October 25, 2020 – Things have interrupted my storylines, bigger things than whatever goes on in my head or what I hear on the radio. And there’s a bigger thing today, still, but I’ll keep it to myself for now, and somehow use that person’s guidance as inspiration.

This last week, I had two influences. One good. One not. The good: Hallmark movies. The Hallmark channel plays their very predictable Christmas movies, and those started on Friday. I love them, but no doubt, by Thanksgiving, likely, I will be done with them. During the time that I love them, what I love is the simplicity, you know, beautiful young people who get put together in conflict then find true love in each other. And I love the scenes. The houses. The fake snow. The Christmas decorations; I mean who doesn’t love a Christmas tree in every room? The entire concept calms me down. Oh and the bad influence? The desk. I’ve read many, not all, but many, of the Eddie stories. I just wish those could stay about Eddie, but they don’t; so, and this one is now, well before Thanksgiving, I’m not going to read any more Eddie stories there. And that’s probably good because right now, after reading over the weekend, I have a very strong urge to post the Beasties Sabotage or perhaps some Jane’s Addiction, but I’m not going to. What is the saying? The queen has been overthrown? History is written by the victors? Most certainly, over there, that certainly wasn’t me. Nothing changes that. And really it doesn’t matter because I wouldn’t want to be there anyway. Exile has been very good to me.

As for the good, remember, Hallmark, I didn’t think I took any musical influences from the Hallmark movies, but what I was thinking I took, and the influence that’s front and center for me in those movies, is their themes of going home.

I think of myself as having two homes, California, and everywhere else. Or is that three? California, Texas, and everywhere else? Either way, the everywhere else includes New Mexico. And like I say, disasters have kept me from writing about my recent trip there. The trip was really fast. I said before, it was to view a house my family recently bought, a house I’ve wanted since 2013. I don’t know whether to say the house is good or bad. It’s there, so that’s good. It was really torn up when I saw it first in 2013, so it might have fallen down since then. But there are things everywhere, and I mean, everywhere. Tires, trash, broken boards, the occasional boat hull, a part of a camper. And did I mention tires? I’ve never seen so many tires. It’s going to take a lot of work, but it really was everything I wanted it to be. It has a view of literally everything – the Rocky Mountains, the mesa cliff, Arizona, and it was hazy, so really who knows what a day of good visibility would reveal. Oh and it has a seasonal creek and a fake lake. I love those.

And the trip? The trip was fast, two days, with a paper due in the time-period, so I spent too much time in the hotel room writing, with broken equipment too. That part was a nightmare. I had a rented car, a Kia; I liked it, but I was happy to turn it in too. Rented cars stress me out; I’m always convinced they are going to get wrecked. And this one, like the last, had a leak in a tire. I put air in the tire and ignored it. The last one I had to fix the tire before I turned the car in. Still, my own car sprung a radiator leak the next week, so it was good that I rented a car. I rented the car for “insurance” — an instinct thing; I guess I thought my car might break. Always listen to instinct, right?

I listen to the radio on my drives. In between local commercials and talk radio – there were a lot of both, I kept hearing the same song. That happens. The song is one year old, but just now getting charted on country radio. It’s by a singer from the 2019 season of American Idol. Her name is Gaby Barrett. This is the song.

I like the song. It has a twist; the twist is great. Just when you think the story is going one way, it goes another. And the guitar chord-wail over that one-word twist is pretty cool. I wondered where that came from, so I checked out what I could find on this singer and the guitar player on the song. She’s married. She met her young husband on American Idol too. And he’s a singer too, a guitar player as well. They don’t credit the guitar on Gaby’s song to him, but somehow I think it is his writing, at least in some way.

I heard his song on the radio too, country radio that is. And it kinda rocked. I liked it. I remembered to remember his name when the DJ said it after playing the song. It’s Cade Foehner; the song, Southern Hallelujah. He’s from East Texas. I don’t know why or how, but I knew that when I heard the song on the radio.

And the funny thing is, these kids (they are kids to me), they do seem very Hallmark-y, meaning super innocent love-story-ish from being put together in conflict. The conflict, American Idol. The resolution, they got married. And what a fun house they must have with all that music. Plus, there’s even a fairy tale character in the story. Snow White to be exact. Katy Perry, who was one of the judges in their American Idol run, dressed as Snow White for some reason that isn’t apparent, and when the couple revealed their couple-ness on the show, she pretended to be mock-monster-angry. Really, seriously, just when you think there’s no such thing as fairy tales, and that Hallmark movies can’t come true, you see they can.

Perhaps that’s why I watch them. Not that anyone should admit that, but who doesn’t love a good love story? Who doesn’t love true friends? Who doesn’t love simplicity, without games, competition or complication?

Christmas is coming. Hopefully that means I’ll take my annual trip home, to my Texas home, that is. I do so love to be around people who truly care about me. Oh, and that includes all of you too. Just so you know. It’s all so very Hallmark-y with you all. Just the way I like it.