A Very Good Place to Start

2 Jan

To quote (sort of) the great thinker Michael Jackson, “You wanna be startin’ somethin’? You’ve got to be startin’ somethin’.” And you’d have to agree that ain’t no time like January 1 to be startin’ somethin’.

So, I’m happy to announce that The Great Clean-up of 2006 — step one in “The Great Reinvention of Martin Lieberman” — has begun. The top of my dresser is now clean and my laundry bags are now empty. Of course, this means that my closet and some drawers of my dresser (particularly those containing socks and t-shirts) are now over-stuffed. But small steps, people. Small steps.

Today I hung up a ton of shirts and pants that had accumulated over about a month and a half, probably more. That’s a lot of clothes. And thank God for Brooks Brothers‘ no-iron shirts or else much of it would be wrinkled. Also, I’m ashamed to admit that one of the two laundry bags (full of now-clean clothes) included a mix of loads that were at least three months old — though it’s likely some were closer to five. Oh yeah, and I also threw out a bunch of junk — including old issues of magazines — and picked up a lot of dust bunnies off the floor. All told, a very productive day.

One of my New Year’s Resolutions this year is to take better care of my apartment. Today I tackled the dresser, laundry bags, and floors, not to mention the magazines that were strewn across my coffee table. Next comes going through my clothes and either throwing out or donating old stuff I don’t wear anymore (depending on what state they’re in). After that, I’ll finally tackle the clutter, whether it’s the stacks of mail on my kitchen table, the magazines under my coffee table (again), or my multiple bookshelves, DVD rack, and CD collection. And somewhere in there, I plan to hire a professional cleaner to make this place shine once again. (Anyone have any recommendations for a cleaning person? Seriously.)

If you know me at all, you know that this is quite an ambitious plan (if you can even call it a plan), especially since I’d love to have much of it done by February. But perhaps by putting this in writing and not just saying it, I’ll actually get something done for a change. As I said, you’ve got to start somewhere.

It’s Good to Be Home (Not)

1 Jan


This was Friday in Florida. Mid 70s, not a cloud in the blue sky. Ahhhhh …


This is what I woke up to today here in Boston. High 20s, snow, grey skies. Yuck.

Does this mean vacation’s over?

It’s Too Early

1 Jan

Nothing says “Happy New Year” quite like the sound of your building’s super loudly shoveling snow off the walkway outside your window before 8 a.m.

In second place, nothing says “Happy New Year” quite like your neighbor’s radio alarm going off, playing Backstreet Boys and Linkin Park (among other chestnuts) … and she’s not even home to turn it off.

Happy New Year, indeed. (grumble, grumble, grumble)

Last Posting of 2005

31 Dec

‘Twas the night before New Years’
and here in Florida state,
my bags are all packed
my vacation was great.

I head back to Boston
on Saturday ’round noon,
knowing that New Years’ plans
will be happening soon.

While here I played golf
and I also ate lots.
Thanks to my sunblock,
I’m even tan in some spots.

So to all my good readers
in cities or the sticks,
I wish you all a Happy New Year,
and I’ll catch you in oh-six!

I Hate Cold Turkey

29 Dec

It’s hard enough to get into the holiday spirit when you’re in Florida, seeing as the weather is so nice and the neighborhood where my parents live is (by edict of the community’s bylaws) decoration- and light-free. Of course, it also doesn’t help that my parents aren’t into the Christmas spirit like I am, that we keep to ourselves on the big day, and that we barely listen to the radio. So it’s easy to forget that Christmas was only three days ago; it seems like so much longer, if it ever was Christmas. Hell, it barely even feels like Hanukkah, and tonight is only night four (of eight, if you didn’t know). How is it possible that this year, more than any other year I can remember, it seems as if the holiday season came and went quicker than ever? Wasn’t it supposed to be, like, the year of the Super Holiday, what with all three of the major ones happening this last week of December?

To wit: my folks and I ventured off to Sawgrass Mills this evening. If you’ve never heard of Sawgrass Mills, let me describe it simply as the largest outlet mall in the world (or so I’ve been told). End to end, the place must be two miles long, or longer. That’s a lot of stores. Unfortunately, however, less than a week after Christmas, that also meant a lot of stores that were practically empty or in total disarray. It wasn’t even worth walking into the Gap Outlet, and J. Crew was a total bust. My mother said Chico’s was the same. Who could find anything in Ralph Lauren — the place was a mess. I even dashed into the Books-a-Million store to grab a copy of Doug’s book (which hit stores this week), but it seems the copies they had in stock (and I asked) were all gone (already!). Even the take-a-picture-with-Santa booth was already being dismantled. It was as if the entirety of Sawgrass had joined together to confirm that yes, Virginia, there was a Christmas — but now it’s over, thank you very much. Please move on and excuse us while we clean up.

I know some people would rather the holiday season end before it even begins. Many of those same people are probably overjoyed that things have ended so quickly. But I genuinely do enjoy holiday time, and all kidding aside, I wish it was longer. There’s really no other time during the year when people are as happy as they are during the month of December. Think about it — temperatures are falling, days are getting shorter, things are coming to a close (at least calendar-wise), there’s stress from family, stress from work … need I go on? And yet, the music, the lights, the decorations, heck, I submit that even the gift-giving (and receiving) puts people in a happier mood.

So I’m not sure why people and stores are so quick to let it all go. All that build-up, all that hype, and then pffft — just like that, the music stops, the sales get changed from “After Christmas” to “End of Season,” and people become a lot less jolly. It makes New Year’s Eve such an anti-climactic and forced “holiday.” And what do we who live in the northeast have to look forward to after New Year’s? Snow, cold, less daylight, more snow, and more cold … for three more months (at least). Whoop-dee-doo. In Florida, tourism goes down after the holidays. Is that really worth rushing into to? Is that really any better than Christmas?

So I suggest extending the holiday season. After all, Hanukkah is eight days long, and aren’t there supposed to be 12 days of Christmas? Yeah, I know: the decorations have been up since right after Halloween and you’ve heard Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” a few too many times. So what? Weren’t you happier during the past month than you are now? As far as I’m concerned, there really is no good reason to go cold turkey on the holidays. With so little to look forward to until Spring arrives, maybe an extension of the season wouldn’t be so bad. Who’s with me on this one?

Christmas in Florida

25 Dec


Oh, the weather outside ain’t frightful
And the temperatures are so delightful (mid-70s)
And since we’ve no place to go (‘cuz every place is closed)
Here’s a picture taken from our patio …

He’s Coming to Town

24 Dec

There’s something really scary about Santa Claus. I mean, the guy can see you when you’re sleeping and he knows when you’re awake. What’s more, he knows if you’ve been bad or good, so obviously, you’d better be good, for goodness sake.

And he’s so demanding: “you better not cry, you better not pout.” Yeah, maybe we really should watch out.

Anyway, in all seriousness, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Chrismukkah, Kwanzaa, or some other holiday, if you’re reading my blog, I just want to wish you a very happy holiday. There may not be snow in Africa this Christmastime, but there’s something to be said about the greatest gift they get being life (or is it love? Who can tell). So I hope the year ahead is a good one for all my readers.

I’ll be posting less frequently over the next week as I take a vacation from work, life, and regular blog posting. But don’t worry: when something merits a posting, I’ll be back. Til then …

Thank God It’s Christmas

23 Dec

I’m not sure when it started, but as far as I can remember, I’ve always loved holiday music. In 2000, with the help of Napster, I compiled a 2-disc mix of my favorite holiday songs. That year, one of my coworkers suggested to me that a mix of holiday tunes would make for a fun “Christmas card.” So I cut my mix down to one disc, made about six copies, and got an enthusiastic response. And thus, A Very Marty Xmas was born.

Little did I know that five years later, I’d still be compiling these CDs. In fact, the albums have developed quite a following over the years; in addition to giving them out to friends and coworkers, I’ve been asked to make copies for friends of friends, their siblings, some coworkers’ children, and even some parents of friends and coworkers. Every year I hear stories of people who played the CDs while trimming the tree or during a holiday party. There’s always someone who is stunned or amused to learn that I’m Jewish because the mix is so good. And two days ago I actually received a tin of homemade cookies and a card from the grateful family of one coworker. The fact that people seem to genuinely, really like the CDs makes me really happy, and encourages me to continue year after year.

In fact, it is a constant source of pleasure that there is so much good holiday music out there and that I’m always finding more to share. Six discs later, I even have enough material for next year’s CD. But maybe that’s jumping the gun.

As I have mentioned, this week I sent out A Very Marty Xmas 2005. Since I’ve written about the CD a couple of times on this site, I thought I’d post the song listing here. As always, the CD is peppered with quick clips from A Charlie Brown Christmas, Scrooged, and other fun holiday movies and specials, and where those appear is a surprise, so they’re not listed on the cover. Some of the clips this year came from The Daily WAV, so I thank the guy who runs that site.

Alright, without further ado, here is the song listing:

Slade — “Merry Christmas, Everybody”
Eels — “Christmas Is Going to the Dogs”
Gavin DeGraw — “Silver Bells”
Ray Charles — “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”
Queen — “Thank God It’s Christmas”
Rufus Wainwright — “Spotlight on Christmas” (live acoustic)
Bleu — “Snow Day”
Diana Krall — “Jingle Bells”
Harry Connick, Jr. — “I’m Gonna Be the First One”
Jason Mraz — “Winter Wonderland”
Barenaked Ladies — “Sleigh Ride”
Jack Johnson — “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
Andy Williams — “Christmas Holiday”
Rockapella — “Carol of the Bells”
Death Cab for Cutie — “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
Brian Wilson — “The Man with All the Toys”
Leon Redbone — “Christmas Island”
Jimmy Buffett — “Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum”
Melissa Etheridge — “Christmas in America”
The LeeVees — “Latke Clan”
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy — “Mr. Heat Miser”
Elvis Presley — “Santa Claus Is Back in Town”
Stevie Wonder — “One Little Christmas Tree”
Michael Bublé — “Grown-up Christmas List”
Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole — “The Christmas Song”

If you ask me, it’s a perfect blend of jolly tunes, some pop, some rock and roll, a classic or two, some unexpected artists, and some fun. After some shuffling, I found an almost ideal order so the whole thing flows from start to finish. Including the covers, which I designed myself but had the kind folks at FedEx Kinkos print for me so they’d look the way I wanted them to, I think this may be my best mix ever. Suffice it to say, I’m really proud of it.

And considering each year I try to raise the game a little bit, I can’t wait to compile — and hear — next year’s mix. (Somewhere, my sister is already dreading it.)

Rocking Good Time

21 Dec

In the past couple of weeks I’ve found a new favorite holiday album. That is, a new favorite Hanukkah album. (Sure, it didn’t take much; my options are limited to Klezmer music and Adam Sandler.) It’s The Leevees‘ Hanukkah Rocks. You may have heard one of their songs, “Latke Clan,” on the holiday episode of Grey’s Anatomy — and if your mail service is running on time, you may also have heard it on this year’s edition of A Very Marty Christmas. The guys (Adam Gardner from Guster and Dave Schneider from the Zambonis) opened up for Barenaked Ladies on their recent holiday tour and were also on the Fox25 morning show in Boston this morning singing “Goyim Friends.”

Hanukkah Rocks is filled with catchy, poppy music in the style of the guys’ regular gigs, and the lyrics are knowing and quite funny. In addition to the above, song titles also include “Jewish Girls (At the Matzoh Ball),” “Applesause vs Sour Cream,” and “How Do You Spell Chunnukkahh?” You can hear a few of their songs over at My Space, and the whole album is available at iTunes. And, if you live in the Boston area, you can check them out this Tuesday at The Paradise. Of course, my friend Doug was ahead of the curve with this one and for that I thank him. This is good stuff, whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas … or both.

Update: Actually, scratch that. I now have two new favorite holiday things. The other is that Darlene Love “Christmastime for the Jews” song that was on Saturday Night Live this past weekend. As soon as I can find an MP3 or Quicktime file (and I’ve been looking ever since it aired), this thing will be on constant play.

What Would Marty Do?

21 Dec

It’s certainly going to be hard to hate the Yankees next year now that Johnny Damon is playing for them … but I’ll try.

G’bye, Johnny. We’ll miss you.

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