EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA ON SATURDAY - DECEMBER 3, 2022 - HIGHER LIVE! NO. 23 COUNTDOWN EXTRA

 I can't help it. Here is an extra tune I found right after posting No. 23 on The 2022 Christmas Countdown.

Michael Buble' does HIGHER live at Disney.

Enjoy

Insane Dancing - Merry Christmas

A VERY COOL HOT TUNE FROM THE ONE AND ONLY MICHAEL BUBLE' - NO. 23 ON THE 2022 CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

THIS HIGH ENERGY NUMBER SHOULD BE A CHRISTMAS SONG - 

IT HAS LOTS OF RED 

OK. Right up front. Today's tune is not, technically, a Christmas song. However, this is my blog and I get to make all the decisions on what's in it and what's not - with many comments from you know who. Anyway, I am a huge Michael Bublé fan. I've seen him live three times. I highly recommend his live show if you ever get the chance. There is no modern-day artist that captures the spirit of great vocals and big band music from the forties like this master singer, song writer and performer. He has sold over 75 million records. Not bad for a guy who used to be a wedding singer. This tune also has some of the greatest dancing you will ever see from a host of red clad strutters. Michael even struts a little himself. Today's tune is the title cut from his latest project HIGHER. So, today is the first Saturday of December. This tune will get you up and moving to get you through the weekend on a high note. Plus, the video is an absolute killer. There will be some additional Bublé tunes down the line.

So, crank up the volume and watch and listen to HIGHER from Michael Bublé. And just think of it as a great new tune to celebrate the joys of the season - NO. 23 on the 2022 CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWM.

Just get up and dance - Merry Merry Christmas - It's right around the corner!

D.L.Stafford

thenomadARCHITECT

“Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

IT'S FRIDAY - HERE'S A LITTLE TUNE TO HELP YOU ENJOY THE WEEKEND - FAMILY & CHRISTMAS - PERFECT - NO. 24 ON THE 2022 CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

THERE IS ONLY ONE ROBERT EARL KEEN - TRUE COUNTRY ALTERNATIVE FROM TEXAS WITH A CLASSIC IRONIC TUNE

Today's Classic Christmas Tune has been on the Top 25 Christmas Countdown every year since it started ten years ago. I found a different video featuring an acoustic version of Robert Earl Keen and two other players performing this elegant and ironic tune about the joys and blunders of Christmas Celebrations some families may have. Every year, I get comments on this particular song. Somehow, people seem to relate to its raw, funny take on out-of-control parties.

This song was written and recorded in 1994 on Keen's album GRINGO HONEYMOON. Keen and another great Texas Troubadour, Lyle Lovett, formed a lifelong bond when they were students at Texas A&M University and played and composed together on their favorite porch. 

Of course, the porch is long gone now. As Keen said - quoting a line from Joni Mitchell's Yellow Taxi - "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot" to which he added "That encapsulates the whole thing". After a career spanning almost forty years Keen embodies the true innovation of great Texas artists. 

So, enjoy and have a laugh as you listen to No. 24 on The 2022 Christmas Countdown - MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE FAMILY.

And for all you seasoned Vagabonds that want to see the old video of this great, funny tune by this unique singer/songwriter, please enjoy the original video from October 2006. With over six million views, this humorous ode to insane families who party, particularly at Christmas, should make you smile.

Merry Christmas To Your Family! LOL!

D.L.Stafford

thenomdARCHITECT

"There are three stages of man: he believes in Santa Claus; he does not believe in Santa Claus; he is Santa Claus." Bob Phillips (Television Journalist - The Texas Country Reporter)

LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED - NEON TREES SINGIN' CHRISTMAS - NO. 25 ON THE 2022 CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

 ROCK MUSIC FOR CHRISTMAS ALWAYS GETS US MOVIN'

Like most people my age, I was a teenager in the fabulous sixties, when the world of music and our culture was changing dramatically. Not all of it good. However, there is no denying that the music that flowed through our radios, eight tracks and cassettes was the biggest musical revolution since Elvis released HEARTBREAK HOTEL in 1956. Then the flood gates opened with some of the most innovative and diverse music for the Baby Boomer Generation. And today, the most popular radio stations play Oldies from the Fifties & Sixties. Great music last forever.

However, we still have new rock music that is worthy to be called great. Today's artist - NEON TREES have been making their presence known since 2005 with cool lyrics and classic rock backbeats. From Provo, Utah, this group has worked its way up various charts - Alternative Rock, Billboard and other modern music lists of bands worth a listen.

So, today, the first day of December, we're kicking off THE 2022 CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN with a very cool rockin' melody from this quartet performing an innovative Christmas tune.

So, get movin' for Christmas with NO. 25 on THE NOMAD ARCHITECT TOP 25 CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN - A great song by NEON TREES - HOLIDAY ROCK!

Merry Merry Christmas to You and Yours

D.L.Stafford

thenomadARCHITECT

HAPPY THANKSGIVING MY FELLOW VAGABONDS - GET READY FOR GREAT CHRISTMAS MUSIC & OTHER STUFF

THE END OF 2022 IS ALMOST HERE 

YEAR 10 OF THE MERRY CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN -

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL NOMADS!!!

Christmas is right around the corner. The season officially starts tomorrow. Kids, decorated trees, piles of presents under the tree, and great Southern Cooking for over a month.  I always thank my Good Lord that I live in sunny Florida where it snows every twenty years or so. In my hometown of Tallahassee, Florida, we get 233 days of sunshine. I'm just thankful I don't live in Ohio or New Jersey, the top two states that compete each year for the worst weather in the good ole USA. Or in Montana, which has recorded temperatures at 70 degrees below. Tallahassee at Christmas? Midway between a low of 47 and a high of 64. Balmy indeed. I have actually been water skiing the day after Christmas in my younger days.

On December 25, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ! We also celebrate the love of humankind and many secular traditions with family and friends. Somehow, we find more love and joy this time of year. Beginning December 1, 2022, I will try to bring some joy with some of the greatest Christmas Music by many great artists. You will hear pop, rock, jazz, classical, and everything in between. I have looked long and hard to find new music that you may not have heard before. Of course, there will also be some classic oldies as well as some laughs along the way. I started the Annual Christmas Music Countdown on December 1, 2012. So this is the tenth anniversary of Christmas Music for Nomads everywhere. I will also post every Countdown Tune on Facebook. It is my fervent hope that you will enjoy the music I select and I wish all vagabonds, travelers, wanderers, nomads, and all those desiring souls seeking joy, love, and new experiences for a life of pleasure and meaning.

To start the season off with a little humor, here is a clip from a very funny British Comic - David Mitchell with a rant on the Christmas Holidays. 

And for an added treat - Here is Jim Gaffigan doing a bit on Christmas with the In-laws.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving and get ready for some cool, innovative music for Christmas.

Thanks

Doyle Stafford

THE NOMAD ARCHITECT

ONLY THIRTY MINUTES GETS YOU TO A COOL INTIMATE RESTAURANT WITH KILLER FOOD

VERY HIP NAME - AND GREAT FOOD AT SASS - SWEET & SAVORY SISTERS

Ok. I can't help myself. When I go to a restaurant and have an insanely delicious meal, I gotta say something. This past weekend I took my one and only to SASS Restaurant in Thomasville, Georgia. Without hesitation, I ordered Shrimp and Grits. After dinner, I told my wife, the last time I had shrimp and grits this delicious was the first time I had this most Southern of Southern cuisine at the place that started what has become a phenomenal Southern delicacy for over forty years. The history of this amazing dish is complicated and long. Suffice to say, the introduction of this delectable southern dish in Charleston, South Carolina, sometime in the early eighties, at a great Southern restaurant called Crooks Corner started a revolution in great Southern cookery. Unfortunately, Crooks Corner is temporarily closed after forty years of serving great southern food. Based on my quick research, it will probably re-open soon.

However, I have great news for people who have a need to dine out and have this delectable dish. A mere thirty minutes from Tallahassee, Florida is a real southern restaurant- SASS - Sweet and Savory Sisters. They have other delicious choices as well. My wife had fried grouper and oysters. She said it was outstanding. And the prices are very reasonable. The service was spectacular, and their wine list is varied and excellent. Check out their web site to reserve online. Simple and easy. If you want some outstanding Southern cuisine - it's worth the drive and the money to visit SASS. The restaurant is located on the left going north in the old Train Depot just south of downtown Thomasville.

Following is a brief and heartfelt Summary by the Owners of this romantic, modern, and hip boutique restaurant.

"It was a long & winding road that led the Sisters to the Historic Train Depot in Thomasville, and they’re grateful for every little bump, pothole, detour and dead-end. Even in the darkest of hours the Sisters always took the time to break bread as a family, to share love over food, and to prepare that food with all that is the best of them. The Sisters feel their lives have been blessed beyond measure, and the mission at Sass! is to spread those blessings around like sweet Mayhaw Jelly on a hot, cat-head biscuit."

So, get off the couch and get into your car and motor north to Thomasville for some great food and drink at SASS - Sweet & Savory Sisters. You just gotta love that name and you will adore their food!

Go Soon.

Thanks

D.L.Stafford

thenomadARCHITECT

"WHEN ONE HAS TASTED WATERMELON HE KNOWS WHAT THE ANGELS EAT." MARK TWAIN

FIND YOUR BUCKET LIST MY FELLOW WEARY VAGABOND

“The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” - Christopher McCandless

That statement defines the beauty of travel. The things we have discovered lost on a winding road or riding on a train or walking an unknown trail still hold strong in our heads and hearts.

Here we are two days from Labor Day 2022. I must apologize for being such a slacker. But, as they say, stuff does, indeed happen. My last post was on December 25, 2021, celebrating the second most important day of Christendom. Most people consider it the most important because you reconnect with family, friends, and people you may not have seen in a long time. Throw in the insanity of COVID and it makes it even more meaningful for travelers and those that just stay home So, as we are finally coming out from the COVID stoppage of living our lives, it is time to look to the future. 

Do you have your Bucket List? Do you even know where it is? Do you still remember all those things that you told yourself you were going to do before you die? Find it, clean it off and update it. Now Bucket Lists tend to be extraordinarily private. You may have things on yours that you really don't want anyone else to see. Additionally, most people that have Bucket Lists have many Travel desires listed. 

There are places you want to see. There are always things you want to enjoy with the ones you love. One of the most amazing trips we have ever had was a week in Barcelona with my son, his wife, and my daughter. Sagrada Familia, Dali's home, the amazing architecture, ancient and modern, the art of Picasso, the father of Cubism, and some of the most amazing food on the planet. And all of this was enjoyed with those people that mean the most in my life. There are places you have always wanted to visit, experience, sleep and eat in. Your "Updated" Bucket List should embody the desires of your life for yourself and the people you love. So - ATTENTION! - write, reserve, and go. 

For the next few posts, I am going to write about various travel experiences including Spain, Italy, and maybe even a little Daytona Beach. The posts will cover the places, the hotels, the AIRBNBs,, the food, and the joys of travel with the people I love. Here is an oh-so-profound quote from one of America's greatest writers

“I have found out there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”

I have traveled a lot over the years with my one and only best friend, lover of life, beautiful vagabond, and lover of all things romantic - my wife. There is nowhere she will not go. There is nothing she will not try and she learns things that go deep into her life view when she experiences the cultures of people that are different from hers. I have also traveled far and wide with my kids. It is my firm belief that travel has enhanced their lives immensely. Travel can change you in more ways than you could ever imagine.

And, BTW - Summer is ending. That means that you can travel in September and October to many places, particularly in Europe, that will be less crowded and much less expensive. So, start ticking off that lifetime list of things you have always wanted you and yours to enjoy. Of course, you can search this blog for many recommendations on places to stay, eat and visit.

If you have never been to Europe, then, the first place to visit must be Italy. The land, the architecture, the food, and the people. The culture of this small but amazing country can be life-changing. When you see the buildings and experience the culture of the cradle of Western Civilization, you will be amazed and mesmerized at the same time. Our memories of visiting Italy have never left us. We are currently planning a trip for 2023. 

So, get off that couch, take that relaxing 9-hour flight - LOL!! and see places that will enlighten your mind, heart, and soul.

Next up - My meanderings about Spain and maybe some Daytona Beach.

And just to show I'm still on the move, check out a very cool tune by the great Lyle Lovett entitled PANTS IS OVER RATED from his new album 12th of June.

When in doubt - Just Go!

Thanks

DL Stafford

thenomadarchitect