First Straw on a Chrstmas Eve

Almost Christmas. Kinda excited. Watching Phantom of the Opera with my family. Such a wonderful movie. I love it. Some how my parents made it this far through life without ever seeing any version of the Phantom. I am happy to help them with this.

Got to talk to my older brother Chad tonight. It was nice. I think this is going to be a wonderful Christmas.

Hung out with Amy today. It was nice as always to see her again. We shopped for my brother and then just hung out at her house for a while. We didn't do much over there, but it was just nice to hang out for a while. It's always fun to see her little brothers too. They are like a second set of little brothers to me. I love them. And they are still small enough that I can wrestle them, without it becoming competitive. Although with my real brothers, not much is not competitive.

Last night, we went to the Main Street Jazz & Blues club to see Farmer's Tan Market, a band of some old West grads including Ian Randall, Jordan Bay and Paxton Rodgers, all good friends of mine in high school. It was nice to see them. It was crazy there. Like a high school reunion, nearly every person I hung out with at West came out for the show. It was great. Even Danny O'Donnell and John Mackin were there, reuniting our old junior high group. Kinda crazy.

Still trying to figure some things out, but they are looking better. Got to talk to my little sister the other night about it and I think I have some things figured out.

Played Jimmy in chess tonight. It was fun. The kid is getting better. I helped him read the board a little better and I think it helped him a little. I probably sound like a nerd, but I have missed playing a good game of chess. I should get my hands on a board. If I do, any takers?

I've been talking to Erin O'Connor a lot online, lately. It's been fun. Turns out we have a lot in common, besides that whole she's nuts about country thing. Just a good time talking, and it's nice.

Well time to get some sleep. I'll leave you with some 311 to rock out to, but for now, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Oh a whole new way of looking at things
The way you react to phone rings
The way it feels when you just let it flow
Sometimes I wonder just how it could be
You take every bit before we see it off the rails
I think that you should know

You never cease to amaze me
You keep me from going crazy
And that's one thing I know for sure
Sometimes I see just how it all will be
Take every bit it's so easy the first straw
And this I know for sure

The first straw
So small it seemed impossible
The next straw
Vanished like shooting stars that fall
The last straw
There's no reason for getting there at all

The last straw can land in your mix
Your best day could be apocalypse
Nobody pay attention to the first straw
It seems the last one is all we ever saw
The first straw's a metaphore I pick up myself
It tells me something by showing me something else
I think that you should know

Everyone reacts when it gets to the weight of breaking their back
I won't let that be us cause the long side never gave back