I Love the Holidays...

I really do. I love the way pretty glowing lights appear on trees and houses. I love how the air inevitably smells more and more like crisp winter frost tinged with a hint of chimney smoke, even in a city where it rarely gets below 45. I love the sound of bells that infuse elevator musak and songs on the radio. I adore the smell of cinnamon, hot chocolate, and freshly baked gingerbread. Hell, I even enjoy the special lattes and massively sugary drink concoctions that pop up for a limited time on the Starbucks menu. Am I a consumer whore for Christmas? Probably. Totally.

But the part I love the most is the unspoken sense of warmth and gooeyness (like the inside of a half-baked cookie, all melty with chocolate) that envelopes people and their families during this time. I love the celebration of love. And I'm really really excited for my first Christmas as a wife :)

Now that I've gotten the mushy part out of the way, I want to share with you a little bit of pre-Christmas cheer (in the form of Shaun Peterson - a director/actor I work with.) Please enjoy my first foray into the realm of comedy on Take180.com!

http://www.take180.com/s/1eclnh?autoplay=true

Some Awe...

I try to reserve the word "awesome" for what truly fills me with amazement, joy and astonishment (more than some awe). To be honest, I'm not sure why the word "awful" describes something bad, because isn't awe a good thing? Why is having some awe good, but to be full of awe is bad? So by my understanding of the levels of awe, "awful" would be a step up from "awesome." But then what's at the bottom? What describes something horrendous, something terrible?

My new word proposal is thus: "Aweless."

"Aweless" could easily apply to something boring, mundane, or even horrific. And hey, in this ever changing modern world of grammatical and linguistic butchery, why not add my own little contribution?

But hey, I'm not here to talk about aweless things. I want to show you awful* things. (*note: my personal definition of 'awful) For the sake of clarity, however, be sure that this video I'm posting is the epitome of the classical understanding of the word "awesome."

LXD "Choices" Teaser from Jon M. Chu on Vimeo.

An epic dance webisode dedicated to telling an incredible story with human movement alone (no strings or special effects). And it's directed by Jon Chu. And the dancing is mind blowing. And it's beautifully shot. AWESOME!!!

Please, even if you don't have one rhythmic bone in your body - watch and enjoy!

Ps. The only context in which I can understand the classic relation between "awesome" and "awful" is this -- SOME cheesy enchilada is great, but FULL of cheesy enchilada is a digestive disaster. Take note...