Sometimes I think it would be awesome to have music playing all the time, where ever I go. Little speakers poking out of trees, furniture, mailboxes, etc. A soundtrack for my life. Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover" song would have to be on there for the excellent melody and awesome guitar. I mean just check out some of his riffs in this live performance…
And then I think, thanks to my assorted musical devices and other people playing music (and the singing of the birds and assorted insects), I kind of have that already! Music is everywhere.
I was humming this in my half awake state this morning. As a wild thing, I just can't help myself. I didn't realize it, but The Troggs only covered this song. It was originally written by "The Wild Ones" in 1965 I listened to a clip of it here and I understand why The Troggs' version was the hit.
Let's not forget about Jimi Hendrix's many covers of the song too! Here is but one:
Generally I've been avoiding any political comments or discussion here on TSotD.com. It tends to just upset me. But today I would like to give props to the Federal Judge Vaughn Walker in California who overturned California's Proposition 8 yesterday.
I do not understand or agree with those who oppose allowing same sex marriages. The arguments against allowing gay marriage are either religious, speculative, or blatantly bigoted & prejudiced.
Religion: Last I checked, the Freedom of Religion was still in the Bill of Rights. The definition of marriage as written in the bible or any other holy book, does not apply because of our freedom of religion. Some religions or individual churches welcome the bond between two people who love each other regardless of gender. (See a list here.) So your restrictive religion has no right to restrict other religions just because you say so. Your religion does not define our laws. Period.
Speculative: Some say it is bad and unnatural because gays cannot create offspring with each other. So we should put up other barriers to make their union even more difficult? With that kind of logic people of different races should not be allowed to marry either because of the possible cultural differences! And to those who believe it somehow "undermines" marriage as a whole, I think that perhaps you should all be more concerned about your own marriages and possibility of divorce than worrying about others'. Divorce rates were high before any state allow same sex marriages, so hasn't it already been undermined? Really I would anticipate a surge in the number of marriages, thus strengthening "the institution", if "the institution" is what you are so concerned about, and you aren't just using this speculation to cover up your own prejudices. And speaking of prejudice…
Prejudice: Go jump in a lake. Or climb a tree. Or fuck yourself. Whatever makes you happy. As I have expressed before (and Lily Allen too), I am not okay with your prejudice. We are not friends. Or if we are and I didn't realize you were so bigoted, then it has been fun, and perhaps you should reconsider why you hate homosexuals. Perhaps one made you uncomfortable because they found you attractive? Perhaps you liked it but didn't want to? Whatever the reason, go get over it. Another person's sexual decisions are their own to make and unless you are in a relationship of sorts with them, then it is none of your business.
…so to you 53% of Americans who still oppose gay marriages (per a Gallup Poll in May 2010), what the fuck!? If homosexuals are allowed to marry, you will still be allowed to marry. Your existing marriages will not disintegrate. If two people love each other then they should have the same legal rights as any other two (adult) people who love each other, regardless of age*, gender, race, shoe size, and whether they prefer their bread buttered or not. Love and sweet emotions will prevail!
PS: Sure I could've gone with Erasure, Elton John, K.D. Lang or a number of other homosexual artists, but I thought Aerosmith might draw in some of the crazy straight people who need a verbal… er… text based… spanking. Plus it is all about the emotion right, otherwise none of us would care?
PPS: * = I think below a certain age, marriage rights, heterosexual or homosexual, should probably be limited. What is that age? Well that is another debate for another day.
PPPS: I'm still not sure about polygamy, because simply from an Information Technology point of view it becomes a nightmare and my job is hard enough as is trying to keep track of one marriage at a time, let along a tree, linked list, or grid/map of marriages. If you want mass orgies though …go nuts, you horny bastards… but be safe!
I confess. I heard this while watching "So You Think You Can Dance". G was watching it, and it was interesting enough to not push the button to find something else as I vegetated on the couch after running around in my car for a few hours in the heat.
I kind of hate the show too though. I kind of hate all reality TV. Enough people watch them that the networks can survive mostly on reality TV programming. As a result they are quick to kill shows that actually have story lines (remember those?), especially if they are actually interesting and worth watching. Many of my most favorite shows of the past 10 years only survived a year or two, if that. e.g. Firefly only had half a season. Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls, Dollhouse… dead dead dead. Heroes was good for the first season and then the writers blew it. Fortunately the comedy shows are a little more successful, e.g. The Big Bang Theory. And meanwhile, Survivor, which bored me when I first saw it in 2000, lives on after 10 years.
I suppose it is just as well. We should not live our lives away watching TV. At least when you read you can listen to music at the same time, a redeeming quality to "So You Think You Can Dance", the influence behind today's pick.
There is a radio station in my neck of the woods named "WARM 101.3", and can you guess what they play? "Porn lullabies" you say? Close! I was looking for "Soft Rock". They have a couple of tag lines. One of them is "WARM 101.3, Today's Soft Rock", which they like to say in a sultry voice. They said it yesterday and then played this song, and my first thought was "If by 'Today' you mean 20 years ago, then yeah, you guys are 'Today's Soft Rock'." …and then I thought… "Ooo! I like this song. I'm going to listen even though it is gushing with sentimentalism and brings a weak tear to my eye." Enjoy, you softies out there!
I dedicate this song to G. As G might say, Etta James is "romantical". "A Sunday Kind of Love" (which was the song of the day a year ago) is kinda-sorta "our song", but "At Last" is a runner up for sure.
Why today? Today is our wedding anniversary. We had decided on the Summer Solstice to be the day, so June 20th it is, when the day is longest, the trees are flush with new leaves, the oppressive heat of summer has yet to come (usually), and if we're lucky the fire flies are just making their first appearances and the black raspberries are just ready to be picked. (June is one of my favorite months of the year).
The funny thing about our anniversary this year is I am not sure if G realizes it is today. I know she knows it is coming soon, but she keeps referring to me going off to do Father's Day things with my family, on my own. I wanted to surprise her with dinner plans, presents, etc. so I played along. I don't know if she is just playing dumb and seeing if I will forget OR maybe she has secret plans OR maybe she has actually forgotten herself, even though a week ago we both stood in the kitchen and remarked that Father's Day falls on our anniversary. I guess I'll find out later!
Right now I'm going to sneak out to get her favorite breakfast, which many would probably find disgusting, the "McGriddle" from McDonalds. Whenever she eats, she likes to mix all the flavors on her plate together so she can experience the whole meal in a single bite. The McGriddle is the same idea but in a hand held breakfast sandwich form. She is too funny!
G sometimes tires of people in general. I know this because she'll yell at them from within the car, even if the windows are closed and there isn't any way they could possibly hear the reasons they are bad and why they should will themselves out of existance. I'm not talking suicide, just *poof* you're there one moment, you're gone the next. Unfortunately it frequently sounds more like she is yelling at me even though I am sitting quietly and tired from a long week. It is no wonder I had a dream last night that we had decided to move to a house in the forest, not another person or house in sight. Deer came to greet us at the windows. I could see the benefits but even in my dream I knew I would miss our old house, and even some sense of being part of a community in some way. Mostly I was lamenting that the "new" house was actually in need of a lot of work and investment. Ceilings coated with wallpaper that disintegrated at the touch. Plaster help up by tape. I knew it had to be a dream though because the smell was of mold and old people. G would never have accepted those smells. And yet perhaps it was not a dream about moving at all.
Perhaps it was just us, getting older. Stiffer and less patient with a touch of grey.
That was all I had to say
And it's all right
I will get by
I will survive
We will get by
We will survive
