Simple Gift

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

A little holiday cheer

THIS MUST STOP NOW!

http://tinyurl.com/c4d9exc

It's a very special day

It's 11/11/11. It's Nigel Tufnel Day And, as George Takei reminds us, it's also the day on which dyslexia loses it's hold. Good day to rent both "This Is Spinal Tap", and "A Mighty Wind".

I've even managed to find a parts supplier that has Strat knobs that go up to 11. So let's all get down and get loud.

The Gayle Lynn band just got back from a wonderful weekend up in the mountains. We were playing the Jack Douglass Saloon, up in Columbia State Park, and Tom and Gayle's family have a place up there, so we had something like band camp. We set up in the living room, had a fire going, and had a bit of a rehearsal to learn a few of Maurice Tani's tunes. His wife plays percussion for us. So all of our spouses were up for the fun, too.

After we nailed Maurices stuff down, it turned into a song swap, and by the time any of us got to the second chorus of the song we were showing off, the whole rest of the band was in, and kicking. Normally, we see each other at gigs, rehearsals, and parties, so this is the first taste a lot of us got of how deep and varied our musical backgrounds are. So Saturday night and Sunday morning were playtimes. The gig went wonderfully, and then we went back to the house and played some more. I haven't had this much musical fun in ages, and the spousal units were amazed as well. We're already planning to do it again. I love my band.

Best Movie Yet This Year

Norma and I saw "Margin Call" three days ago, and are still talking about it. This is a film where the plat synopsis won't get you there. The brass at a Lehman Brothers-like investment bank discover that they're over leveraged and exposed past the entire worth of the company, and have one day in which to deal with it. It's all talk, but it's as exciting, and intense as a caper flick, and you watch the principles deal with the moral implications of the fact that the only way out is to commit fraud that will both save their financial asses, and end their careers and most of what passes for friendship. As with Shakespeare, there are no totally evil characters. There is also not a false note anywhere. Stanley Tucci, Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany, all give performances that have to be considered for Oscars. You'll believe, and you'll care.

http://www.margincallmovie.com/