Fours & My House

John Williams, "Hook" soundtrack. I'm in a particular musical mood right now, but since i can't seem to find the proper music to accentuate it, this is what i ended up with.

Actually, typing that out and realizing that i have the ability to change things, i put on my "Quiet Songs" playlist from my iPod (on random). First song to come on is "Lenny" played by the exceptional guitarist, Stevie Ray Vaughan. Excellent.

Tiffany, this one's specifically for you. You can tell because as soon as i'm done identifying my musical environment, your name is the very first word. Normally, if i were to get an email with the "Fours" content asking me to fill out a survey, i'd probably delete it and continue on with my day. However, there are certain differences between an email and a blog that are working in your favor. I appreciate that you, while there were many options, included me in the four fellow bloggers asked to answer our own "Fours" questionaire (if it can be called that).

But, most of all, i'm extremely appreciative of your continued visits to my blog, your interest and enjoyment of my entries, and the comments that you leave me. With a certain fear of disrupting the balance between entry and comment, i must tell you that i sometimes come home with a hope that i will be able to read your reactions to my latest post. So, in return, i will fill out the Fours as you have requested.

Most people who know me well know that i tend to give an over-detailed answer to a question. Ask me something simple, and i'll reply having thought about background details that most would pass over or generally sum into their answer. So, some of my responses to the "Fours" may be a bit more lengthy than they need be. But that's the nature of getting to know someone, so if it ends up being the case, bear with me. Oh, and while i was "tagged" by Tiffany and i'm probably supposed to "tag" four other people, i'm not going to. Anyway...here it is:

FOURS

Four jobs I've had in my life:
Cashiere & Photo Technician @ CVS
Daycare Teacher @ The Stork Club
Not sure what exactly to call this, but I help set up the sanctuary for weddings @ my church
"Shop Boy" (as i like to joke) @ Jensen Machine

Four movies I could watch over and over:
The Iron Giant
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
Back To The Future (I or III)
Sleepless In Seattle
(It was very difficult for me to answer this question being such a movie guy. There are several others i could put here as well, but as i am limitted to but four, i shall abide by the rules.)

Four places I've lived:
Rocky Hill, CT (east/central part of town)
Rocky Hill, CT (west end of town)
Rocky Hill, CT (south eastern part of town)
West Hartford, CT
Yes, i've lived in three different houses in the same town. The first is where i lived until Jr. High, at which point we moved into my grandparents' (the second) because we sold our house but hadn't found a new one yet due to complications with a pending purchase in upstate NY. Then we found a house in another part of Rocky Hill and moved there (the third). And West Hartford is where i've been house/cat sitting since February, so i definitely count it as living here.

Four Places I've Been On Vacation:
Quebec/Montreal, Canada
Boulder, CO
Perdu, IN
Disney World, FL (it really should be its own town)

Four Websites I Visit Daily:
Google
Yahoo! Mail
That's really it. I don't have any daily routine websites, including my own blog.

Four (Current) Shows I Won't Miss:
Gilmore Girls
House
Yep, only two. I'm not a big TV fan. Nothing really good on, too many people trying to get your money through commercials.

Four Of My Favorite Foods:
Swordfish
Bertucci's "Shrimp Bella Venezia" Pizza
Pineapple Upside Down Cake (especially when my mom makes it...no offense to you, Amy, yours was delicious too)
Sushi

Four Places I'd Rather Be:
In the presence of God's glory
With my wife (whoever she may be)
North Western, MA
My House (Not the house i live in, but the place i go mentally when i need a break. It's a bit of a lengthy explanation, so i'll save it for after i fill all this out)

Four Ablums I Can't Live Without:
I'm the kind of person that wants to list every album i so dearly cherish, but it doesn't say "The Only Four" does it, Adam? No, so be a good sport and choose four at random. Very well.
"Motorcade of Generosity" - Cake
"Road To Perdition" soundtrack - Thomas Newman
"Hold On Little Tomato" - Pink Martini
"Come Away With Me" - Norah Jones

And there you have it, my "Fours" survey. And now for the explanation of "My House"

Okay. Ever since my freshman year of high school, i've had this quiet mental retreat where i go when things get a little too heavy. I've had visitors there (real ones, not imagined ones. I invite them, explain it to them, and they come along). So, here it is.

It's a two floor house, no basement. It sits on the beach, a few mild sand dunes on the sides and behind, just a little ways up from the shore in that long, wavy grass that sways with the ocean's breath. There's a wrap-around porch with a few rocking chairs and a bench swing. The inside is all hardwood floors, with nice big comfy couches and other equally inviting furniture. Everything within is designed to allow the soul room to stretch out and breathe freely, a reflection of the calming landscape outside the walls. There are two staircases leading upstairs. A regular one, and a spiral. The spiral is my preferred method for ascension, but the regular is equally functional.

The bedroom is upstairs (among other equally quiet rooms to retreat to). Four post bed, very little furniture in the room to keep it open and spacious. White sheets for that "clean" look. There's an upper porch as well (more of a deck) that my bedroom leads out to. Another rocking chair, another bench swing. It's that soft, slow, rocking/swinging that calms, much like the sound of the ocean surf. Another spiral staircase upstairs leads up to a Widow's Walk. For those of you that are unfamiliar with said structure, it's basically a deck on the roof. There's a hammock up there to watch the stars from.

I will go there during the day on occasion, but twilight on into the evening is when i most frequently visit. There's a pier a ways down the beach. Some nights it silently stretches out into the water, but sometimes there's a fairesque party on it (which i may or may not take a walk to be part of). You know, with all kinds of food, music, and games. Some nights there's the quiet sound of a piano that seems to quietly drift on the night's air from all around, and sometimes the sound of the waves is all i need. Most often there's a soft breeze that gently flows in through the tall open windows, waltzing with the long, white, drapey curtains. But i also enjoy the peaceful stillness of the cool air.

There are other small details that i'm still working out and that change from time to time, but that's my house. You're welcome to come with me some night. Whenever i have guests we usually have chocolate milkshakes or virgin pina coladas (the rum takes away from the flavor). I guess whatever we feel like.