Christmas time is coming...I need some ideas!

I'm starting to think about what creative kinds of things I can do this Christmas at my church. I know, it's already October, but hey, we're a small church so we're not going to be doing any sort of huge production. I figured I'd see what the ol' internet could show me, and I came across a website called "Christmas carnivals."

Promising, I thought.

Christmas is just round the corner and everyone is busy preparing for the Christmas celebrations. Christmas is simply the perfect time to have fun and enjoy the festive season by organizing various Christmas programs that will entertain everyone and make the Christmas the most memorable one.

Hmmm, there was a lot of messed up grammar in that teaser, but heck, why wouldn't I want to "make the Christmas the most memorable one?"

I continued reading...

Christmas programs can be of various types but it all depends on the audience whether to like them or not. In order to make the Christmas celebrations a hit it would be advisable to plan for the Christmas programs before hand...

It depends on the audience whether to like...the audience? The Christmas programs? Hmmm, I DO want to make "the Christmas" celebrations a hit, but gee whiz, who would have thought it would be a good idea to plan for them "before hand?" I know some of you are wondering, and yes, "beforehand" is one word.

That planning ahead advice seemed pretty reliable, so I thought I'd see what other nuggets of wisdom I could find...

It is essential to first divide the characters according to age groups. The most appropriate character that fits rightly into the theme should be selected. This would be a perfect Christmas program idea.

Who are these characters? Are they the kids you're planning on using? I think the cast of characters comes included in whatever program you decide to use...could be wrong...
But WAIT! Apparently, dividing up my characters by age and theme is a PERFECT Christmas program idea! How can I afford NOT to???

Tell me more!!

The Christmas program should not contain too many characters. This would simply confuse the audience. The lesser the characters for the Christmas program the more interesting the Christmas program. This would be a splendid Christmas program idea.

Too many characters = confusing. Got it. I know, maybe I'll just have zero characters, that should be the most understandable..."splendid" idea.

Making use of Creativity and imagination would be a fantastic Christmas program idea that is sure to make the Christmas program a hit.

Creativity gets a capitalized "C" but imagination gets plain ol' lower case...maybe Creativity is a highly trained animal of some kind..."fantastic" idea.

Making use of old and worn out material for the Christmas program would be a great Christmas program idea. This would help by making use of the waste and make the Christmas program simply wonderful.

Old and worn out material? Hmmm, at first I thought that meant costumes/stage sets/props/etc., but then apparently this idea is great because it makes "use of the waste" which brings an entirely different group of objects to mind...it would make it "simply wonderful" though...

Singing Christmas carols at the Christmas programs would be a fantastic Christmas program idea. This would make the entire atmosphere of the Christmas program awesome.

I'm not even sure this is an idea. Even if there is no "program" involved at all, Christmas carols are still sung every year...the carols are the staple items...we're looking for something to add to them...right? Truth be told however, carols ARE awesome...

Suspense in between and the end of the Christmas programs would leave the audience guessing forever. This would be a fantastic Christmas program idea and make the Christmas program more interesting.

What??? Keeping the audience guessing forever is a fantastic idea? Hmmm, this story's been around some 2000 years, I don't think there is any guessing involved at this point in history. What I want is a new and creative way to tell it...right? I guess "more interesting" is good too...

Make this Christmas simply awesome by organizing Christmas programs that will leave the audience spell bound and gaping in joy forever.

Again, I'm pretty sure spellbound (yep, single word) and gaping in joy FOREVER isn't my goal...although "simply awesome" is pretty enticing...

Check out Christmas Carnivals for more "awesome" and "splendid" ideas to leave your audience "gaping in joy."

Dodgers Aren't Out Yet!!

After losing the first two games of the series in Philadelphia, the Dodgers brought the series back to LA, and dropped a 7-2 bomb on the Phillies to keep their heads above water.

Each team was undefeated against the other when playing at home, so I was glad that trend continued in LA, but even if we pull out the next two games, we'll still have to take one in Philly, so let's hope Manny and the gang can build up some serious momentum in the next few games. A 7-2 victory is sure a good start!

Check out the video recap of the game HERE.

The Reign of Kindo

I went down to the Troubadour last night to watch a band I was just recently introduced to: The Reign of Kindo.

They were opening for another group called Sherwood, so Kindo only played about 35 minutes, but the little bit of time I've spent listening to them, they are a great band.

This is from "SmartPunk.com"

The sound of this Buffalo, NY band is not jazz, nor is it in-your-face rock. It's simply the pinnacle in sophisticated pop rock. Pianos with Mehldau-like dissonance swell along colliding guitar lines, rounded out with a rhythm section that grooves and sways like it's nobody's business. The Kindo boys have masked innovative genius into a pop façade. "The Reign Of Kindo's emphasis on combining the worlds of indie and jazz create one hell of an exciting sound" - Cosmosgaming.com. RIYL: Dave Brubeck, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ben Folds, This Day & Age, Brad Mehldau, John Mayer.

Check out their Myspace page to hear some of the tunes from their album "Rhythm, Chord & Melody" which is available on iTunes, and other fine retailers...

Jazz With Dad & Go Dodgers!

Last weekend I went with my dad down to the Baked Potato in Studio City to hear some music. We heard a trio comprised of Michael Landau on guitar, Jimmy Johnson on bass, and Gary Novak on the drums.

It was some great music, and although I wasn't allowed to take video of the performance, I found this video on YouTube featuring the same group at the Baked Potato a year earlier, from pretty much the same seat I was sitting in.

I did sneak in a few photos of my own...

Jammin'


I hope ya like jammin' too...


The setup


Me and my dad, and some Asian guy in the back


Guitarist Frank Gamble's note to the Baked Potato


AND

Dodgers sweep the Cubs! Phillies, here we come!!

I'm Not One to Push My Political Agenda

Fresh off the VP debate, I just wanted to say that both Palin and Biden have their strengths and weaknesses, but C'MON Sarah, it's NUCLEAR, NOT "NOOKYOOLER." Haven't we made enough fun of President Bush for saying it??

Dodgers Up 2-0 in the NLDS

The Dodgers have outscored the Cubs 17-4 in the first two games of the NLDS.

Manny Ramirez has two homeruns in two games.

Chad Billingsley had seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.

Every Cubs infielder (save for the catcher) made an error that resulted in an unearned Dodger run.

I won't draw any hasty conclusions, but things are looking pretty good...

The World's Fattest Man Is Getting Married!

Congratulations to the happy couple!