This is one of my favorite short stories, presented on This American Life. Captures feelings we can all relate to pretty well, I think.
And since that was kind of a downer, here’s one from Shalom Auslander about if God were a chicken.
I’m sure everyone on the planet has seen this by now, but if not, it’s definitely worth watching. I’ve heard this song before but (as with most upbeat songs) never really took the time to listen to the words.
I’ve found few songs that can sum up the last six years of my life quite like this one. Pretty accurately describes that “you know it’s time to move on, but no matter what you do, you can’t get that far away” feeling.
I’ve been hoping for months, hoping for years, hoping I might forget.
Aw but it don’t get much dumber, it don’t get much dumber
than trying to forget a girl when you love her.
And I, yeah I still need you, but what good’s that gonna do?
Needing is one thing, and getting- getting’s another.
Gut check
I’ve realized lately that the way I deal with problems…or anything that bothers me, really, is to walk. Long distances, short distances, slow and methodical, as if the devil himself were at my heels… I walk. I’m not entirely sure why this is way I choose to deal with things that bother me, but it’s what I’ve settled on and at this point it’s maybe better to focus on doing what seems to help rather than analyze what might work better. With the help of my hiking GPS, I’ve learned a few interesting facts over the past two weeks:
Some days I walk more than one of these. Some days I walk in the rain. Some days I walk until I don’t feel like I can take another step…and then I take a few more. There was a day last summer when I walked twelve miles without a break…and almost passed out in the grass. A man who (I’m guessing) spoke little English stopped to say one word, which was more than enough to get his point across: “Ambulance?” I politely declined, got my sorry self home and decided to not push that particular limit again.
I think there’s something very comforting about being alone with my thoughts, with absolutely no barriers between myself and whatever’s on my mind. If I had to describe my life in one word, ‘solo’ would find itself high on a not-so-long list of possibilities. Perhaps it’s no surprise then that someone who leads a relatively solitary life would choose to deal with struggles in such a guarded fashion.
And although it rarely results in any semblance of an answer or resolution, it does allow me to become incredibly “at home” with my problems. For a time, even if it’s a short one, we reside together as two strangers who find themselves traveling the same road. “I’m ok with you,” I say with each passing step, “I can accept you. Now, while we have this time together, let’s take a moment and see if we can come to some sort of common ground.”
HNNGGGG
Since it’s Sunday and I’m prone to sitting around on Sunday mornings watching music videos on youtube, I might as well post one more. This one comes from Hayes Carll’s album KMAG YOYO (& other American stories) which was one of my favorites from last year. Without a doubt, Another Like you was my favorite track from the album. It’s twangy, it’s country, it’s silly.
Fun fact, the working title for the track was Fox vs. MSNBC.
Like him or not, Jack White’s certainly expressive. Was at this show, wish the higher quality version was still out there. Great way to end a performance.
I got to see Steve Earle last fall, and this track (not recorded at the show I was at) was the highlight for me. Of course there were the group of assholes shouting for “Copperhead Road”, but whatever.
It’s the story of a man who grew up mining coal. I learned at the show that’s it’s actually a followup to another song Steve wrote several decades ago. I can’t recall the first song (and have tried so hard to figure it out), but in it, a boy has decided to head off for adventure as a coal miner. He’s full of hope and excitement.
“The Mountain” (originally performed with the Del McCoury Band for the 1999 album of the same name) continues his story many years later. He’s a little older, a little wiser and maybe a little more weary.
Whenever I tell people I’m trying to lose weight, they say, “You don’t need to lose weight…that much.” And it’s true, I don’t have a weight problem, but I am the guy who could really put the brakes on an orgy. Everyone would be like, “Was he invited? Why is he eating a stuffed crust pizza? That is not sexy at all.”
–Mike Birbiglia, Sleepwalk with Me
I love this book. It’s especially good if you’re familiar with his delivery, because it’s just dripping with it (eww).
It’s especially especially good to know he’ll get a google alert because I posted this.
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