Analog Aesthetics

Seeing as I'm not home for the holidays, I thought I'd say a global Merry Christmas! And guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!

Tomorrow is the first Christmas day. The 26th is the "second Christmas" day. I dream of you all, sitting at home with your extended families, grandmother, aunts & uncles, the sweetest nieces and nephews. Eating so much food. Laughter. Snow. Presents, jokes about your latest haircut or lack of a solid relationship, picking on your little sister. Warm homes and delicious pies. Between now and the New Year, there's nothing but family and friends and an endless string of catching up.

This year, my third being in Germany and not with my family, means croissants baked at 9:30 p.m., fabulous music (so far: Statistics, Stars, Cat Power, Kings of Convenience, Last Days of April, Medications, Elliot Smith, Sombreroland - even the Christmas EP! - Adem, New Buffalo, Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeny), plenty of time to think, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, my new played-by-mouth keyboard, and guitar jams. Podcasting. Drunken phone calls. Playing with my new PDA, because Wally's better than candy corn. Burnt fried mashed potatoes. WSBF visitors: Jay and Oliver Basic. He's Croatian and promises a wild party for New Year's. Kelly in Berlin. My brother with my parents. My darling little sister is hopefully making Christmas dinner. Cold Montana. Dreaming of Seattle. If you're Barsuk, call me. Recording my resume on mini-disc. Burning said croissants. In love with walking along the Rhein, and the events of December 13th. Hopeful, a new year around the corner. Nashville, TN. Vacation in February. 2006.

Happy Holidays!
Frohe Weihnachten!

Ryan can sing!
So much I don't understand.
Get on the mic!