Friday, March 25, 2011

I Just Can't Compete

Some songs have a catchy tune but are empty in the lyrics department (think Lady Gaga), while others have great lyrics but the music is left wanting (think Miley Cyrus' "The Climb"), but some gems have a combination of wonderful lyrics and great music fused into the perfect amalgamation of heart, mind and cochlear nirvana (think John Denver's "Annie's Song").

A new favorite of mine that comes close (it's a 10 in the music department (love those church bells!), but the lyrics are perhaps a little over the top syrupy to rate a perfect score - maybe somewhere in the 8 range though) is Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are".  It really does capture how I feel about my wife, and I told her so.  I even recorded myself singing the song and played it for her.  You wouldn't want to hear my rendition - it might make you literally wish you were hearing impaired.  But hey, it's the thought that counts.

As someone who will never compete for "Bestest Husband Ever", and with an unending penchant for rewriting songs on the go, I couldn't help but do a little lyrical reconstruction the other day as I passed by Heather several times while she was lost in her own world watching one of her favorite TV shows.  (Alas, even though she was watching Burn Notice, my musical homage defaulted to her favorite show: 24.) 

Never one to selfishly keep my humorous thoughts to myself, I had to jot the words down to share with you, my faithful reader. (Smile Heather; don't take it seriously.)

To the tune of Bruno Mars' Just the Way You Are

Oh, Her eyes, her eyes are always glued right to the TV
She knows, she knows that I'm here but she don't see me
She's so pitiful, but I love her anyway, yeah

You might, you might, you might think that it upsets me
To know, to know, that she finds it easy to forget me
So don't even ask me if I feel ok, you know I'll say

When I'm in this place, there's just one thing that I would change
Cause when you ignore me, I feel it's unkind
And when you smile, I just stop and pretend for a while
You're thinking of me, but Jack Bauer's on your mind

Her hands, her hands have a way of caressing
The remote, remote as the bad guys are confessing
She's so pitiful, but I love her anyway

Oh, you know you know you know I'd never ask her to change
A channel when she's watching - she'd split open my brain
With just a stare and a look upon her face
And so I say

When I'm in this place, there's just one thing that I would change
Cause when you ignore me, I feel it's unkind
And when you smile, I just stop and pretend for a while
You're thinking of me, but Jack Bauer's on your mind

He's on your mind
Hes on your mind
Girl it's amazing
He's what's on your mind

When I'm in this place, there's just one thing that I would change
Cause when you ignore me, I feel it's unkind
And when you smile, I just stop and pretend for a while
You're thinking of me, but Jack Bauer's on your mind
 
Yeah!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Spring has Sprung

One of the many blessings of the orbital mechanics of our planet, or more specifically, the combination of the tilting of the earth's axis with the elliptical path we transcribe around the sun, is the four seasons we enjoy.  I realize there are parts of the world where there really aren't the traditional four seasons as I grew to know them, being raised in the Midwest, and I feel sorry for those who are missing out on this wonderful aspect of life.  Sure, shovelling snow sucks, but look at the reward you get on the other end!

Spring is a great season for many reasons.  One of them is spring training, when baseball fans around the country eagerly anticipate the start of the new baseball season.  Even Cubs fans are allowed to have hope at this time of year, before the reality of another losing season settles in during the heat of summer.  Another positive is the arrival of daylight savings time.  This ingenious shifting of the hours of daylight from morning to evening was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin, which is ironic, considering he also coined the phrase "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise". 

I love the fact that there are enough hours of daylight left to enjoy outdoor activities after work, not to mention the warmer weather which makes such pursuits pleasant.  Into the closet goes the heavy coat and boots, out comes the light jacket.  (Total side note: When I was 5 I had a jean jacket with one of my dad's 101st Airborne patches sewn on it that I thought was the coolest thing.  I loved that jacket!  Sadly, I don't think I could pull off a jean jacket today.  Although it would be even harder to pull off the Incredible Hulk sunglasses I wore at that time.)

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the morning serenade of the birds and the greening of the botanical world around us, bringing a sensory feast of sight and sound to satiate the hungry mind that has fasted all winter on a diet of colorless quiet.  I love you spring!  Thanks for coming back again this year!  I'll see you outside!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Anniversary

Just under a year ago I birthed this blog.  There were no cervical measurements, no midwife was present, and I didn't get an epidural.  Nonetheless, this beautiful baby blog, full of life and hope, slightly wrinkled and bloody issued forth from the depths of my being.  Imagine my mixture of pride and relief as I held it closely to my bosom, running my fingers over its perfect skin.  Now discard that image because it was nothing like that.

When I popped this blog into the ether, my goal was a daily update.  That lasted just under a week before I reassessed my goal and decided upon one blog per week.  This was predicated mostly upon the fact that I'm really lazy.  Although my consistency has varied considerably, here we are almost a year later and I am one entry away from 52 posts!  I envision red and white balloons falling from the ceiling, mixed in with confetti while the studio audience cheers wildly while I write this one.  There are now 6 followers of my blog, or at least 6 who have signed up to be followers.  This just so happens to be exactly 6 more followers than I ever expected to have.  Thank you to those folks who have shown their support this way.  I think I know who all of you are except Kellygirl777.  I have no idea who you are.  Believing that someone out there is reading my blog keeps me motivated to keep writing, so thanks for offering that illusion.

While we're on the subject of anniversaries, two days ago was my wedding anniversary.  Being married is a lot more work than writing a blog, because you have to interact with another human being.  It's also more rewarding.  Blogs may not yell at you for leaving the toilet seat up but they also don't cook you dinner or scratch your back. 

Heather and I went to a swanky restaurant and reminisced about days gone by.  She told me a story I had never heard about her ex-boyfriend from HS wanting to go out with her again after we had become friends but before our relationship turned romantic.  She told him it wouldn't be fair to him as she was interested in another guy and hoped he would someday be interested in her as well.  And thus ended her chances with Eric, who has since married and has two children; "Blade" and "Dagger".  Oh Heather, how much remorse you must feel about your bad decision!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Poetry 101

My goal is to produce a blog per week, and while my entries usually revolve around stories of what's going on in my life, let's face it, my life isn't that exciting.

Since there's nothing going on around here I decided to try my hand at churning out some bad poetry.  I'm not a huge fan of poetry or art, since they are so subjective (what one sees as brilliant another sees as drivel), but in the quest for expressive utility and to keep working my brain to stave off atrophy, and quite frankly because I enjoy trying to mold words like a potter works the clay, I figured I would create a few verses.

Some may argue that the best poetry comes from deep within the soul.  That may be true but I would settle for it being simply interesting.  This piece is a bit dark and brooding, and I'm actually having an enjoyable Saturday reading about post WWII diplomacy.  That's the wonder of writing. This piece has no title because nothing snappy came to mind and I'm too lazy to work hard at naming a poem. 

I have to add that it really helps the ambiance if the person reading this poem in your mind is wearing one of those artsy caps that jazz players sometimes wear and has a silky voice.  The tempo should be slow and methodical.

Insanity, calamity broils inside
my mind
thoughts untethered, severed
are all unkind
when will the storm of feelings cease
and leave my broken heart at peace

Listening to the voice of doubt within
tumults the peace I seek
to find again
dredging the sludge of past mistakes
and clouding my sight with its heartaches

How I long for a new day
to wipe my old memories
of pain away
bringing the cleansing power of rain
to make me fully sane once again

That the heart and mind might reject
and lose the weight
of introspect
to loose the bonds of hurtful chains
allowing heatlhy gains and ebbing pains

Only time can wear away
the scars of broken promises
of yesterday
then the heart will beat in peace
and free the mind with sweet release