I thought I’d just wish everybody a happy and uneventful Friday the 13th.  My plan is to finally see Thor tonight.  We’ll see how that works out, as that was the plan every day last weekend too and it didn’t work out very well.

I dedicate these videos to my brothers. It’s that time of year kids. I’ve even gotten into the spirit, joining up in their fantasy league. I don’t know baseball, so we’ll see how well I do. I’m holding out for September when the Patriots take the field again.

I’d also like to welcome the newest Derosby brother, Keene Robert Derosby, who joined our family on March 28th. Congrats to Keith and Elaine for yet another gorgeous Derosby kid. I’m still not sure how we pulled off so many cute kids, as it’s certainly not because of the Derosby genes.

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Now due to some minor health issues I’ve pretty much cut bacon out of my diet along with menu items from most of the major fast food chains. I do make occasional exceptions (a turkey bacon sandwich at Big G’s, our local deli, is a must), but for the most part I stay away from it. I am strongly considering making an exception for this.

So back to the radio, the commercial featuring the aforementioned special edition dessert, complete with voice-over guy purring over the airwaves at the very mention of nature’s perfect food, ended.  What commercial directly followed this one?  Lipitor.  Not kidding.

How can you not celebrate with some great Irish rock from the Dropkick Murphys? They’re an Irish-punk band from Boston who I was introduced to when the alternative rock station here in Maine started playing their cover of Tessie, the Red Sox anthem from 1902. Here are a few of their songs for your listening enjoyment as you kick back with your frosty beverage (preferrably green) of choice tonight.

This is “Tessie”. I even found a version with the lyrics so you can follow along (you’re welcome, you wouldn’t have figured them out without it).

“I’m Shipping up to Boston” just rocks. It’s one of those tunes that belongs in a really violent action movie. Keep it in mind, Alan. 3 brothers vs. every zombie in Waterville with this playing in the background. Just saying.

And this is their new song, “Memorial Day”. While not as rocking (in my opinion) as the other two, it’s definitely got me in the holiday spirit.

You can find out more on the Murphys by visiting their website, www.dropkickmurphys.com. Happy Holiday everybody.

I’ve never been much for New Year’s Resolutions, resolutions of any kind, epiphanies, moments of reflection, or deep thoughts in general.  I know I’ve got the soul of a master procrastinator and the attention span of a goldfish, so I’ve always dismissed the practice as a waste of time.  This year I figured a little self-improvement couldn’t hurt, so I’ve made a list.  I’m curious to see how this year turns out. 

1.)  Draw more.  I started to get back into the swing of things in November and December, but got tied up in the Holiday madness and of course put this on the back burner.  I’ve found over the years that I’ve got quite a few back burners on my stove and it’s time to move a few things back to a front burner.  I’ve had ideas kicking around for nearing on 15 years now (not to mention Alan’s projects) and think it’s about time I started putting pencil to paper again.   This also includes the various assorted headers I plan on adding to our little page here.   With any luck and a little motivation, you may start to see them soon.

2.)  Play a few video games.  I was having a blast playing games and writing up reviews, but haven’t really made the time to play much since the summer ended.  Not only am I going to play some of the PS3 games I’ve collected in the last year (I’ve still got to crack the plastic wrap on a few of them), I plan on finishing them too, which leads me to item no. 3.

Assassin's Creed II

3.)  Finish what I’ve started.   Whether it’s drawing, reading, or playing video games, I can’t tell you how many unfinished activites I leave in my wake.  At work, I make it a point to not only see projects and quotes through from start to finish, I try to give them the attention to detail they need.  I’d like to apply that to my life at home as well.  So does this mean that I’ll be able to return ”Under the Dome” to Alan or “Resistance:  Fall of Man” and “Assassin’s Creed” to Keith?  I’m not holding my breath just yet, but that’s the goal.

4.)  Read more.  I made it about 1/2 way through Stephen King’s “Under the Dome” before I was distracted by a shiny object a few months ago.  Not only will I start from the begining, I’ll finish it this time around.  I’ve already set this item in motion with the acquisition of issues #0 and #1 of Lady Mechanica, my first comic in about 15 years.  Read through both in record time and plan on reading them again before issue #3 shows up.  Thanks to Erika and Vanessa of Girls Gone Geek for the tip on this one.  Great choice ladies.  I also recommend you check out their blog, as it’s a blast.

Lady Mechanika

5.)  Share the blog love.  I’ve met quite a few friends with some fantastic blogs over the last few months and plan on some gratuitous plugs this year.  Whether it’s E and V (mentioned above), Dan the Honorary Derosby Brother from Down Under from Its A Dan’s World, tribute blogs like Dave H’s Suicide Squad Task Force, a page dedicated to the DC comic of the same name, Aaron’s Iron Fist Fan page, I hope to share some of the great people and stuff I’ve found with our fans.

It's a Dan's World

6.)  Take the kids sledding this year.  I’ve been vowing to do this one since Nick was born and 14 winters later have yet to accomplish the mission.  I think it’s time to introduce the newest generation of Derosby and Dyer kids to Killer Hill.  Killer Hill was our sledding spot of choice growing up and was a half-overgrown snowmobile trail in the woods half-way between our house and the Waterville airport.  The walk to the top of the hill was a 20 minute hike through the woods, but worth every step.  The trail was treacherous, winding through the trees with an occasional stump or rock exploding through the snow right down the center of the path.  We ended up hauling at least one wounded comrade back home in a sled every time, but we turned out okay.  Right?  Okay, maybe not.

There, that should be good to start with.  Don’t want to overdo it.  The over-achiever gig doesn’t become me.  Any suggestions?  Any resolutions of your own?  Please feel free to share with us.  Again, thanks for tuning in and welcome back to DB.com.  Here’s to one hell of a 2011.

Craig.

#7:  A Cosmic Christmas:  I only ever saw this one air once and have been looking for it since, so my memories on this one might be a bit skewed.  It was one of the first animation efforts from a little Canadian company called Nelvana and consisted of 3 interstellar “magi” who travelled to Earth looking for a certain star.  A young boy finds them and teaches them the LBJ story.  I found it on Youtube this afternoon, but I don’t think I will watch it  just to keep it that way (what little of it I did see was horrid at best.)

The 3 Space Magi from "A Cosmic Christmas"

 #6:  John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together:  I was never a huge John Denver fan, but the Muppets are another story.  The Muppets (at one time) put together the cheesiest movie or tv special (and did on a regular basis) and people loved it all the more for it.  Add one of the few Christmas songs I can listen to without wanting to tear my hair out (and I can name every muppet singing in the order they chime in) and you’ve got one of my all-time favorites. 

John Denver and the Muppets (both sides of the album cover)

#5:  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer / Rudolph’s Shiny New Year:  These two go together in my list.  Rudolph, one of the first of the Rankin/Bass specials is rough around the edges and borders on creepy at times, but it’s still a classic and put R/B on the map.  The shiny new year is really well done with a great story, memorable characters that have nothing at all to do with either New Year’s or Christmas, and superior claymation to its predecessor.  The only drawback?  The lone Derosby sister to this day calls me whenever it’s on to remind me to watch my “twin”, Happy, the Baby New Year, the only human child with ears bigger than mine were.  Where it’s the holidays and all, I won’t tell you what I say in return.

Rudolph & Happy, The Baby New Year

#4:  The Year Without a Santa Claus:  About as perfect as you’re going to get.  The music is great.  The characters are fantastic.  Mr. and Mrs. Claus each get equal screen time (Mrs. saving the day of course) and you really get to see the human side of the big guy.  He’s sick, tired, and slightly disgruntled, but still puts on the red suit and does his thing.  The Blue Christmas letter got both my girls this year (that’s so sad Daddy).  The Heat and Cold Misers steal the show however, and at maybe 5 minutes of total screen time in the 25 minute show.

He's Mr. White Christmas

He's Mr. Green Christmas

#3:  Santa Claus is Coming to Town:  Who doesn’t get chills when you hear the Mailman, voiced by legend Fred Astaire, start reading those letters at the intro to this one?  I have to admit, after seeing this one, if Santa doesn’t sound like Mickey Rooney, he ain’t Santa.  The voice was and is still the one and only perfect Santa in my book.   Add to the mix some of the best music in any of the Rankin/Bass specials, and characters like the Winter Warlock, the Kringles, and the Burgermeister Meister Burger and this one is at the top of the list.

Kris Kringle and his new Friend

#2:  How The Grinch Stole Christmas:  Boris Karloff reading a Christmas story?  And it’s about an anti-social A-hole who hates the holiday so much that he robs a town blind and they still invite him to dinner?  This is the REAL Grinch, the Chuck Jones classic.  I love Jim Carrey and all, but I cannot stand that movie.  Chuck had it right from start to finish and even got the Doctor’s stamp of approval for it.   Chuck Jones animation was perfect and still holds up against the modern, computer generated animation of today.

Santy Claus tells Cindy Lou Who to get back to bed

1#  A Charlie Brown Christmas:  This one is DVRed for year-round viewing pleasure, as it brings on the Christmas like none other on the list.  My favorite part of the show is of course the amazing and memorable score by Vince Guaraldi.  Linus and Lucy is one of the few other Christmas Carols I can not only stand but have on my Ipod for off-season enjoyment.  The script is choppy, presented more like a string of comic strips and one-liners than a coherent story, but it works.  The animation borders on horrible, but it still manages an endearing charm almost in spite of itself.  The obviously uncoached voice talent just makes it feel more real (Sally kills me every time, as she has some of the best lines in the show).  Whether you’re a blockhead, a Christmas Queen, a fan of that Beethoven guy (who doesn’t even have his picture on bubblegum cards), or just a lowly shepherd with dog germs, you can’t help but love Charlie Brown and the gang.

The Christmas Pageant from A Charlie Brown Christmas

Happy Holidays from the Derosby Brothers.   Thank you for visiting us this year and we hope to see more of you in the year to come.

The Derosby Brothers would like to wish all 3 of our fans a Happy Holiday season.  Especially Festivus, our holiday of choice.  Thanks for tuning in and putting up with us all year.

Regardless of your opinions on the military or the services they provide, no one can deny the sacrifices these individuals make on a daily basis and have done so since we fought for our independence. Without these sacrifices we would not have the rights and privileges we do today.

Without these freedoms, three brothers would never be allowed to post their foolish ramblings online…what would we do then with all of our free time and energy?

So again…to all the veterans out there and the ones that came before, the words Thank you are not nearly enough. But I will do my best to live a life that honors what you have given to me and all Americans.