ramblings of a wannabe rockstar

Let’s hope for another day off.

This has been a precious week. I sometimes wish I could press pause or rewind on a week like this last one. One last day off tomorrow and then it’s back to work until Christmas. Thanks to everyone who made it what it was. You know who you are.

Many years ago I started documenting what I liked to call “Best Days”. These were the days that were perfect. Everything went the way it should, I had the pleasure of hanging with someone or some people that I really enjoyed, and most of the time some kind of music was involved. There was not really any form or function in considering what qualified as a Best Day. It’s just one of those things that was. And I one knew it when it happened. Back when I was documenting these days, the best Best Day was the first one.

It was a Saturday in late October, 1996. When most people who don’t live there think of Southern California, “cool, crisp, fall day” isn’t something that comes to mind, but that’s exactly what it was. I spent the entire day with my then good friend, Julius. He and I were singer/songwriter duo together called No Longer Jacob and we had just started writing together. He was a great guy with a beautiful, warm voice, and a very thoughtful songwriter. We started out the day playing some music, writing some, me learning some of his tunes, and just having a good time. I remember later that day heading to this beautiful park in La Cañada and throwing an Aerobe disc around for a while. Later that night we went to a shindig at some guy’s house in Hollywood. But the relaxed feeling of that day was so refreshing.

I have since stopped paying attention to those Best Days. I moved to Texas and life came to be something that I didn’t really need to pay attention to Best Days like I otherwise had to in the past. Life became good. Every day was a good day. To be a Best Day in this new phase of life, it had to be exceptionally good.

This calendar year is coming to a close and it’s coming around to the time of year that I ponder the ups, downs, ins, outs, goods, bads, and other general reflections on the year, some of which I will publish here and some not. But as I start to think on these things, I look back at the better part of the eleven months of 2006 that are behind us and I see that this has been the best year ever. And 2006 has a Best Day. The first Best Day in years–aside from my wedding–that I have set in my mind to remember as a Best Day. This Best Day was this past Sunday, November 19.

It started out as any other Sunday. We went to church early, Raquel set up her greeting area as she normally does, I set up my music rig in preparation for the worship service and all things were “go for launch”. And then the service started. The band was locked in tightly, moving through a rousing, reflective set, as one cohesive unit, allowing the Spirit to move, and ourselves worshiping the Almighty. Then Tim Bourne came up and delivered a life-changing sermon based on the text of Galatians 3. In a word, wow! You would do yourself well to head over to the Podcast section of GenesisMetro.com and download this thing. It was that good. The band came back up, wrapped up the service with a few more tunes that continued the atmosphere of Tim’s sermon and we wrapped up, packed up and went home. So far, this is shaping up to be a good day, but lately, Sundays have been a good day…nothing yet that qualified this particular Sunday as a Best Day.

Sunday afternoon errands came and went and we headed out for a special occasion…the lighting of the Christmas tree at the Shops at Legacy…the spot where we were married. We were accompanied by our dear friends Sonya and Carrie and their respective kids. This is when a good day started becoming a Best Day. There was something about being there, in this festive atmosphere, with my precious wife and two of the dearest ladies I think I know, seeing the things that make Christmas great in America and the Bourne boys soaking in every minute of it. This was truly one of the best times I’ve had in a long time…which is something to say in a year full of wonderful times with wonderful people. We soaked it all in, met up with other friends, surrounded by my best friends and Raquel, and just loving life. We all had dinner together, partaking of some of the best pizza ever, and after several hours started making our ways home.

But the day wasn’t over because the men of the church got together to see a late screening of the newest James Bond movie. There wasn’t anything particularly groundbreaking about this event in and of itself, but on the heels of what transpired to become a Best Day, meeting up with these awesome guys…some old friends, some new friends, to watch a very entertaining movie, just became the icing on a delicious cake.

It was a Best Day.

I am so thankful to be where I am at this place in my life. I guess this is appropriate considering what this Thursday brings here in America, but I don’t write this particular entry for the ever-so-cliche Thanksgiving blog. I just am thankful and it happens to be Thanksgiving.

Good times.

Go check out pictures from my Best Day.

Jake Cinninger
Originally uploaded by PeaElAre.

Last night, good friends and accomplices in musical crime, Marc Brandenburg and Timmy Evy, accompanied me to the Dallas Umphrey’s McGee concert at the Granada Theater. I don’t think I have much to say about this concert that doesn’t extensively utilize my rather limited list of superlatives, so I will just say this: last night’s concert was one of the very best concerts I’ve ever attended by any band ever.

I’ve been a fan of Umphrey’s for about two years now but last night was the first time I’ve had a chance to see them live. I kinda knew what I was getting myself into. I’ve amassed a decent collection of their live material over the last couple years and it receives quite a bit of ‘airplay’ on the trusty iPod. But listening to their live music doesn’t come close to watching it being performed. The electricity was intense, the interplay between the members of the band was amusing, and the crowd was…well..shall we say, buzzing (there were many laughs exchanged amongst my buddies and me at the expense of the insane amount of drug-induced moronity).

We got to the theater early, grabbed a spot right up in front of the stage and camped out there all night, and watched the fireworks explode. The opening band, Outformation was decent as well. It was one of the best musical outings I’ve had in quite some time…surpassing even the best of some of the Dave Matthews Band concerts I’ve seen. Good times.

Check out this short video clip from the tune, Higgins, then go view my pics from the show.

I kinda took an unintentional break from writing here for a while, but I thought I’d catch up tonight. Of course, I don’t think I’ve been missed by the blogging world. I guess we shall see about that.