Feeling “relevant” again

I recently celebrated one year of marriage with my wife, Rosanna. And if you follow me here on Tumblr or friend me on Facebook, you’re well aware of the amount of my conversation that she takes up.

She did something for me that was absolutely wonderful and helped me reconnect with the world around me…

She bought me an iPhone as an anniversary gift.

Stupid to some, silly to others, but sensical to me.

Her simple gesture of kindness allowed me to rekindle the nerd flame within and begin the next phase of my technological journey.

What’s something someone has done for you that got YOU excited?

bc

Chili’s, chick flicks, and grapes

Okay…so it’s been a while since Rosanna and I have gone on a date. And I’ll be honest: we don’t really go on dates any more. That’s my fault, really. The both of us get busy during the week, and I usually can’t seem to find the time to put something together. Call it laziness, but I think the focus has shifted from being a hopeless romantic to now just trying to pay the bills.

And that’s why nights like tonight are so important to us.

Since June, I have been so blessed to add to the numbers of my family with the addition of the Ansara girls. I love them all with of my heart. And their significant others are pretty great, too. So, imagine my excitement when I learn that Rosanna and I will be spending time with her sister and her boyfriend. They call each other “The Grapes”…so we do, too.

The Grapes wanted to do dinner and a movie last night. PERFECT! If this were a first date I agree that it would be pretty lame. But thank God I’m getting old. :)

So we started the night at Chili’s. And thank goodness for my planning-minded sister-in-law for calling ahead tonight. Had she not, we would have waited 45 minutes just to sit down. We LITERALLY walked in to the restaurant and sat down. It was awesome. And Dinner was great, too. Because my wife is always thinking one step ahead, she had already scoped out the “2 for $20” deal from the commercials…so tonight wouldn’t be so bank-breaking.

The even bigger plus is that my wife is so great at her job that she wins incentives ALL…THE…TIME. I mean, it seems like everyday she’s getting something for a job well done. Well, we’re so boring that she happened to bank (no pun intended) all of her rewards in a neat pile on the dresser. The prize: a stack of movie tickets. To date, I think she’s won a total of 12 of them but I can’t be certain.

Naturally, we would use them on a night like tonight. And the movie was selected by one of the Grapes: “How Do You Know?” So not a dime was spent to see the movie which literally saved us from having to refinance the house.

But tonight was a rare night because something happened that only happens when the stars, planets and toes are aligned perfectly.

We were forced to sit in the front row.

This kind of thing only takes place when there are literally not enough seats for a group of people to sit together. This theater was small, too. I’m not one to make someone get out of their seat to make room for me, so we sucked it up and sat right up in Paul Rudd’s face…and Owen Wilson’s nose. Yeah, it was annoying at first, but I got over it.

All in all tonight was one that was definitely needed. We love date nights and we love them with friends (and family.) I’m excited to try some different combinations now. I mean, who knows? Maybe we’ll find out that apples, bees, action movies, and grapes go together well, too.

Only time will tell.

bc

The truth in 2011

I have lied.

No, no…not just the cute little white lies, but the ones that can cause a person to lose trust. I’m talking about lies that could have changed the course of a lifestyle. Worst of all, is that the content of these lies have affected 1 out of every 3 people that’s important in my life.

This includes the woman that said “yes” to me.

“Brett…why would you go public with this startling confession?”

Well, the fact of the matter is that I can’t personally apologize to every single person I have ever lied to. In fact, that would be darn near impossible. So, with the magic of the internets, I’m going to attempt to settle the score right here.

I got a book for Christmas this year called “Soul Pancake.” It was written by Rainn Wilson who plays Dwight Schrute on my favorite show “The Office.” In an effort to save you the commercial plug I will just tell you that the book is all about finding answers to life’s questions.

One of the sections of this book focuses on questions aimed at discovering truth and uncovering lies in our everyday journey. Rainn and the collaborators pose a very interesting question: “Have you ever told a lie that you were glad you told?” And it wasn’t until now that I am able to answer that question candidly with you.

The answer to that is NO.

Sure…there were those little white lies I told over the years to cover up a surprise for someone. And in retrospect I guess I’m glad that the white lie had little effect on integrity, but those have been few and far between in my life.

What I’m trying to say (and that my parents and wife can definitely vouch for) is that I have told MANY lies in the last 30 years. And I recall countless times the conversations that I have had with the aforementioned special people about how lies are like snowballs: one lie leads to another lie leads to another lie and so on.

And I’ve had enough.

Lying is tiring. I know that sounds maniacal and crazy but it’s true. Bringing it back full circle, it is VERY difficult to keep track of who was told what lie, etc.

I apologize to my parents for lying about where I was when I didn’t come home on time. I’m sorry for lying about who caused the spill…who took the money…not doing a chore.

I apologize to my friends for lying about not being able to make it out for a gathering…for giving you some off the wall reason why I couldn’t go.

I apologize to my church community and brothers/sisters for pretending to be someone I’m not…for lying about my character and hiding the fact that lying was part of my core for so long.

Most importantly, I apologize to my beautiful wife for lying to you about the simplest things…for giving you many reasons not to trust me. You are my world and I couldn’t imagine life without you. You of all people deserve only the truth all the time.

And I completely understand that it may take some of you time to trust me again. I am more than prepared for that. In a world of failed New Year’s resolutions, I at least wanted to start on a new foot with some accountability. Lying is something that’s learned and it’s also something that has to be “un”learned. So…I want you to help me this year to be the truthful creature God intended me to be.

I WILL tell the truth from 2011 on.

And that’s NOT a lie.

bc

Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness.
Robertson Davies

The lights and sounds

I didn’t waste any time getting the lights up on the house. In fact, I remember the day because Detroit played Buffalo and got rocked. The lights were up before the temperature dropped.

But the music had to wait a bit before I got that going. Of course, all of us here in Metro-Detroit know that there’s still one radio station that jumps the gun WAY too early and goes overkill on holiday spirit. Luckily, I was able to avoid 100.3 WNIC this year and waited until the appropriate time to fire up the jams.

And I’m glad I did.

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that you have moderate to expert insight in to my world and know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE music. I love to sing it. I love to play it. I love to listen to it.

So, without a doubt, Christmas music is one of my favorite genres of music out there.

It’s in its own genre. You can’t really define individual Christmas songs in other genres. Sure, Mariah Carey’s hit COULD be considered pop, but it’s not: it’s Christmas. And what about Bing Crosby’s jam…is that considered lounge? Nope. It’s Christmas music.

How lucky was I that the FIRST Christmas song I decided to play was full of spunk and has actually started to redesign the standard of Christmas music?

That’s right…

“MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS” by *NSYNC.

Okay, okay. I get that they were a boy band and that the boy band has faded from popular culture (if you don’t count the NKOTB/BSB comeback.)

Usually, I’m not the guy to hear a song and HAVE to listen to it. I know that I can fire up iTunes when I get home and listen to it as many times as I want. But when I DO actually listen to WNIC and this song comes on, you better not touch the radio. And we all have that one Christmas song that makes us go nuts for Christmas. I’d venture to guess that you’ve got yours, cause I sure as heck have mine. In fact, I have a few…

  • “Mary Did You Know” - any version will do, but Clay Aiken’s is sweet.
  • “This Christmas” - Donny Hathaway
  • “(It Must’ve Been Ol’) Santa Claus” - Harry Connick, Jr.
  • “All I Want For Christmas is You” - Mariah Carey
  • “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” - Rockapella
  • “Wizards in Winter” - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
  • “The Night Santa Went Crazy” - Weird Al Yankovic
  • “Joy to the World” - Whitney Houston (thanks to Kristi Kurtz for giving it life.)

So, you tell me…

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG?

bc