Christmas Haul

I got a lot of stuff this year- and when I say a lot, I mean an absurd amount. I got a 32" flat screen TV, a Blu-ray player, clothes, books, CDs, towels, a quilt set, Tupperware, and lots of smelly things (I think my family is trying to tell me something). But the best thing I walked away with were some new memories.

I don't know if you can tell it yet, but music is as vital to my life as food, water, sleep, and sex. And when my nephew called me last week and told me he wanted me to bring my guitar to Christmas because he wanted to jam, I was overjoyed. When he walked into my grandmother's house, he was carrying a brand new acoustic that he'd gotten from his mother. I pointed out my acoustic, waiting patiently in the sunroom, and we headed for the back of the house, as to not disturb the storytelling going on in the living room and kitchen. For two hours, we played, and it was fantastic. It should be noted that my mother and I are the only ones in my family (living) that actually play music- and we've played together a thousand times or more. So, getting to play with my nephew, who's still very, very new, was one of the best presents I got all year, much less at Christmas. We sat back there and played and I showed him how to do things, and I admired how much he'd learned in such a very short time, and we had something new together. He plays more of a country style, and I play more rock and blues, so we decided that we should start picking out songs for both of us to learn, that way we spent more time playing and less time teaching.

Significant Other got me "Revolver" (remastered) for Christmas, and my mother got me "The Beatles" (a.k.a. "The White Album"), and Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Live. I immediately put in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame DVD, and Mama and I marathoned it through all four discs- Significant Other managed to stay awake for two of them. This was a moment, too, because my mother and I have so much musical history together, and we could recall things, talk about the people playing, the history of these songs and the bands....and it was another memory made, worth never forgetting, because there's nothing like sharing a moment when your soul soars with your mother. By the way, thank God for Prince on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", he totally saved one of my favorite songs of all time. (And I still haven't figured out why Eric Clapton wasn't in on this performace, since he laid the original track with George, and he was the deciding factor on the song making it onto the White Album.) This song literally can hit those notes down deep in the bottom of my belly that move me to tears). By the way, that young guy by Tom Petty is Dhani Harrison, George's son.
Enjoy!