I see is that federal law trumps state law, and there's barely a snowball's chance for this cockamamie idea to succeed. If it does...well, in a few years my family and I are going to need to move to a bigger house in a less expensive neighborhood, and Illinois may well be in the running.

Regretfully yours,
Dave

P.S. I have altered some settings on my blog, and it should be easier to comment now. Bring it.

P.P.S. I promise to return to all the family stuff and general goofiness next time.

Late Post/Pre Primary

I meant to put this up yesterday, but didn't finish in time. Better late than never though, right?

So tomorrow (or today, whenever you read this) is the Primary election. Apart from the local races, the main issue on the ballot here in Missouri is Proposition C. For those who may still be unfamiliar, if this thing passes (which, sadly, I believe it will) Missourians will be allowed to opt out of National health care. Sounds vaguely harmless on the surface, but let's take a closer look.

First of all, anyone who thinks they're voting against the National health care bill ( I refuse to call it "Obamacare"-how insulting. This idea dated back to Teddy Roosevelt, you know.). If you think that's what's happening here, you're barking up the wrong tree.

As it stands now, the proposition would allow individuals not to participate in the National health care program, which is only a step away from the entire state not participating. I really think that's the real goal here. The supporters of Prop. C want to be able to say after the elections that their victory proves that the state doesn't want to be included in the health care program. They will then begin the process of opting out entirely. And that's where it gets dangerous.

You see, the real issue these people are putting forth is state rights vs. national rights. Now, we all know that Federal law trumps State law, but with enough appeals there can be exceptions. That, my friends, is what we call bad news. It's also embarrassing as it makes our state look like backwards hicks who wouldn't know progress if it came up and bit us.

But here's the really scary thing...it's not just Missouri. There are I believe ten other states trying to get around National health care as well. You know, the last time a bunch of states got a bug up their butts and decided that they weren't going to follow Federal laws a little thing called the "War Between the States" broke out. That's right folks, the good ol' Civil War (a true oxymoron if there ever was one).

Okay, it sounds a bit absurd, but don't be so quick to laugh. The divides in this country are growing deeper. The line between the haves and have-nots is getting wider. Politics are tearing apart our society. Tensions have not been so high since the Sixties (Kent State, anyone?), it's getting to the point where it's almost impossible to have a discussion with someone from the other side without it degenerating into a shouting match strewn with insults. Most people can't form a political opinion on their own, they need the yakkin' heads from Fox News or CNN or wherever to do it for them. Racism is just as prevalent as ever, and in my eyes seems to be getting worse (Hi Arizona!). And all this without even taking the Teabaggers into consideration. It's getting bleak out there, folks.

You know, I've actually been hearing talk from overseas for years now about the civil war they believe is brewing in this country. Well, I watch BBC World News a lot, whaddya want? Anyway, I'm beginning to think they might be right. I mean, there's been a lot of civil wars throughout history, we're just such a baby country we've only had one and don't see the signs. I always thought that if we had another civil war it'd be based on race, or maybe class, but maybe it'll be purely political. I don't know.

All right, I realise that this got a little nuts and far-fetched, but it's something to think about.

Okay, bottom line time. Apart from the whole State/Fed thing, voting for Proposition C is just plain irresponsible. National health care is law, it will happen. Choosing to opt out is cowardly and shameful...either we're all in or we're all out. And keep in mind, Proposition C has been brought to you by the Conservatives. You know, the "America...Love It Or Leave It" crowd. Apparently they're not loving it right now, so by their own logic...well, I'm just sayin'.

Keep all this in mind, but remember it's just my opinion. Vote your heart, vote your conscience. Just vote. It's the right thing to do no matter which side you're on.

God bless America.

Kings Of Lame

So by now most everyone knows about the debacle over the weekend at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. Kings Of Leon performed three songs of their set and abruptly walked off stage. The official reason given was that the band felt the conditions were too unsanitary to continue. Apparently there are currently pigeons living up in the rafters and one of them pooped in the bass player's mouth. Maybe the bird just thought the band sucked, I don't know. But I do know a lame excuse when I hear one. I call shenanigans.

First of all, I've never seen any other band stop a show on account of bird poop. If you play outside, you take that risk. You risk bugs flying into your mouth, right? So it's not a big leap to bird poop. And it's not like this is the first person who's had this happen. Most famously, Cyndi Lauper got a mouthful at an outdoor show...and she kept singing. She finished the show. So the bass player from KOL gets hit and can't continue? What, no Listerine backstage? Wash it out, man up and get back out there.

Oh, and stop blaming the venue. Hey, it's my home venue and I hate it as much as anyone. Yet I don't blame them for nature. They can only do so much to control the birds, it's illegal in most places to spread poison or shoot 'em, so the venue has to do what it can in other ways. Blaming the venue for pigeons is just as dumb as blaming them for wind, rain, or temperature change. Hey, if the concert was cancelled due to rain, because equipment was shorting out and the risk of being electrocuted was high, most people wouldn't complain. But that's not what this is.

Another possible reason sighted for the cancellation was the heat. You remember I mentioned the stifling heat a week before in Chicago at the Iron Maiden concert. Apparently it was the same story here, as on the very same night Mike Campbell from Tom Petty's band suffered heat related illness. He is reported to have played the last three songs of the main set sitting down. There was a rather long pause in the show, and Petty himself came out to tell the crowd that Campbell was ill but to hand in there and they'd try to do some more. Ten minutes later, Campbell, Petty and company came back out for what was by all accounts a high energy rocking encore. So, um, I'm guessing the heat wasn't it.

So I've deduced two things from this whole situation. Neither of these excuses hold much water. Granted, no-one wants to be pooped on, and I certainly wouldn't wish it on anyone, but c'mon. This sounds to me like a band who didn't want to put on a show that night so they found an excuse not to perform. Very W. Axl Rose, but that's not a compliment. This also illustrates how lame rock fans have become...when Axl walked off stage there were riots, now people just wait for their refund...but that's a different story.

The other logical conclusion is that Kings Of Leon are a bunch of wussies. Dudes, Cyndi Lauper and Tom Petty's guitar player are both tougher than you. That is so not cool, and I like those two artists. But come on, you're one of the biggest rock band out there. Earn it. Look, I enjoyed the latest KOL album, and liked their first two even more, Aha Shake Heartbreak particularly. So I've got no real problem with them musically (they could be a little less dirty, but whatever).

I just think that a rock band should act like one. You've embarrassed yourself here guys, by acting like Diva rock stars instead of the dirty, groove laden, sex and party rockers you've made yourself out to be. You've killed the image. The music stinks of grit and sweat...but this act stinks of dishonesty. And that smells worse than pigeon poop any day.

Wow, I didn't even go to this show and I'm this ticked off about it. I also spent way too much time on it, I was going to touch on a few more things in this post, but I guess they'll wait for next time. See you all soon.

Non-Reading List

Last post I mentioned that I received a new graphic novel for my birthday, and would read and review it soon. That is, assuming I finish it. I've had a habit lately of starting books and never finishing them. We all have that experience of course, but it's happened with almost everything I've tried reading this past year. I think the only book I actually finished was "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess, but it's short so that might be why. Not having ever seen the movie (just a few scenes and pop culture references) it was a difficult read, the slang that seems fairly straightforward on film is hard to decipher in print. Then when I did work out what's being said...well, I sometimes wished I didn't as it's usually quite nasty. I understand the movie leaves out the entire last chapter, as did the original American book release, so fans of the film would be advised to seek it out as it pretty much puts a whole different perspective on the work as a whole.

But I digress. The point is I currently have three books on my nightstand in varying degrees of completion. I hope to finish at least two of them someday soon. Say, this year. Here is a list of the books and my reasons/excuses for not finishing them.

1. "And Another Thing" by Eoin Colfer

This is an attempt to keep the "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" series going after the author, Douglas Adams, died. Mr. Colfer was a friend of the late author, and does have a similar writing style. The problem here is that he's trying too hard. There are some interesting ideas and some decent laughs, but there are problems too. The technical stuff, for example, is too technical and lost me. There was always a little bit of that in the original series, but here it's too much. Also, of the aforementioned good ideas, there are too many. Way too much going on here. It's nice to have some sub-plots and bring back beloved minor characters but this is overkill. I do want to read it to the end but my patience is waning.

2. "Catch 22" by Joseph Heller

I know, it's a classic. But see, I have this weird thing about books where I actually want something to HAPPEN. I'm about halfway through, and so far it's just been descriptions of enlisted men being driven crazy by war, and the certifiable idiot nut-bags who put them there. Quite a revolutionary idea for a book when first published, but now it just tells us what we already know. It has been quite funny, I'll grant you, but I'm yearning for a story here, and there are way too many characters involved-I have no idea who's supposed to be important and who's just in the book to provide comic fodder for a few set pieces. Maybe I just haven't read far enough, but it's just becoming tedious. I never saw the movie here either, so no comparison to be made there. But since there is a movie something's bound to happen, right? I mean, they don't make movies with no plot...well, "Lost In Translation" but otherwise...

3. "Watchmen" by Alan Moore

Okay, this I like and am not disappointed by in the least. It's just that this thing is so dense. It's the weightiest graphic novel ever published. Calling it a graphic novel is limiting, though. The scope is far bigger than your average comic, and after every chapter there are multiple pages of text. The film, though great in it's own way, doesn't do justice to the source material, even as faithful as it is. It couldn't. So I'm very interested in it, but it's really a chore to read-though I mean that in a good way. The book requires commitment as there are so many layers. I literally feel tired after each chapter, though no less intrigued. Plus I want to know what the deal is with that squid.

So that's where I'm at with reading stuff. Not sure if anybody cares or not, but there you go.

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On a completely unrelated note, look for a posting soon about a new tax law that has the potential to cripple the business I'm in (probably won't, but could). I don't quite have enough information to mention much now, therefore it would be irresponsible of me to do so.

I'm actually thinking about starting up a separate blog dealing with social/political issues where I can rant freely about what's going on in the news and how it affects my life...and yours too. So maybe that post I referred to will show up in a new thing. Haven't got a title for it yet or a clear direction, but it's something I've been working on for a while now. Then I can have two blogs, and maybe more than eight people will start reading my stuff. I'll keep you posted.

Stay thirsty my friends.

Birthday Weekend

This post is a little late, but this is the first chance I've had to sit and type.

Last weekend was my birthday weekend. The celebration was two fold.

Saturday night we had the entire family (both sides) out to the house for some grilled meats, cake, ice cream and good old fashioned family bonding. So basically we ate a lot and passed babies around. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, which is a nice compliment for yours truly. It was made known that I'm saving up for an ipod itouch, and donations would be appreciated. The gifts received were generous. Also got a graphic novel from my sister in law Elizabeth which I haven't read yet but will review here as soon as I get it done.

Then on Sunday (my actual birthday), I went on a road trip to Chicago with my brother to see the mighty Iron Maiden in concert. I've been a fan of the band since I was in 5th grade, 1983. My first Maiden concert was in 1988 (how'd that take so long?) and they are one of those bands that I'll see any chance I get, and I will buy any new release of theirs with no hesitation. Actually, I will buy pretty much anything with the words "Iron" and "Maiden" on it. Over the years I've had at least 12 t-shirts, multiple posters, at least 2 hats, a wallet, a jacket, buttons, books, and of course all of their albums on LP, cassette, CD and I even a downloaded song (something I almost never do). Iron Maiden is one of those bands that inspire fierce loyalty in their fans. Either you get it or you don't and it's okay if you don't. It just adds to our enjoyment.

So to see one of my all time favorite bands on my birthday was pretty cool. Although the weather was really hot. I mean, like, unbearably so, and I like hot Summer days. I don't even mind humidity...but this was just nuts. It was hot and sticky in the late afternoon/early evening, and when the sun went down, it got worse. As much as I love Maiden, about halfway through the show I just wanted to sit down and stop for a while. I couldn't help but notice that the band took slightly longer breaks in between songs as well, which meant singer Bruce Dickinson got to ramble on about whatever the hell it was he was talking about, I'm still not sure. I think the guys just needed to cool off for a few minutes.

The heat did nothing to decrease the performances, however. The band has just as much power and passion as they've ever had. In fact, I believe they sound better now than ever. These guys are full of energy as well. Dickinson, for example, is 51 and leaps about the stage, jumping all over the ramps and risers with an energy that rivals that of entertainers in their twenties. Steve Harris (bass) was all over the stage as well, and the rest of the band were all on top of their game.

Many have commented that the set list for this tour is too heavy on the newer material. Granted, it would have been great to hear some more of the classics, but the newer material is still top notch, and when delivered as well as it was, it's hard to argue with the decision. As with any band, every fan has songs they want to hear, and if I had my druthers I probably would have dropped two or three for some older songs as well. But I give credit to the band for sticking to their guns and doing sop much new stuff. Again, lots of old school fans are complaining, but as a fellow fan, I can't in good conscience do the same. I still follow the band, and am familiar with all the songs, because that's what a fan does. Otherwise, you're just a poser, and there's no room in my world for that.

One other brief point (too late!), the fan base for Iron Maiden seems to be getting steadily younger. I noticed lots of young teenagers at the show, at least 10 of them in the rows behind and in front of us. Youngsters rocking out next to receding hairlines and beer guts. That's pretty cool.

As for the rest of the trip, we stayed at a fairly nice Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Tinley Park. We ate at Rosie's diner just outside of Mokena Il. and had some really good hot dogs in a cool little neighborhood diner. The pickle made the dog. On the way back we saw pigs in a truck, an antique mall with a bunch of crazy crap on the lawn (pink elephant + spaceship = awesome), and laughed out loud about the Senator Paul Simon Freeway sign-it has a bow tie! A little rain and a little construction, but we made good time.

So, all in all, a great weekend. I got a little dehydrated at the show, my feet hurt for two days and I came home tired but it was all worth it. Thanks to everyone who came to the party. Thanks to my brother Derek for coming along. Big thanks to Valerie for letting me go and staying back with the twins. You're the best.

Up The Irons!

P.S.: Also on the bill was prog-metal band Dream Theater. One of my favorites from the early 90's, I stopped following them around 2003 or so, because I felt the material was getting weaker. Really good set though, makes me think I should check out some of what I missed.

Checking In

Wow, can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. Sorry. I've been super-busy and super tired which is not the greatest of combinations. Now let's catch up.



So yesterday was the 4th of July. We played "Stranglehold" til the stereo couldn't take no more of that rock and roll so we put on a little George Jones and just sang along. Shooter Jennings reference. Sounded cool though, didn't it?

Actually I had a really relaxed Fourth. After church the babies went to sleep and Valerie got to go run some errands by herself, which is a luxury these days. I stayed in the basement all afternoon watching the new documentary DVD on awesome Canadian band Rush, and finishing up another difficult to take movie by Brazilian director Mojica Martens. I mentioned his movies in the last post and while I still can't recommend them, I am strangely drawn to them, though fairly repulsed as well. Anyway, after all that, I decided to actually do something fairly patriotic (and St. Louis specific) and grilled us up some pork steaks. Mmm-mmm. That's good eatin'. Then we watched some fireworks from the window at our back porch (we can see like three different displays from there), and called it an early night.

Last Wednesday Valerie and I took Tessa for her first trip to the zoo. Overall, we had a really good time. There were a few temper moments, but she's two so that's forgivable. Tessa loved the children's zoo (natch), where she got to brush the baby goats...and a really big one, too. She had fun on the carousel, watching the penguins, seeing the elephants and hippos, and of course, riding the zooline railroad. There were a few moments that bothered her, mostly walking into dark exhibits. I had to carry her into the penguin house ("I scared, Daddy.), but once she saw those goofy little guys splash in the water she couldn't get enough. Tessa also clung tight to Daddy in the tunnels during our train ride, but she enjoyed it. Unfortunately we weren't able to see all of the animals-we had to leave about 1:00 for nap time. So the giraffes, monkeys and crocodiles will have to wait until next time.

So, what else? Let's see, my brother and I have begun dipping our toes into the waters of being a band again. We've only had one rehearsal going over the Blue Tattoo stuff, but it sounded pretty good. We're still a little ways from figuring out where to take things next, but a few more rehearsals/meetings should help things along. Things could get exciting again soon. Watch this space.

I guess the only other major thing that happened was Father's Day. I got my cake, as well as some books. One was "The Barbecue Bible" by Steven Raichlen is basically a giant recipe book with some good ideas from across the globe. A little too involved for my tastes-I like simplicity on the grill, but still interesting and with some good information that should keep me inspired and grilling for some time.

I also got the first two volumes of "The Complete Bloom County" by Berke Breathed. "Bloom County" was my favorite comic strip during its run. I've really missed it since it went away. Not for its political stance-that stuff gets dated. In fact, there are notes in the side columns of the books to explain who some of the people referenced in the strip are. Contrary to popular belief Bloom county wasn't really a liberal strip-it was satire and during the 80's conservatives were in power so that's what got spoofed. But the strip also poked fun at the media and culture of the time. Every fad and social trend worth its weight, from Heavy Metal bands to T.V. Evangelists to yuppies and plastic surgery was sent up in Bloom County. Sure, the dialogue was biting and the tone sometimes dark. Yet there was also an essential sweetness to the strip, an innocence and optimism found in characters like Opus and Binkley that seemed to ground the strip and make the reader feel that, anxiety closets filled or not, somehow we'll all get through this mess all right. Many of these qualities really came through in the later years, but it's fun reading the early stuff just the same. Sorry to ramble about a friggin' cartoon but reading this stuff is kind of like getting a letter from an old friend. That's what good art can do for you. Even if it's about a talking penguin and a cat who barfs a lot.

Alright, gotta go. Need to get some sleep. See ya real soon.

Just Keeping Myself Entertained

Trying a new template for the ol' blog. Should be a little easier on the eyes, hope you like it. Now here's a few thoughts floating around my noggin. In list form.

1. Been watching the World Cup, and following Team USA. It's been a heckuva ride the last few games. Today's was super important as it was do or die time-either we go through to the first round of finals or go home. After yet another disallowed goal early in the game, it appeared as though we may go home as our main competitor, England, was leading in their match 1-0. If they won and we lost we'd go bye-bye. So the pressure and play continued with many goal attempts slipping through our hands...er, feet. So, in the four minutes of additional play, the winning goal was scored in a moment of pure joy for the US and their supporters. One of the best games I've seen for a long time and a good argument for soccer in a country that has never really embraced it.

Also, it was more exciting than the past 3 Rams seasons combined, so yay.

2. I've been listening to a lot of Rockabilly music the last few days. I mean, like an inordinate amount. Enough to wonder what I'd look like with a pompadour. The answer, of course, is like crap. Besides probably not having the hair for it, I'm not getting rid of the beard. And beards don't mix with pomps. Occasionally you'll see it, but it's never good. Yeesh.

Still, lots of good music though. Rockabilly, for those who might not know the term, is a distinctly American art form, created in the American South in the mid-late 50's. It's a blend of rock and roll, country, blues, hillbilly and R&B music by a bunch of troublemaker white youth with lots of time on their hands and little money in their pocket. Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash all played rockabilly in their early careers. Other names you may know are Gene Vincent, Wanda Jackson (she rules!) and Eddie Cochran. The tradition survives with artists like Brian Setzer and the Stray Cats, The Reverend Horton Heat, and to a lesser extent Social Distortion. There is also the "Psychobilly" movement featuring bands like The Cramps, Tiger Army, Horrorprops and Sick City Daggers which combines the music form with punk rock and Gothic, horror movie lyrics, often graphic ones at that. I'm not 100% sure where this offshoot came from or why, but it can be fun if you're in the right mood.

I've come to like Rockabilly a lot in the last 5 years or so. and always thought we should throw in a little bit of that flavor into Blue Tattoo. With the previous line up it would've been hard, but it would have fit in with my original ideas for the band quite well.

3.Speaking of Blue Tattoo, my brother and I are just beginning to try and figure out what the next step will be. Obviously I've had some settling in to do with the twins, but it's about time we addressed the issue. Not sure if we'll reform the band with new guys and the same name or if we'll just do a Brink Brothers project or what. Anyway, I hope we'll start something here over the summer, so stay tuned.

4. I forgot how much I like cherries. Had some the other day-delicious.

5. June is "Grindhouse" month on IFC cable. No, they're not showing the Tarantino/Rodriguez film from a few years ago all month long (most people completely misunderstood that by the way, which is too bad 'cause it was awesome). What it means is they're showing lots of low budget movies from the late 60s-early 80s, also known as exploitation films. Most of them were made on a shoestring budget by the same pool of directors and talent(?), they made several a year in almost assembly line fashion for the drive ins and seedy small movie houses. In other words, they would grind them out, hence the name.

Most of these films tended to be horror, though there were a lot of motorcycle gang pictures, car chase films, drug based movies and sexual driven movies as well. Sometimes, it was all of these in one. They were trashy, silly, funny, scary, disgusting, often torturous to sit through...and I love them. Some of the most incredible things ever put on film were in these pictures. It's not stuff you'd necessarily discuss in front of your grandma, or the in-laws (hi there!), but if you're just warped enough...and I am...they can be the most fun you'll ever have at the movies.

Having said that, IFC is currently running a series of Brazilian director Jose Marines's movies. Last night's film was a horror/ sexploitaton/ drugsploitation/ pseudodocumentary in Portugese with English subtitles, and a poor translation at that. It made my brain hurt. I do not recommend these films to anyone. There's another one on tonight. At midnight. And that, friends, is why God made DV-Rs. Because I'm crazy enough to submit myself to this drivel. You shouldn't. Don't be a hero, just watch "Raymond" reruns and go to bed. Your brain will thank me.

Okay, that's it, I've rambled too long about nothing as is. Next time I'll try to have a point. But don't bet on it. See ya, hep cats! ...What?

More Ramblin'

Okay, so I've been telling people for the last few weeks that having twins isn't necessarily harder than one...it's just that there are two of them.

I hereby retract that statement.

Having two babies is harder than one. Much harder. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and wouldn't trade them for the world...but it ain't easy.

Some of the difficulty is just the impact it makes upon your time. Throughout the day, the babies need to eat about every three hours or so. After the feeding, some play time and getting them back to sleep it's only about an hour or so with the kids asleep. If, that is, they sleep. These children seem to have it in their heads that they don't need to sleep, so since they're awake they might as well eat. Then they eat too much and puke.

Overnights are hard too. Any time a person sleeps in shifts it's difficult. On a good night, and there have been some, the twins go to sleep around 11:00, wake up about 1:30 and feed for an hour, then are back up at 5:30/6:00 for the day. On a bad night, and there have been some, the schedule goes right out of the window. Just a few days ago they woke up at 2:30. Patterson was asleep by 3:00. Melody cried and screamed and stayed awake until 5:30. That's all A.M., people.

If we're lucky only one is awake at a time. Often, though, both babies are awake at the same time. And they both want to be held. They want to eat. They need to be changed. All at the same time. And they will tell you this, oh yes. At the top of their lungs they will tell you, and for such little people they have huge voices (especially Patterson...he's got a future in hardcore metal/punk once his voice changes).

And that's when it happens. Sleep deprivation has set in, two babies are screaming in your ears and you're trying to satisfy them both, they've conveniently waited until you're on your own, the phone is ringing and the dog needs to go out. You've tried the binkies, the swing, the pack-n-play, the vibrating chair, singing, nothing works. Then you snap a little. Just a little, but enough.

I was literally holding my babies, saying comforting things, while screaming back at them. "YOU'RE FINE!!! THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU! YOU'RE NOT STARVING! NOW TAKE THE BINKY AND STOP CRYING!!! Daddy loves you."

Which, of course, works about as well as putting a band-aid over the gushing oil in the Gulf.

Speaking of, I guess this disaster closes the book on the whole offshore drilling debate, right?

Oh, and by the way, anybody out there who is boycotting BP has got the wrong idea. Well, the idea is okay but it's a flawed one. First of all, most BP stations are franchised and not actually owned by BP. This is especially true in Missouri where none of the BP stations are owned by BP, and their product doesn't come from BP wells. However, such is the convoluted nature of the oil business, other filling stations do use BP oil, so you could go to a Shell or QT or whatever, and still give BP your money.

Also, BP has accepted responsibility and set up a fund to help pay claims of affected families and businesses. If we stop giving them money they will run out of money (they're going to be hemorrhaging it soon with all this). So if they don't pay for it we will. So buy your gas wherever and just pray that this comes to an end quickly.

One more thing, I like that Obama said on national T.V. that he was going to kick somone's ass over this. I'd like to think John Wayne would have said the same thing. That's just a neat thought.

Alright, it's time to feed the kids and practice my vuvuzela. Bye.

Ramblin' on and on

Haven't posted for a while so here's a bunch of stuff from my head to your eyes. No real rhyme or reason to this, just getting stuff down.

So the babies are home. It's been going pretty well, all things considered. They both have a little sickness, especially Melody with her double ear infection. Otherwise lots of sleeping, crying and pooping. Actually, the sleeping isn't quite where it needs to be. We're still trying to get the kids down to one feeding overnight, they currently get to bed about 11 and wake up at 2 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., or thereabouts. One of those has got to go-preferably the latter. At least they're basically on the same schedule, so it could be worse.

I'm currently watching a special on channel 9 on the "Great American Songbook". They just sang the song "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody". Caught my attention, but Melody slept through it. Earlier I watched a documentary on axes. Sunday T.V. is weird.

Valerie is looking quite good lately-giving birth is a fantastic weight loss program. I need to lose a lot of weight too. My lunch today was a braunschweiger and provolone sandwich with a side of Chips Ahoy. So I've clearly stopped caring what I put into my body, therefore the weight loss thing is a good idea. Too bad I hate exercise. Sooner or later I'll have to start chasing 3 kids around, I wonder if that counts.

Bought some new music recently. Here's some quick thoughts.

Stone Temple Pilots-self titled.
STP's first release in almost 10 years. Sounds good, great performances. Good songs, but not necessarily memorable ones. Scott Wieland's voice is chameleonic as ever-he does a great Bowie. It's been in constant rotation since I got it. Worth having, and grows on you a little each time you hear it. 4 out of 5 Daves.

Hank Williams III-The Rebel Within
I want to like this, I really do. There are some really good country songs here. So why does it put me to sleep? Seriously, I can't listen to this while I drive. This CD is the sound of a musician going through the motions. Not with the writing, but the performances. Everyone involved sounds like they were on quaaludes. Also, the metal screaming thing shows up here once or twice, and while it's worked for him in the past it sounds out of place here. This was made for i-tunes as the songs aren't bad, but the overall package is a bummer. 2 1/2 Daves.

The Black Keys-Brothers
The Black Keys play music that combines delta blues, indie rock, R&B and pop all while sounding as if they're playing through six inches of mud. Oh, and there are only two guys in the band, so this is what the White Stripes would sound like if they didn't suck. Early contender for CD of the year, the only real flaw is it's a little too long, and there's some goofy falsetto on a few songs. 4/12 Daves.

Speaking of goofy, Patterson gets this big dumb goofy grin on his face when he is content. It's funny and super cute. The babies are starting to get personalities and we are starting to see them come out in little ways. Melody still mostly screams and Patterson still mostly sleeps but they're getting there.

Sorry for rambling. Sorry if this was awful but it's all I've got right now. Be good, be safe, and don't let the zombies get ya.

Finally...The Twins Blog Post

On May 17th 2010 we welcomed two new members into our family, Patterson David and Melody Kathryn Brink. Both were 20 inches long with Patterson weighing in at 7.10 oz. and Melody at 7.13 oz. That's huge for twins. fortunately they were both born healthy, happy, and with the appropriate number of fingers and toes. And they're cute too. Here, have a look:

And a few close ups:

Melody

Patterson

Unfortunately I don't have a decent pic of the babies with big sister Tessa yet. Part of the reason behind this is because she came down with bronchitis a few days before they came home. Major bummer. On top of that, I've been sick since Saturday. 'Nother bummer. Hence the delay in getting this all posted-today is the first day I've been able to look at the screen for more than three minutes without my head wanting to explode.

Tessa is doing very well with the twins. She tells them she loves them, hugs and kisses them and gives them their binkies. She also randomly takes the binkies away...but that's probably just good practice for big sisterhood later on.

As for the twins themselves, they're very good babies. They're not quite on a schedule yet (not a predictable one anyway), and they tend to wake each other up a lot. Patterson sleeps like a rock. Melody seldom sleeps. But they're both adorable and getting more active daily. It's quite hectic here at the Brink household, but it's all positive and will be well worth it in the end (y'know, when the kids are taking care of us in the old folks home).

It's amazing how much love you can have in your heart to open it up to two brand new people without hesitation. Our trio has turned into a full five piece band and we couldn't be happier. Thanks to everyone who gave us prayers and well wishes along the way. Back soon with more stuff.

Twin Names

As y'all know my lovely wife Valerie and I are having boy/girl twins. Any day now. We have chosen to keep the names a secret...but I can let you know something. With that in mind I present to you this list of the top rejected twin names.

Believe it or not, these names were all suggested to us. Some were more serious than others, but somebody thunk 'em all up. We appreciate the thoughtfulness and suggestions, and some of these are mine too, but for one reason or another these names didn't make the cut. Apologies if anyone feels as though they're being picked on, but some of you made a lot more suggestions than others. I've been trying to write all the suggestions down when they come up, and there have been some we've liked. This is not a complete list (nor does it include names from the early stages before we knew they were fraternal) but they are the most interesting.

So without any further ado, and in no particular order, here is:

THE TOP 25 REJECTED BRINK TWIN BABY NAMES

1. Jack and Jill (the most suggested one)

2. Emma and Ethan

3.Zack and Zoe

4.Daisy and Uncle Jesse (sorry Derek)

5. Binky and Bubbles (sorry Tessa)

6.Freddie and Flossie

7. Billy and Barbara

8. Hannah and Otto (briefly considered for the palindrome)

9. Jack and Diane

10. Jacob and Isabelle

11. Paul and Paula

12. Wilhelm and Wilhelmina (sorry Lori)

13. Bobby and Cindy

14. Bert and Nan

15. Boris and Natasha (sorry..well, just... sorry)

16. Theo and Vanessa

17. Anna and Andrew

18. Clarence and Claire

19. Fiona and Quinn

20. Charlie and Danielle

21. Butterfly and Bumblebee (I get it Elizabeth, but it's weird)

22. Luke and Laura

23. Connor and Chloe

24. Greg and Marsha

25. Aiden and Jayden (or anything else that is yuppie or rhymes)

So there you have it. For those of you who are still inclined to guess, you can officially cross these off your list. Now there are only about 5000 more names to choose from. Hope this helps. Good luck!