Merry Christmas To All

Luke 2:2-14 (KJV)

2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

² (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

³ And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

⁵ To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

⁶ And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹ And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

'Tis the Season!

Best part of the holidays? Drinking holiday beer.  Best part of drinking holiday beer?  Southern Proper's tacky holiday sweater coozies.

Get "LIT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE" Here: http://www.southernproper.com/accessories/coozies.html

Bombay Bicycle Club

A&M- LSU

It is a big day in College Station.

If anyone tells you they knew the Aggies would be 5-1, 2-1 in SEC play, with their only loss coming to what is now the #2 team in the country, they are lying.  To your face.  The Aggies' offseason was one of change and rebuilding.  They fired a coach.  They hired a coach.  They had to find a replacement for a 1st round NFL quarterback.  Gave the job to an 18 year old kid named Johnny.  Oh, and they moved to the toughest football conference God ever made.

Excitement was high, but expectations were low.

But this season has been a pleasant surprise thus far.  A 5-1 start.  Good conference wins.  The emergence of Johnny Football.    

But now the Tigers come to town, and the cajuns can play.  They are the highest ranked one-loss team in the country, and they play big boy SEC defense.  It will be interesting to see how Johnny Football handles a defense as speedy as LSU's.

Are the Aggies really as good as they seem, or have victories over inferior and deflated teams created a false confidence.  We shall see.

All I know is that it is great to see the purple and gold come to Aggieland.

I could get used to this whole SEC thing.

Week 1

Carthage 38       Lindale 21

This game, on paper, had all the makings of a classic.  The Carthage Bulldogs are a bit of a dynasty, having won the 2008, 2009, and 2010 class 3A state championships.  The Lindale Eagles (my hometown) were coming off of a  31 - 14 shellacking of last years 3A state champs Chapel Hill.  The two teams played an extremely competitive game last season, with the Eagles coming out on top 31-21.

But they don't play the games on paper.

Week Zero

Van 41       Pine Tree 28

First Friday night game of the season, and for me,  it was a tough one.  Van, Tx.  A town for which I have felt nothing but utter disdain since Day 1, Kindergarten, Lindale Primary School.  A pointless, unfounded hatred, but a hatred nonetheless.  Blame it on geography.  According to Googlemaps, Van and Lindale are a mere 14.4 mile stretch of asphalt apart from one another, so, naturally, we hate each other’s guts.  Always have, (maybe) always will.

So granted, I had my trepidations when my Friday night cohort suggested we go see Van host the Pirates from Pine Tree for our first game of the season.  He, also of Lindaloneon descent, moved to Van about five years ago and has taken quite a liking to the town and its football program.  I, a grown man of 27, a man just one year away from the tenth anniversary of his high school graduation, felt I had matured enough to handle such a situation with class and dignity.  And I tried.  I really, really tried.  

Friday Night Lights

This weekend marks the beginning of the South’s most sacred season.  A time of trials and tribulations, joys and jubilations.  Shouts and cheers, whistles and jeers.  

I’m talking High School Football!

There’s nothing quite like a southern Friday night.  Between the months of September and November (December, if you’re lucky), entire towns shut down.  Sinners and cheaters gather with preachers and teachers, all with one common purpose; Cheer Them Boys Onto Victory!  And “Them Boys” aren’t just any boys.  They’re the boys that mowed your yard all summer.  The boys that sacked your groceries.  They’re the boys that date your daughters.  They’re the boys you’ve known since they were “this big”.

But on Friday nights, with those brightest of lights shining down upon them, they are gladiators.  They fight hard, and fight to win.  No million dollar contracts - they all made minimum wage over the summer.  No shoe deals - they’re wearing cleats at least three players before them have worn.  No sports cars - they more than likely got to the stadium on a bus that spends its weekdays shuttling kindergartners.  

But they fight hard, and fight to win.  The fight for pride, and the name on the front of their jerseys.  My town can whoop your town.  Maybe if they’re good enough, they move on to the next level, and if they’re good enough there, the level after that.  But for the majority of these Friday Night Titans, these four years will be all they have.  And they will love it, and miss it when its gone.  

So this season, in honor of this great southern tradition, I will be attending a different game each week.  My partner in crime, and one of my best friends since childhood, will be this guy, 

and we are going to have a blast.  Between the bands, the fans, and the metal stands, nothing compares to an autumn Friday night in the South.

I’ll leave you with this; A 5 minute video recapping the 4th quarter of the greatest high school football game ever played.  The John Tyler Lions had a huge lead, but those pesky bag boys and yard mowers from Plano East dug deep, and the rest is history.

PS.  9 year old me was at this game, and my team won!

Hadleigh's Tasseled Drake Slippers

If I were you, and I had an extra $450 just laying around, I would buy these:

OR THESE

  

Hadleigh's Bespoke Lifestyle - Dallas TX

http://hadleighsbespoke.com/

                                                         

Slippin and Slidin

"Bourbon equals stitches or jail for me" - Justin Townes Earle

A Late New Year’s Resolution, and the Record Shop that Stole My Heart by Daniel Ford

There’s this South Park episode from season 8 where the town’s residents greet the grand opening of a Wal-Mart (sneakily spelled “Wall-Mart” in the episode) with sheer bliss and open wallets. It’s not long, though, that most of the local mom and pop establishments are forced to close their doors—all of their once loyal customers have been lured away to the endless aisles and low, low prices of the mega-huge, international chain. Once the townspeople notice the scope of the damage done to local business, they realize that saving a few bucks on toilet paper and potato chips doesn’t justify it. In typical South Park fashion, the South Park Wal-Mart is burned to the ground by a riotous mob. The point that the show’s creators are making is simple: local business will always take a beating—and will probably be steamrolled—by the Wal-Marts and Best Buys and Targets of the world. New, this message ain’t. But I feel that it’s still important, because independent businesses are still important; they often help fill a gap that the huge chains simply can’t fill. 

A few years ago I discovered Houston’s Cactus Music, a locally owned and operated independent music store located a few miles from Downtown. The selection is great, the employees are eager to help, and there’s live music just about every weekend (last weekend Dr. Dog performed a near hour-long set to a packed store). For a music lover, Cactus is just about as good as it can get—and in Houston, it means a lot to have an Austin-worthy music house. 

Delman Flats

Sense of style is definitely hereditary.  Great find by my mom, and for $1 no less.

Delman Shoes

(Don't) Put A Lid On It

I have an issue with the gentleman of the town in which I live.  Now, granted, I understand that we are living in the 2nd decade of the 21st century, and the male public dress code has been significantly relaxed since the days of our forefathers, or even our grandfathers for that matter.  

But if you could all do me a favor and quit wearing your damned hats and caps indoors, I would be most thankful.  It’s a simple issue of manners, and whether or not your mother taught you right.  

Clams Casino - I'm God

My Favorite Place for a Sunday Afternoon Nap

                         Bristow Guest Room. Lindale, TX

This Business of Criticism By Erin Irvin

Okay, this is something that’s been on my mind for a while.  Years actually.  I’ve imagined myself getting on a soap box and ranting about this several times over the years, and now I’m finally following through.  This might be a little thick, but just bear with me.

Okay, so I’m just gonna dive right in here.

The Purpose of Art:

The purpose of art is simply to be.  Anyone can experience any form of it, whether literary, visual, musical, or whatever, and apply it to their worlds and feel.  As a multi-tasking artist, I can tell you that the purpose, in large part, of creating, is to figure out who you are, and to reach out and make connections with other people.  The purpose of the product is to be, in some form or another, emotionally resonant.  Period, end of story.  Whether something is good or great is an impossible question to answer—and the question itself is irrelevant and misses the point.  The beauty of all art is its subjectivity, its versatile nature, its ability to make two different people feel the same thing, or, dually, to make two similar people feel different things, but most of all, its ability to just make people feel.

Advice I Wish Someone Would Have Been Given

Let’s say you know someone who’s best friend happens to be dying.  Let’s say this person tells you, after spending an afternoon with this best friend, that the two of them cracked jokes, talked sports, and watched “Meerkat Manner”, just as they did before all the hospital rooms and tracheotomy tubes changed things.  Let’s say this person tells you that his best friend seemed to be feeling the best he’s felt in quite some time.  That his best friend seemed carefree, hopeful, and happy.

Do not, under any circumstances, tell this person that it was probably just all the medication that was making his best friend behave this way.  It will deflate his spirit. 

-Justin Bristow

Go Wes Young Man

Looks like 2012 is going to be one heckuva year—with a little help from Wes Anderson

Do you love Wes Anderson flicks? Of course you do. We all do. Silly question.  Moonrise Kingdom, starring Bill Murray (yay!), Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzmann, and Frances McDormand, is set to hit theaters this year. Watch the trailer here. Did your day just get a little better? That’s the healing power of Wes Anderson.

Marc Usery's Album of the Year Pick: Morning Teleportation’s "Expanding Anyway"

Have you ever had a first impression about something that turned out to be completely wrong?  That is what happened to me when I first tried listening to this band.  A link to their video for the song "Expanding Anyway" was posted by Modest Mouse's facebook page so I thought I'd give it a listen.  I figured if Isaac Brock liked them enough to sign them to his label (Glacial Pace Recordings) they had to be amazing, right?  So I pressed play on the video to get it loading and waited in anticipation.  The only problem is that I live in the sticks where I am still condemned to dial-up internet.  Yes, it is 2012 and I still have dial-up.  Don't laugh...  Anyway, After the first 30 seconds or so loaded, I pressed play to get a preview.  As the instruments in the intro were playing I was thinking "not to bad, so far so good," then the vocals came in I wasn't really feeling it, so I quit letting it load and went on with whatever it was that I was doing to begin with.  Now keep in mind that I had only heard around thirty seconds of the song, so not near enough to form an honest opinion.

What We Like: Mark McNairy

Go-to-hell has become a prominent adjective in the world of men’s fashion as of late.  Wear your trousers a bit shorter and go sockless to show off your “go-to-hell ankles”.  Chilly?  Just throw on a pair of brightly hued and ironically patterned “go-to-hell socks”.  Just make sure the color of your “go-to-hell shades” does not clash with that of your “go-to-hell cords”.

  

Anything that would slightly embarrass your mother, were you to wear it to a Sunday morning church service, can be considered “go-to-hell”.  I’m not the biggest fan of the phrase, but I am a very big fan of the movement.  (I was just recently reprimanded by my mother for sporting my very own go-to-hell ankles at a wedding shower).  With prep-culture reaching the peak of it’s reemergence, designers are feverishly churning out new and inventive twists on classic American wardrobe staples.  The basic navy blazer is now being made available in not-so-basic reds and plaids and plumbs.  You can get a pair of chinos in just about every color under the sun these days.  And now, thankfully, finally, you can wish people to eternal damnation with your dress shoes as well.  

A Quick Thought About Occupy Wall Street by Marc Usery

As 2011 drew to a close and the media began listing their top stories of the year, many listed Occupy Wall Street at the top or near the top.  That made me draw a similarity to OWS and a scene in the film Hot Rod.  Never seen it?  Here is the scene I am talking about:

Like the scene above, I think OWS started out with good intentions.  They were there to mostly protest the special treatment Wall St. got with the bail-outs and such.  As a conservative with libertarian leanings, I couldn't agree more!  After all, the Tea Party was started by protesting the exact same thing.  Maybe OWS didn't have a strong central message and consisted of mainly college-aged kids, but hey, if they were waking up to the problems that we, as a nation, face, good for them!  Sadly, as we heard more from them, we realized that it was less about "the government shouldn't be in the bail-out business," and more about "the government should bail us out too!"

Best of 2011! [Some cool things I viewed multiple times last year] by Erin Irvin

Dreamer/Dubstep

   Skip to 30 seconds in and he gets started.  It’s unbelievable, trust me.

Rose

   If you’re a fan of CG film and Sci-Fi—especially when those two collide—you’ll love this.  It’s worth the 10 minutes.

http://www.rosamovie.blogspot.com/p/see-rosa.html

Rookie Mag

   It’s another brainchild from the brain-child herself, Tavi Gevinson, the young teen fashion follower, who is anything but a Style ‘Rookie’.  Oh, that’s the name of her blog—Style Rookie.)  She started blogging when she was thirteen and soon got swept into the fashion world with interviews in major magazines and invitations to some of the most prestigious fashion shows around the globe.  As if going to high school and her über-popular blog weren’t enough, she also started her own magazine in September!  I love it and check it twice a week.  It has style elements and a design and format that match the energy of her blog, but it’s got all kinds of other stuff, too—movies, music, real life stories, TV…well, just go see for yourself.  Even if you don’t care anything about how you dress, this chick’s story and spirit are a true inspiration.

http://rookiemag.com/

Mayan Motivation: New Year, New Goals by Justin Bristow

The Mayans tell me that 2012 is the last year I will have on this earth.  With that being the case, I have decided to forgo the typical “resolution”.  With the world’s demise now just under a year away, I see no need in eating better or cursing less.  Instead, I have decided to set a list of lofty goals that I hope to accomplish before our time here is done.

Here’s what to expect from me in 2012:

Play Matthew McConaughey’s little brother in a romantic comedy

Invent something better than Facebook