a time to sing

I look forward to Finlayson family gatherings.  It's amazing how little I see of my siblings and their spouses even though they live in the very same town that I do.  Even though many of us go to the same church, it's still a hello - how are you - and see you soon - kind of thing.  Our ships are sailing through the week, we wave at one another as we pass each other along the way.

Seeing Don and Jennie Rakestraw (my brother in-law and sister) is a rare treat - a couple of times a year.  They live a good distance and it's always good to see them.  I have heard that they will be at the family gathering too.  There's no holiday or reason other than mother wanted her children and children's children to come.  She asked everyone to bring their guitars.  So let there be music.

Almost everyone of us plays something.  If they don't play, they sing.  If they don't sing, they love music.  It's all good.

It's always a disappointment when we don't get to play together.  I don't know why that is.  I can tell you why I miss it when we don't.  I love being with my brother and sisters.  I also love hearing their voices.  There are many styles, tastes and influences in their songs.  I like hearing them all come together.  It's all one voice when we do.

We come from music.  My dad loved to sing.  He led his swing band in his youth.  He loved the camp meeting songs and the traditional church hymns.  He also liked Willie Nelson.   It doesn't take much for me to hear his voice echo in my memories.  His brothers and sisters loved to sing too.   His mom was a voice and piano teacher in their small hometown of Cheraw, SC.  I wonder how far back the music goes in our family?

As time passed, families have married in to families and they are all are drawn to lyric and rhythm.  There's more and more as we sing along.

I've been looking forward to seeing you all.  I look forward to catching up.  And of course I look forward to the music.

tickle me kelsey

Kelsey likes for me to tuck her into bed.  To her, a good tickling means the same thing as a hug and a kiss...maybe a little more.  Kelsey has an unusual sense of humor that always catches me off guard.  Her's is the kind of funny that reflects an underlying intelligence.  I have no idea what she's going to grow up to be.  I know that she will keep me guessing - and laughing.

Make Mine Marvel!

This is the movie our family had been waiting to see with great anticipation - especially Katie.  We were strapped financially this weekend.  It had been a very tight week for us. At first we were resolved not to see it until later, but we ended up combing the house for money to go.  We looked everywhere and added up all the change in the house.  Not only did we scrounge up enough money, but Katie found some coupons for free popcorn.  So we went.

The Avengers is among the best superhero movies ever.  This movie ties previous Marvel movies into something rather epic.  So if you want to watch this one, I'd recommend you go back and first watch The Hulk (the second one), Iron Man 1 and 2, Thor and Captain America for all the back-story.  The Avengers doesn't try to force previous stories together to work.   The Avengers make all previous stories one story - like the Star Wars or The Lord of The Rings sagas.

Even if you don't know the comic book history or watched the previous movies, you'll enjoy this one. This movie rates FIVE STARS from David.

I've been a Marvel fan since I was knee high to a grass hopper.  Though not a big super hero fan in my youth, I read my share of them and dove headlong into Nick Fury's past with Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos.  My only disappointment with The Avengers is the Nick Fury character.  I think Samuel L. Jackson was a great cast, but I walked a way feeling that the writers were not true to who Nick Fury was as a leader.  Nick Fury from the beginning is every bit as red, white and blue as his old friend Steve Rogers.  Maybe the writers and directors didn't want too much mushy sentiment, desiring only Captain America to reflect his allegiance to God and country.

What I REALLY liked about the movie is that it shows what sets the Marvel world apart from all other comic book worlds - the Marvel humor.  Whether found in tough guy one-liners to physical humor found amid struggle amid life and death situations.  There's no world like Marvel.  This couldn't have been illustrated better after calm Bruce Banner turned into the Incredible Hulk.  He was violent, vicious and full of rage... all about smashing things up in a carefree creative way.  This is how the Hulk is supposed to be, the way that Stan Lee and the late Jack Kirby originally created him to be.  I think if Kirby were around today, he'd be very pleased with The Avengers.

time travel

Mother dropped by this morning and we ended up doing a little genealogy at Ancestry.com.  The web service is an excellent tool for digging up information.  There's a lot of genealogy information out there online these days.  There's a lot of distant cousins out there connecting and sharing family history info.

It's too easy to get lost for hours with genealogy...especially while at Ancestry. com.  Having census records, military muster, ship manifests etc so readily available makes going back in time easier than it ever has been.  Not everything is factual and true when comparing to other people's records, but at least one can compare notes.  I am just a time travel novice and this site has helped me go further than I ever thought I could.

Mother and I are going to try to get together more often and research. Though we've come a long way, I still have problems to solve, questions to answer and ancestors I've yet to meet.

tips for ozoning

I haven't been to the drive-in in ages.  My girls have been wanting to go.  I no longer have my van or a jam box.  I used to go a lot with my pal Jose' but life has gotten busy for all of us.  Ten years ago it used  to cost $5.00  for a carload.  It then it doubled to $10.00 and now admission is $15.00.  The prices have gone up, but still the drive-in is a good value.  Just think of it, $15.00 for everyone in your car...and as many as you can cram in your trunk.  That's a good price compared to what you have to pay to walk into cinema - double features at that!

When I go to the drive-in, I don't like sitting in the car.  It's all about front row tailgating with family and friends.  To do this you need to have a good jam box.  I've found that they don't make jam boxes like they used to.  I'm keeping my eye out for an old jam box that has good speakers.  I've found that a lot of MP3 players have an FM app.  These are good if you've got enough to go around.  I've used my studio headset and have enjoyed quality sound at the drive-in.  Still, it's better to have a good ghetto-blaster so that all in the immediate vicinity can be edified as well.

Folding chairs are a must when tailgating.  We often take a fold out table to keep the jambox off the ground and to keep food.  Having blankets on hand can be very handy, because any night during any season can get a little cool.

Most drive-in owners don't like outside food brought in, but I find that most drive-ins serve mediocre film inside.  We usually bring in a cooler with drinks and loads of snacks.  We often dine in at the drive-in.  Sand Mountain Drive-In in Boaz, AL serves up a pretty good hamburger. One thing to keep in mind if you're planning on buying food there.  Be prepared for a long line of hungry drive-in patrons in the food line.  If dining-in, arrive early so you won't have to stand in line during the first half of the first feature.  Yes, it can get that bad.
My wife doesn't like cigars, so I rarely smoke a cigar.  I've found that cigar smoke deters mosquitoes and their desire to suck my blood on those warm Summer nights.  If you don't smoke cigars (or with your wife who doesn't like cigar smoke) bring along some OFF! repellent.  We often take an insect repellant candle and that usually does the trick. 
Yes, I'm thinking about going to the drive-in real soon!

Mann up!

This weekend I found a DVD four movie pack of Jimmy Stewart Westerns for $5.00.  The movies include Night Passage, The Rare Breed, Bend in The River and The Far Country.  Bend in The River and The Far Country are movies produced by Anthony Mann.  Out of the eight movies Stewart made with Mann, five were Westerns.  The other Westerns The Naked Spur, Winchester '73, and The Man From Laramie. 

As John Ford is to John Wayne - Anthony Mann is to James Stewart.  It was Mann that first made Stewart a cowboy in Winchester '73 (Another movie that I picked up for $5.00 at Wal-Mart).  Though James Stewart was already a  big star prior to Mann, it was Mann that directed Jimmy westward after WWII.  Anthony Mann was an up and coming director and Stewart picked Mann to direct '73.  Mann gave us a disillusioned - more violent Stewart character.  Even so - Stewart was still a likable fellow - even at his meanest.

Here's a piece of trivia for you.  Jimmy wore the same cowboy hat and rode the same horse (Pie) in all of his Westerns.  I've been keeping a lookout for Jimmy Stewart movies that were directed by both Anthony Mann and John Ford.  I'm also looking at completing my John Wayne collection directed by John Ford and Howard Hawks.  I've been on a Wayne and Stewart kick as of late.  If you see anything let me know.

Ahhhh Massage

ABBY Award: Small Market Commercial
“Aahhh Massage” WGAD-AM

My old friend Brian Freeman (AKA: Kramer Ontheradio) left a text message on my phone this weekend with the message that my Ahhh Massage spot won an ABBY AWARD for Small Market Commercial.  Small market indeed.  It was a big sounding message for a small market.  I wrote the script and did the Brit voice-work for the ad.  Brian produced the spot and it ran throughout the holiday season on WGAD-AM.  Brian and I produced several spots together, but this is the one that WGAD submitted to the Alabama Broadcasters Association.

I was tickled to hear that the commercial won because I knew it was going to be a strong one while working on the concept.  It really came together.  After all these years of working on campaigns for other businesses as Finlayson Concept & Design - I am having a blast creating marketing concepts for my own massage practice.  I have always enjoyed doing voices.  It's especially fun doing them for broadcast - and even better when doing them to promote my own practice. What's great, when I'm writing, is that I have only myself to answer to...well...uh....there's Gina of course.

the pacifist

 he did not believe in it

was like saying

he did not believe in cancer

or gangrene

he did not believe in it

but never the less

something must be done

by someone skilled

to handle blood

to cut through

to cut out

what is real

and painfully so

there was a war in heaven

and are wars on earth

and a war in my very being

i can not afford to say

i do not believe

because

the devil

won’t go away

so fathers lose their sons

as they always have

on beaches

jungles

or at sea

as God once did

send His only son

to war

to die

away

and alone

so he says he does not believe in war

even though his freedom is earned

by another mans spilt blood

for as long as man’s will is free

and these wills

outside of God's

they will collide

and at that moment

maybe

he will begin to see

it is better to believe

and do what must be done

David B. Finlayson

7/31/98

on the back forty

I stopped by Back Forty Bear Company this afternoon.  I didn't have time to enjoy the free BBQ they were about to serve.  I did have the time to sample their Truck Stop Honey.  It's very smooth and very good.  I had a bottle of Naked Pig about a year ago that Tommy offered me from his fridge.  It was good, but I think I enjoy the Truck Stop more.  I have yet to try their other crafted brews, Kudzu & Freckle Belly, but plan on doing so in the very near future.

I'm glad these guys have brought their business into town.  I've run into Jason Wilson a few times around town and he recently gave me a quick tour of the place a few weeks back.  I wish those guys much success.  They serve up an excellent product.

crazy wild weekend

Last week I was asked to help WGAD/WJBY compete in the Downtown Gadsden Chili Cook-off.  I don't have a recipe, but I can make a mean chili.  Not having a recipe meant having to guess at how much I needed to feed 100 people.  I ended up getting 30 pounds of beef.  We (Jay Holland, Donna Patterson & Myself) didn't hand out little tasting cups.  We handed out bowls of chili!  We made so much that we had to purchase a boat oar to stir it.  We didn't run out like a lot of the other folks, we never reached the bottom.  We didn't win, but it was some fine chili.

I got home Saturday in time for Jon Guthrey to come over to my house to work on worship set for Sunday morning.  It was the first time I ever played with Jon and I had been looking forward to Saturday night so I could get to know him and jam some.  Good times!

Sunday I rolled out of bed and got down to the Gadsden Vineyard by 9:00.  The worship band consisted of Jon Guthrey (lead guitar), LeNola Bagley (bass), Liz Wood (Hammond), and Tim Rolfe (drums).  Richard Moon manned the board.  We had a blast - having a nice wall of sound going.  I love it when God shows up.