Random on Purpose

So just a few random things across the last few days.

Thanksgiving came and passed, and as it passed it reminded us that all things Christmas had arrived. So that meant we started decorating for the holiday that was nearly a month away.

First up, lights on the outside of the house. ...which was MUCH more difficult than it appeared to be. Uneven dirt, plus tall house peaks, plus stiff winds made this task fairly irritating.

So we're now content with our one string of lights, front door wreath and candelabras in each window.

While I was outside, Em tackled the inside -- which was a very strict green and silver color scheme. We'll get a tree in a couple weeks, but for now, we put our mini-tree in the kitchen -- nice festive addition.

Oh, and Rocco was castrated. I only say it like that because that's exactly what the invoice said. As Emma said, it was a black Friday for Rocco.

Four hundred dollars later, Rocco's high on his pain medication and has taken to falling asleep while sitting up.

I'm sure something more exciting will come around, but for now, that's about it...

The Muppets Meet Queen

In 1975, British rock band, Queen, released the rock opera song, "Bohemian Rhapsody."

The song, often parodied, contains an a cappella element, a rock solo, and an operatic piece and is considered one of the greatest songs of all times.

Yesterday, Disney's Muppets Studio released their version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" -- with their characters, with their humor. And it's fantastic.

One of my favorite parts in the video below is Animal singing "Mama." The way he sings it reminds me of the same way our nephew, Cole, says...and sometimes yells, "Mama" when he's trying to get Sara's attention.

Maybe Cole will grown up like his uncle... banging away on the drum kit aimlessly...

The Swell Season at The Wiltern

In 2007, Emma and I went downtown to The Orpheum Theatre for a Damien Rice concert. It was brilliant. Partly because that night, we discovered a musical duo -- The Swell Season.

Led by Glen Hansard, of the Irish band, The Frames, The Swell Season captured our musical hearts. So much so, we used their song as background music in our wedding slideshow.

In 2008, the duo won an Oscar for their song "Falling Slowly" in the amazing film they both starred in called "Once." The same year, we saw them perform at The Greek Theater with the one-man-musical-act, Iron & Wine.

This year, we saw the band perform again, in support of their new album, "Strict Joy," at The Wiltern -- a 1930's art deco venue housed in LA's Koreatown district. By the way, as you'll soon see, I have a thing for artistic ceilings..

Em and I drove down Thursday night and met my best man, Chris at the theater. The opener that night was Josh Ritter, a folksy act which was about three-times-too-folksy for our liking. But an hour later, the Swell Season took the stage.

Glen has a routine during nearly every show where he unpluggs his acoustic guitar, steps in front of the microphone, and proceeds to sing one of the group's most popular songs, Say It To Me Now, without any technology or amplification supporting him. Just his voice, and his beat-up guitar.

Simply put, if you can watch him do this, and not be captivated in the process, something's wrong with your musical heartbeat. It's an amazing scene. To see, in a moment, an entire theater come to silence and then watch a sole performer command such well-deserved attention. Truly amazing.

At the show at the Greek, we were treated to a musical blast from the past as Richard Sherman, composer of the Jungle Book, Mary Poppins and other Disney classics came out to perform "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" on the piano to the liking of thousands in attendance.

This year, we received a similar treat as Jason Segel, star of "How I Met Your Mother," "Knocked Up," and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" came out to perform his own, very funny original song. Partly about his charming personality. And partly about his penis. Just saying... watch if you want to...

Other celebrity sightings directly in front of us in the VIP section (it is Hollywood after all) included Rainn Wilson from "The Office," and Judd Apatow, who's put together a string of popular comedies across the last five years or so.

I'm consistently amazed by Hansard's musical capabilities. Despite how late we got home, it was absolutely worth it. And we'll be somewhere again next year, sitting amongst an "in-awe" audience. So join us if you're interested.

Yes, and yes again. I'm a bit of a fanboy. But unashamed.

Colby's Missing Memory

It's a bit strange to remember lyrics to songs you heard 23 years ago -- as a young boy of just 5 years old.

Somehow, today, I came across a video of a Marantha! Music production called "Colby's Missing Memory."

It was a series of drama/musical cassette tapes my parents would play for us while we were taking those Oregon-to-Illinois roadtrips in a Chevy Celebrity, starring a Christian robot named Colby.

I'm sure he was friends with Psalty and Charity Churchmouse.

Anyway, to see a video of the soundtrack I listened to over and over again as a child was a bit surreal. Especially as it was filled with neon, collared shirts, suspenders and pants-tucked-into-socks attire.

To see one clip of this 6-part visual extravaganza, see below. Make sure to pay special attention to the now-creepy dream sequence: "...I'm a kid, you know, a human! I don't want to be a robot!"

Inspirational

Mashable, one of the world's largest blogs devoted to all things Web, recently released the top 7 inspirational videos on the web.

In case you were interested, here's a few of my favorites from their selection.

If you want to learn more about William and his windmill endeavors, you can buy his book, "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," like I did -- though I still haven't read it.

And an unfortunate update for you, in early January, Ben Underwood passed away due to a tumor in his sinus cavity.

But these videos are inspirational nevertheless.

Tricked on Halloween

Sometimes it's nice to see a different video out there. One that's different from all the crude mockery and rants that are now so accessible to everyone.

This one is different. This is a video of a 4th grade girl who is about to give a school report on where her Dad is stationed in Iraq.

The rest? You have to see for yourself...

We Need Your Help! - The Verdict

Earlier this month we asked for your help deciding what chandelier we should select as our replacement fixture in our dining room.

The "before" image is below.

Over 67% of you selected the Amity chandelier. And quite honestly, usually that means we'll do the exact opposite of your recommendation (just being honest).

So we began doing some additional research on the competing chandelier (the Camilla). It was different, it was unique and it would certainly be a topic of discussion. But when we found a photo of the chandelier installed in a "real" person's home, that was the deciding factor.

Instead of being full and lively, it appeared to be split into 3 separate tiers -- and we weren't into that.

So the next day we ordered the Amity piece -- despite everybody also being in favor of that model.

All that to say, today we installed our new chandelier and we think it's a perfect fit. Its design characteristics match those of the rest of the house and we think it's a great complement to the rest of the home.

So thanks for your input, and please enjoy the quick snapshot of the chandelier (below) shortly after install.