Today is the Winter Solstice, quite possibly one of the oldest holy days or days marked on a calendar. It's cold here on the high plains and rolling hills of Northwestern Kansas but not unbearably so. Shit, as long as the wind isn't blowing like it usually is, the cold doesn't bother me. These days we only think of seasons in terms of the level of comfort they provide, as opposed to an agricultural compass or defining our place in the universe. Everyday is a tobacco day for me (probably what will kill me) but I think I'll have one for our ancestors who really felt today was important.
Made the paper again, far right, in case you didn't recognize me with my stache and bein' my jolly ole self at a 100 pounds over my fighting weight...hahaha. We really appreciate the money from these guys and it does serve the people we work with, but who the hell would name themselves after Columbus. There must be a thousand saints in Catholicism, any one of those would be a far better choice as a patron of their fraternal order. Donations are donations though and these guys have good hearts, the money will be used help people out. I'm just glad that in this day and age of medieval greed and selfishness, that people are still willing to help a guy out sometimes.
With Christmas around the corner and in the midst of other holiday celebrations, I find myself less than enthusiastic about the industry. But even as the megalomaniacal multi-corporations would sell you straw from the original manger if they could find it (better off getting it after Christmas though, when it's on sale), I know that the average Joe is out there making a buck in the process so he can take care of his needs and maybe those of some loved ones as well. I get sick of so much of it, but my wife is a big time player in the game, so I go along for the ride (we watched The Polar Express for the 100th time, but I secretly love the movie anyway). We do lights, the tree, cards, presents, feast, family, charity, church...the whole nine yards ("nine ladies dancing"). I think the best part of it is recognizing family and friends. Everybody ought to pick some time of the year to have a time to reflect, to celebrate the here and now, make plans for the future, some kind of personal inventory, hell, a guy could do it year round if he wanted to. Seems like that is a fairly universal thing among human beings and certainly predates recorded history. I'm torn about the whole story of Jesus' birth and wonder if it's even important as far as his root message, he never talks about it during his ministry. But you can't have a guy this important just walking in from nowhere. I get into stuff like that, going back to my college days studying religion and philosophy. There are a couple extracanonical books that develop more childhood stories in the form of The Infancy Gospel of Thomas and The Infancy Gospel of James, if that stuff interests you too. But I digress (that's a very sophisticated word, it makes me feel cool using it), where was I? Oh yeah, Christmas...
Holiday joke from my Grandpa (a fitting one presented to you by his recovering alcoholic Grandson)...
With the holidays upon us I would like to share a personal experience with you all about drinking and driving after a "social session" with friends.
Well, this past Friday, I was out on a post-Christmas evening with long-lost friends. I had a few cocktails, followed by a handful of glasses of vintage red wine. Despite the jolliness, I still had the sense to know that I was over the limit. That's when I decided to do what I have never done before: I took a cab home.
Sure enough, there was a police road block on the highway but, since it was a cab, they waved it past. I arrived home safely without incident.
This was a both a great relief and surprise because I had never driven a cab before. I don't even know where I got it from and, now that it is in my garage, I don't know what to do with it.
My old friends in Dengue Fever did a seriously beautiful rendition of a Christmas classic...
"Little Drummer Boy"
[audio mp3="http://mustard-relics.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/DENGUE%20FEVER%20-%20Little%20Drummer%20Boy.mp3"][/audio]
And just to give a nod to Krampus, acknowledge dualities and a hearty bah humbug, from the Hardcore Holiday comp, one of my favorite bands...
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays...bastards.
No comments:
Post a Comment