"Your Famous Blue Raincoat"

So the week since our trip to New York City has been a busy one. Getting the students back on track after 6 1/2 days off was tricky, but I pulled it off...just in time to go on a school ski trip Thursday and Friday. The ski trip itself was quite fun; I haven't been skiing since I was a freshman in high school (way back in the Spring of 1995), but I was surprised at how quickly it all came back to me.

Granted, going down that black diamond run at the end was still a stupid decision, but I like to think that the five years it shaved off my life expectancy were probably gonna be boring years anyway.

We also went tubing during the trip, and honestly I think we all enjoyed that more than the actual skiing. There's something about linking up a half dozen tubes and sliding down a hill at 30 or so miles per hour that's just a hell of a lot of fun.

Saturday and Sunday were days spent hanging out with friends. Lauren, her brother Evan, and Chad came over Saturday evening for food and general merriment. Lauren ended up crashing on the couch, only to discover upon waking Sunday morning that it'd snowed four or five inches and she was stuck with us for awhile (she eventually got out around mid-afternoon). I ended up spending a good part of the early afternoon shoveling snow so we could all get to our cars. So between the skiing and the shoveling, I definitely got my exercise in for the past few days.

The snow also caused a two-hour delayed opening this morning for school, so I don't have to be at work for another couple of hours. This works out well, since we have to get new parking passes for our cars here at the apartment complex. I'm going to go do that before I head to work.

Tomorrow's the last day of another damn education course. I'll be glad to see the back of this one. Haven't really learned much of use from it, to be honest. Of course, that's not a huge deviation from all the rest of these courses so far.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Bob Dylan and the Band, "This Wheel's On Fire"

"The Best Thing About New York City Is You And Me"

So our trip to New York City was a success. I got to meet Michelle's grandparents, a couple of aunts and uncles, and some cousins. We did a quick, down-n-dirty trip through downtown NYC to see the Statue of Liberty and Times Square, both of which were nifty. Here's a rundown of the weekend:

Saturday morning: the four-hour drive up to The City isn't too bad. New Jersey isn't as disgusting as I thought it would be, though honestly I only saw whatever's along the Jersey Turnpike and was really just making an effort to get through the state as fast as possible.

Saturday afternoon: we arrive at Michelle's grandparents' place near Yonkers (possibly in Yonkers? I have no idea. I know that we got lost in Yonkers on the way there). They proceed to feed us. All those stereotypes about Italian women trying to feed you until you burst? They're true.

Saturday evening: various family members arrive to partake of a traditional take-out meal of pizza (called simply "pie"), calzones, and submarine sandwiches (called "wedges"). Many instances of "the poor Midwesterner doesn't know what the hell we're talking about" occur, most notably with my confusion about what the hell a wedge is. Turns out Michelle's grandfather is a storyteller like my grandfathers. This promises to be entertaining.

Sunday morning: a trip out to Uncle Jim's dental office, and Michelle gets some dental work done that she needed. I do a crossword puzzle and fiddle with Michelle's iPod, succeeding in compiling an entire playlist of stuff her uncle doesn't like.

Sunday afternoon: we head to Westchester, go to a dinner for a late lunch, then do a whirlwind tour of downtown NYC. I get to see the Statue of Liberty and Times Square. Sadly, it has been cleaned up. I didn't see a single hooker or wino. I feel somehow...cheated of an experience.

Sunday evening: we return to Michelle's grandparents' house to pick up said grandparents and head into the Bronx. We eat at a restaurant called Rigoletto's, which apparently is owned by the Mob (the guy who owns the place is currently in jail, apparently). While there, we are treated to an entertaining diversion by the guy at the table next to us who apparently watched The Sopranos too much. Phrases such as "I shot 'im, but I didn't mean to kill 'im" and "she shot him dead when he showed back up with the food" kept us amused for the duration of our meal. Michelle also happened to catch his enthusiastic reenactment of a stabbing with his fork and napkin. The food at this place is among the best food I have ever eaten. Period. Say what you want about the Mafia, they know how good food's supposed to taste, and they make damn sure you get it at their restaurants. Michelle's grandfather keeps talking about how the parking was better when the Mob guy ran things.

Sunday night: we stayed up until the wee hours listening to Michelle's grandfather tell stories of the old days. The man loves having an audience. Michelle and I finally give in around 1.30, but Michelle's grandparents apparently stayed up significantly later.

Monday morning: we planned on leaving at 10.00, but Michelle's grandfather kept making us take more food. Final count: four sandwiches, 1 gallon of olive oil, two olive jars of orange juice, four sodas, a bottle of wine, some glass servingware, some champagne glasses, and our leftovers from the previous night. I think he'd have given us more if we'd stayed longer.

Monday afternoon: the drive back from NYC took longer than the drive up there. More traffic. Headwind. Jersey is still a strange place. You're not allowed to pump your own gas there. S'truth. It's a state law. All the service stations are full-service, but gas prices were about thirty cents cheaper in Jersey than in New York. Cheaper than Virginia, too. But we made it back eventually and just sorta collapsed all evening.

Overall, it was a great trip. Michelle's grandfather told me at the end of the trip that I'd "passed the test." He didn't say what the test was, though he did mention that I'd "cheated" (presumably by marrying his granddaughter before I came up to visit). But they all seemed to like me pretty well, and I managed to avoid saying anything terribly stupid.

Also, they gave us a hell of a lot of money for the wedding. We're also gonna get the Bose iPod sound dock. To say that I'm excited is to grossly undersell the sentiment.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: My Morning Jacket, "It Makes No Difference"

"Turn Up Your Stereo"

So we're heading up to New York tomorrow. I'll admit that I'm a little nervous about meeting her family. Should be an interesting visit, though, and I've never had the opportunity to visit New York before.

Granted, we're gonna have to go through Jersey to get there, and I'm not sure I'm up for that.

I mean, c'mon, Jersey. It's where the big hair and acid-wash jeans of the '80s went to die.

Now to prepare a playlist for the iPod of songs relating to New York, 'cause I'm a huge geek.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Bob Dylan, "Hard Times In New York Town"

"School's Out Forever"

So there won't be any school tomorrow, either, meaning we had a grand total of a day and a half of school this week. Something about icy sidewalks and side streets making it tough for kids to get to school or unsafe or whatever. Bah. I say let 'em walk to school through the nasty ice and crap. Builds character. The kids around here are too damn spoiled, if you ask me.

Granted, you didn't ask me, but that's what they pay me for (or don't pay me for, as the case may be) around here: unsolicited thoughts on whatever.

Anyway, gotta go pick up the wife from work. My car is technically stuck in ice right now, but that's more the asshole who parked next to me's fault than the weather or mine.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, "Here Comes My Girl"

"Fingertips Have Memories"

It's been a nasty day, weather-wise. We had early dismissal at school due to snow/sleet/freezing rain/random precipitation, so I got to go home at 12.30 and my evening class was canceled. Michelle ended up leaving at 3.30 from her place of business, so we got to spend the afternoon and evening just hanging around. I made an effort to get the router working again, but failed. I'll try again later, I guess.

I've been staying up, hoping that we'd get a notification from Fairfax County that school is closed tomorrow as well, but nothing's come down the pipe yet. It's 1.00 am, so it's time to crash and hope that there's an email from FCPS in the morning telling me I don't have to drag my sorry carcass out of bed.

In other news, we're probably going to New York this weekend, weather permitting (which it should by Saturday). I'm excited and nervous all at once.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Harvey Danger, "Flagpole Sitta"

"'Cause I've Stopped Listening"

So this article fills me with rage.

I waited several days to talk about it. I hoped my anger, my righteous indignation, would lessen with the passage of time. But no, there it is, still boiling the blood and turning my thoughts to crimes against humanity.

I've mentioned this before, I'm sure, but I think John Mayer is a freakin' hack. He's played with Clapton, Buddy Guy, and B. B. King. So what? He's got decent technical chops, but anyone who wants to practice a bit can do what he's doing. The man thinks he's Stevie Ray Vaughn reincarnate; but sorry, John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughn had genius to go with the skill. The Guitar Gods were greats not because of their technical abilities--hell, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix are among the sloppiest guitar players in rock history--but because they took the basic elements of guitar solos and guitar leads and twisted them into something new and different. Page and Hendrix made guitars do things people hadn't ever dreamed of. Stevie Ray took Hendrix's style, planted it in Texas boogie, cleaned it up, and came up with a twist on it that revitalized blues guitar in the 1980s. John Mayer just apes Stevie Ray Vaughn's style, even down to the vocal affectation he does to try to sound like Stevie Ray. It's absurd.

Technical ability does not equal greatness. While I'll admit that Mayer's grasp of the mechanics of blues guitar are excellent--he's obviously studied this stuff and worked hard at it, and I don't want to take that away from him--he's not a "guitar god." There's nothing original about what he's doing, there's no twist of his own (except that his lyrics are still facile and trite sugar pop, and I don't know that I'd call that a "twist"). And that's really all I want to say about it. The other two guys on the cover are good. I could see giving the label of guitar god to them, but that's because they've put their own particular stamp on the genres of their choice. Plus, Derek Trucks is playing guitar with the Allman Bros. Band. You know that requires some damn fine chops.

Took Michelle shopping for clothes yesterday. It was like some sort of stereotypical marital rite of passage, sitting in Lane Bryant while she tried on lots of clothes for her new job (which she starts on Monday!). Then she took me shopping and made me buy some new shirts and a new pair of jeans (apparently she's sick of me wearing the same half dozen shirts to work all the time). We then proceeded to go grocery shopping for the first time in about three weeks. I think we spent close to $1000 yesterday, when it's all said and done.

Earlier this week, I bought Michelle a new wedding band. The ring she had before was...inadequate, I felt, because it was the 10K loaner ring we got from the jewelry store until her real ring arrived. Since the real ring never arrived, I got fed up and decided to get her a better ring. So she got a band with some channel-set diamonds (about a quarter karat in total weight). I'm much happier, and I think she is as well.

Well, gotta go get ready to go out with the in-laws. Woo.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: The Beatles, "Chains"

"Or Would I Smile And Watch It Slowly Fall?"

Snow days rock. 'Nuff said.

Didn't have to go to work today on account of the fact that people around here apparently don't know how to drive if there's more than an inch or two of snow on the ground. The fact that the roads were completely clear by the time I took Michelle to a job interview at 11 this morning (clear like totally dry, no sign that there was ever snow on them clear) really just makes me worry about these people. It's not like it was even ice or anything.

We spent most of the afternoon after her interview napping. God, I love a good afternoon nap. Then we worked on getting the apartment in order (well, she worked on that mostly. I spent a lot of time doing stuff for school tomorrow and finishing up the comic I should have done last night). The downstairs looks great now. The office is really coming together upstairs. The bedroom still needs a hell of a lot of work, but the plan is that we're going to clear out the closet, Michelle's going to sort through her clothes, and we're basically gonna make the place respectable.

I must now away to bed. School is gonna come awful early in the morning.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: John Mellencamp, "Human Wheels (Acoustic)"

"The Earth Died Screaming"

We've been without internet at the apartment all week. I managed to get the cable modem working again this afternoon after I moved the desk and computer into the spare room (now known as "The Office") today. We were originally going to have my dad bring out my old bed to put in here so as to create a guest bedroom, but we're now thinking of just getting a futon to put in here (my bed wouldn't fit in here, especially not with a desk). So I might see about just having dad sell the old bed instead.

Michelle's got a couple of great job prospects lined up. Hopefully she'll hear from them within the next few days and have a new job by the end of the week. That would be groovy.

We did a David Thewlis Hall of Shame movie night last night at Chad's. The new version of The Omen (in which he plays a photographer who can apparently take pictures of individuals related to the plot and see in the pictures how those individuals will die) was painful, and Dragonheart wasn't nearly as cool as my 15 year old self remembered it.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: The White Stripes, "Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine"

"So Much To Say"

A hell of a lot's been going on. The internet at home doesn't work currently (damned cable modem), we have a new queen-size bed that rocks hard, and I left my cellphone at home this morning. Yeah, life's full of fun and adventure.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: The White Stripes, "The Hardest Button to Button"

Snow Delay

Well, it's not a whole day off, but I don't have to be at work until 10.00, so that was a nice extra couple of hours' sleep.

Plus, each class is only gonna be thirty minutes long. That's all sorts groovy.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Young Fresh Fellows, "Barkey's Spiritual Store"

"Like A Paper Tiger"

It snowed today, reminding us here in Northern Virginia that, despite the fact that December was a month of temperatures in the mid-60s, it is in fact still winter.

We only got a few inches of snow (maybe two or three accumulated), but now it's switched to freezing rain.

I don't think I'll be having to go to work tomorrow.

We spent the day helping Michelle's sister buy a car. We found a nice Hyundai (yes, Hyundai (does anyone else remember that old slogan? At the end of their commercials, the announcer would say, "Hyundai. Yes, Hyundai." I say that all the time when we're talking about cars, and folks just look at me like I'm from Mars or somethin')) for a really good price. They made me test drive the car (since it was already snowing pretty good), and it seems like it'll be a great car for her. Michelle's father has put out a tentative offer for Michelle to buy her sister's old car (the reason for this turn of events is a long story that isn't mine to tell), which would be great since Michelle's car isn't all that good anymore (it would also mean we could sell Michelle's old car to her sister's boyfriend).

Word from the folks back home in Oklahoma is pretty consistent: make it stop snowing. Apparently dad's been without power since last weekend and living in his office (which does have power). Clif, who lives in Austin, Texas (a place usually known for heat and dryness), has been experiencing flood-like conditions and didn't have classes last week because of ice and snow. I think Oklahoma's received more precipitation in the past two weeks than it got in the previous year. Wacky.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: The Beatles, "Long Tall Sally"

"Music On The Radio"

So I suffered a serious iPod issue on Friday. Since I have more music in iTunes than will fit on my iPod, iTunes created a special playlist of my selections that it would update to the iPod (rather than, y'know, trying to cram all the songs on there when they won't fit). Friday morning, I accidentally deleted this playlist. Subsequent plugging in of the iPod resulted in everything on the iPod being deleted and the system refusing to update the iPod again 'cause that playlist was missing.

Then it started saying something about corrupted files, and I feared my iPod was dead.

However! I was able to restore factory settings on the iPod, which fixed whatever was causing all the difficulty. I've got the iPod and iTunes set up to only update selected items now, and I've got everything I wanted on there now. All is groovy.

Unfortunately, it also means I can't carry all of my music with me at once. This is...unfortunate.

In other news, Michelle managed to get the wireless network up and running finally, even making my printer available on our network. So that's groovy.

Speaking of my wife, we've been married a week. Go Team Cottrell!

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Tom Petty, "Casa Dega"

"We Got Married"

So, how was everyone's weekend? Enjoying the fact that, for many, it's a three-day weekend?

That's good.

Me? Oh, I didn't do a whole lot. Went to a Bed & Breakfast with Michelle. Lounged around. Got married.

Yeah, you read right.

As of January 13, 2007, Michelle Branco is my lawfully-wedded wife. So while the rest of you slackers were under a couple of inches of ice or just lolly-gagging around doing jack squat, I was tying the knot with the woman I love.

The ceremony was short, sweet, and to the point. With pictures, champagne, cake, and the whole she-bang, it took 45 minutes. That includes the ten minutes we wandered from spot to spot in the yard of the B&B to take various pictures and all that (the weather was fantastic; mid-60s, just enough light for everything to be even but not so much that we had to squint, and the rain held off until after we'd said the "I do's"). The vows were nice (we got to keep a copy), the cake was tasty, and my woman looked gorgeous. I'll have pictures for ya later this week.

This whole thing might seem kinda sudden, but it just felt like the right time. I honestly can't imagine not having this woman in my life, and marrying her seemed like such a no-brainer that I'd've been mentally deficient not to have done it. We didn't see any reason to wait around when all we were gonna do in a few months was what we did this weekend anyway. Honestly, why wait the extra two months when (1) you know this is it, (2) there's less difficulty with scheduling 'cause she didn't have to ask off for work, and (3) it's not like we were gonna decide to have a big blowout wedding between now and the end of March anyway. And now I can get her on my health and car insurances, which is a big plus.

So yeah, that was my weekend. I'm currently working on today's comic (just need to scan and upload), a program for MLK Day for school tomorrow (more on that later), and putzin' around with the iPod. Michelle's over at her folks' place doing something, but I'll be joining her over there soon enough I'm sure.

In other news, I have the world's coolest wedding ring. It's titanium. If I ever get my finger caught in something, they'll have to cut the finger off 'cause the ring can't be cut. Oh yeah.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Sting, "The Secret Marriage"

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

If anyone wants to get me this, I wouldn't say no.

In fact, I'd probably say a definite "yes."

Seriously, who wouldn't want the handwritten first draft of one of George Harrison's masterworks? Hell, I'd settle for something penned by Ringo.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: The Beatles, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

"Thinkin' About My Doorbell"

We're still trying to find Michelle a job. She's applied to dozens of places in the past week, but hasn't heard back from anything yet. I'm not worried, though: I'm sure she'll get something soon.

However, we're facing a conundrum: since she doesn't have any health insurance, what if (as often happens to her) she gets sick? We're currently pursuing possible ways to maybe get her on my health insurance, though that'll be expensive (at least she'll have it, though).

We also want to try to get her on my car insurance, as that would save over a hundred dollars a month for us (about $120, actually, which is a pretty sizable chunk of cash by the end of the year).

I got a subscription to eMusic over the weekend. I burned through my 25 free downloads in a heartbeat, and I've only got 5 of my 75 monthly subscription downloads left for this month. Curse you, eMusic, for having stuff by Jay Farrar, My Morning Jacket, the Autumn Defense, and Moxy Fruvous!

Okay, so maybe curse is a strong word. Bless you, perhaps, or maybe even may your praises always be sung.

In somewhat related news, the iPod is almost completely full. I have lots of kick ass stuff on there, though, including some Blind Willie McTell (more eMusic). Mmm, acoustic delta blues...

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Blind Willie McTell, "Statesboro Blues"

"Found A Flat, After That..."

So 2006 decided to smack us with a parting shot on Friday: Michelle was laid off from her job. This has made her (understandably) upset and frustrated, but we're doing our best to tighten the belts and work around the issue. She's already started applying for other jobs, gotten in touch with her headhunter, and applied for unemployment so she at least has some money coming in (it's actually pretty good, too: about $300 a week for 22 weeks). It'll be rough for a month or so, but we'll get through this. We don't think it will take her long to get a new job, possibly one that pays better.

We spent New Year's Eve just hanging out at the apartment. Her sisters and a friend of ours came over and relaxed with us. We played some Trivial Pursuit, chatted, ate junk food, watched Seinfeld, and I played quite a bit of Final Fantasy XII (as I have over the past week...like 10 or 11 hours' worth this week alone). It was a low-key, laid-back New Year's...which is fine by me. I don't really like big parties or large crowds.

I have to go back to work tomorrow. Also have to return to education classes. To say that I'm not happy about that is to grossly understate the case. However, I can, tomorrow, sign up for the Fairfax County Public Schools Teacher Fair. I fully intend to do this, because an extra $10,000 a year would do wonders for securing our finances and making it possible for us to do what we want to do (like buy a new car in the next year or so).

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Bob Dylan, "All I Really Want To Do"

So Long 2006

The year 2006 is wanning like nobody's business, and that means it's time to recollect my ten favorite albums from the year. There was actually quite a lot of music this year that caught my fancy. In no particular order, my favorite ten are:

1. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat: I really got into Rilo Kiley this year, which in turn led me to this. And damn if this isn't some of the best music I've ever heard. Seriously. She's figured out how to make 21st century old-school country (of the Patsy Cline variety) and make it sound freakin' fantastic. Plus, they do a cover of the Traveling Wilbury's "Handle with Care." That takes balls, man...metaphorically speaking.

2. The Flaming Lips, At War With The Mystics: Maybe it's not as earth-shattering a stylistic leap forward as The Soft Bulletin or Yoshimi were, but it's still a damn fine album. "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" and "Free Radicals" are possibly the best one-two opening pair you could hope for, and the sonic textures rival their best work here.

3. The Raconteurs, Broken Boy Soldiers: I didn't used to care much for the White Stripes, but listening to Jack White's other band made me change my mind. This disc just rocks, period. The guitar interplay, the variation between Jack White's voice and Brendan Benson's voice, and a solid set of rock songs make this a must-have.

4. Bob Dylan, Modern Times: Hands down my favorite album of the year (it's a Dylan album. What did you expect, hmm?). Dylan digs even deeper into Americana and drags up some juke joint blues, vaudevillian song-and-dance, jazz-inflected pop standard, and anything and everything else he decided would be fun to play that day. His backing band is as sharp as ever (though I really miss Charlie Sexton's presence at the guitar post), and Dylan's lyrics are sharper still.

5. Tom Waits, Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards: Because an odds'n'sods collection is pretty damn lame, Waits scrapped the idea, recorded like 40 new songs, and released it as the three-disc sprawl of Orphans. The three loosely-thematic discs consolidate and reinvent all of Waits's standard styles, hitting the hipster beat poet, boozy crooner, dimestore madman and musichall piano man (and everything in-between).

6. Ray LaMontagne, Till The Sun Goes Black: His first album, Trouble, is a brilliant CS&N-style folk rock collection; for this follow-up, he trimmed all the fat off the arrangements and created a sparse, almost harrowing atmosphere of forlorn lovers, alcohol haze, and gorgeous, delicate vocals.

7. Bruce Springsteen, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions: Holy. Crap. I didn't know the Boss had it in him. This is one of the most startling sets I've ever heard. The Boss, usually such a perfectionist, abandons his bombastic wall of sound for a bombastic New Orleans/Dixieland Jazz band, horn section, banjo, and all. He takes songs that are decades (or even centuries) old, shouts out chords as they come up to the band, and just tears through these songs like a man half his age with something to prove. In the process, he reinvigorates the songs and himself. If Springsteen decides to pursue this sort of stuff more often, I'm in favor of it.

8. Butch Walker & The Let's-Go-Out-Tonites, The Rise and Fall of...: I know he writes songs for Avril Lavigne and all that, but the man can churn out a catchy song like nobody's business. His new backing band, the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites, keep the songs supple, tight, and energetic. Easily his best work since the end of the Marvelous 3.

9. Pearl Jam, Pearl Jam: Who knew the veteran grunge rockers had it in them to be this straight-forward and badass? They do, and this is their best record in years (and also their most accessible).

10. Tom Petty, Highway Companion: Speaking of "best album in years," this is probably Petty's strongest collection since the mellow perfection of Wildflowers. Sure, The Last DJ had a couple of minor gems tucked away amidst all the angst and rage, and Echo is a better album than I originally gave it credit for (how I hated that album when it came out on the heels of Wildflowers), but neither album felt like he was really putting that much effort into the proceedings (or worse, that he was trying much too hard to make the themes work and make the songs tell stories instead of just letting the stories tell themselves). They lacked the seeming effortless grace of Wildflowers, felt forced and sometimes heavy-handed, and just didn't work as well as Wildflowers. Highway Companion, while not as good as Wildflowers, is still a worthy descendant of that masterwork.

There were a lot of other excellent records put out this year, and honorable mention goes to Sean Lennon, Thom Yorke, Barenaked Ladies, Gob Iron (Jay Farrar of Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt fame), Robyn Hitchcock, Golden Smog, Van Morrison, and The Who. All of their albums were excellent and worth a listen. Go check 'em out.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Bob Dylan, "Ain't Talkin'"

"Dorothy Mantooth Is A Saint!"

Hope everyone's had a happy Christmas/Solstice/Hannukah/Kwanza/Festivus. Things here at Casa de Chuck y Michelle have been busy as all hell, as you can imagine. We still don't have internet for some reason. I tried setting the cable and internet up on Saturday, but nothing was registering. It's either something with the outlets, the apartment complex, or something we don't know about. Should be able to find out tomorrow.

Thankfully, someone in the area has wireless and we're able to get access with Michelle's laptop. Don't really want to do this for long, mind, but it gives us a temporary solution until we can get our own internet working.

Michelle and I ended up staying here in Fairfax for Christmas this weekend. She fell ill Friday, so we decided to let her family go without us. We've spent the weekend relaxing and doing...well, pretty much nothing. It's been nice, honestly. We haven't really had any time off since before we moved, so we needed a weekend of doing absolutely nothing.

Christmas turned out pretty good for me. Got an iPod, several DVDs (the original Star Wars trilogy, volume four of Family Guy, the That's My Bush! DVD collection, Arrested Development Season 1, and a Jeff Tweedy live set), a Leadbelly CD collection ('cause Michelle rocks), Soul Calibur III (which is hellacool), and various other things (including a harmonica). Also got quite a bit of money, most of which will be socked away for a later date (like buying Michelle's wedding ring).


Tomorrow, I'm going to try to get a thing installed in my car that will allow me to play my iPod through the car stereo. Also gonna get the oil changed and do a bunch of other stuff with Michelle that needs to be done. The rest of the week is devoted to finishing up the unpacking upstairs that we might finally have a bedroom that looks liveable.

Yes, we have noble dreams and aspirations. Probably unrelastic ones as well.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Leadbelly, "Rock Island Line"

"There'll Be A Knock On Your Back Door"

Well, tomorrow's the day of the Big Move. Well, Day 1 of the Big Move (hey, allow me this one use of gratuitous capitols. It doesn't happen often). We should be able to completely clear out my stuff from this apartment tomorrow, assuming I can get the rest of it packed up tonight (considering I've run out of boxes, this could pose a problem).

Went into DC today on a field trip with the school. We went to DC Central Kitchen, which is a community kitchen that provides food for those in need in the DC metro area. It was a fantastic opportunity for the students to do some community service at a time of the year when a lot of people need help. Unfortunately, I got to spend the entire field trip sitting with the bus. We didn't have a real parking spot, so someone had to be there in case the bus needed to be moved. Since I was the one who'd driven the damn thing, I volunteered to stay with it. Not the most exciting way to spend the day, but it beats a swift kick in the pants (of course, most things do).

It's strange to think that I'm moving out tomorrow. I'd kinda settled into this apartment, even if it always felt like I was just visiting Wendy and Tim. Wonder how long it'll take me to get used to living in the new place and with my fiancee...

~chuck

Song of the Moment: My Morning Jacket, "Strangulation"

"The Folk Singers Sit On Their Front Porch"

One of the upshots of having listened to the old-school Yeti stuff earlier today is that now I really just want to sit and play Yeti songs all night long instead of packing. Thus far, I've managed to resist the keening urge to pick up the Martin and just strum out a dozen of our songs. I've packed lots of boxes. The closet is mostly packed. All of the CDs are packed. I'm working on the last of the books and the stuff in the desk, which is something of a beast. I fear to see what resides under the bed.

But I've been good. I've been packing. I should be able to finish whatever I don't get packed tomorrow.

Granted, I've been wasting time sitting here typing this. Dammit.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Ben Folds, "The Ascent of Stan"