As Tall As Lions' farewell show last Friday was super duper sad!

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Sort of like the time a few months ago where I was shopping for shoes, and I saw a pair of Converse shoes, and I broke down and had to leave the store because it reminded me of a life that I don't have anymore. Well, anyway, they were on fire and played tighter than I had ever heard them in past shows, and that's kind of amazing when you consider how progressively shitfaced they got throughout the evening. They will greatly be missed, and I hope this is some stupid Blink 182/Babs/Cher thing where they say it's over, but it really isn't over, and then they come back and sell a lot of merch or whatever.

Anyway, in a lot of ways, they made me a better musician, especially by proving that your band can still maintain a badass sound even if you use super colorful chords and care for dynamics, and care about integrity over sales. I cite them a lot in conversations about dynamics in songwriting.

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Can't believe I'm saying this but, um, I'm done with my Christmas shopping. Every gift I'm giving out has huge "OH. MY. GOD." response potential. EVERYONE. WILL. FUH-REAK.

I knew which gifts to purchase by meditating. I don't meditate often, and nor do I do it in the assumed conventions of sitting cross-legged with incense or whatever, but I did take a moment to myself some weeks ago to think about the things, both material and internal, that make the people I care about happy. There was all sorts of clarity, and I think I turned gay-guru for a second, but then I got out of bed and went shopping and kicked major ass.

If you're my friend, you are one lucky motherfucker.