I’m here safely in Colorado after exactly 15 hours on the road. It is currently 60 degrees up here; which is so awesome after spending a week in Phoenix. I felt nasty with all that road dirt clinging to me, so I took a quick shower before diving into all of my emails. It was great to take a shower where the spout was actually above my head. My shower in Nashville hits me in the neck. Fun. Afterwards, I took a few moments to stand out on the deck and gaze at the millions of stars. The sky is so clear it seems as though I could reach up and rearrange all of the stars with my hands. I am staying at 9,000 feet in the Rockies, with nothing but the woods and the wind. No street lights, cars or sirens. Just absolutely peaceful. It’s moments like these that you love to share with those close to you. And a photo won’t capture even one tenth of the beauty that I am seeing. As I look at the stars I am reminded of a story that I was once told many years ago. I will try to retell my own version of it with as little detail as possible as to strike the point. (My last post was so long I think some are still reading it.) 

A young boy was spending the evening with his grandfather. They were playing inside the house, running toy cars across the hardwood floor and carrying on in a way only a grandpa and grandson could. Out of nowhere the boy said, “Grandpa, what is heaven like?”  His grandfather paused for a brief moment then replied, “Do you see how beautiful this finished hardwood floor is?” To which the boy quizzically responded, “Yes.” He then continued, “Come, follow me.” They proceeded outside and pulled away some of the boards blocking access to the crawl space under the house. With flashlight in hand grandpa began to slide through the opening. The little boy followed curiously. After crawling for a few feet grandpa pointed the flashlight at the underside of the floorboards. They both lay there looking up and the grandfather said, “What do you see?” The child replied, “Dirt, spiders, and lots of gross stuff!” Grandpa then said with a chuckle, ”You are correct my boy!” He then shut the flashlight off and his grandson immediately noticed light pouring through the cracks in the floorboards. To which grandpa said, “That’s right! Now hurry out to the backyard with me.” They scuffled out from under the house and raced to the back lawn. Grandpa then took to a spot on the grass and gazed up at the stars. His grandson followed suit and lay back on the grass posturing himself just like grandpa. Then his grandfather spoke again, “Son, see how beautiful all of those stars are?” This was followed by an enthusiastic, “Yes!” He continued, “Those stars are the floorboards of heaven. How much more beautiful will heaven be if like the floorboards of the house, so gross and dirty, are these stars to the floorboards of heaven?”

That little story has always stuck with me and brought a smile to my face. With that I will say goodnight. I have a lengthy day awaiting me after just a bit of sleep. Thank you for all of your prayers, wonderful emails and comments regarding my last blog post. I will do my best to respond to them all. 

Godspeed.

Cory Basil

This is the blog that never ends…

I am writing you tonight from Phoenix, Arizona. It is around 11pm and I am sitting on the back deck of a family friend’s house.  There is a strong breeze blowing across the trees and for the most part it’s rather quiet, aside from the wind and a stray car. My companion this late June evening is a giant dog named Wallace. He continues to run in the yard chasing the wind for about 30 seconds then returns to my side to lather my leg with spit and make sure that I know he is still there. I have been blessed tonight with one of my favourite things about the valley, the smell of desert rain. There is nothing like it. It is a sweet mixture; 1 part dirty earthiness 2 parts freshness. They say we will be getting a downpour at some point this evening. Which tickles me a bit. After 6 full days here experiencing 110 degree plus temperatures every day. I finally may get to experience desert rain again just hours before I leave. It’s a bit like my life really. Years of dry hot desert air before a beautiful thunderstorm and an onslaught of rain. I’ve yet to experience a refreshing rainstorm in my life. But I know it’s somewhere out there (beneath the pale moonlight). Knowing that reaping what I sow will eventually arrive is what keeps me going; keeps me giving all of my pursuits one hundred percent (or 110% if you are overly –enthusiastic). That and staying around for my family is what keeps me breathing.

Tonight my heart is heavy. I know, big surprise right? But tonight is different. Tonight I may actually creak open the doors of my mind a little further to allow you to see just how these wheels turn. (Now Wallace is sitting upright beside me keeping watch. Maybe I should get myself a dog they don’t leave you right?) Foremost, the “business” stuff: I was able to lay out the piano parts and a few synth tracks for one of my new songs while in the studio here in Phoenix. Also, Siege and I tracked an awesome cover of a song I really enjoy. It is lyrically enticing and emotionally stirring. I found a great drum loop, played some lead guitar (using my buddy Kyle’s Les Paul rip), threw down a bass line and created all the piano parts with my new found piano playing ability (I can’t seem to stop playing the piano these days). In the next day or so Siege will lay down some of his superb turntable skills across the track and then we will jaw back and forth about the mix ‘til it meets satisfaction. I am very happy with the outcome. It may be a mite dark for a few, but I hope you will all enjoy it to some degree. Tomorrow, around 4 or 5am, I will head up I-17 taking that oh-so-familiar drive into the Rocky Mountains; which is the current home of my immediate family. I only have a few short days in Colorado then it’s back to Nashville for a couple of weeks before I head out for some spot date gigs in July. These summer days are filling up fast.

Right down to it: Tonight thoughts of love and loss bound to and fro in my head. Mostly feeding off of what my heart is feeling these days. The last time that I was at this particular house was almost 3 years ago to the date. I had just dealt with a tragic loss. One I would with a clear mind say was worst than death. Sitting in the living room in which I sat those years ago I played out in my mind exactly how the conversation went amongst four caring adults twice my age and I. I could see myself sitting in that chair weeping uncontrollably with deep loss and longing. I then removed myself from that moment and saw myself as I am now, sitting in that very chair. Things are different now. The sting still exists. I believe it always will. I believe, as mere human beings, pain never truly goes away. It is how we deal with that pain that makes or breaks us. It is a process that I have learned. The hard way yes, but how else does one truly learn? Feelings are tricky. Situations arise and feelings shout much louder than reality. In that moment when emotions are high we ‘feel’ we will never survive, never love again, never find the way out, etc. I have learned to remove feeling long enough to dwell in my mind and think clearly through the situation. Knowing that I can handle anything by removing feeling has helped me immensely. I am an incredibly sensitive person. And not just in ways of being emotional. I am very in tune with my surroundings. I can see and sense things that baffle some. Back to the point, being sensitive definitely has its downside. But the upswing with the right relationship makes it worthwhile.  Not to mention the amount of heart-sewn lyrics that pour out of me.

If you read my blog with anticipation of me leaking out saucy details of relationships I have had or relationships I happen to be in… I hate to disappoint, but that will never happen. I am very guarded with what I will and will not write about to the public. And as the years pass and I one day have a more complete family of my own it will remain as such and even more so. Why? To protect those I love and care about. And really, it’s no one’s business. Having said that, is anyone still reading? Hah. I will, however, continually write about what I go through from an advice standpoint. I believe that we go through experiences not only to grow and expand our knowledge of life, but also to be able to help others along that may walk into the same situation one day. Hints of the mystery will be patched into pieces of my lyrics, poetry and even my blog posts. But creating your own scenario of what the realities of my situations are is about all you will be able to do.

While sitting at lunch with a friend this past week I began to open up slightly and discuss some of my experiences with love. After much conversation this said ‘person’ just looked me in the eyes and confessed, “Cory, Cory… It seems you wear your heart on your sleeve.” That I can’t really deny. It is true. How else does one love? Or find true love at that? If I play the “game” until walls are broken down and intense levels of comfort arrive, there is nothing left but to display my true heart on my sleeve. As long as both parties involved take this journey together it is a very healthy start to a loving relationship. The dilemma arrives as one of those parties removes all emotion and begins a pattern of rejection. Selfishness can be very tricky. When commitment is involved spoken or un-spoken a selfish turn can tank what was beautiful and bring nothing but hurt for the other party involved. At what point do you decide, this is not healthy for me, I should pack up and move on? If you find beauty in the beginning, a look, a smile… a piece of ones heart exposed long enough to see a glimpse of the future, do you hold onto that or close the doors to your heart to avoid a deeper wound? This is really just food for thought. If you are in a thinking mood - read on, if not go read the home page of yahoo or check your facebook for the hundredth time today - write back to those that don’t really matter and ignore the ones who deeply care. What a shallow way to live. It is funny how much people crave the attention and words from people on these social network sites. They act as if it is there entire existence and without it they would be lost. People are such dog-trained zombies anymore; it’s sickening. I would not have a problem with leaving all social networking sites for good. But business would be horrible. Hopefully one day soon I can hire someone to manage them and just stop by once in a while to say hello.

Yes, I just rabbit-trailed. We are just having a conversation here right? If you are still with me let’s go back to the topic of love. (And if you are still reading I expect you to stop being shy and actually leave a comment below with your thoughts, I have over 100 readers a day, and all are too scared to post comments, this is give and take people!) Love. The famed Beatles once wrote that it’s all we need. I just read a plaque on the wall in this house that displays the scripture from I Corinthians chapter 13. All of the things that true love is. I am baffled by the last. Love never fails. Huh? It doesn’t? So what you’re saying is all the love that we experience that fails isn’t really love? I chew on that over and over and can never seem to swallow it. Like a tough piece of pot-roast. I know in every relationship I have ever been in that I love with absolutely all of me. I hold nothing back and treat her like she is the most important thing on earth. It’s just how I was created; for the most part it comes naturally. I know how I would like to be treated and go from there, using information I learn about her and her needs along the way to make it better and better. I will say this. I have never experienced this in return. So do I just stop looking? Stop loving? For some, yes. For me… probably not going to happen in this lifetime. But with each love and each loss I learn a little bit more about who I am. There are just some times when you reread the script of a relationship and you can find no err in your ways. There is just nothing you could do differently. You just have to realize that what you want, wants you not. What you feel you need, needs you not. Need is a stronger sense of wanting. People say you shouldn’t need anyone or anything. To me need is just a way to express that you crave it more passionately, with more vigor. (‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’ just started playing across the radio; I love playing that on the piano.) I believe that the opportunity for true love exists for all of us. Whether we find it or not in this world saturated with free will is another story. There is a scripture that I hold firmly to and that is that God will give us the desires of our heart. When and where… of course that is up to Him and Him alone. We just have to be willing to walk out our lives to the best of our ability. The beauty is He sees it all; start to finish. How? I’m not going to waste any time trying to figure that out. He just does. It’s like trying to figure out what was here before anything was here. What a headache.

Last thought on the subject for tonight. Is it truly better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all? I’d say yes. Hands down. Those few moments of love are worth it all. Do I enjoy the loss? Ha, not hardly. I’d rather never see it’s ugly face again. Ever. One day, one day true love will fall out of the sky and smash me silly. Until that day comes I will have to write a few sad songs… a few sad poems. Okay, I’ll stop fibbing, a ton of sad songs, and a ton of sad poems. Unfortunately, in this world it can be the most relatable thing that we as humans cling to. It’s why it’s easier for me to put on Radiohead’s “Creep” and connect immediately; as opposed to putting on U2’s “Beautiful Day” and have it take a few moments to ‘get there’. And tell myself everything will be all right.

Thank you for spending this time in conversation with me. Now you somewhat know what it’s like to grab a cup of coffee with me. I’m always up for thought provoking meaningful conversation. And a good cup of coffee, preferably *bucks Verona.

Well, this post has surpassed two thousand words and is the lengthiest thing short of chapters in a book that I have written in a while. This has definitely been a rarified moment for me. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. It’s now almost 2am and I should be putting myself to bed. Wallace is still sitting right beside me, unbelievable, this is true companionship without demanding a thing. Dogs are positively mans best friend.

Do take a brief moment to say a prayer for safe travels in this 15-hour drive I am about to partake in. God Bless you all. Thank you for involving yourself in this journey of mine called life.

Godspeed.

Cory Basil

I couldn’t of asked for a more beautiful day weather wise. It has been splendid out and continues to be so. I just got back to my place from a morning/afternoon writing session for the album. I believe I finally have the final two pieces written for ‘Conversations on Internal Bleeding’. One is tentatively titled Firefly[Reason] and strips down the thoughts of a present friendship combined with the haunting need I have to make everything right for those I care deeply about.

Two weeks ago I picked up a keyboard/piano and decided that I was sick of talking about wanting to learn the piano and began teaching myself. Three days into my self-teaching I wrote my first piece. Myself and J-Cain (co-producer on this final effort to finish the album) believe it is strong enough for the album and while it sounds great ‘acoustically’ we will produce it with a heavy band feel which will tie nicely with the rest of the project. I can’t even begin to tell you how much anticipation I have for releasing this album into the wild-blue sky for you all to hear. I often see the end result in my head and have a hard time being patient, letting things develop and letting the spirit lead. The final piece has a beautiful rolling piano riff that lends itself well to a vocal outcry in the melody. I presented it to Cain this morning and we were able to build some interesting and challenging chords around it to open up the chorus. I’m very excited to lay out the lyrical ideas throughout the rest of the tune. It has an overlying ‘Let It Be’ type of theme. So there you have it, a bit of a window crack into the album.  

Of course, in keeping with the subject that continues to enhance and move my life (music)… The new Coldplay album was released today. I was able to get my hands on it a week ago yet made my purchase on iTunes today to officially show my support. Albums like this make my soul jump out of my skin and run around the room as I appear to the naked eye to be sitting still - contemplating. Those who follow me via Twitter know that I can’t shut up about how great I think this album is. Of course the big name producer on the album will make moronic fools appear more foolish as they crawl out from under their rocks and rant about how Coldplay has sold-out. “Whatever.” I am a big fan of Pop-Rock, Alt-Rock, Indie-Rock… whatever word you want to put in front of Rock… I’ll probably like it. I’m thinking that this album is Pop-Progressive, but what do I know. The themes and question asked in poetic fashion bless my soul. Even if Chris thinks that the whole world deserves to vote the American President into office. I agree with writing about what moves you and if it be politics - it be politics. I tend to be rubbed the wrong way by most artists who take a stand politically, but if it’s done creative have at it. Just don’t let your entire touring and vision for the band be about getting someone into office. Dear God, that frustrates the crud out of me. (And yes, I was really talking to Him just then. He reads my blog too.) Back to the proper topic. The ‘Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends’ album. It’s good. Buy it. It will be uplifting to you, that I promise. If you want a great peak into the mind of Chris Martin read the latest article in the politically saturated Rolling Stones mag. (I take the good with the bad and don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.)

Turning the page… I leave town Thursday morning bright and early. Well, too early to be bright. So, early. I’m going to Phoenix to handle a little business and also play in my favourite studio for a few days (Famous Army). I hope to hash out something new there to put up for your enjoyment until I can get you the album. I’ll be running all around Phoenix hitting up my spots in the 602 and visiting with as many REAL friends as I can during my short stay. I can’t wait to get back to Kazimierz, such a great spot to relax and chat with friends while having a glass of cab. If you want to catch me while I’m in town, and say hey, hit me up on myspace, facebook or twitter. I’ll post where we are hanging out, drop by and say hello. After my stint in Phoenix I will be headed up to Colorado to visit family and attend a great friend of mine’s wedding. (Congrats B-Dub!) I was going to stay through the fourth to watch the amazing fireworks display over the lake by my parents house, but I couldn’t justify all that extra time away so hopefully the forth and my birthday in Nashville will be splendid enough. Same rules apply to my Colorado friends, hit me up if you want to attempt to get together. The rest I’ll catch up with you all at the wedding.

I must get back to the painting. It pretty much has to be finished before I ‘jet-set.’ There is so much I have yet to blog about, but unfortunately I’m not paid to blog so it must take a backseat until time allows. Thank you all so much for being a part of my daily life by participating in my writings. Blessings to you.

 I’ll leave you with this… While at *bucks, reading the new Rolling Stones issue, a little boy came running in with his dad on a leash. He had on a pirate hat, a patch on his eye and a giant sword (the kid, not the dad). He was yelling, “Im Captain Joshua!” and having a really hard time figuring out how to walk with one eye covered up. I could just see the wheels turning in his head as he was pouncing to and fro, making the world exactly how he wanted it to be. A great song speaks, “with imagination, I’ll get there.” As the world lives and breaths in it’s current state it is easy for us to become stagnant and brush off thoughts of ever being one to make change possible. But with faith and imagination, as a child, I believe that we can get there. It is what drives me to be all that I can be with the short time I am allotted here on earth. Believe that you can make a difference; from saying hi to the shut-in that lives next door, to giving a compliment to someone who doesn’t look like you or present themselves as you would. Making someone smile can be as big of a difference as donating thousands to charity. Step outside of the comfort and see the world as you want it to be.

Be selfless. 

Cory Basil

“Nothing helps us build our perspective more than developing compassion for others.”

Over a year ago, whenever I first signed onto Facebook, I was browsing the Marketplace which is a small version of Craigslist. I noticed a section where people post what they are looking for… so as a joke I made a post that said, “A date with Kate Beckinsale.” Since then I have received many messages because I haven’t deleted it. Most of the messages just say something really lame like, “In your wildest dreams” or, “You’re such a loser, why would you post this?” But I just received the best one yet and it really made me laugh. Here is what it said:

“I’d have to say that I would be more than happy..what are the qualifications?”

Now I’m pretty sure this guy is dead serious and thinks that I have the power to grant someone a date with Kate. So I’m debating on what my reply to him will be… I mean, I guess I could hold a contest and tell him what the qualifications are… I could make him send in a video explaining why he thinks he should win the date, I could tell him he has to shave his head and wear a dress to work… the options are endless.

Foremost, my apologies for the lack in O-Blog-Dee as of late. Things have been a little nuts around here. But today starts a new work week and I’m doing my best to finish up a few projects today and make some major progress on another. This post is to inform you that portions of a film I made will be featured in a theatre near you tonight.

Back in October/November of last year I was asked to create a documentary on tobyMac start to finish. So of course I said yes and took on the project. I had to watch over 60 hours of mostly monotonous footage of a camera rolling backstage. I then pieced together ideas that I thought would make a great storyline to follow and wrote a script that was approved. Next I composed pages of questions that I would use to shoot interviews of the band and Toby himself. As to not bore you with the details… I spent over 5 months doing this entire thing myself, many many sleepless nights… followed by many more… The DVD was released on May 27th in stores and I was able to pick up a copy when I returned from my trip. And to my chagrin after watching the credits I had to go outside for some much needed air. I do not ever feel the need to gloat or tell the world what I’ve done… but there is a fine line that should be drawn as to giving credit where credit is due. And it’s just not right… at all. And that’s the last I’ll say about it. And no, the blame for stealing credit has nothing to do with Toby. He has been incredibly grateful to me and expressed this on many occasions. 

Back to happy thoughts… There was a private premiere showing on Thursday in Franklin that I attended. Thanks to Dan for the heads up on that. It was very satisfying to see my work up on the big screen. I must have had the goofiest grin on my face. I was flattered that they decided to show pieces of the documentary throughout the live concert. It was pieced together beautifully. If you have the chance to catch it in theaters tonight it will be shown nationwide. Hit up this site to check times and locations. The Big Picture.

I truly had a great time working on this project, aside from the politics, I was able to make the movie trailer for theaters and another trailer that was used at the beginning of every concert and on the web. As well as having a major hand in the design of the album cover/fonting etc. And I am VERY grateful for the opportunity that was given to me to create this.

I will be headed to the Thoroughbred 20 in Franklin to catch it again tonight with some friends at 7:45pm. Feel free to join us or say hello if you are there. I don’t get points on the album, but still pick up a copy to support Toby and check out my skills.

The REAL documentary credits:  

created by/written by/edited solely by/graphic-animation by/audio mixing by/film colouring by/Cory Basil

I just returned home to my beachfront property here in Nashville after seeing a movie down in Hickory Hollow with a buddy of mine. Allow me to rewind and discuss my day. 

This morning I awoke around 8am and shook the sleep from mine eyes. I pulled myself out of bed and walked to the bathroom. Upon reaching the bathroom door my foot slipped in a puddle and I caught myself with the door frame before taking a swim. I had to think hard about this because I had just woken up and this mind of mine creates a plethora of spectacular dreams; so I thought this could be one of them. Nay, it was not. Let us go back even further. Last night upon arriving home from my week away I walked in the door to a horrible stench. I have a powerful drug-sniffing-dog type nose, so if something smells bad to you it more than likely drives me to the verge of insanity. I dropped my bags and went searching for the culprit. I looked in the trash, which I knew I took out before I left for that very reason… nothing. I searched the fridge and freezer and cabinets… nothing. Finally I chalked it up to “humidity” and the fact that I had the windows sealed up before I left. I’ve never lived around humidity saturated areas before so I just thought, “This place is older and the moisture is probably revisiting some moldy areas.” So I sprayed the dickens out of the place with air freshener. I spent most of the evening out and the only time I was back in my room was to shower and slip into bed. So when I got out of the shower and walked through the doorway I must have just thought the water was from my already wet feet and body. Now back to today. I was on the phone with a dear friend long-distance when I saw a guy who fit the profile of “maintenance” outside toying with a water meter. I excused myself and hung up the phone to go speak with said maintenance man. I asked him if he knew anything about a water leak. He said that the neighbor to my left had some major issues with his water heater. “SHOCKER.” This guy is a bundle of patience. It turns out while I was out of town his water heater burst on Tuesday flooding his condo and mine. Then upon repairing it… it burst again on Thursday, doubly flooding my condo. This was not what I had scheduled for my first day back, nor for my weekend. 

After doing the fun-fun phoning everyone and their carpet replacing mothers. I finally got to the bottom of the situation and found a kind soul willing to help me today instead of the not so thoughtful people who wanted me to sit in this filth until Monday so that they could go home early on a Friday. And yes, I do have the right to say so. I used to be an air-conditioning technician and would work all hours of the day to help those who needed their AC running in the smoldering heat of Phoenix, Arizona. Regardless of after-hours, weekends or holidays. 

So I spent a good amount of time moving everything out of my room, but the bed, and into my living room. Including all of my books and computer equipment. As soon as I finished the carpet doctors arrived in speedy fashion. They tore up the old, soaked the place with some mold killing enzymes and started up the jet engines and left them behind with instructions stating, “Leave the fans running for 48 hours, we’ll be back Monday to finish the job after everything is dry.” So here I sit feeling as if I am still on that plane from yesterday. 

After trying to get into some work on my laptop I couldn’t take the clutter of everything piled up in my living room nor the wind tunnel in my bedroom. So I made plans to grab dinner and catch a movie. So what did I see? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I heard the buzz on twitter from last weekend, before I left, with people cringing at how awful it was. I always see films I want to see regardless of what others say. The others, the “they” people always speak of… were right. As the imaginative curtain flung open and the movie started I was taken back by how simple and boring the fonting was. But got into the first scene and felt it was fun and played off of the cheesiness of the originals. Then as I hung onto the movie with outstretched arms it kept slipping further and further away. Until it was so far gone all I could do was shake my head in disbelief. Shia LeBouf started swinging through trees like Brendan Fraser with monkeys and then arrived at the car chase scene just in time to fall into the vehicle for the 30th time of the evening. Then aliens began taking over and influencing crazy peoples minds, it was just awful. At one point I started creating a better story in my head just to help pass the time. I would not have been shocked if Will Smith swung out on a whip and donkey punched an alien while screaming, “Ah Hell No!” And then high-fived Indy. I cannot believe that script made it past someone’s trash can. It’s as if a 12 year old kid infatuated with aliens wrote the story after drinking too much Pepsi. I was incredibly disappointed, but you will all probably still see it anyway. And I don’t blame you, I did. 

So I started to head home to the Boeing engine test facility and called my buddy Kyle to tell him he was right about the movie. And during my conversation I dropped the phone as I was being attacked by a large mosquito in my car. This is never safe while traveling at 65mph on the freeway. This thing was seriously out for my blood. I made the two-fold mistake of wearing shorts tonight. One: the theatre was cold enough to hang meat. Two: It gave said mosquito free range of my lower third. I immediately flipped on the lights and started swatting away, I’m sure the view from the outside made someone’s entire year. I slapped at my legs and he started circling my head, I swung at the ceiling and he dive-bombed my chest. Finally I gave him an uppercut he would not recover from and flung him into the seat next to me where he landed with a thud. A thud that I couldn’t hear, but I’m sure he could. 

Well that concludes my very interesting day and leaves me puzzled about tomorrow. There is no doubt that I will be dreaming tonight that I am on a plane. Let’s just hope that plane is taking me to London, or to the northwest.

Goodnight All. 

cB

• QuickTime
• | Flash

I’m on my way out the door to catch a plane. I’ll be taking a much needed mini-vacation. I will do my best to blog a day or two. If not rehash the old stuff. Here is the music video for the new song. This is not a song that will be on the new album which is why I thought I’d throw it up for your enjoyment. It is stocked full of meaning and sentiments with regards to my walk with God and life here on earth. Be blessed.

Godspeed.

Cory Basil   

This is one of the best videos ever created. It has been out for a while.
But most have not seen it, so here ya go!

…you should be slapped.

I just lost my entire blog post. So here I go again. From the top…

I am currently watching ‘P.S. I Love You’ with my Mom. She came out for a few days visit. Last night we watched mobsters and guns in ‘American Gangster.’ So it’s only fair, tonight, a chick flick.

When I first started writing this blog post the movie had a happier lighter tone to it. And now… well, it’s just downright sad. She just exploded in an array of emotion bleeding all over the screen because he died and nothing else matters in life, nothing. She’s just alone. I relate. Completely. So of course my mindset is not even close to the same as when I wrote this post the first time. I guess there’s a reason unbeknownst to me. Movies, it’s amazing how they provoke emotion and weigh the heart. But that is the beauty of it. 

Anyway, that was a bit too transparent for the immediate public. Back to the post. 

Last night when she arrived we went to Rumba for a bite to eat. (Rumba is a quant little vibey joint down the street from my place, if you ever visit pin a stop to your trip). After great conversation and food we headed back home and watched the film stated above.

Today we visited The Hermitage: Home of President Andrew Jackson. I decided to take two complete days off while my Mom is visiting and place all work aside. This is hard to do when you have accidently trained yourself to be a lab-rat who works ’round the clock. But it is good for me to rest. The home itself was rather nice considering it was built around 1836. There was wallpaper imported from Paris on the walls in the upstairs and downstairs great room that was original. I’m not a fan of wallpaper, but wallpaper that still looks good after 170 plus years is pretty darn impressive.  Most of President Jackson’s original affects were still intact and on display. It was sad to discover that his wife passed on the eve of his presidential inauguration party. He never remarried. He had a painting of her he kept at the White House and brought back home when he retired. He placed this painting of her above the fireplace in his bedroom. And when asked of his feelings regarding her he would always say, “She is the first thing I see in the morning, and the last thing I see at night.” Referring to the painting. 

When you arrive they give you a headset with a controller that gives you small history lessons as you enter various areas of the homestead. As I was walking down the path the kindhearted voice on the tape started to instruct me to go with her on a journey back in time. She said, and I quote, “Leave the 21st century behind and Imagine yourself here, the year is 1837 and Andrew Jackson had just returned…” And at that moment I could no longer hear her as a Boeing 737’s shadow dwarfed me. I looked up to see Southwest Airlines on the side of the plane. Going with her to 1837 was going to be harder than I first anticipated. 

The acreage that his home sits on was so beautiful. And the gardens were both visually impressive and enticing to the nose. The blooming flowers smelled amazing. I long for the day when I can purchase acres and build my own home and have a place to just exist in peace and feel at home. Being here helped those dreams grow visually. 

One final interesting thing I learned that I want to share is the story of how Andrew Jackson Jr. died. The tour guide in the home started by saying, “He shot himself with that there rifle sitting on that table.” I immediately was wowed. The thing that killed this dude in the 1800’s was sitting 5 feet from me. I was hooked. I love a good story involving guns.

Apparently what happened was…

Jackson Jr. loved to hunt and fish rather than farm. So being a hunter he was out with the hunting dogs and leaned ‘this here’ rifle against a fence as he was going to jump over it. As he jumped the fence one of the dogs (hey look, I wrote about a dog in yet ANOTHER blog post) ran into the rifle discharging it and shooting said Jackson in the hand. A hand wound doesn’t seem like a bad deal, definitely not provoking deaths knocking. But in the day where tetanus had no remedy, he was finished by a simple accidental shot to the hand. The End.

I’d encourage you to take a trip out I-40 if you live here in the ‘Ville, or if you drive through someday. It’s worth the admission fee to support the growth of learning. One thing I have become more and more appreciative of in my life is just that. Learning. You can never learn enough. I always say take time to learn from everything around you. And you may quote me on that. Walking these paths, gardens and floors of a home almost 200 years old makes you ponder the revolving door that life is. Never take your short time here for granted. Live, love and share life with those around you. 

I posted a few ‘camera-phone’ photos for you to see on my flickr. The few of me my Mom took with her phone. I left my good camera at home. Once again. Sorry!

CLICK HERE to view more photos.

• QuickTime
• | Flash

Okay, so here it is. I have FINALLY watched E.T. the movie for the first time ever (If you really care why I haven’t previously, CLICK HERE). After viewing the real film I was inspired to make a small short cartoon displaying my favourite scenes. And also my confusion with the ending. E.T. said he’d “Be Right Here.” But right after he says so he takes off like a _________ (Insert your own example in the space provided). Poor E   LI   O T.

What did he do with the rest of his life?  Seriously, the kids bike flew and he hung out with an alien. Where do you go from there? 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy being entertained for one small minute of your life.