Suns are in the sky now, Suns are in my veins, Throw me in the fire now Love is what remains.....

Some of you may have noticed that I have been MIA these last few weeks - there are several reasons for this - one is that I am working now and thusly have less time on my hands and because there is less time - time moves more quickly which means I didn't even realize until I opened this page that it had been a month since my last posting. In light of less time and the Holidays already upon us I thought I would put together a list of things that over the past year have made me enjoy life more. Some of these things, or people, have been around awhile, but have only this year made me happy or otherwise enhanced my life or they are new things that were released this year. In any case, in no particular order (but starting with Joan Osborne because of today's quote) here it goes:

Joan Osborne's "Little Wild Things" - because she can do no wrong and this CD is worth every last moment spent listening to it.






Joe Jackson's Rain - his latest - and one of his greatest - as a very long time fan he not only is one of the best live acts I've ever seen but he's one of our greatest song writers ever.




Kim Dickens - one of the most underrated and talented actresses of our time. Yes, kids, some former models CAN indeed act and until you've seen her in Allison Anders "Things Behind The Sun" your life is incomplete.




The next time you are sitting on your porch or patio on a chilly winter's night sipping some holiday wine - pop in Over The Rhine's Drunkards Prayer - it will warm your soul and stimulate your brain - you won't be sorry.





Ryan Adams' Follow The Lights - one of my favourites from last year is still hitting the mark and like fine wine gets better with age.





In The Wild - triple threat - GREAT movie from a
GREAT book that begat a GREAT soundtrack. Need I say more?







Awesome deal - awesome choices - affordable and amidst the bills in the mail good news arrives with every red envelope.





I know - kind of cheesy - but it's nice to be in touch with long lost friends.





Love Actually - one of my all time favourite movies it is a must see for me every year around this time.







See? Cameron Diaz is more talented than you think...and The Holiday proves it. Everyone in it is amazing and the story is very sweet. Worth watching.





My 1993 000C16L gets better sounding every year....









My new North Face tent and the greatest campsite ever - 12,000 feet up a mountain in Colorado next to a river off of Route 550. It really doesn't get much better than that.








My niece, Cate, because while I would like to see her more often - still - hearing someone say "I miss you" never gets old.













Even though I lost my little guy, Phineas, this year - I am grateful for the nearly 13 years we had together....and yes...Love is what remains.








So there it is - some of the people and things that have inspired me this year....I hope you enjoyed my list and while there are so many more pieces that could have been included I think this is a fair representation. Feel free to check out earlier posts for other CD's, people and movies that have made this a very good year.

Thanks for tuning in....Until next time...CHEERS! and Happy Holidays!!