Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 40

Dr. Holden will see you now

Holden rarely holds office hours, but when he does, oh, the lines that await him.

After all, if you had a problem, wouldn't you want the advice of this hound?

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Calm, attentive, caring, and ready to hear whatever you have to say, he is the very model of a modern therapist dog.

He also excels at keeping secrets.  In all my years with H, I've never heard him reveal anything I've told in private.

You can't buy that level of endorsement.  You have to earn it.







Thanks to Rana for the photo.

What every well-dressed moviegoer is wearing this season

Oh, I am indeed a faithful follower of fashion.

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Nothing says high fashion like sparkly ears and a three-year-old windbreaker.

Several folks who've seen this photo have debated whether this is my normal (a k a "I will kill you") or my mildly annoyed (a k a "I will kill you slowly"s) smile.  I think it correctly shows that I'm about as happy as a man with glittery ears can be.

How I came to own a $500 ukulele

I certainly didn't plan to do it.  I mean, who would?  No, several factors converged to lead me to this fateful purchase.

I'd been thinking for a while about making a donation to a charity as Christmas approaches.  I wanted to give more.

On the way to the Delta Rae concert, Kyle was opining that the most efficient way to help a food bank was to give it money to buy food.

Near the end of their show, the Delta Rae folks encouraged us to hit the merch table and noted that on that very table was a ukulele they had used in the show--one they had both used and signed.  All the money from whomever bought the instrument would go to the
I've long wanted to teach myself how to play a ukulele, though that desire had never reached a tipping point--until that night.

So, there I am, at the merch table, picking up a Christmas ornament, and suddenly I find that I'm telling the folks there that I'll buy that uke if I can do so quickly and leave, because the crowds were getting to me.

The merch team makes it happen.

People notice and applaud.  I try to hide and fail, so I just leave as quickly as I can, feeling a bit embarrassed.  I had imagined I could sneak out with no one noticing.

It didn't help, of course, that I was carrying a Delta Rae ukulele case.

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Inside, sure enough, is one signed uke.


And that's how I came to own a $500 ukulele.

Delta Rae and Penny & Sparrow put on an amazing show

Earlier tonight, I had the great pleasure of attending a wonderful concert at the Lincoln Theatre.  I was already a huge fan of Delta Rae, but I'd never heard of Penny & Sparrow.  I can now honestly say that if you get a chance to see either group, take it; you will be very happy you did.

Penny & Sparrow, the opener, is two guys from Austin, Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke.  Baxter sings, and Jahnke plays the guitar.  Their songs are frequently sad but always beautiful.  Both, but particularly Baxter, deliver absolutely hilarious deadpan bits between songs.  I intend to give both of their CDs a close listening.

If you read this blog, you've already heard me gush about Delta Rae.  Tonight's performance was an acoustic show that featured a mix of their classic songs, some holiday tunes, and a few tracks from their upcoming third album.

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As this shot, courtesy of Gina, suggests, the six members of the band all contributed to almost every song, though the female singers dominated the lead vocals.

Tonight, Brittany Holljes did most of the between-song speaking, and she also sang lead on quite a few of the songs.  Gina caught her in one of the more intriguing poses, her hair blowing around courtesy of a discreetly placed fan.


From what I heard of the new album, I want it already.  I knew I'd love their classics, and I did, my eyes tearing up during "Dance In the Graveyards" as I once again thought of my mother.

If you don't know Delta Rae's music, do yourself a favor and pick up their CDs or buy them on iTunes or wherever, catch them live, and have a great time.

Another Christmas classic: a special version of "Silver Bells"

I haven't mentioned this one in a few years, so I feel it's time to point you once again to this classic song.  The intro gives you all the background you need.

In case you're wondering, yes, this one is funny at times and both vile and funny at other times, so don't listen if you're seeking only happy Christmas sentiment.  (Do listen if your sense of humor is like mine and you want to laugh a lot.)



Enjoy.

A glimpse of the PT seasonal celebration crowd

We took this group photo at the party.  It's not everyone who was at the party--participation is entirely voluntary--and not all of our staff was able to make the party.  Each employee may bring one guest to the party, so it does include some guests.

Blow it up and go widescreen to be able to see it well.


If you can find me, you may notice that, with the encouragement of Mary, I am indeed doing the sorority squat.  Yes, I already knew how to do it.

No need to ask why.

Cone Man auditioning

Cone Man wants to star in a nighttime, outdoor, dramatic version of the classic film, Taxi Driver.  Here, he's delivering the classic Travus Bickle line,

You talkin' to me?

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If we proceed with the staging--and that is a very big if at this point--I think he gets the part.

It really is getting mighty festive up in here.

Three views of a Christmas tree

This year's tree, debuting in its spot.

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Now with lights, courtesy of a hardworking crew.


Despite the help of many, we did not hang all the ornaments, because we have a lot of them, but we did make a good start.


It's definitely getting festive up in here.

Appropriate sadness

Not that long ago, I was at a party, chatting with a group of folks, and the subject of our mothers came up.  I mentioned that mine had died some years back and that periodically I was still sad at the loss.  A therapist in the group offered to prescribe something that would help me stop feeling sad.

I hadn't said I was depressed, much less clinically depressed.  I'd said I was sad.

Since when did being sad become a bad thing?

Some sadness is, to me, entirely appropriate.  Feeling sad at the loss of my mother is, to me, part and parcel of honoring her and her memory.

I don't want to give up my sadness.  I don't want drugs to stop me from experiencing the full range of my feelings.

Please don't take any of this to mean that I'm saying that depression isn't real, or that drugs aren't important aids to many depressed folks.  I'm talking sadness, not depression.

I wandered yesterday across a picture of my mother, sitting in a chair in the living room of the house she and Lloyd shared, her head covered by a stubble of hair growing back after her most recent cycle of chemo.  I felt so much in the instant I saw that photo:  fondness, love, joy at her survival, loss at her death, sadness.

I want all of those feelings.  I want my heart to feel it's going to burst trying to contain all that I'm feeling.  I never want to give them up, even if sometimes some of them hurt me to the core of my soul.

So, I'm going to keep on feeling sad sometimes, and feeling happy, and feeling lost, confused, in love, in fear, all of it.  I want all of it.

So why am I posting a Christmas song?

I do actually like quite a lot of Christmas music, but that's not the reason I'm putting this song here for your enjoyment.

No, I'm doing this because the band singing this version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is Delta Rae, a group I love and that I'm going to see Sunday night in a sold-out acoustic show at the Lincoln.



Enjoy.