Tag Archives: my life

Christmas Drew

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When my brother and I were in elementary school, there was a girl in his class named Eve. She had a brother named Drew a few years older than me. Well, being elementary school kids, my brother and I thought that if her family celebrated Christmas Eve on December 24th, they must celebrate Christmas Drew on December 23rd. To a 10-year-old and a six-year-old, this made perfect sense, and was totally hilarious.

In the years since, the Garvin family has continued to celebrate December 23rd as Christmas Drew. By “celebrate,” I mean we say, “Happy Christmas Drew!”

In recent years, Drew has worked at a restaurant near my parents’ house. My mom recognized him and excitedly informed him of the tradition we based on him and his sister.

He apparently didn’t find it as funny as we did.

Happy Christmas Drew.

Web Comic: Ya Know It Gets Cold In Boston, Right?

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It’s been a month and a few days since I moved to Boston. It’s a great city, with a golconda of opportunities. There’s an active arts community. The umpteen colleges and universities provide no end to the conversations I get to overhear on the bus and at coffee houses. And the Red Sox are discussed every day, even in the off-season.

But one thing trumps those things in the perception of Boston.

“Ya know it gets cold, right?”

I’ve long hated “Ya know (fill in the blank),” but now, I fight the urge to scream whenever I hear it. Because it gets cold here, ya know.

Patrick Garvin’s Favorite Tracks of 2010

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I finally did it. After a year of listening to music and making predictions, I have finally picked my 18 favorite tracks of 2010 to make my annual mix CD. If you want a copy, I can send you the link.

Ted Leo And The Pharmacists Bottled In Cork
Tokyo Police Club Wait Up (Boots Of Danger)
Jens Lekman The End Of The World Is Bigger Than Love
The Like Release Me
Janelle Monae (Featuring Big Boi) Tightrope
Onra (Featuring Reggie B.) High Hopes
Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. (Featuring Q-Tip and MNDR) Bang Bang Bang
Ke$ha Tik Tok
The-Dream Yamaha
Big Boi Shutterbugg
Robyn Dancing On My Own
Diamond Rings Show Me Your Stuff
Lemonade Lifted (Le Chev Reunion Tour Remix)
Warpaint Undertow
Vampire Weekend Horchata
Marina And The Diamonds I Am Not A Robot
Evelyn Evelyn My Space
Hooray For Earth Comfortable, Comparable

——

AMONG THE SONGS THAT ALMOST MADE IT

  • Best Coast Girlfriend
  • The New Pornographers Moves
  • The Vaselines I Hate The ’80s
  • Crystal Castles (featuring Robert Smith) Not In Love
  • Royksopp I Wanna Know
  • Arcade Fire We Used To Wait
  • The National Bloodbuzz Ohio
  • Kylie Minogue Get Outta My Way
  • Ciara Gimme Dat
  • Ra Ra Riot Boy
  • Nicki Minaj (featuring Kanye West) Blazin’

ABOUT THIS MIX

  • These are in the order they appear on the playlist, not an order counting down or up.
  • These are my favorite tracks of 2010, not my judgment of the “best.”
  • The ones that didn’t make it were not inferior to the ones that did.
  • These all were released in 2010 as either singles, on albums (or via Internet downloads). So, even though the Ke$ha single came out in 2009, it was on an album released in 2010.
  • This was extremely difficult to narrow down to 18 tracks. Several good tracks didn’t make it.
  • The ones that made it were the ones I didn’t fast-forwarding to the track, and sometimes listened to on loop.
  • I’m like a John Hughes character: nostalgia and personal connections always influence me.

Florida to Boston: The Tally

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My dad flew to Jacksonville from St. Louis on Wednesday. On Thursday, we finished packing, loaded the truck and cleaned the apartment. Friday, we did the final inspection of the apartment with the landlord. And then, as they say, we were off and up out.

Friday: Jacksonville to Fayetteville, N.C.
Saturday: Fayetteville, N.C., to Norwalk, Conn.
Sunday: Norwalk, Conn., to Medford, Mass.

Dad and I had one companion throughout the trip: the GPS. She was dubbed “Pam” a few years ago by my nephew, who liked Pam from “The Office.” That character, though, was well-liked. Pam, the GPS, did not receive as glowing a review. Particularly on the George Washington Bridge. The AAA Trip-Tik underwent a redesign since the last time we used one, though, so we didn’t use that as much. But, we got here, and that’s the most important thing.

The important stats between Florida and Massachusetts are as follows:

Those dead deer were deer we saw, already dead, mind you. The truck was a peaceful truck, though energetic. Not unlike a Springer Spaniel, we decided.

Other noteworthy observations Dad and I made:

1 firetruck graveyard (Off I-95 in N.C.)
1 lot full of swimming pool inserts (Again, off I-95 in N.C.)
2 signs for the Pee Dee River (or creek or whatever, in S.C.)
1 frost on the windshield! (Saturday morning, in N.C.)
4 irreplaceable friends awaiting us at storage unit
Countless new adventures