Ferdinando & Justin

one of my very best friends came into town last weekend, a musican from nashville with a tweed jacket and a shirt that read "detroit was built for lovers." we tried to remember the last time we saw eachother and decided it had been almost two years, right after his wedding. realizing it had been that long hurt a bit. realizing in that time we talked maybe three times, one of those being when wyatt was born, hurts more. but he came bearing gifts and i was elated- ferdinand the bull.

an oversized copy of the 1936 classic, it's a special story for so many reasons. we first were introduced to ferdinand in college when we realized the cow on elliott smith's arm was really a bull. finding out that this bull is a peace-loving animal rather than a dust-snorting beast makes the experience even sweeter. and then when justin (the giver) got into hemingway his favorite aspect was, of course, the bullfights. but justin isn't a roll-over, belly-up kind of musician; he's the opinionated, out-spoken rocker. i was reminded of that as we sat drinking coffee and talking about jesus and music and friends. one day he'll have a messy matador and a fiery bull on his bicep, and hopefully i'll see it soon. it was a reassuring night, listening to him and laughing with him and knowing that some people never change, and some change just enough.