Christmas was here, then it was gone in a flash. I hope none of you blinked as it went by, and that, in the short day of giving and celebrating, you got everything you needed and wanted out of family, friends, and tradition.
The few days after Christmas are always a little bit of a letdown. It takes a while to sink in that the whole month leading up to the day has passed, and that the holiday is over. It's kind of like saying goodbye to a group of people you've been around for a long time, and waking up the next day waiting to see them, and realizing it'll be a while before it happens again. Except with Christmas, it happens once a year. Yeah. Harsh, right?
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas. Everything leading up to it and the day itself is amazing. But I always get a little down after it's over.
If you feel me, I made a video that I hope will make you a little happier. It's a demonstration of probably one of the coolest Christmas gifts I've ever seen. Sadly, it's not mine. Someone gave it to my Grandma, but at least now, through YouTube, it's captured forever.
Enjoy, and rock out this last week of 2008...
Drew.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
"Yule love it!"
Watched this the other night.
I've gotta say, even though it's a tough pool to choose from, it's my favorite Christmas movie overall. While classics like "Christmas Vacation" and "It's a Wonderful Life" have to be watched every year, Bill Murray's performance in "Scrooged" always takes the Santa-themed cake for me. It stems back to when I was a kid, and every Christmas my grandparents would send our family a box of various meats and cheeses. We would sit in front of the TV and watch the movie while we ate the bonus mail-gift of gourmet snacks.
I still watch the movie every year, and it never gets old. Why? Because it gets the meaning of Christmas RIGHT. Don't get me wrong, "It's a Wonderful Life" is great, and brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it, but "Scrooged" gives us a chance to see what Christmas needs to be in more of a modern light. It's about love. It's about friends, old and new. It's about family, and laughter, and giving as much as you can give. It's about taking the time to STOP and BREATHE, and it's about LIFE.
If you have enough time, make sure you watch this speech. If you want the fast version, start it at about 4:30. He really hits the nail on the head:
"For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be."
I love it. And, wow, it's already here! Christmas Eve. Can things honestly move faster? No worrying about that now, though. All I'll say is that, to you and your's, I want to wish you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS. I hope that you get everything that you want and need out of the day, and that we can all carry the spirit as much as we can into the new year and the future.
To take one from a good friend of mine...
Grace and Peace,
Drew.
I've gotta say, even though it's a tough pool to choose from, it's my favorite Christmas movie overall. While classics like "Christmas Vacation" and "It's a Wonderful Life" have to be watched every year, Bill Murray's performance in "Scrooged" always takes the Santa-themed cake for me. It stems back to when I was a kid, and every Christmas my grandparents would send our family a box of various meats and cheeses. We would sit in front of the TV and watch the movie while we ate the bonus mail-gift of gourmet snacks.
I still watch the movie every year, and it never gets old. Why? Because it gets the meaning of Christmas RIGHT. Don't get me wrong, "It's a Wonderful Life" is great, and brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it, but "Scrooged" gives us a chance to see what Christmas needs to be in more of a modern light. It's about love. It's about friends, old and new. It's about family, and laughter, and giving as much as you can give. It's about taking the time to STOP and BREATHE, and it's about LIFE.
If you have enough time, make sure you watch this speech. If you want the fast version, start it at about 4:30. He really hits the nail on the head:
"For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be."
I love it. And, wow, it's already here! Christmas Eve. Can things honestly move faster? No worrying about that now, though. All I'll say is that, to you and your's, I want to wish you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS. I hope that you get everything that you want and need out of the day, and that we can all carry the spirit as much as we can into the new year and the future.
To take one from a good friend of mine...
Grace and Peace,
Drew.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
LA Song.
Been back from LA for about a week now. I guess the best way to describe the place is that it's HUGE.
The trip was a lotta fun, and it was the first time I'd gone anywhere completely by myself like this. I buzzed around town in a rental Toyota Yaris like the pimp that I am and tried to explore as much of the area as I could in a day and a half.
Saturday was spent getting there and going to MAYER at the Nokia Theater. I met up with several other fans beforehand, which was really cool, because I knew that none of them would get sick of how much I talked about his music, and it was great getting to meet people from all over the country. The show, which featured John playing "On His Own", was amazing, as always, and gave off a different vibe than the concerts I'd seen before. He pretty much played whatever he wanted, and cracked jokes throughout the performance. He admitted being nervous a few times, and forgot a few chords to some of his older songs, but overall he rocked it out. The best parts of the show came when he broke out HUMMINGBIRD and St. Patrick's day (his "holiday" song). Oh, and again, I heard Wheel and Gravity. He also played TWO encores, and closed with a CLARITY REMIX as his final song. I had no idea where he was going with it at first, but freaked out when he started singing the chorus. It was sick. Mayer XII was definitely worth flying across the country for. And hey, it was for a good cause: Charity.
I hit up several tourist spots on Sunday, such as Hollywood Blvd, and even drove past LA Ink, but didn't walk in, because I didn't want to be the guy who walks in and doesn't get any work done. Ah well.
The highlight of the day came at sunset when I ventured out to the Santa Monica Pier. As I drove up to the entrance, I caught my first look at the Pacific ocean, and it was BEAUTIFUL. I found a parking spot and walked out onto the pier as the sun disappeared under the horizon. There were people all around, and Christmas music was blasting from the speakers along the boardwalk. It was a great site, and while I felt overwhelmed in some parts of the city, I felt like a part of the group out here. I decided that if I ever lived in LA and felt like I needed to get away, the Santa Monica Pier at sunset would be my escape. Nobody out there was unhappy, and the place was full of the sounds of laughter and crashing waves.
I left LA early Monday afternoon and spent several hours in the air and at airports. Getting back to Charlotte Monday night was bittersweet, because it's always a downer when a trip is over, but it's also nice to be HOME (or nearby, at least). California was great, but it's good to be back while I continue to search for what's next.
Drew.
The trip was a lotta fun, and it was the first time I'd gone anywhere completely by myself like this. I buzzed around town in a rental Toyota Yaris like the pimp that I am and tried to explore as much of the area as I could in a day and a half.
Saturday was spent getting there and going to MAYER at the Nokia Theater. I met up with several other fans beforehand, which was really cool, because I knew that none of them would get sick of how much I talked about his music, and it was great getting to meet people from all over the country. The show, which featured John playing "On His Own", was amazing, as always, and gave off a different vibe than the concerts I'd seen before. He pretty much played whatever he wanted, and cracked jokes throughout the performance. He admitted being nervous a few times, and forgot a few chords to some of his older songs, but overall he rocked it out. The best parts of the show came when he broke out HUMMINGBIRD and St. Patrick's day (his "holiday" song). Oh, and again, I heard Wheel and Gravity. He also played TWO encores, and closed with a CLARITY REMIX as his final song. I had no idea where he was going with it at first, but freaked out when he started singing the chorus. It was sick. Mayer XII was definitely worth flying across the country for. And hey, it was for a good cause: Charity.
I hit up several tourist spots on Sunday, such as Hollywood Blvd, and even drove past LA Ink, but didn't walk in, because I didn't want to be the guy who walks in and doesn't get any work done. Ah well.
The highlight of the day came at sunset when I ventured out to the Santa Monica Pier. As I drove up to the entrance, I caught my first look at the Pacific ocean, and it was BEAUTIFUL. I found a parking spot and walked out onto the pier as the sun disappeared under the horizon. There were people all around, and Christmas music was blasting from the speakers along the boardwalk. It was a great site, and while I felt overwhelmed in some parts of the city, I felt like a part of the group out here. I decided that if I ever lived in LA and felt like I needed to get away, the Santa Monica Pier at sunset would be my escape. Nobody out there was unhappy, and the place was full of the sounds of laughter and crashing waves.
I left LA early Monday afternoon and spent several hours in the air and at airports. Getting back to Charlotte Monday night was bittersweet, because it's always a downer when a trip is over, but it's also nice to be HOME (or nearby, at least). California was great, but it's good to be back while I continue to search for what's next.
Drew.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Dancing days.
I used to be embarassed about this, but whatever. Who cares what people think, right?
Wait for my entrance on the left of the screen at 11 seconds.
I mean, that could be me, right? Scary...
Watch out for my sick dance moves.
Drew
Wait for my entrance on the left of the screen at 11 seconds.
I mean, that could be me, right? Scary...
Watch out for my sick dance moves.
Drew
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
"Long days and pleasant nights..."
Finished "The Dark Tower" today. I read somewhere that a lot of fans were unhappy with the ending, but I actually liked it. I guess you could say it was half-happy, and half-hopeful, because King basically leaves the story open for your interpretation. I had my own opinion on the matter, which King actually reinforced in his afterword of the novel. The whole collection pretty much comes down to the idea of LIFE being a WHEEL. Things always come back around, and the smallest decisions and interactions can have the largest consequences. Everything has a meaning, and everything happens for a reason. I love that kind of stuff.
Outside of the book, my day was pretty much made of gym times and work. My gym is doing a "Race to the North Pole" contest that's pretty cool, where the members are divided into teams and where every ten minutes of exercise gives you a mile. Whichever team gains the number of miles from here to the North Pole first wins the contest. If a member brings in a toy for charity, their number of miles gained on the day triples. It's a cool concept, and it's definitely gotten me motivated to kick my own ass at the gym this week (plus, I've been struggling since Thanksgiving). My goal is to at least TIE my mom's number of miles, since she's in there all the time. I think it's kind of a pride thing...
Anyway, work was real average tonight. Had two big parties, but the people were cool. I'm still having a good time working there, but I'm ready for the next step. In the meantime, it's a pretty decent networking tool, because we get a lot of regulars, and I mean, if you know me, you know I'm pretty dang charming (not to talk myself up, of COURSE).
And speaking of networking, I'm all booked and ready to go to LA this weekend! I talked to a few folks on the Mayer message board (My Stupid Mouth) in hopes of finding ideas of what to do in the city, and several people gave me great responses. One of the women on the board is even a travel agent, and she booked me a car AND a hotel with a good location. So this time Saturday, I'll be watching Mayer rock out and kickin' it in California. Can't wait.
One more shift of work to get through in the meantime. And more holiday cheer to spread, of course...
Long days and pleasant nights,
Drew
Outside of the book, my day was pretty much made of gym times and work. My gym is doing a "Race to the North Pole" contest that's pretty cool, where the members are divided into teams and where every ten minutes of exercise gives you a mile. Whichever team gains the number of miles from here to the North Pole first wins the contest. If a member brings in a toy for charity, their number of miles gained on the day triples. It's a cool concept, and it's definitely gotten me motivated to kick my own ass at the gym this week (plus, I've been struggling since Thanksgiving). My goal is to at least TIE my mom's number of miles, since she's in there all the time. I think it's kind of a pride thing...
Anyway, work was real average tonight. Had two big parties, but the people were cool. I'm still having a good time working there, but I'm ready for the next step. In the meantime, it's a pretty decent networking tool, because we get a lot of regulars, and I mean, if you know me, you know I'm pretty dang charming (not to talk myself up, of COURSE).
And speaking of networking, I'm all booked and ready to go to LA this weekend! I talked to a few folks on the Mayer message board (My Stupid Mouth) in hopes of finding ideas of what to do in the city, and several people gave me great responses. One of the women on the board is even a travel agent, and she booked me a car AND a hotel with a good location. So this time Saturday, I'll be watching Mayer rock out and kickin' it in California. Can't wait.
One more shift of work to get through in the meantime. And more holiday cheer to spread, of course...
Long days and pleasant nights,
Drew
Monday, December 1, 2008
December?
HOW is today December 1st? It doesn't make sense. I could almost swear to you that New Year's was only a few weeks ago. And graduation was like, YESTERDAY.
But hey, time keeps on slippin', slippin', into the future, and now, I see, we'll never stop this train.
Enough about time, though, because we all know how it is. Let me just say that, instead of letting my "baffled-at-how-fast-the-year-has-gone" self worry about things I can't control, I'm going to holler at December and the holidays Clark Griswold style. That's right. I'm going to make sure my friends and family have the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny frickin' Kaye.
Of course, the thing about Christmas is that it's so exciting, it's really easy to overlook Thanksgiving, so before I move on to Rudolph and Charlie Brown and the three Wise Men, I want to give a quick recap of this past weekend.
First of all, I want to say that my Grandma is a BALLER. She's 91 and she cooked Thanksgiving dinner for 13 of us. NINETY-ONE! It was as amazing as always, and I'll be thankful if I can do HALF of what she does when I reach that age.
Second, it was great getting to see family and old friends. I got to kick it with my cousins on Thanksgiving day, and I ran into a plethora of old high school peeps Saturday night at Natty Greene's here in town. It was a mini-reunion up there, and I saw some folks I haven't seen in two or three years. Catching up was fun, and it was interesting to see who is already rising to success, and everybody in my boat, which I don't really have a word for (I'll get there one of these days, haha).
Third, Thanksgiving weekend wouldn't be complete without some FOOTBALL, and while my second team (Auburn) had it rough, my first team, NC STATE, wooped up on some wind storms from Miami and became BOWL ELIDGIBLE thanks to the leadership of my pick for ACC Rookie of the Year QB Russell Wilson (Whew, long sentence, out of breath). State might get into a bowl by the hairs on their chinny, chin, chin, but I've got a new HOPE for the Wolfpack in the future, and we've all seen how much HOPE has helped us this year already.
Finally, I've got to give a shoutout to our Christmas tree. We used to get it a little further into the month, but once my sister and I started college, we started decorating it at the end of Thanksgiving weekend. One of my FAVORITE things about the tree and this time of the year happens right before I go to bed. Nine times out of ten, I'm the last in the house to go to sleep, so I turn off all of the lights. Around Christmas, I do it in an order that leaves the tree on as the last light source. It gives off this glow that's a mix of warm and colorful lighting with Christmas tree smell and quiet. It's definitely a nice way to end the night. Here's a little sample of what I see (imagine the smell and the quiet):
There you have it. Thanksgiving was amazing this time around, and if it was any indication of how great the month of December will be, it should be smooth sailing into the new year. Watch out for me between now and then, because I'll be blasting Christmas carols and cruisin' down the street to some "Jingle Bell Rock". Word.
Drew
But hey, time keeps on slippin', slippin', into the future, and now, I see, we'll never stop this train.
Enough about time, though, because we all know how it is. Let me just say that, instead of letting my "baffled-at-how-fast-the-year-has-gone" self worry about things I can't control, I'm going to holler at December and the holidays Clark Griswold style. That's right. I'm going to make sure my friends and family have the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny frickin' Kaye.
Of course, the thing about Christmas is that it's so exciting, it's really easy to overlook Thanksgiving, so before I move on to Rudolph and Charlie Brown and the three Wise Men, I want to give a quick recap of this past weekend.
First of all, I want to say that my Grandma is a BALLER. She's 91 and she cooked Thanksgiving dinner for 13 of us. NINETY-ONE! It was as amazing as always, and I'll be thankful if I can do HALF of what she does when I reach that age.
Second, it was great getting to see family and old friends. I got to kick it with my cousins on Thanksgiving day, and I ran into a plethora of old high school peeps Saturday night at Natty Greene's here in town. It was a mini-reunion up there, and I saw some folks I haven't seen in two or three years. Catching up was fun, and it was interesting to see who is already rising to success, and everybody in my boat, which I don't really have a word for (I'll get there one of these days, haha).
Third, Thanksgiving weekend wouldn't be complete without some FOOTBALL, and while my second team (Auburn) had it rough, my first team, NC STATE, wooped up on some wind storms from Miami and became BOWL ELIDGIBLE thanks to the leadership of my pick for ACC Rookie of the Year QB Russell Wilson (Whew, long sentence, out of breath). State might get into a bowl by the hairs on their chinny, chin, chin, but I've got a new HOPE for the Wolfpack in the future, and we've all seen how much HOPE has helped us this year already.
Finally, I've got to give a shoutout to our Christmas tree. We used to get it a little further into the month, but once my sister and I started college, we started decorating it at the end of Thanksgiving weekend. One of my FAVORITE things about the tree and this time of the year happens right before I go to bed. Nine times out of ten, I'm the last in the house to go to sleep, so I turn off all of the lights. Around Christmas, I do it in an order that leaves the tree on as the last light source. It gives off this glow that's a mix of warm and colorful lighting with Christmas tree smell and quiet. It's definitely a nice way to end the night. Here's a little sample of what I see (imagine the smell and the quiet):
There you have it. Thanksgiving was amazing this time around, and if it was any indication of how great the month of December will be, it should be smooth sailing into the new year. Watch out for me between now and then, because I'll be blasting Christmas carols and cruisin' down the street to some "Jingle Bell Rock". Word.
Drew
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