I’ve always enjoyed this time of year. The food and drinks, getting together with the family, and, I’ll admit it, the gifts, both giving and receiving. But I’ve always enjoyed the music during this time of year. Yeah, I know it gets annoying after a while (especially if you work in retail) but this is the only time of year when you can listen to holiday music and not look like an out-of-season fool.
So, with this post, I’ll be putting up my favorite holiday songs.
Santa Claus - Harry Connick, Jr.
This is a song I’ve always heard but never really listened to the lyrics. I really like the story of the song about a boy who thinks he’s getting too old to believe in Santa Claus but gets quite a shock on Christmas night.
Feliz Navidad - Jose Feliciano
Oh, this is the quintessential Hispanic Christmas song. I’d be a fool not to included it on this list and it is a nice change of pace from other holiday songs with the Spanish lyrics. Plus, it just sounds so festive and upbeat!
Silent Night - Traditonal
I just love how peaceful and soothing this song sounds. Perfect for curling up by the fireplace.
Snow Miser/Heat Miser - Rankin and Bass
This is the sole reason why anyone watches The Year Without a Santa Claus. I’ve seen the special many times over the years but when these songs come on, I always start singing along. It’s just so damn catchy.
You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch - Thurl Ravenscroft
Again, like the last song, this is one of the reasons why I enjoy How The Grinch Stole Christmas!. You just gotta love that deep voice and those insulting lyrics.
O Tannenbaum - Vince Guaraldi Trio
Another song from a Christmas special, this one from A Charlie Brown Christmas. I know everyone enjoys Linus and Lucy from this special but I’ve always had a soft spot for this song. It just sounds so cool and jazzy.
Run Rudolph Run - The Reverend Horton Heat
I particularly like this version of the song since I got to see it performed live! But I still don’t understand what the lyric “Randolph ain’t too far behind” is supposed to mean.
Jingle Bells - The Brian Setzer Orchestra
This, in my honest opinion, is the most coolest version of this song. ‘nuff said.
So, that’s it for this year at Grimdark Parking Lot. ( I completely forgot the one-year anniversary was a few days ago. :P) Here’s to 2012 (since the world didn’t end on the 21st) and I hope you all have a Happy Holiday! See you next year! :)
Hey, guys. Sadly, I wasn’t able to go to Beer School at House of Rock this month. However, I brought Beer School to me by getting a make-your-own six-pack at HEB Plus. Technically, it’s only a five pack, but they’re all beers I’ve never tried before. This time I went looking for specifically winter and Christmas beers since Christmas is fast approaching. Here are my brief (non-expert) thoughts on them.
(Note: I didn’t drink these all on one night. I’m not that much of a lush.)
Harpoon Winter Warmer - Has a sweet smell. Tastes slightly bitter when it first hits your lips but has a nice cinnamon/spice flavor as it goes down. (Most winter beers have that spiciness to it to warm you up as you drink it or so the ads claim.) The bitterness seems to subside as it sits. Either that or I’m getting more used to it as I go along.
Breckenridge Christmas Ale - It has a tart smell a bit like a fruit. Much more stronger tasting than the last beer but you can really taste the sweet flavoring. A little bitter but not overly so.
Jubelale - Doesn’t have a very noticeable smell. Very strong, bitter taste at first, but seems to get less intense with each gulp. Not as much as I would like though.
Noche Buena - This beer is an imported Christmas beer from Mexico, if the name didn’t give it away. Definitely a Mexican beer by the smell, very cerveza. Goes down very smooth and nowhere near as bitter as the last one. As a side note, I really like the artwork on the bottle. Very appropriate for Christmas.
Alaskan Winter - An interesting thing about this beer is that it is brewed with spruce tree tips according to the label. Has a pleasant smell perhaps because of it. Smooth to drink but hard to pinpoint the flavor. But then again, I don’t usually have beers mixed with bits of trees.
Jacob’s Best O’ the Bunch! - I didn’t think it would happen with this bunch but it was a close tie between Noche Buena and Alaskan Winter due to how both were very easy to drink. But it was hard for me to pick out the better beer, so it’s a tie. I’m a little disappointed with Jubelale because the artwork on the label really sold me on buying it but it was way too bitter for my taste. Alaskan Brewery, once again with this seasonal, is quickly becoming one of my favorite breweries as each beer I’ve tried from them has been great.
Ah, RealmsCon, you've come a long way. The first time I went was during High School and it was at the Ramada Hotel. Now, it's filling the American Bank Center to max capacity.
Imagine this filled with Geeks and Nerds (myself included)
For those wondering what I'm blathering about, RealmsCon is the premier Anime convention of Corpus Christi, TX. It didn't always used to be an Anime convention. When I first went, it was more of a Horror/Sci-fi convention with some Comic and Anime thrown in. I went dressed up as Neo from The Matrix and met Peter Mayhew, the man who played Chewbacca and got Bill Moseley's autograph (Otis from Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects)
From what I've heard, and this is just rumor, was that it changed to an anime convention to attract more attendees. Well, if that's true, it certainly worked as I've never seen so many people at RealmsCon this year in all my years of going.
That being said, a lot of people carried cameras and cell phones, and it was only logical that I would pop out in some videos. I walked around a lot during the Friday and Saturday of RealmsCon so I knew that I was walking past many video camera, just going along my merry way.
The week after RealmsCon, I was looking on Youtube to see other attendees' videos of the con. Imagine my surprise when I saw myself wandering around in some. Some were only blink-and-you'll-miss-it glimpses, but I've found three videos where you can see me more prominently. (The third one especially. Good God, the third one.)
In case, you're wondering what the hell I'm dressed up as, it's my steampunk character, Jake Cordova: Bounty Hunter. I'm wearing a white button-up shirt (with sleeves rolled up), red bandana, brown pants with suspenders, wool fingerless gloves, brown cap and welding goggles. Since my character is the son of a nahual (a type of shaman from Mexico) and because of his conception, he has the legs and tail of a Mexican wolf. I managed to do this by getting a clip-on tail and a pair of bear feet slippers. As a prop, I've got a nerf gun converted to look more steampunk-y.
Here's what the costume is supposed to look like thanks to Gaia Dream Avatar
Isn't it beautiful?
At 8:56, you can see me at the far left walk by. At 9:06, you see me lumber away like Bigfoot. Overall, the 34:00 + long video does give you a good look at what goes on at the con.
Just photoshop my head and there you go.
Here you can see me at 0:40. I was waiting in line for a brunch on Saturday and I saw a guy with a large camera come zooming by. Also, the person behind me in the yellow helmet was really into character and was silent the entire time. She tried to talk to me about my costume using hand gestures.
And now for the big one. Just watch...
This was at a masquerade ball that night when they whipped out the Gangnam Style. What can I say? It's a fun dance. The suspenders actually helped me a lot because when I tried to dance to this at my sister's wedding, my pants kept falling.
So that's it for now. I had a blast and can't wait for next year's RealmsCon.
