A simple illustration of why I don’t write here anymore
Just in case you’ve been worried about me, here’s a nice pie chart explaining what I’ve be up to lately. Please keep the laughing to a minimum.
More Music Friday – The sun is up, the sky is blue
This week the big music news was that the Beatles entire catalogue was re-released, totally digitally remastered. I remember back in the mid-nineties, when they released the Beatles Anthology, and I begged for it as a Christmas gift. My dad would always laugh at me, saying my music taste was a bit strange for a ten-year-old, but on Christmas Day, I found the first discs of the Anthology under the tree, and spent hours listening and reading all the liner notes. I would tell my dad I was just trying to understand the music of “his day,” but he’d just scoff and say he already had two kids, a wife and a mortgage by the time the Beatles got famous. Then I’d tell the old man that he was losing it and should probably have some prune juice with that side of sarcasm. We have a special bond, my pops and I.
I haven’t yet purchased any of the tunes in the new set, but I probably will at some point. I listened to All Songs Considered this week, and they played the old tracks next to the new ones, and the difference really is incredible. None of that crackling background fuzz here, just full clarity and amazing harmonies. I actually got chills.
I can’t write today’s post without noticing the date. I’ve written 9/11 tributes and stories here before, but today I figured I’d just post my personal favorite Beatles song. It’s from The White Album and was released in 1968. For some reason, when I hear this song, it evokes an emotional response that ranges from happy to sad to depressed to joyful to hopeful, which is how I usually feel on 9/11. Watching all the stories and reading touching tributes online, I hear this song in the background. Whispering. Giving me permission to remember the sad, but move on with hope for good things to come.
“Dear Prudence let me see you smile
Dear Prudence like a little child
The clouds will be a daisy chain
So let me see you smile again
Dear Prudence won’t you let me see you smile?”
More Music Friday – The More You Try to Erase Me, The More That I’ll Appear
This is my farewell to summer song. Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone!
To My Body, With Love
Ever since we moved to the suburbs last winter, I have found excuse after excuse to turn in to an inactive blob. When I lived down on the Plaza, I made it a priority to work out at least a few times a week. Even if it was just a walk to Loose Park while pushing the 50lb stroller + kid and dragging along the appropriately lazy Rottweiler, I would at least do something. It didn’t hurt that right down the street was a good friend who loved to go on long walks or to the gym. And without this proper motivation, I have tended to melt in to my couch after a long day at work.
Since we moved during the winter, I first used the excuse that it was too cold to go running or for long walks outside. Plus, now we had a big backyard, so the dog didn’t need an hour-long walk everyday. Also, I was now in charge of all the daycare arrangements, and Trent was spending more time commuting, so it was rare that I could get time away until Lu went to bed, which, let’s face it, was about the time I needed to settle in for a nice evening with Chuck and Pacey Whittaker Peter Bishop from Fringe.
At one point, Trent bought a self-propelled treadmill and I would try to use it in the mornings before work. But then we got a new bed and it’s comfortable-ness drug me back under the covers instead of to the cold basement to do my daily 30 minutes of running.
See? Excuses.
So after finding reasons throughout the spring and summer to keep me away from my weekly workouts (too hot! it’s raining! too tired! work is too busy!), and getting some encouragement from my more disciplined friends, I finally marched my squishy butt to the local YMCA and joined. So far I’ve worked out a few times and added a weekly yoga class to my regimen. And how am I feeling? Right now I’m still getting used to moving my body again, and my body is certainly retaliating. After a particularly hard yoga session last night (taught by a pregnant woman who was 3x more in shape than I am…) my shoulders and quads are begging, nay pleading for me to return to the couch.
But if I can just ignore them a bit longer, I know it will be worth it.
And if not, Chuck will be back in the winter, so I can just spend my evenings with him. And some lowfat popcorn.
More Music Friday – My friends have way better taste than me, Edition
This past week I’ve been listening to the band Grizzly Bear on repeat while I attempt to wrestle with all the massive deadlines that have creeped up on me while I was on vacation. Something about Grizzly Bear just makes me all happy frappy, and even Lulu has decided that their song Two Weeks is an acceptable replacement for Phoenix’s Lisztomania, which has been seriously overplayed at our house. So when my buddy, Dustin, posted a fan-made video of the song on Twitter, I checked it out and was promptly blown the ‘eff away. Can you believe this was made by a fan?! Not the band, just some amazingly talented guy who really enjoyed the song? Oh, to have marketable talent….
Two Weeks – Grizzly Bear from Gabe Askew on Vimeo.
When I responded that I loved the video, and asked him if he recommended their newest album, he sent me the following:
I had not, in fact, heard of Mr. Saadiq before, so I decided to check him out as well. And I was reminded why I need to step out of my alternative music hipster box every now and then and remember there are other types of music out there that are fantastic too. Holy sheez, this guy is incredible.
Apologies if there is an ad at the front of this video, but the You Tube version is copyrighted and can’t be embedded here. Just get past the ad, it will be worth it.
Aaaannnddd…now I need a cold shower. Thanks, Raphael. Thanks a lot.
