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    marye
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    By suggestion... The holiday season is upon us. You know, Thanksgiving, the solstice, Chanukah, Christmas, and that season that brought us all to Oakland every year, New Year's... Got plans? Got strong feelings about the season? Tell all!

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  • JackstrawfromC…
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    Happy Easter
    Just got back from the sunrise service at Red Rocks. Pretty spectacular! And this year it didn't snow! :-) Have a grate day everyone. Like an angel standing in a shaft of light rising up to paradise you know I'm going to shine ... "Here's my half a dollar if you dare .. double twist when you hit the air. Look at Julie down below .. the levee doing the dopaso"
  • marye
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    Happy New Year to all!
    complete with balloons and Sugar Magnolia!
  • marye
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    gonzo
    that is so great. What they all said.
  • stuman
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    the words "are you kind?"
    come to mind . Well YES YOU ARE !! That is the most kindest thing I have heard in such a long time . WOW ! Thank you Lamagonzo and thanks to your wife !!
  • tphokie1
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    Wow again!
    Lamagonzo, you are the epitome of the true holiday spirit. Thanks for the inspiring story. We should all follow your example. All the best to you, man!
  • johnman
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    damn, gonz
    God Bless you, man.......that kinda stuff takes a lot of heart and patience
  • Hozomeen
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    Wow as well
    What a wonderful Christmas tradition
  • TigerLilly
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    WOW!
    Lamagonzo, what a shining example of holiday spirit. Thanks for sharing that!********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain
  • Anonymous (not verified)
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    Christmas was a blast!
    As is our custom, my wife and I ignored the family on this day and drove around to the usual places rounding up the usual suspects (under bridges, the woods. the downtown places where the homeless are known to hang) and picked up the flotsam and jetsam of our society. We took them home and offered a shower. When everybody was clean as they wanted to be and medicated as they wanted to be we set the table and offered them a feast. We listened to a variety of tunes and played games and had the football game on (w/o sound) and generally had a great time, making a lot of new friends. We let people sleep over and sleep in and took them back to wherever they wanted to be a few at a time, giving each a bottle of wine if it wasn't against their meds, if this is what they truly wanted, to save them from panhandling for a few hours. We only do it a couple of times a year and know it is not the answer to their problems. But it is a break from the brutal cold and hard streets for 24 hours. and, truth be told, I much prefer it to the company of my family. To anybody thinking of doing this, be careful. The homeless are homeless for a reason and you never really know who could be violent, etc., etc.. Use good judgement. It always works out for us, we've never had a problem...
  • iknowurider
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    No Doubt :)!
    That should be a Trivia question... Merry Christmas & all that Jazz PEACE
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By suggestion... The holiday season is upon us. You know, Thanksgiving, the solstice, Chanukah, Christmas, and that season that brought us all to Oakland every year, New Year's... Got plans? Got strong feelings about the season? Tell all!
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Wow!! coming in late for the cheer, but how fantastic of your friend to be Santa! I'm thrilled you get to see your kids!
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the shopping is done and the wrapping is finished,the stockings are hung by the chimney with care and now I'm gonna start drinking heavily :) So cheers!! to all my Deadhead friends, I wish you all A Jerry Christmas & A happy New Weir!! Love & Peace, Gigi
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Wishing a joyful festive season to all of the dead.net family. Its been wonderful knowing you all this past year and has meant more to me than you could know! Here's to the next one ....hic! Love to you and your loved ones!
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(hey, it's Christmas eve...) Whatever holidays you celebrate around this time, hope they are truly lovely. And now, the relatives are starting to arrive at my folks' house and it's a beautiful day here in SoCal, so I'm outta here for now. Back tomorrow!
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Hippie Holy Dayz!! Ho ho ho! Tee Hee Hee : )Howdy Folks! I hope that everybody is celebrating the season surrounded by friends and family!! *BaHHHH HUmbug...* (sorry 'bout that...alter ego.) I'm with all of us folks that believe EVERY DAY is a reason to celebrate & Christmas in general is TOTALLY over comercialized! I like the fact that the birth of Jesus is still celebrated all these years later. BUT..wasn't Jusus born in August?? I love my earth loving *Pagen* family, too. Nice of them to share their winter holiday traditions with US, huh?? The trees inside the home decorated & stuff. Best wishes to all the Qwanza and Hannukka celebratorz as well!! See ya'll on the other side!!! ( and some of ya 'round about here and there on occassion before then!!!! PEACE & LUV be with you alwayz and forever, FAMILY!! Hippie Hollydayz One And ALL!! : P
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2000ish years ago learned......"once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right!" Merry Christmas to all. Peace on earth. Goodwill to all!
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Thanks for a great year, folks! Now I've got to get back to what I was doing - gluing my leg lamp back together. It was a major award... Photobucket "Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window"... you guys here at dead.net.
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Went to the village church on Christmas Eve, NOT due to religious spirit or anything, but because Imena is in the village children's theater group, who were performing a play for the 5:00 Christmas Eve family service. Tiny little ancient church was packed full of festive villagers, and the little actors were in a high state of excitement. Imena was playing Mary, which I knew in advance, but luckily knew nothing about her costume. When she first appeared-her brother and I got the giggles really badly, as my ten year old was highly and obviously, momentarily pregnant. She had a balloon under her dress. Play was just wonderful, and got to take a non-pregnant child home again afterwards. Wshew! Villagers found Callan and I somewhat warped that we were amused by pregnant Imena, but doesn't matter-was a lovely evening. We got the giggles again (shame on us) after the play, when the director was introducing the cast. "Marike Ehret, Elena Ehret, Celina Ehret, Jana Ehret, Sonja Ehret, Tobias Ehret, and Imena Heimpold" (village has 2,000 inhabitants, and about 60% are called Ehret, 30% called Rhein, and then is everyone else)********************************** Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you will still exist, but you have ceased to live. Samuel Clemens
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I get 1 day to recover from the Christmas hangover, and then it's back to work. Santa and my GOD were very good to me, Lots to be thankful for!!!! Looking forward to the New Year. PEACE EVERYONE
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as always, santa was good to me-- i received a perfect gift- a jerry garcia doll! how cool is that? my sister found it in memphis and hauled it all the way back to indianapolis just for me! how kind! i love it! steve-o is right- God has been good to me (to all of us- thank you, God!)- there is much to be thankful for- and 2008 is, i hope, the best yet- caroline
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Did anyone happen to see the sky around 12:30 am Est. on Christmas eve/Christmas? After outlasting the kids and much present wrapping, I went outside and was looking at the sky. There was a circle of light around the Moon. A pretty wide circle. It was perfectly round. I'm a star gazer, but I've never noticed anything like that before. Very beautiful & quite trippy PEACE & thank you all for the excellent conversation
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7 and a bit hours to go here Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam
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anyone got a fav New Year show thay want to let us know about I have a soft spot for the Etta James Show 82? Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam
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my first show, 12/31/80, though it's not considered one of the all-time greats, and 12/31/81, which as far as I'm concerned is, though back in the day I had James Olness make my tapes starting with the Joan Baez set closer Banks of the Ohio and skip the rest of her set. Once was plenty for stuff like "Children of the '80s" and "What About Lady Di?"
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now playing nye83 from eurovine 6 Bob- - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam
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To my dead family in SF and abroad, I bid the well and good health. To my blood family visiting others in Minnesota. The house is too quiet and I have run out of happy pills. Hurry home, I miss you. My feast is online as I drink red wine. Alone this time, last grape on the vine HI HO Diamondfire
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Happy New Year Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam
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Back in 1977, my girlfriend (now wife), myself, and two buddies decided to roadtrip from Nebraska to the old Winterland for the New Year's Eve shows in SanFrancisco. It was the ultimate 'roadtrip' and we drove 28 hours to get to there and then secured tickets for the run (12/27-29-30-31-77). The shows were unbefuckinliveable (see DP # 10 for a taste). Winterland was a such a great hall, with an elevated balcony that circled the whole place. It was big enough for a great crowd and small enough to be an intimate showcase for the Dead to delight us. The Dead had been touring all summer and treating us to the new stuff from Terrapin Station and we were all revelling in that Scarlet>Fire combo. On the 31st, we were sitting on the sidewalk waiting for the doors to open, talking and watching the circus, sharing and laughing and ready to hurry and get in for the 'activities' ie. freak volleyball and movies. Bill Graham decided on some movies for us as we waited for that night's show. Ray Bradbury's Illustrated Man and the original Beatles Magical Mystery Tour were Bill's picks for that afternoon. When each person walked through the entrance the staff handed us a piece of paper that had a message about a "surprise at midnight". So, I happily gained entrance to the show and needless to say, it was somethingelse. First the volleyball followed by the movies and watching the colorful and wonderful crowd. Then noticing 'Rainbow Rose" walking from group to group, offering liquid party favor in her little Visene bottle and informing "just one dollar per drop. On your tongue, or for the adventurous, a drop in your eye". At the Winterland there was a bar, where there was one of those first big 'projector' TV's and playing on it were these great shows from Bill's Winterland 'vault': Airplane, Janis, Jimi, etc, a fantastic selection of prior shows from that venue for those to enjoy while they imibed. The New Riders of the Purple Sage started the show and rocked the house. Anticipation was high and the Dead came out and they were in high gear. It was a rapid first set (or seemed like it anyway. Especially that set-ending Lazy Lightning> Supplication. They took a break and the surprise for the second half was when the Dead all came onstage and started 'tuning" loudly and a spotlight bathed the back wall of the Winterland. Uncle BoBo (as Bobby liked to call Graham) was dressed up as Uncle Sam on a motorcycle, started sliding down from a cable suspended high from the back of the hall slowly toward the stage. They put spotlights on him and we heard the roaring of motorcycle engine along with the Dead. As 'Uncle Sam' slid down towards the stage (along with furious Dead noodling) and it became hilarious because the weight of the bike and BoBo was too much. He was hanging sideways below the the front of the stage and the roadies were laughing their asses off as they had to drag him onstage. And then the massive explosion of Sugar Magnolia as the ballons dropped from the ceiling and then the loinclothed 'baby' New Years (a male and a female) caome dancing out on the stage. As the ballons were batted up and down with the increasing pace and velocity of Sugar Magnolia that segued> Scarlet>Fire. Then Truckin'>Wharf Rat>drums>NFA>Around and they finished us off with One More Saturday Night>Casey Jones. Needless to say my face was hurting due to constant grin on my face that night. We stumbled out into the early morning and we were driving in the car, with the fog rolling in off the bay, I just marvelled at what we had witnessed, experienced, and participated in. The unbridaled joy of those shows with the Grateful Dead, and how the Dead kept beaming back at us what we were shining at them. Happy New Year to you all.
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Even though I never saw a NYE show, that story makes me feel like I was there. Thanks!!!! And have a happy and healthy New Year
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Great story!!!********************************** Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you will still exist, but you have ceased to live. Samuel Clemens
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That is a beautiful memory! For someone like me who's been into the Dead (as well as the other musicians you mentioned) from a young age and missed out on shows, its wonderful.Really, it's very special to me. keep em coming! PEACE
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Thank you Oroboros for sharing the memories. I agree with iknowurider that it is great to read about these past shows and although we can't experience the fullness of the magic from then it is important for people to realize that it was and still is there. Peace Melissa
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my friends and my kids have heard all my stories and now it looks like I have a new and willing audience. YES! And I will exercise some restraint, BUT when Sunshine day-Bob called for a New Years story, I felt the spirit move me. All your enthusiasum is appreciated and I will indeed pull out some of the stories from "back in the day" ( that is what my boys say when they see me start telling one although they usually roll their eyes a bit). If you are interested in the more of the "story within the story" take a look in the Encounters section of the vine on page 2. It chronicles other aspects of this tale, and in a little more detail. Again Happy New Year and take care all, Tim
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"Pull out" more stories from "back in the day" Oroboros. Great storytelling is an amazing gift, and you obviously have this gift, PLUS a willing and eager audience, so TELL ON!!!!!!!!!!!!********************************** Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you will still exist, but you have ceased to live. Samuel Clemens
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grate story, as always. thankx.
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what i really got for christmas was PREGNANT! yes! i have bragged before that santa is good to me, and this year he outdid himself. so for christmas i got knocked up and for easter, we are getting hitched finally. we are actually very happy and very excited. it is not what two 40-yr-olds expect! lucky me-- he's no deadhead, and i have already been told that 'jerry' is not a name on the list... but i knew that was coming! caroline
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So, it wasn't coal in the old stocking after all? hehe Rest,be good to yourself & SLEEP as much as you can before the little one arrives PEACE
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sounds like everyone has had some good holidays.and everyone is safe and happy.ive got lotes of catching up to do so take care.
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You forgot to mention with whom you were sharing those glasses of wine last summer. Bob's always a good name for a baby if Jerry don't work. Be sure to dress that bambino in red now. Buena suerte. "From day to day, just lettin' it ride, You get so far away from how it feels inside, You can't let go, 'cause you're afraid to fall, But the day may come when you can't feel at all."
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You guys will love all the little, tiny clothes, especially the socks! My nephew and his wife just came over last weekend with their little one and we were left a little surprise when they forgot a pair of tiny socks. We've had the best time with those damn socks! I've put them on my fingers for several well timed skits (wife rolls eyes) and both dogs (yes, it's sad what old folk find entertaining, isn't it?). I had forgotten what fun it was having a child around the house. I hope you guys have the time of your lives! "All energy flows according to the whims of the Great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him."
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sanity form golden road? ( -; best wishes, Caroline to you and your family and baby. 10 fingers and 10 toes! love and peace.
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I forgot "myself" for a moment (GR picks up cat and throws it at CCJoe, then blathers, incoherently).:-] "All energy flows according to the whims of the Great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him."
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We have a boy, almost 3 mths old now!!! I never understood what it would really be like. I do now!!! I'm 44 and life is just beginng for me. Hope everyone turns out happy and healthy for you as well ENJOY!!!!!
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thanks for all the good wishes and good vibes. i'll let you know when the little one shows up in person!happy new year! caroline
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When we were about that same age we got twins. They are almost ten now. Sometimes it's hard to remember when they are crying and screaming and otherwise misbehavin', but it's all precious and it all goes by so fast. Enjoy!
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one for the holiday: math teacher: What do you get if you divide the cirucmference of a jack-o-lantern by its diameter? cc joe in 6th grade: Pumpkin Pi Happy Halloween!! http://pi.ytmnd.com/ that thing damn near goes on forever.... yuk yuk yuk ( -; peace.
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Hope you all have the most wonderful and safe Holidays!!!=) =) =)
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Gr8ful for your complex puzzles & witty narratives. Do enjoy Thursday, wherever you may be.
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All You Turkeys!!!!!!Peace everyone
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Just warming up for Christmas ;^) Have a happy Thanksgiving! ********************************************* I have a sigfile! --> www.kindveggieburritos.com *********************************************
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Happy thanksgiving to all the friends here at this magical home of deadnet!Have a wonderful feast and enjoy your loved ones. BUT, just try and stay away from the widdle turkeys...nobody loves those!! ;))