my beef with the little drummer boy. . .

So because it's the Christmas season, and because my friends encouraged me to write on my blog more often (it has been a while), and because I was inspired by my friend Brian's posting about Christmas songs, I too, will be writing about a certain Christmas song, and if you noticed the title then you probably have already guessed which one I will be commenting on.

I don't know what it is. It could be that the little drummer boy isn't real - which Gospel account mentions him again? . . . It could be that the stop-motion animation version of him kind of creeps me out. . . It could also be the thought that little baby Jesus is trying to sleep in a cold manger with barnyard animals all around, and this little idiot marches up and starts banging on his drum. . . And maybe it could the fact that the song includes the line "rum pum pum pum" over and over and over again . . . Whatever it is, something about the little drummer boy has, for sometime now, really gotten under my skin. Like so much so that if I were one of those shepherds that came to witness Christ's birth I probably would have smashed the drum over his head and pushed him into a pile of donkey crap. . . . OK, maybe I wouldn't be that mean - maybe I would just spit on him or something. . .

Anyway, so the song "the little drummer boy" (I failed to capitalize this on purpose because i don't repesct him) is pretty much far and away my LEAST favorite Christmas song. However a new version of this song was brought to my attention recently. The Almost is a band that is near and dear to my heart, not only because the lead singer Aaron Gillespie is the drummer of another of my favorite bands (Underoath) but there is a very real possibility that he is my father (or maybe my brother - more on this later). Well, The Almost (capitalized because I respect them) recently released an EP entitled "No Gift to Bring" which happens to include a remake of the aforementioned song. Imagine my horror! Well, the song is actually really good, in fact the best version of a terrible song I've ever heard, and I haven't stopped listening to it. You win this time, little drummer boy, but there's always next Christmas. . .

Now back to my comment about Aaron Gillespie being related to me. . .

Take a look at this. If Aaron and snowboarder Shaun White had aDeLorean with a flux capacitor and went back to 1984, and in a blaze of passion and a flurry of red hair, and somehow had a baby. . . then they would have an attractive baby with red hair and a love of music, snowboarding, and fine women. . . which would be me! yikes!

+ =

The resemblance is uncanny. The only holes in my argument that I can see are that they don't have quite the propensity that I do to grow facial hair and I weigh roughly 4.2 times their combined weight. The explanation for these abnormalities is clearly an overabundance of unnatural hormones found the beef and poultry that make up 97% of my daily diet.

Daddies, if you read this, i know this is a shock, but skype me and we can talk about it. . .

miscellaneous stuff

Just hours after writing about my self-imposed "no buying new music" diet, I caved and bought a new album from Amazon. It's true that am weak, but I had good reason to jump on this opportunity. . . really, I did! You see Amazon was offering Copeland's newest album You Are My Sunshine on MP3 for only $3.99! Crazy! So I bought it and downloaded and it was well worth it. My review will be coming soon. . .

Also going back to my previous post, was the video of the House of Heroes song I posted. The video was hosted on Vimeo, which I guess I have seen videos from them before but had never really paid attention to it. Anyway, I checked out their site today and was pretty impressed. It seems like the video quality is waaaay better than YouTube's, and you also don't have the mess of random crap on it either. Add to that, the HD capabilities of Vimeo and it all seems pretty nifty. For your viewing enjoyment, I 've included an example of an HD video posted on Vimeo.

London (harder, better, faster, stronger) from David Hubert on Vimeo.

[OK, so I just tested it and it looks like you have to go to Vimeo's site to watch it in HD.]

This video, by the way, was shot using only still photographs - its pretty sweet, plus it uses a song by Daft Punk, which makes any video automatically sweeter.

One last thing I wanted to mention, was some photos that I took of my brother Jake as he was skateboarding. He just got his license and to celebrate he made the trip up here from Clemmons last week because he had Veteran's Day off. Anyway we hung out on Tuesday and we went to a big indoor skate park in Raleigh of off Six Forks Rd. called Project 58 (it was some arbitrary number, and I'm pretty sure it was 58 but for all I know it could have been something like 74 or 39). So we did that and then on the way back we passed by some huge concrete tubes off of Hwy. 70 and we pulled over and I took some photos of him shredding the tubes. Later on, we went to downtown Durham and hit a few spots as well. It was all lots of fun and I got some pretty good pics, and I've been playing around with them on Photoshop a little bit. Here are some of them, let me know what you think because I think I want to choose one style and then create a poster of the different images to give to Jake. . .

music i like, pt. 1

So one thing I'd like to do with this blog is express my views various expressions of art such as music, movies, books, etc. in order to inform my friends about stuff they should be exposing themselves to and also to demonstrate my superior indie/artsy-ness by discussing cool, obscure bands and movies and books that make me seem smart. OK not really, but I do like talking about this kind of stuff - especially music - and I think that by discussing it, it will give me a greater appreciation for it and also will allow me to receive feedback/suggestions for other stuff that might be similar to what I'm currently listening to. So if you have cool stuff, holla at me and let me know, and then I'll be the judge of whether its really cool or not. :)

[Speaking of cool stuff, that new Kanye joint "Love Lockdown" is really good. The dude's crazy and I'm really disappointed by the way he represents his "Christian faith", but the man knows how to make music and "Love Lockdown" is a jam. Its completely different from his usual stuff and it feels different from what other people are doing too, and I resepect that. It just straight up catchy and that African drum beat that comes in and out is awesome. Check it out.]

So the band I wanted to start this thing off with is House of Heroes. They just released their second album, entitled The End is Not the End. Now, I don't own this one, (i'm on a strict music diet currently - its called the "No CDs until you have a job" plan, but i do have their first one Say No More). Anyway, I like them because they are different. When I listed to their stuff, they do things that are not the normal. You expect songs to follow a certain pattern, and these guys seem to bust that pattern and do something 2x sweeter. Take for example their first single off of The End is Not the End, "In The Valley of the Dying Son", this song goes all over the place from catchy pop-rock, to trippy electronica, to bumping dance beat, to space opera, to rock your socks off.

In The Valley Of The Dying Sun from gotee on Vimeo.

Another song of theirs to check out is "Buckets for Bullet Wounds". Its on their MySpace site and its off their first CD. I love the change in tempos and homeboy has a killer voice - that scream after the bridge is sick!

barackin' the suburbs

A lot has happened since my last post on Halloween, and while I've wanted to blog about certain events not having Internet access in your home makes things difficult. We're still figuring what we want to do as far as internet goes - its just all so expensive!

Anyway, I currently have a glimmer of wireless action from an unknown, but much appreciated neighbor (thanks lewis, whoever you are) and so I will use it to my advantage and spout off about a few things.

Halloween night was awesome. We attended the Avett Brothers concert at the War Memorial Auditorium in Greensboro. It was definitely one of the most fun shows I've ever been too. The Avetts just seem to know how to have a good time and their blend of pop-rock-bluegrass is just so catchy and "sing-along-able". The energy and passion with which they hammer their banjoes and guitars and scream at the top of their lungs, is unreal and one can't help but tap toes and nod heads. The fact that it was Halloween probably made it all the more crazy, and there was much alcohol consumed by the fine folks around us, but the audience was so into it and most people there seemed to know almost every word and they sang along as loud as they could. The Avett Brothers are one of those bands, much like Mute Math, that even if you don't know or even like their music you are going to come away from their performances amazed and a fan. It was great and I can't wait for them to pass through again. . .

And on to the election. . .

Its been a crazy week, since November 4 when Barack Obama was elected the next president. I mean I think in the back of my mind I knew that this was going to happen (McCain gave it a great effort, I think he just had too much to overcom) but I don't think I really knew what to expect when it did. It was pretty surreal watching him give his speech in front of thousands of people in Grant Park.

[side note: I was at a similar rally in Grant Park several years ago after the Chicago Bulls won one of their hundreds of championships, and watched Dennis Rodman, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson and the rest of the Bulls stand on a stage from about 3 miles away - there was A LOT of people there. It was cool and I really don't remember much, and I despite growing up just outside of Chicago never really liked the Micahel Jordan-led Bulls, so it wasn't that big of a deal. Its just cool to say all that because when Obama had his rally, i could say "been there done that" like I'm special or something.]

Anyway, I wasn't as pumped about Obama winning nor was I down about it as a lot of people were. I did vote for the man, and the feat he accomplished is incredible and it's cool to say that I saw it happened and I'm definitely glad he won. I'm also excited to see what the next for years will bring, but I try not to get too carried away with all this stuff. At the end of the day, I'm just going to be me. I'm going to do my thing and live my life, and I know that my hope and salvation does not rest in a young African-American man from Chicago - nor does it rest in an old, 70-something year old white guy from Arizona for that matter. God is going to do with our leader and this country what He sees fit and I'm going to trust in Him and be okay with that.

I watched the election unfold first at Jerry Crain's apartment and then later (after the crushing of the Republican party began) at Clayton and Kristen's and one of things we did was to keep an eye on our friends' facebook profiles. Watching the statuses changes as history was being made was at times humourous, uplifting, but most of the time appaling and depressing. People I know and respect and feel safe calling a brother or sister in Christ said things about Obama that were straight up shocking, and truthfully made me question where there faith lies. Is it in Jesus Christ? or in the US government? It makes no sense to me why people get so caught up in this stuff. Government is not going to change the course of this country and it sure as heck is not going to change the hearts of people. Regardless of who's in charge of this country, the church has a lot of work to do, because its the church and Jesus Christ that are the ones will truly bring change and hope to the people of this country and the world.

happy halloween. . . here's all my money

So since I remain unemployed, my days are spent perusing various sports and news sites, and today I came across a tasty little article on Raleigh's News & Observer site. . .

Tonight, sweet street is Durham's Club Blvd.

I wasn't sure what they were talking about so I read it, because our new home is a couple blocks down from Club Blvd. Well, I'll spare you the time that it would take to read it (it's not that interesting). Basically its about how the W. Club Blvd area between 9th St. and Hillandale (right where we live) is, and I quote, "the epicenter of trick-or-treating in Durham". Awesome right?

Especially since last year, our first as a married couple and with our own apartment, we bought like three huge bags of candy excited about getting to hand out to all the cute little kids that would come through. The only problem was that our apartment complex last year was on the border of sketchy Durham and was very poorly lit, which equals scared parents, which in turn equals a sad, lonely Brian (Melissa of course had to work on Halloween - have you no decency Starbucks? I mean its a national holiday or something right?) sitting on his porch eating 3 lbs. of Kit-Kats. Believe it or not, that's not a healthy way to spend an evening.

So now we live in the "epicenter of Durham trick-or-treating". And as I continue reading the article, I'm thinking "Great! We're already set!" because I bought two bags from Kroger the other day and now we have about 30 pieces of Reese's and Kit-Kats. (Didn't want to go overboard with 3 bags this year, just in case). But as I continue down the page it begins to dawn on me the scope of trick-or-treating that we may be dealing with here. . .

"Rae Jean Proescholdbell [she lives on Alabama St., the next block over] has counted a steady increase at her home every year. In 2001, she and her husband marked down 404 children with a pad and pencil. Last year on Oct. 31, using a silvery hand-held gadget, they clicked off 954."

Wow! That's a lot of kids! . . . That's a lot of answering the door. . . Wait! . . . That's a lot of candy!

So I do some quick calculations:

2 bags from Kroger ($2 a bag) = 30 peices of candy = $4 = $0.13 per piece of candy

Assuming there is an increase again this year in the number of trick-or-treaters, if we hand out one piece of candy to each snot-nosed brat that comes through then it looks like this. . .

1000 kids x $0.13 worth of candy = $130!!!!!!!

So I'm supposed to spend $130 (atleast, you know some of those kids are going to grab more than one piece!) on some unhealthy little treats for a 1000 people I have never met before? No way.

Now, as it turns out, I managed to get tickets (yay, craigslist!) for us to go to the Avett Brothers concert in Greensboro tonight, so we're not even going to be here. So I guess we'll just plan on leaving a bucket out or something, but when teenagers come up and find out all the candy is gone after the first 15 minutes of halloween I fear the things that will be done to our house.

Happy f'n Halloween. . .

The Big 2-4

Today is my birthday. Yippee! The day when random people who you never talk face to face with and really don't know anything about your life at this point decide that they should write "happy birthday brian!" on your Facebook wall. Cool. Thanks. Talk to you next year. . .

I don't mean to be a scrooge, but I do think its pretty funny. People just start coming out of the woodwork to say happy birthday and never ask how you are doing or what you are up to. Now, I'm a big fan of Facebook, and without it 97% of my "facebook friends" wouldn't have any idea that today is my birthday, but for real, could we be any more impersonal? Couldn't I at least get a text message?

Come to think about it, what the heck is the big deal about a birthday anyway? I mean it's not like I did anything to make this day special? Bah humbug!

p.s. i'm not really upset. apparently my old age is getting to me. on the off chance that someone who posted "happy birthday" on my facebook wall actually reads this, I want you to know that I am grateful, and that this was just an attempt at humor :) . . . but seriously, send me a freaking card or something, you impersonal jerk. . .

So I stole this link from J.D. Greear's blog. He is the pastor of the Summit Church in Durham. He used it as an example of some of the many "injustices" Christians have committed. This one is right up there with the Crusades and slavery. . .

OK, it's not up there with those two, but it does seem really close. . .



Oh yeah, and I also stole this from J.D. because it totally sums up how I feel about this whole thing, and yet I continue to post stuff. . .


So pretty much you should just be reading his blog instead of this lame one. . .

. . . I wish I was cool and funny like J.D. . .

However, I wish I was UN-like these idiots. . .



Why God, why?

If it was good enough for Jesus. . .

www.jesusisarebel.com
*check it out - its owned by a friend, and is where I got my red "love your enemies" shirt

So we are officially no longer residents of Marble, NC. Yesterday we stuffed all our belongings into our cars and returned from the wilderness to attempt to assimilate ourselves back into civilized society. I guess I'm going to have to cut my hair and shave my beard . . . maybe.

Future plans haven't really gone according to plan, which is why we're back in the Triangle, but it's all good. We don't have a place to live, so we're mooching off of the Browns and Greenes in married student housing at UNC right now until we can find a place of our own in the Durham/Chapel Hill area. Once again Melissa is the one bringing home the bacon, as she started working back at Starbucks on Guess Rd. today. Meanwhile I am busy updating a blog that no one reads and determining whether Willis McGahee or Laurence Maroney is a better play in fantasy football this week. Really important stuff.

On a side note, being a Cubs fan is pretty much torture. I often wonder why I do it. The freaking baseball season is 162 games long, and the Cubs were great for all of it. One of the best teams in the majors for 6 months, and now that we're in the playoffs and the games mean something they absolutely play two of the worst games I've ever seen. Only the Cubs could pull this off. . .

The Beginning

Neither of us have ever had a blog before, but I became intrigued after spending some time with Chad Hines. He has set up a blog to document his exploits in LA as he tries to achieve rock stardom, and because I pretty much want to be Chad "Dollabillz" Hines, I decided that I'd try my hand at creating a boring and useless web page as well.

So here it is, in all its glory. The name comes from the fact that Melissa's maiden name is Greene and my last name (now our last name) has striking resemblance to "turkey" when you squint your eyes really hard. So Melissa and I are the Green Turkeys, and this is our life. . .

. . . at least the life we choose to share with all the random strangers, pervs, and losers without something better to do that lurk around all day on the world wide web. . .

and now an embarrassing picture of my brother David. . .