Hi Guys.
i am in Florida at the coffee shop and they’re playing Cold War Kids and it’s good. i think everyone should have a coffee shop. A place that’s yours, you know? Not for the coffee but just to have a place where you know people and they know you. i have a theory that people go to coffee shops to feel less alone. Even if you don’t talk to anyone, i think somehow you feel less alone. i think that’s why i come here. That and they play good music.
The wind is blowing just outside the window, as it has been for the last week. It’s strange but it’s good. It seems that Tropical Storm Noel fell asleep on top of us. Or maybe she just hasn’t finished saying whatever she came to say… i like this weather a lot, actually. i like that it feels alive. i suppose that it makes me feel more alive too, and that’s a good feeling. The wind making fun of your hair, the rain smiling at you. Fall is pretty great everywhere, especially when the leaves go bright – we don’t really get that here – but it does feel good to walk outside without sweating… (Florida is very hot in the summer)
So i’m told it’s Halloween. i guess i’ve been in my own little world this week and missed all the fuss. We’ve been setting up the office/bungalow and working late and and i guess that’s how i missed it.
Well, we have some [url=http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=61976377&albumId=816540]new pictures[/url] and two of them might be pumpkins and one of them might be our new default picture. Just for today i mean it’s good to mix it up sometimes, right?
Also, we didn’t take the pumpkin pictures. You the people took them and shared them with us so thanks for doing that. A few years ago, my friend Jon (who i mention a lot) wrote a song called “Love is the Movement” and i guess i liked that song a lot and when TWLOHA was born i asked Jon if we could borrow those words and he said yes he would love that, and now today his myspace picture is a pumpkin (same as ours) that says “Love is the Movement”.
It’s cool the way things go sometimes. When things come together like that. Life’s a pretty tough thing so it’s good when the little things remind you to smile…
Anyway, Halloween. I wrote about this a year ago, and we touched on it on Father’s Day as well: It’s strange the way the holidays can be the hardest days. When you don’t feel much like celebrating the thing that the rest of the world seems to be celebrating, that’s not a lot of fun. And if whatever everyone else is celebrating happens to be (connected to) something that’s broken in your life, that can be some really hard stuff.
We know that today is a tough day for a lot of you. Forgive me for saying what i said last year, but i think we got it right so i’m gonna say it again: “I asked Renee about it and she agreed. For people in pain, there’s just not that much fun in fear or blood or death.
I just wanted to take a minute to say that if tonight is a tough one for you, you’re not alone. It doesn’t make you strange or weak. It’s okay to ignore this so-called holiday. Spend tonight with a friend, read a good book, find a song you love… it’s okay. This will pass.”
Yeah, i still believe that. We still believe that. We’re not afraid to say the things nobody says. To place hope in surprising places. We want to be a brave safe place.
That’s all for that. Whatever you do, be safe tonight. Spend it with a friend. Smile at the pumpkins and do your best to laugh at the wind. It’s gonna be okay.
: )
jamie
PS: We want to say thanks to everyone who responded to the “For California” blog. Thanks for all the prayers and kind words, and thank you to so many folks who wrote from California. The world felt small that night and i felt privileged just to be in on the conversation.
It sounds like things are a lot better now. Our thoughts and prayers remain with all that have been affected. We know a lot of people lost a lot. i came across [url=http://www.fire.ca.gov/]this site[/url] which has a ton of updated facts and info.
i will be out west with Michael for much of November with the [url=https://twloha.com/calendar.php]Bayside tour[/url]. i love California, and the Northwest as well, so it will be good to be back in those places. Looking forward to it, and hoping to see a lot of you there.
PSS: We’ve updated the intro page at [url=https://twloha.com/]twloha.com[/url] It’s short and sweet but we hope it helps when your friends go “what the heck…?”
PS3: Do you ever notice that the PS part of the blogs tends to be as long as the actual blog? Sorry about that. i just always think of more stuff. The more stuff that i just thought to tell you is just that we’re going to post another one of these very soon. Still gotta tell you some things: The office called a bungalow, the intern called Christopher, other good guys called Kyle and Byron, etc.
PS4: Chris the amazing intern and i are off to Orlando to see Anberlin at the House of Blues.
PS5: The Cold War Kids song “Hospital Beds” is playing now and it’s a great song.
PS6: Thanks to everyone who responded to the late-night book bulletin. That was awesome. We heard you and we’re working on it. i’m the guy who reads one page and then wants to start a book club. We have other guys who ask smart questions like how and what and why… Those are the guys i’m gonna introduce very soon.