Nice Christmas

Corbett | December 26, 2003 1:51 PM

We're not big Christmas people. Some gifts, usually a dinner, but without all the frustrations most families go through this time of year. That's because for the past 15 years every Christmas but one was always occupied with concerts, promotion, gigs, driving/flying around trying to get to a performance on time. The one year that was different was the year we got married. The record company called at 9pm and asked if I could make it to a midnight show. I told them I was in the middle of getting married. They blinked, then upped the price. I told them they were crazy, absolutely no way. They doubled the price. I blinked, then looked at my new wife, then blinked again, and said forget it. But that gig would've paid the whole wedding. Oh well.

This year was nice. No more gigging around. No more shows. I just bartended at the Living Room, trying to ease the load on Irene who had to make sure the kitchen could get out meals on time. I helped the staff figure out how to handle a lot of people in a short time, do one thing at a time, and not get freaked out by lots of Christmas diners. (I forgot I had had these skills from all those years of part-time restaurant work during high school and college.)

The extended family showed up for some hot pot. Everyone had presents under the tree. Greg played two wonderful sets of Spanish guitar music. Then some of our regular crew of jam session guys showed up later. Music is such a cool thing. It is a pure social art form, bringing together all kinds of different people. For example, last night's musician's were made up of an English teacher, a business consultant, a train repairman, a cop, and a bartender [me].

Maoman and his wife stopped by for the first time, after reading about the Living Room on Forumosa.com, a very cool and informative online network of foreigners in Taiwan. Maoman is the Administrator of Forumosa, and it was nice chatting with another old timer in Taipei.

After finally getting back home at 5am, dead tired and too sore to move, I realized that God had given me the best Christmas gift ever, someone wonderful to share my Christmas with, my wife Irene.

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Category: Ramble

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