Snow

All I want for Christmas is my two side teeth, after getting them pulled out a couple of years ago I have had a hard time with tortilla chips dipped in Baba Ghanouj. I have purchased and wrapped all my gifts, including one for myself. I recieved a pool table from my boss yesterday, something I have wanted ever since I was a smelly teenage boy shooting pool in the church basement. I became a movie star as a galavanted through the snowy wilderness of Manning on my cross-country skis. I was the special task force parachuted into the alps of switzerland to make my way to the guns of navarone and disable them. I was tom selleck as i sipped on my cinnamon laden hot chocolate.
Lately I have started Lolita- one of the greatest books of the last century. It is moving me like only a "certain type" of literature can. My grand scheme is to read 50 books next year, while this is a daunting task for the slow reader that I am, it will reward me with treasures. Of course some rules must be applied because of the variety of book length etc., but this goes without saying. I plan on creating a family legend for Christmas- Spice Bread. It goes hand in hand with Christmas morning as we anticipate what is behind the bedsheet mom has placed in the doorway so we can't see the work she has done the night before.I will be leaping across this great country next year as I sit in a train car and watch the surroundings pass by. This is a highly anticipated trip as I will be seeing some past friends and re-planting the roots of friendship.
-Nathanael Alan Baker

Internet

Just got the modem in the mail, plugged it in and the lights started blinking symbolizing tons of bytes coming into my computer. Oh and what bytes, bytes of music that come from canada, bytes of tv shows from england, bytes of technology from china. The amount of information waves over me as I bob in its influence. There is nothing I don't have access to, nothing I can't discover with these flashing lights. I can learn to speak klingon on wikipedia, I can found the song list of weezer's pinkerton, I can learn how to play the mandolin. Most of all you can hear me rant and this I think is probably the most exciting- somehow it is settling writing this even if no one out there reads. Just to put my small fingerprint on this global community has to change something- doesn't it? Nathanael Alan Baker

cold

Here I sit sweaty, cold on the main street of my town-Hope. A large wooden bear looms before and my muscles ache from two hours of badminton. Today I cut grass and the pincones made a racket as they got demolished by my lawnmower. Tommorow I think I will vacumn my floor and listen to some records. this weekend I want to hike and see lots of trees over a vast distance. I am happy here and I have settled into clothes that feel good on me. Travelling still happens periodically which I think I couldn't do without, mostly trips to the city to see my brother and his lover. Paul Desmond is playing with Dave Brubeck on my little digital player. I get this urge every month or so to buy vinyl like crazy and the itch has caught me again and I will go this weekend to scratch it. Nice to talk to you again!!- Nat Baker

Too long

Since the painful (painful because I lost all my saved music since I was 15) demise of my laptop I have left this cyber world to search for greener lands. I have found fertile soil but I return here to replant my roots in long forgotten acquaintances . I purchased a cheap small laptop that I will frequent to communicate. Too much has happened to sum up effectively, so here is a non-effective list; new job, amazing apartment with an equally amazing roommate, got a haircut, went to folk fest in Regina, saw some red salmon, camped far away from humans and close to bears. If there is any questions they can be forwarded to bnathanael@hotmail.com Today I plan on buying an order of u-brew wine- cheap and lots of it! Then I am going to carve 10 pound pumpkins and roast the seeds and maybe listen to some new music- Nat Baker

Morning has broken

My co-worker could not handle the fact that I didn't have any Christmas decorations so she unloads on me a box of tacky years past decorations. I am surrounded these days by loony tunes with Christmas hats on and cheap red hanging apples. Tackiness can be a theme in itself as long as everything coincides with the theme. I have even managed a little bit of lights which I forget that I love. I am planning on baking some Christmas goodies with my new best friend, Angela. Angela has pursued an active friendship with me that contains frequent hikes in the colds, rather odd movie choices, cooking together and sharing eclectic tastes in literature and music. I am heavily benefiting from this situation and it is definitely helping scare away the depressing winter. The other week we threw a party at the local golf club which contained amazing east Indian food and a sizilin' live band. We are throwing one on new years eve at the local ski hill and I am planning on being the dj. I am rather excited about these events and I am hoping they will snowbal into a larger avenue that would include a place of our own were we can have bands play on a regular basis. Hopefully my brothers are coming to visit me at Christmas and I would love to make a large Christmas meal for them. New friends are being made and I am slowly setling myself into a life out here. - Nathanael Alan Baker

I'm liking it

I have been thinking about what makes success again. I have run into some men lately that seem to have it made; first there is Justin whose list is so extensive it drives me mental. First of all he is financially established after working on tug-boats in the Vancouver harbor for years which left him with oodles of money, he is one of the most established 'outdoorsman' in town and is revered as the most experienced mountaineer, skier, backcountryer, and horticulture expert. He did a 2 week trip along one of the mountain ranges around here about a month ago and took may pictures of it which he preceded to do a slideshow presentation with at the local coffee shop which was packed that night. He is dating a beautiful girl who co-owns a quaint little tea-shop here in town. Not to mention he has a beautiful large house and is an amazing guitar player. I have yet to find out if he speaks any languages but I wouldn't be suprised if he is fluent in at least a couple.

Now I realize the danger of putting myslef up against someone like this but one can't resist this obvious chance to be depressed!! I work in a diner where I flip burgers and empty grease-traps, only to be able to just afford my apartment and just skim by as far as eating and a little extra money. I haven't really got many credentials to my name except for maybe reading lots of novels which when it comes down to it doesn't really do anything for me or at least anything I am using right now. I have seemed to fail in most relationships I enter into and even often drive them to cease to even have anything to do with me. I come up 'lacking' in so many ways but for some odd reason as I was sitting on the edge of my bed last night, looking at my naked reflection, I couldn't help but feel that I didn't really care. There are so many minions that walk through this life doorway without making the tiniest indent on the frame. They just blow through uneffectedly and I couldn't really figure out why I shouldn't be one of those. So what if I just blow through life without making any significant tracks or effect any change- what diference wil it really make. Sure fun is going to be had but even then it is not required, just a preference. So I suppose I will let Justin be Justin and maybe I will start spending my days watching T.V.

New beginnings (oxymoron)

As I know is inevitable things are changing and people are slowly moving out of my life but thankfully new ones are moving in. this is definately a tiering and depressing route but it seems like the one I have chosen for myself. I applied for a new job yesterday at a place that sends workers to famalies with autistic children. I am rather hopeful about this one. My friends out here do all seem to have there own life but are good at including me. Life in the new apartment is exciting but lonely- it is wierd being able to walk around in it and know that it is all mine. Living in tents and campers for so long has adjusted me to the small spaces life. Having my records is incredible and I had forgotten how much they actually meant to me. Jordan- I started the band biography and it is wonderful. When he started talking about Simcoe and Rick Danko growing up there I felt quite proud to know you!! It won't stop pouring here and it makes for more of a frustrating life then a depressing one. Since I walk everywhere, everytime I go out I get drenched which is rather frustrating. Need to get a better rain-jacket. - Nathanael Alan Baker