I am humbled

 I bought an acoustic guitar this weekend. I’ve played various musical instruments for most of my life – started piano at 8 – and have always enjoyed it. Problem is that with the exception of piano, most of the instruments I play aren’t really that enjoyable as solo instruments (and when I say solo I mean playing alone in your room).

Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE the feeling of sitting in the middle of an orchestra with my clarinet. Honestly, it’s the best seat in the house. And jamming with a combo on sax is divine. Since I left school though, I haven’t had the opportunity to do those things. I’ve still practiced to keep my hand (or chops in this case) in – although mostly on flute since it’s quieter and less disturbing to the neighbors in an apartment setting. It’s not, however, anywhere near as satisfying.

I missed having a piano, and although I do get to play on my 2-3 visits to Minnesota per year… it’s just not enough. I thought about getting a keyboard, but when it comes down to it… I’m a snob about it. I like the piano and electronic keyboards don’t have the sound or the feel (the weight of the keys) of a real piano. Unfortunately, pianos and apartment living (particularly when you have a tendency to rarely state in one place longer than 24 months ) don’t really go together.

I’d toyed with the idea of learning guitar for years… decades really. Back when I was 14 and picked up the bass guitar, I had originally thought about learning guitar, but at the time, I was looking for more instant gratification. I recognized that learning bass would be easier: 4 strings vs 6… plus no chords (I mean, it’s not that you can’t play chords on a bass – you can. You just don’t need to in order to be a decent bassist.). So in order to move quickly in a rock and roll [read: cool] direction, bass seemed the direction to go (yes, drums would have been even quicker as any idiot with a sense of rhythm and a modicum of coordination can play drums… but I have musical abilities dammit! ).

The point is, I recognized even then that playing chords and playing them well – and more preceicely, switching smoothly and quickly between them – was going to be a bitch of a thing to learn. And it is. The chords themselves aren’t that difficult – at least those I’ve learned (G, C, D and Em) – but switching between them… murder. Even though I don’t have to look to change, just getting my fingers positioned takes so long, I have a hard time envisioning that I’ll ever be able to manage deftly making the changes.

The worst one for me by far is changing from G to C. Going back from C to G is a little better, but moving from G to C is excruciatingly slow. It seems impossible that I could ever move my fingers fast enough. I feel such an incredible dunce.

At the same time, it’s been years (since I’ve been out of school, really) since anything has challenged me to this degree, so every time I improve just a little – being able to change chords in time for two or three measures, for example (though they never involved at G to C transition) – I relish the small victory and it drives me to continue… to strive to improve even more.

So, I’m humbled… but it’s good.

Death of a King: how things have changed

I’m just old enough to remember the death of Elvis Presley – I was seven at the time.  To me that is what Michael Jackson’s death is most akin to. Like Presley, Jackson (regardless of what you may believe about his personal life) is a man who had a truly incredible impact on the world of popular music. And remembering what I do about the response to Presley’s death, I can’t help but be a little saddened at the response to Jackson’s.

To be more specific, I’m talking about the response of commercial radio.  Fans seem to be responding about the same.  I can’t really comment about the commercial television response to Elvis Presley’s death because I don’t remember it, and the internet didn’t exist yet (at least publicly).  I do, however, remember what happened on commercial radio.  In spite of the fact that, as with Jackson’s death, Presley’s death was surrounded with questions (Presley only 42 at the time), commercial radio seemed to recognized that a) what made Presley (and consequently his death) notable was his music and b) the best tribute they could give to the King of Rock and Roll was to play his music.  So they did.

This morning, as I drove into work, I found myself wanting to listen to some Michael Jackson, just to participate in a little bit of tribute to a man whose work I admire.  As I flipped through the DC radio stations, I heard people talking about Michael Jackson on many stations, but no station was playing his music.  During my entire 30 minute commute, I managed to pull in one fuzzy station from Baltimore that was playing “Man in the Mirror” (and then went back to talking about Jackson), but otherwise, no Michael Jackson music on DC radio stations.

Now, I realize that the nature of commercial radio has changed considerable since Elvis Presley’s death in 1977, and even since Michael Jackson ruled the airwaves in the 80s, but considering how much Jackson’s music from his days with the Jackson 5 forward brought to commercial radio… I think that’s pretty shabby treatment for the King of Pop.

Seated intimacies

This weekend I went to have a manicure/pedicure.  I recently switched salons out of concerns for the cleanliness of the one I had been frequenting and this was my first time having a pedicure at the new salon.

For those of you unfamiliar with the goings-on during a pedicure, allow me to explain a little.  In most salons, you sit up high – kind of like when you have a shoe shine.  The difference is that the pedicure stand has a little foot bath (generally with jets) in front (instead of the stand for your foot) and the chair, in most cases, is a massage chair.  So, you not only get a foot massage, but a back massage as well. Yummy!

Well, this new salon had fancier chairs than my prior salon.  Not only were they “more sylish” with glass (or glass-look) bowls and little side tables that flipped up so you could set your drink on them, they also had advanced massage features.  In addition to the back/neck massage function, the chairs have a seat massage.

Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like… the chairs massage your butt.  This butt massage consistes of two basic movements that are alternated and done in concert with the movements being done on your back and neck. In the first movement, the sides of the chair sort of raise a little (in effect cupping your backside) and then move in and out.  On the whole, rather pleasurable.  The second movement is more alarming though.  A… protrusion is probably the best word for it… rises out of the center back of the seat, pressing upward for a few seconds and then releasing back down.  My guess is that the theory behind this is that it’s massaging your coccyx/tailbone, but I must say the first time it occurs, you become anything but relaxed. 

It’s sort of like sitting down on a tennis ball under a thin pillow (just in case you want to test for yourself).  Obviously, if you don’t know the tennis ball is there, it’s going to come as a surprise. The thing is, once you’re over the initial surprise, you find (or at least I did) that it’s actually quite pleasurable. 

So now, not only are my feet and hands pretty, but my coccyx is relaxed as well.

I, Methuselah

For a while now, I’ve noticed that in low light I had some trouble reading small print. More recently, I noticed that I was having a little trouble with some small print, even if the light was good.  Then I noticed if I moved it away a little, it improved.

Then I remembered what that signified…

I now have a nice new pair of reading glasses.  Granted they’re the lowest power, but still… I was hoping to put this off until I was at least over 40.

Workforce quality

When I was a kid, I thought it would be sooo great to be out in the working world.  I was amazed at all the smart people who solved problems and ‘got the job done’ that I saw on TV and in movies. Secretaries, for example, were extremely competent and almost seemed to be able to read their bosses’ minds.

Now that I’m grown up and working, I find myself wondering: What happened to all these people?  They seem to be few and far-between today. Was it really ever like that or was it all just make-believe?

I lean less toward the make-believe aspect, and more toward it being a side-effect of the Women’s movement.  Most of those superbly competent secretaries were women – women who in most cases chose to be a part of the workforce. As such, they took pride in their work and strived to do an execllent job. 

Today, there are large numbers of women who must work, but really never wanted nor prepared to do so.  They don’t want to be in the position they are in, and their goal is to do as little as possible to maintain their position.  As such, quality suffers. Those women who in the past would have been secretaries, had opportunity for advancement and are now the managers and bosses.

Don’t get me wrong, there are lazy-ass men who do as little as possible to keep their jobs too.  Further, as a single, professional woman, I’m very glad that I had more opportunities open to me than secretarial work, teaching or nursing.  It’s just that I think sometimes people don’t stop to look at the less than pleasing side-effects that sometimes come with social change.

Who ARE these people?

This year was the summer of my 20th High School reunion.

A little background… we moved when I was 15, just starting the 10th grade. Prior to that I had lived in the same small town all my life. I’d known most of the kids I went to school with all my life.

Okay, back to the story.

I was invited to both the reunion in the town where I grew up and the one where I actually graduated.  I went to neither, but I did get sent a link to pictures of the reunion in my hometown. I recognized one, maybe two people. Mostly though, I kept thinking: “This can’t be my class. These people look OLD! They look about 40 (which they nearly are)!  I don’t look that old, do I?”

I’ve since been assured I do not, in fact, look “that old”.  A nice lady who did my nails last week assumed I was 27ish (not the 38 I really am), so it’s even been reinforced by people who don’t know me. Existential crisis averted. Yay! It left me wondering though… what is it that makes these other people look so much old, and me not? 

Is it just a matter of genes? Have a really lived that much cleaner and healthier a life than they have?  Or is it something else in their lifestyle.  Perhaps something like the fact that most of the are married (multiple times even ) and have kids, while I do not?

I know genes play a factor, and I have pretty good ones looks and aging-wise (thanks mom and dad!), but I don’t think that’s all it is.  I highly doubt that I’ve lived significantly cleaner and healthier.  I think the marriage and kids thing really plays a factor.  People joke that kids – in particular - age a person, but I think there’s a fair amount of truth in that. We know that stress ages people, and when I think about the amount of stress I feel just thinking about the responsibilities of the kitten I will soon be bringing home… I can’t even begin to fathom the amount of stress that must be entailed in being responsible for a little human life!  More power to you if you’ve chose that route.  I’m just glad it’s not me (and not just because I look younger).

Brain function

I’m always fascinated by news reports and articles about how our brain functions.  I love the little pictures of what lights up where, and the differences between doing activity A versus activity B.  Just recently, I discovered an strange little idiosyncrasy in myself that I can’t help think lies in how our brain works and what parts of it we use to process particular information.

In the last few years (maybe two), I’ve increasingly had trouble with ‘road rage’. I don’t get all crazy and try to run people down, and I don’t tend to told on to is so it colors my mood for long periods, but I do get irrationally angry and generally curse (and sometimes flick people off).  I decided I’d try listening to the classical music station to ’sooth my mind’ as I drove.  It didn’t, however, seem to work very well.  Oh sure, it maybe helped a little… on occassion, but overall… not really.

Then, a couple weeks ago, I was driving home and this guy in a convertible drove by.  He was listening to NPR, and they were announcing an up-coming story (for after the local news and weather).  So, I tuned in, and ended up leaving my radio tuned to the station.

What a noticed when I got home was that a) my trip had seemed quite short and b) I didn’t get angry even once.  I couldn’t remember if there had been any anger-inducing-type incidents on the ride home though.  So, I decided I’d try it again the next day.  So, I did, and I found the same thing to be true.  I didn’t get upset.  Now, after several weeks of experimentation,  I still find it to be the case.  Listening to talk radio while driving, I stay calm.  Listening to music while driving, no matter how calming it seems, I get angered easily.

I can’t help be feel this has to do with how the brain processes incoming information, and not something uniqute to me.  Something about processing the wordsis different than processing the music, and whatever it is, interferes with my emotional response to driving irritations.  When I think about it, it kind of makes sense – at least from my lay perspective, since I know that when people are responding to music, the limbic system is very involved… and that it’s involved in emotional processing as well.  It seems to me that it must not be quite so front-and-center in the processing of words (although clearly it can be – just think of the concept of “fighting words”). 

I find myself wondering if the processing of music in a sense ‘primes’ emotional response, regardless of the emotion, so that I’m more inclined to response emotionally to traffic incidents.  On the other hand, is it that the processing of words dampens it, so that I don’t have the ‘gut’ response?  Then again, it might simply be that driving and processing words rely more on the same parts of the brains, and that if I’m processing words, I’m just less focused on the driving, which is a rather frightening thought!

I miss school

I spent many, many years in school, and each year at this time of the year I find myself whistfully nostalgic to be back in school.

For me, the start of a new school year was always a fresh start, a renewal.  New notebooks, pencils and folders… a new planner… new bookbag… new clothes… new classes full of new things for me to learn… new people, and the possibilty of new friends,  with the incoming classes.  So much new and wonderous.  It always made me feel so good, and so very optimistic.  Life was moving forward.

While I still make a point of trying new things all the time, but it’s just not the same. It’s little bits and pieces of newness, not a complete leaf-turning.  New Year’s too is simply not the same.  You make make promises to yourself to change, but you generally go back to the same job, with the same people, doing the same thing, wearing the same clothes, using the same supplies.  It’s just not that refreshing.

Rivalry run amok

I know there are people who are passionate about the sports teams they support, as well as the ones they ‘love to hate’, but it seems today a lot of those rivalries are taken well beyond ‘good-natured competition’. A couple days ago driving home from work I ended up behind a car with a Virginia “Redskins” customplate. The plate had also been personalized with the word “LOOZRZ”.

I’m sure the gentleman driving the car felt he was very clever: “Hahaha… I can piss off Redskins fans year-round for just $35a year!” What I wonder is why he felt it necessary? Commuting is annoying enough… why set out to intentionally antagonize other drivers?

Alphabet Bingo

When we were kids, we used to play Alphabet Bingo in the car on trips. It’s pretty straight-forward, you find all the letters of the alphabet – in order- on signs as you drive down the road. First one to find them all wins!

There were variations, of course. Sometimes, use of license plates was forbidden, others, you could only use license plates. The goal, though was the same.

Lately, mostly as a way to combat my commuting frustrations, I’ve been playing on my way to work in the morning, and have observed a few interesting things that I thought I’d share:

• There are very few places that are Quick or Quality.
• Qs are uncommon on license plates.
• Virginia has a high number of Xs on their license plates.
• J is, oddly, a difficult letter to find other than on a license plate.
• For a V, it’s easier to find the word ‘university’ than the word ‘Virginia’ – even in Virginia (license plates excluded, of course).
• Zs are easier to find in DC than Virginia, because DC has parking ‘zones’.