The best part of today (so far), was waking up to a lovey cat. Most days I can see paws under the door before I’m ready to get up but today I was woken up by meows just outside my door. I wasn’t ready to get out of bed yet so I let the cat in and jumped back into bed to read a little before venturing out. I was rewarded with lots of head buts, some kneading and a lengthy chest squashing before I finally gave in. Cats aren’t often this demanding (or annoying) but this was a welcome reminder that someone is usually really excited to see me.
Jan 2017 Playlist – Foals, The Strumbellas, Kaleo
•January 18, 2017 • Comments Off on Jan 2017 Playlist – Foals, The Strumbellas, KaleoI haven’t done one of these for a while, mostly because it just takes hours to put one together, so I thought I’d post a playlist I did late last summer that is still in heavy rotation. You can find it on Spotify, where all of my playlists live now.
One of my favorite bands, these guys are great at deep feeling songs with lyrics you’ll ponder over and over again. This one is a perfect summation of the different stages of love, good and bad.
I have no idea what this song is really about but I like to think of it as all of the competing desires you have in life and that never-ending desire to do something, anything that’s different from yesterday.
If I had any musical talent at all, this would be the band I’d want to be in. These guys are such great musicians and this song is just gorgeous. My favorite lyric in this playlist is in this one – “And I don’t feel nothing at all and you can’t feel nothing small.”
Another one of my favorite bands (and you must see them live) and this is the best video on the playlist, totally interactive and a little trippy. I had not heard of Math Rock (non-standard time signatures) before these guys and I think that it’s the reason for my deep love for them – imperfect, complicated and unique.
The only super popular song on this playlist, I’ll admit after hearing this on TV and the radio constantly for a couple of months, I’d kinda discarded it. When it popped up on my suggestions, I gave it a good listen for the first time – there’s a lot to love here, totally worth a second chance.
Such a fun song, like dancing dervish, singing at the top of your lungs song.
Crystals – Of Monsters and Men
How can you not love these guys? Their voices and harmonies alone are just delicious and there is something addictive about this one, I could listen to it over and over again.
An amazingly good debut album but this one is definitely the stand out. How that voice comes out of that super pretty man, I do not know, that’s a lot of gritty hard living in there. I’m really looking forward to hearing more from them.
I have to admit that if you can play the banjo like this you’ll have my heart forever, I can’t explain it at all, must be my southern roots. This is another lovely, catchy fun song made for dancing.
Speaking of great banjo players, Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock is amazing. Actually, all of the guys in this band are so talented but Tom Peloso is my favorite. This song doesn’t really feature either BUT it’s a great song and fit perfectly here.
Handclap – Fitz and The Tantrums
Another great song for getting up and shaking some booty. It’s just fun, catchy and perfectly peppy. I’m sure it’s a workout playlist favorite.
This is actually the song I started this playlist with. It’s one of my go to fuck it all songs that I play whenever I need a little pick me up. The video doesn’t really do these guys justice and while this isn’t the oldest song here it’s definitely one that I’ll be listening to for years to come.
Humor – How not to describe your wife!
•January 17, 2017 • Comments Off on Humor – How not to describe your wife!Wife: “How would you describe me?”
Husband: “ABCDEFGHIJK.”
Wife: “What does that mean?”
Husband: “Adorable, beautiful, cute, delightful, elegant, fashionable, gorgeous, and hot.”
Wife: “Aw, thank you, but what about IJK?”
Husband: “I’m just kidding!”
See more at: http://www.laughfactory.com
Question – What made you smile today?
•January 12, 2017 • Comments Off on Question – What made you smile today?I feel incredible lucky that I’m, in general, a cheerful and happy person and that I’m able to find joy in many things. Today they were:
The sunrise against my bedroom wall.
The presence of kitty paws under my door.
That first sip of coffee in the morning.
The bliss that is a hot shower on a cold morning.
The landscape as I drove through the mountains on my commute to work.
The person who sent me a really inappropriate but accurate giphy during an especially tedious meeting.
Accomplishing everything that was on my to-do list.
Being thanked for just being a sounding board.
Finding a letter in my mailbox.
Sitting down with a Negroni in hand to watch the news while dinner cooks.
The bold insistence of a kitty who really needs to be petted right now.
That feeling of sliding under the sheets and settling in to read for a bit before you go to sleep.
Peevish – Top 10 Reasons Why Adulting Sucks
•January 11, 2017 • Comments Off on Peevish – Top 10 Reasons Why Adulting SucksYou may notice, right off the bat, that I’m not including things like paying bills and taxes. To me those are necessities, sure they are annoying but don’t really peeve me out. I’ve been adulting a good amount of time now and have been in the position of not being able to pay things so in a way I’m grateful that I can do so now. Any who, on with the catharsis…
- Dealing with others while they are adulting…
Sometimes the worst thing about being an adult is having to deal with other adults while they are having to adult things. Driving to work, actually being at work, going to meetings, going to the post office, waiting in line for anything. All of these things lead inevitably to having to be in the presence of others… that saying misery loves company? Nope, not even a little bit.
- Having to follow the arbitrary rules of adulthood…
You’d think after an entire childhood of being told “Because I said so!” that we adults would just settle in and accept the rules for rules. NO! It’s stupid that I can’t point out that your rule is stupid. Why do I have to stand in this line? Give over my cell phone in a meeting? Merge here? It doesn’t always make sense. Which leads to the next item on my list…
- It’s not socially acceptable to throw tantrums…
Do you remember how good it felt to just throw yourself on the floor, flail about and scream at the top of your lungs? No? Me neither but I bet is was AMAZING! I’m all for a life filled with quiet contemplation but every once in a while, a tantrum should be not only acceptable but a welcome change of pace.
- The Hierarchies
Why humans insist on creating hierarchies everywhere is beyond me. Caste systems, classes and titles are all fairly silly when you think about them, especially those that are the result of your just being born. Out of all of them the whole business hierarchy thing… leads, managers, directors etc., is the most puzzling. I’m sure at some point (and maybe in some businesses) they actually mean something, define your activities and contributions to goals but increasingly roles and titles don’t often line up. Maybe it’s time to look at a different system!
- The Patriarchy
Ugh! I mean really? Do I have to even explain? Out of all of the -archies this one just pisses me off the most. I am no more naturally inclined towards or talented at dish washing, child rearing or nurturing. Especially dish washing, there is NOT a direct correlation between my ovaries and my cleaning abilities. Nope, not at all. So, stop it!
- All the -archies that aren’t Anarchy
Think about that for a minute, the only really fun -archies is anarchy. It’s absolute freedom, people!! ABSOLUTELY! Sing it with me!
Ok, yes it’s entirely silly to even ponder that as a reality but you can’t deny it does sound a little but fun.
- That I’m held to different work standards than our elected politicians…
Help me out here… I work for a business, they hired me for a job, they pay me to do that job and they can fire me if I don’t do my job. If my company tells me that part of my job is to show up every day and work on the projects I’m assigned by my boss, and I say nah I don’t like the project so I’m not going to do it they would fire me! So why is it the people we elect, that we pay to go to work every day and keep the country running are allowed to say nah I don’t like you so I’m not going to work today. Why can’t we fire them?
- This BS notion that I have to productive all the damn time…
Explain to me why I’m not supposed to curl up like a sloth on my day off and doze off while moss grows on my fur? Why is it that I’m expected to have interesting hobbies, hidden artisanal level talents, fill every waking moment with the pursuit of some kind of perfection? When I was a kid, back in the dark ages, I did a lot of nothing on weekends and breaks. I mean like laying in fields looking at the sky, sitting in treetops pretending to be invisible, hiding in closets and daydreaming all day. I was bored out of my skull 90% of my waking life and it was fantastic! I think we should embrace that again – be boring people! Embrace the boring!!
- And happily, over worked…
Every day I hear at least one person talk about how they are going to be working over the weekend, working late that night or just in general express their exhaustion at having so much to do. Granted, they are usually the same people who feel the need to have meetings all day long, have forms and documents for everything and wonder why they can’t seem to get anything accomplished. I’ve been one of those terribly (and cheerfully) busy but not very productive people and eventually came to an epiphany that I can’t control time. There is no secret formula to making more time miraculously appear during your day. You have to choose.
- And that there isn’t ever a nap time…
Why is it that when I didn’t have a single responsibility in my little life that I was not only allowed to take a long nap but I was expected to? If you’re a parent, I’m sure you know the down side of the kidlet not getting a nap was the holy wrath of terror that is a tired and cranky toddler. Did you ever stop and think that maybe the same thing happens to us? I mean maybe we’d be a lot nicer to each other if we had a universal and dedicated nap time.
Esprit De Escalier 