The Post Where I Finish Christmas Shopping, and Try To Keep All of the Presents for Myself

Sweet, Muscular Santa! I think I am finally finished shopping.

::collapses::

So - since I know there are some fellow Lexingtonians reading this LJ, I have to ask: Is Black Swan Books pretty much my only used bookstore option? 'Cause, I like BSB - I do. It just doesn't fulfill me the way a used book store should. I think it is the lack of clutter. All the books are neatly filed away and everything is where it should be. It is very distracting. Also - the store itself smells wrong. It has that old house musty smell, but not the old books musty smell. It puts me in the wrong frame of reference entirely. I did go to Unique Books across the street, but it was mainly paperbacks and the clerk was smoking so it smelled like old paperback glue and cigarette smoke - which was not the same at all. That bookstore smelled like Widespread Panic's "Little Lilly" and I was looking for a place that smelled like The Band's "The Weight." Today is a musical obsession day - as I'll share later.

I bought Daddy a book about Gunfights in the Old West - which I am adding to the pile of books I am giving this year - cause I apparently need to read/flip through them all, you know, just to make sure that they are suitable.

::is generous::

I also decided to give the gift of Love this year - well, Laura Love (and heres_luck if you are reading this - right now in my car it is Laura Love and Ms. Dynamite back to back and I am really trying to listen to other things, but they aren't letting me just yet). I know B&N had "Shum Ticky" just last month. Well - they don't today. So I settled for giving the gift of Moxy Fruvous. Actually, I wanna keep this CD. That is the sign of a good gift, right?

I stopped by the little CD shop that I am addicted to like heroin and they also have no Laura Love, but are willing to order - I decided to wait until after Christmas and raided the used bin and scored! Allison Moorer "Miss Fortune" (which I should probably gift to Danya along with MF. I can listen to it before I give it, right? Since it is already opened?) A compilation album called "alt.country" which features Lucinda Williams and Son Volt. Neither of whom I would call country, but whatever. Emmylou is also on it. Yeah, she is country. The Derailers? Excellent and very country. Steve Earle, also country as are The Mavericks. I'm just not willing to concede that Lucinda or Son Volt fit comfortably even within the sub-genre called alt-country. But that is another blog entry. I am keeping this CD, BTW. I also bought the sound-track to the IMAX All Access movie, solely for the "Give Up the Funk"/"Flashlight"/"One Nation Under the Groove"/"Atomic Dog" medley featuring Mary J Blige. That "Rock Me Baby" with BB King, Trey Anastasio and The Roots is also on the disc is like a wonderful sisabet Christmas bonus. Maybe I'll wrap it up for Dawn (since Sting and Sheryl Crow are on it) and steal it out of her truck post-Christmas?

What I am listening to now: (I should give this to someone else - but I think they would have to pry it from my cold dead hands like it was a gun and I was Charleton Heston, only with more passion) "Rhythm Country and Blues" - damn - this is good shit. I just listened to Little Richard and Tanya Tucker tear up "Something Else" and right now Travis Tritt is virtually vocally unrecognizable, singing "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" with Patti LaBelle. I don't care about the song - and they don't really have chemistry at all together, but he is investing tremendously in this. I am impressed with Travis and I haven't been impressed with him for nigh on fifteen years. Clint Black and The Pointer Sisters sing "Chain of Fools" and then you have one of the best versions of "The Weight" I've ever heard that did not involve Bob Dylan guesting or skulking about somewhere on the outskirts - Marty Stuart (Yay!! Marty!! ::kisses::) and The Staple Singers. Damn. This version of the song is so about Serenity.

::makes vid note::

Al Green and Lyle Lovett are unsuprisingly good in "Funny How Time Slips Away" and Sam Moore and Conway Twitty do a safe, but really satisfying,cover of "Rainy Night In Georgia." My favorite track on the disc may be Chet Atkins and Allen Toussaint on "Southern Nights" - maybe that is just sentimentality talking today - but it makes me so happy. I don't think it is a stand out rendition, by any means - it just soothes me. The final track - BB King and George Jones singing "Patches" actually moves me. Remind me not to listen to that song while driving. I am gonna file it away in the "Danny Boy" category of songs that will get to me. Don't die, Papa!!! Dear lord. BB and George are laughing at how easy I am. Damn. Papa is depending on you Patches to pull the family through.

::cries::

And that is it. I'm gonna go wrap everything but the books and I have a sweater that I'm wearing today that was a gift from Dawn to me - so I have to wrap it up and pretend I haven't been wearing it for the past two weeks tonight. Sigh. I will miss this sweater. It has a hood.

A side note: Dressing like Justin is much easier on the wallet than dressing like Scully as Old Navy is way cheaper than Brooks Brothers. Also, more comfortable. I do feel that perhaps I am all turned around and I should have been dressing like Justin in my early twenties and like Scully now in my late twenties, but what are you gonna do? I don't trust Scully, anymore. I think she probably wears floral capri sets from Ann Taylor now and I just will not do that. Damn you Mulder. Damn you.