Being diagnosed with a condition called Williams Syndrome means that more surgeries are in his future but I have seen proof time and time again that Daven’s not going to let a couple of doctors and/or procedures get him down. A big Texas hug from our crew to D and his encouragingly strong Momma & Daddy!

The bill(s) essentially are going up for discussion and voting once the houses reconvene in a week or two and if you want to have any say in how they are voted upon, you might want to take a moment to call/email your representatives.

Highlight arguments for the bill include the ambitious goal of stopping piracy and copyright infringement on the Internet; a noble goal indeed. The proponents of the bill say that content creators will ultimately make more money since you would have to go directly to the source to buy/obtain whatever material you’re trying to consume.

Opponents against the bill are quick to point out that it’s pretty vague language that fails to drive home the point that they’re willing to shut down sites (along with judicial-related punishment for site owners) like YouTube, Google, Twitter, Facebook and millions of others in attempt to eradicate the small minority of offenders.

Groups like the MPAA, RIAA [read: big money lawyers backed by the movie and music industries], NBC, Ford, NBA and associations like the National Chamber of Commerce are all backers of the bill, and as you can probably guess, have a significant amount of money on their side to push this type of legislature through.

Interested in seeing how much? Mike Ciarlo was too. He put a [very well-done] presentation together of the 25 highest “backed” representatives by proponents of SOPA/PIPA that you might want to check out.

There’s plenty of research out there for you to take some time to form your own opinions off of, as an Internet user, I’d encourage you to at least get informed on your own. If nothing else, take ten minutes to run through this Wiki of SOPA/PIPA and educate yourself a little on this Friday. It may not end up affecting you one way or another but I’d hate for you to be uninformed about such a significant legislature that might just alter the way you consume content on the Internet for the foreseeable future.

After learning the facts, you might just want to do something about it. If you’re an American, lucky you, you have the right to do so.

via Alister Coyne & Colossal

I should probably do some explaining for things like Beiber and Train but I’ll just ask you to hold your judgement until you’ve had a chance to check them out once or twice.

CreepySanta 2011

Track List
1. Landon Smith & The Real Matt Jones – Christmas Anthem
2. Sufjan Stevens – Come On! Let’s Boogey To The Elf Dance!
3. Meaghan Smith – It Snowed
4. The Maine – Ho Ho Hopefully
5. Zee Avi – No Christmas For Me
6. Dave Barnes & Hillary Scott – Christmas Tonight
7. David Dewese – Silent Night
8. Justin Bieber – Mistletoe
9. Coldplay – Christmas Lights
10. She & Him – The Christmas Waltz
11. John Legend – Let It Snow
12. Barenaked Ladies Feat. Micheal Buble – Elf’s Lament
13. Charles Brown – Merry Christmas Baby
14. Train – Shake Up Christmas
15. Zach Williams & The Bellow – Marshmallow World
16. Fiona Apple – Frosty The Snowman
17. Jack Johnson – In The Morning
18. Michael Bublé – I’ll Be Home for Christmas

I gave them no constraints on what to pick but I did make sure to get a couple of ladies in the mix just to get that perspective. Some of the things on the list you could pick up today and some of them you’ll probably have to wait a little longer before acquiring due to budgetary constraints. I had a good time compiling; I think the participants had a good time collecting; and I hope that you’ll have a good time reading through the list.

See anything we missed? Let me know here or on Twitter. Spread the word.

2011 Collab-mas List – A collaborated Christmas list by Christian Ross & Friends

*If you’re an IE user, it’s not that I don’t dislike you, but you’re gonna have to be happy with what you get. It ain’t pretty but I’ve got other things to get done today.

If you haven’t already, I (and we all on this trip) would be highly encouraged by you visiting and following along on Instagram at the username: christianross or for those without iPhones, following along on my Tumblr blog at christianross.tumblr.com.

One feeds the other so you don’t have to do both but we have been uplifted by the notes, reblogs and mentions from people all over the world.

Gracias y adios.

Note to my wife: I apologize in advance for the abuse your ears are about to receive over the next six months.

Scroll down to add a little audio enjoyment to your Friday.

Nick Waterhouse – Is That Clear

Download

Nick Waterhouse – Is That Clear EP on Rdio

adidas Kids Samba® Classic Core

Children’s Place – Classic Brown Boot

It doesn’t get much more classic than the old school white Samba, every kid needs at least one pair. The potential for them to be brown by the end of day one is quite high. For the boots, we could have gone with a standard loafer but he’s been wanting a pair of boots for a while. I wasn’t ready to throw him in a standard pair of cowboy boots and these will pair well with both his slacks and his jeans.

Newton Street Vintage

I run the risk of sharing this fantastic resource I just stumbled across but the finds are too good not to share. From here on out, I’ve got an hourly auto-refresh set on the etsy page to make sure I don’t miss anything in my size. If you and I are remotely the same size, I foresee us going 12 rounds in the near future over *new pieces.

Three current ones that need to be in my closet by the end of the day…

1960s Gray Herringbone Three Button Sack Suit

via Newton Street Vintage

1960s Olive Glen Plaid Two Button Suit

via Newton Street Vintage

1960s Olive Gray Herringbone Flannel Sack Suit

via Newton Street Vintage

*vintage

Excerpts from a couple of my favorite letters:

On the Internet:

You will never know a world without the Internet, so let me tell you a little bit about how it was prior to this incredible creation.
    Everything was on paper.
That about sums it up.

On Higher Education:

What I want you to know, though, is that while higher education is respected, it is certainly not expected.

and

College, and the degree that comes with graduation, gets you a foot in the door with many people and places. That is it’s biggest advantage. People respect a degree. People also respect success. Figure out how to do one of the two, and you will do well.

On Old Man Eyebrows:

The travesty in all of this is there is only one thing a man can do to tame those badger bristles: eyebrow waxing. Most men, however, just go about their lives content in knowing their eyebrows look like a spent toothbrush. Waxing, you see, is not manly.

and

What I want you know is that you should be kind to these men. They can’t help it. They had no say in what their eyebrows decided to do one evening while they comfortably slept.

All of his letters are quality reads and I can’t wait to see his future advice.

For other good fatherly advice, see http://rulesformyunbornson.tumblr.com/

Some of it is due to my 2011 summer obsession of Vampire Weekend and their homage to it (NSFW: language) and some of it has just been due to how I feel when I actually write something out.

For those who aren’t hip to the comma-scene these days, the Oxford comma – aka the Serial comma – is that tricky little guy that comes last in your list just before the AND or the OR in a sentence.

The AP Stylebook treats the Oxford comma as you would a hideous beast and vows to never allow it to see the light of day. Think “Sloth” Fratelli, the monster from Goonies. Alternatively, the Chicago Manual of Style preaches it from the mountain top as if it were a double rainbow.

I remember being taught as a kid that the last comma in a list wasn’t necessary except for when it was — clear as mud. So for the most part of my life I have subscribed to the fact that I don’t really need it which would make me an AP-man for my beliefs. Recently however, the non-implementation of the Oxford comma has started to bother me more and more and I think I am ready to switch it up for a while.

I suppose the best way to explain my flip-flopping is by example, read this bad boy and make sense of it:

My breakfast of choice consists of milk, bacon and eggs and hash browns.

If we break it down, my list could either be read as:
1. milk
2. bacon
3. eggs and hash browns

or:
1. milk
2. bacon and eggs
3. hash browns

I’d prefer to take the uncertainty out of it and I believe that single little character might just do the trick.

My breakfast of choice consists of milk, bacon and eggs, and hash browns.

I realize that I could also reorder my list but what if I eat my foods in a certain order? Then I would just be a liar.

Oxford comma, friend or foe? Comment here or take it to the streets.