Mountains out of molehills

Paranoia strikes me all of the time. For example, I heard a loud booming noise the other night around 2am. I assumed that it was someone breaking into the house by kicking in the door. Turns out that it was just my neighbor’s ajar screen door banging against the house during a wind storm. No need for me to fear the worst.

Likewise, many people around me are sick with the flu. This includes co-workers, a roommate, and others. Friday during a basketball game the man behind me coughed the entire game, covering my jacket and neck with germs. Then on Sunday I sat next to a woman for 2 hours and later shook her hand and ate an apple with that dirty hand, only to learn that she just recovered from the flu.

Add to this my usual litany of symptoms: stomach pains, irritability, sleeplessness, mild sore throat (probably from the common cold) and nausea and headaches due to excessive caffeine. I, of course, assume that I am the next candidate for the flu with these symptoms. Later, looking at life and realizing that I’m stressing about my future, procrastinating over schools, afraid to ask out a girl, and the ‘rigors’ of life are causing me to grind my teeth and have a sore jaw. I ignore these psychological factors and assume the worst, that I have the flu. Taking the necessary precautions I begin sleeping 10 hours a day, consuming excessive amounts of water, Emergen-C, raw garlic, fennel seeds, oranges, steeped ginger root, and washing my hands 30 times a day.

So far I’m not sick and don’t think I will get sick. But the clenched jaw, sleepless nights, and fear in my stomach remain. I think that the illness is in the mind, not my body.

March Madness

Another weekend come and gone. My NCAA basketball picks are proving to be quite off this year, but Pitt and Georgetown are advancing so it's all good. Went to Chi-town to catch a few games this past Friday. An odd situation, the tickets were procured through a “friend of a friend of a friend” who was told to meet ‘a guy’ in a rest stop near O'Hare International Airport. After unsuccessfully selling my friend on a pyramid scheme we got the tickets and headed to the game.

First game, Georgia Tech vs. UNLV. Kind of boring. I picked GT, but they lost. The true highlight was the pathetic mascot of Georgia Tech, Buzz, the Yellow Jacket, which had NO SPIRIT! Clad in Chuck Taylors he seemed to be an indie rocker drafted into this position at the last second as he had perfected only two moves: a celebratory fist pump more suitable for punk rock shows and an apathetic shaking of the ‘stinger’. Poor Buzz didn’t dance or rev up the crowd, he spent more time flirting with the UNLV cheerleaders! Buzz also failed to perform his patented ‘Buzz flip’. This pathetic critter is a previous winner of mascot of the year. The results of this Atlanta based poll are dubious at best, either way the person playing Buzz needs some serious training to live up to the Buzz legacy. A friend recommended that 'the bee' be hoisted up on strings and fly around the stadium. That would have been wonderful, at least emerging from some sort of hive would have added character. The GT cheerleaders were equally boring with only 5 men and 3 ladies who just stood around and CLAPPED to the music, occasionally hoisting the gals up and letting them shake their pom-pons. UNLV’s Showgirls style performance was more worthy with serious booty shaking and a cowboy (Runnin’ Rebel) mascot who danced around and could sorta keep rhythm.

The Badgers barely won against unknowns Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but the Texas Islanders won based on the mascot alone. I don’t know what an “Islander” is in Texas. Perhaps it is a part-Polynesian, part-German/Mexican Texan with a tiki face and grass skirt. Izzy the Islander danced it up and had some real pride is his/her job with slides, shaking, fist pumps, and serious movement (Izzy had rhythm, so probably was a woman). The Texas A&M CC Blue Crew also did a good job with their cheering (rather boisterous and animated) despite being outnumbered and overshadowed by the local Badgers squad.

Besides the shoddy performance by Buzz I was struck by the fact that most songs by the bands were old rock tunes. What was once a novelty with DJs sampling the Compton High School Marching Band’s rendition of 'Low Rider,' it is now commonplace for college bands to play such anthems as ‘Ring of Fire’, ‘Low Rider’, or ‘Iron Man’ --so much for fight songs.

NCAA consumption with the unhealthy food, high prices, regional rivalries, sensory overload, and sitting all day was too much for me, add to that a long car ride, and stomach full of heavy Chicago Pie and I was beat. Let’s hope Pitt wins this thing and we can move on with our lives.

Heard It All Before

We hear it all the time. Low income, often immigrant, blue-collar neighborhoods being turned into hipster playgrounds. This has affected most cities across the nation, but perhaps none more than NYC. From the South Bronx to Brooklyn, Lower East Side to Queens, hipsters and yuppies move in, drive up the rents and drive out their poorer neighbors. It appears that the Dominican stronghold of Washington Heights is joining that list. You can read more in this NYTimes article.

Is this a bad thing? Probably, but that isn't the point, it is happening all over the place and will continue to happen whether it is 'good' or 'bad'. Remember, the decision maker here is profit. If someone can make a buck and it so happens that others are displaced so be it. That is just an inevitable inconvenience. But what do those of us who are bothered by this change to do? Remember, this movement isn't caused by Dominicans 'moving on up' because of an increase in their incomes, they're being forced out because of rising rents.

What to do? Probably nothing. Visit Washington Heights as a tourist, grab a bite to eat, sip some coffee, have a beer or three, take a photo and move on.

I am not bothered by this because I'm a post-modern liberal who decries not merely the injustice but the loss of some authentic ethnic-enclave which is more 'real' than my suburban roots will ever be. Okay, I sorta am. But what really bothers me is the displacement of the working class and the continued homogenization of our culture. Do we really want our cities to be yuppie and hipster playgrounds of consumption?

I suggest that our society does want everything to be like a mall and if there are losers along this path so be it. Just pray you're on the winning side or else you'll find yourself living in a ghetto suburb without a mall or be doing time in prison.

Joys of the Desert Cake

Like most Americans I'm bored and underutilized at my job. Therefore, I have to revile in the simple pleasures of life. These delicacies include morning coffee, today it was El Salvador Santa Ana from Counter Culture instead of the Folger's and Dunkin' Donuts coffee proffered by my co-workers (yes, I'm an elitist). I am also lucky enough to have interesting co-workers who can entertain with stories about mobsters at the Catfish Lounge. But the best piece would be the Desert Cake, enjoyed best with coffee.

The Army issued Walnut Tea Cake, ie. the Desert Cake (as it would withstand the heat of Iraq and retain its taste) is a dense sugar laden cake speckled with walnut nubs. A colleague was able to obtain a few Desert Cakes from a friend on an army base and we've been enjoying them with coffee every morning. This cake is packaged in an airtight tray and can withstand extreme temperature and weather changes for up to 18 months whilst retaining its moisture and taste. Point being, on these slow, boring, life sapping Monday mornings, enjoy the Desert Cake, or whatever simple pleasure that may be in your world.

Winter's Colder, Memories Smolder

Spring is nearly here, blue sky re-emerge, days are longer and I am reminded that the sun exists; snow is melting, I can even hear the occasional bird chirping. Usually this is a joyful time, despite the fluxuating temperatures and increase in mud. However, having grown used to the frigid temperatures of Mil-town I am not only sad to see winter go, but fearful. Today felt like spring with a temperature of 33. When I lived in DC highs in the 20s for more than a week were a signal that it was time to pack the bags for Florida, buy a sun-lamp, or just give up. Now I cherish the cold days and shudder when I see forecasts with highs in the 40s.

It seems to me that the cold holds things together for those of us who are psychologically fragile. You can be encased in your self-created cocoon and it is ok. Even when you venture out of doors to the frigid terrain it is clean and the air crisp. Walking on cold snowy days one finds silence prevailing. There is calm, a stillness to it all. Compare that to the cacophony of spring or summer.

I fear the end of winter, sure the longer days are nice (sunlight does a body good) and I don’t have to worry about getting salt all over my clothes. But, gone are the blizzard warnings, quiet snow covered mornings, helping neighbors w/stuck cars, and the frozen lake. With winter ending I fear it’ll all unravel, like the melting snow and emerging tree buds I feel I will be exposed, hanging ‘out there’. I love the winter and the impetus to stay indoors and be okay. I always feel worse being alone in the summer when everyone around me is outdoors engaged in activity. While being inside and alone in winter is acceptable, if not desirable.

Still just over a week left of winter, and for those of us in Chill-waukee we can hope for some snow all the way until May, but know that it is over and summer is fast on our heels.

In the past I would be celebrating the coming of sun and high temperatures, now I dread it and am counting the days till November and the first snowfall. But I’ll enjoy the cold whilst I can or relocate to Edmonton!

KC BBQ-ers win Stanley Cup!

Stupid, the Pittsburgh Penguins are very close to packing up and heading to Kansas City. They will now be called the KC BBQ-ers and will win the Stanley Cup in 2 years with their roster of stars to about 2 people who have never heard of hockey before, just like what happened when the Nordiques moved to Denver. It is very stupid. However, if a city needs some overpaid athletes to have self worth then it is in need of great help. Let the babies leave. Why? Is the arena is no good? No luxury boxes? Many cities are ELIMINATING luxury boxes! The Penguins are packing in the fans, but won't turn a profit and must leave (just like in Winnipeg). But who cares, no one knows what's going on so let them turn Pittsburgh into some lame Simpsons-esque caricature of a city as they slash public transit, eliminate city pools, build a casino (a sign that the city is giving up and has zero creativity), hemorrhage young professionals and lose sports franchises. I'll weep into my teacup in Mil-town when no one is watching.

Though I should probably call and order my season tickets in Kansas City before the team gets too hot!

Welcome Friends

Five days from whence I began this blog I am here to offer an invitation to 'join' this blog, read and criticize it with friends/co-workers, and of course to post comment after comment which will challenge, deride, and support my petty little posts. I hope to cover a range of topics, but am now stuck on music. If you read, thanks for reading, if not, well, that's irrelevant.

Something Ain't Right

Friday night. Home from a late night at work. Turns out that Amy Winehouse is popular with everyone from Adult Contemporary show Cafe Tonight to grime MC Shystie. That got me to thinking, either this gal is a good singer, fresh (in that retro way we all love (because NO ONE is doing anything good that is new)) or we're all being duped by a rather provocative deceiver. I enjoy pop music, but after too much deep thinking I believe that I enjoy it in the same way I enjoy donuts, bootyful hip-hop videos, and suburban sprawl. It feels good at first then a dull pain sets in and I feel bad in a grinding way that isn't very obvious till I've sink into a mini-depression.

I've been battling with the media, friends, and myself the past few years whether or not contemporary music is redemptive at all. I enjoy it, but I still don't think it is all that redemptive. Most of the music out there is negative, self-deluded, and at best, escapist. Historically popular music (from rock to hip-hop to soul to whatever u like) is just self-absorption and decadence and I don't think that has changed at all. 30 years after trashing hotels and drinking yourself to death became passe people still think it is cool. If you don't believe me look at Fly Life in the Village Voice to see what passes for entertainment.

I was thinking all of the above after hearing Ms. Winehouse on WUWM's Cafe Tonight. Later I turned on the nutty Religious station WVCY which I tune into for conviction and comic relief. Of course I tuned in during the middle of a show demonizing Rock n' Roll. Naturally, they went into the excesses of the Sixties, the deaths of Janis Joplin, Van Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix. Then into the deaths of 2Pac and Biggie Smalls. This show solidified my thinking that Rock n' Roll and most of it's offshoots (nearly all of today's popular music) is decadent, negative, destructive, and at least trivial. Even stuff that I enjoy, much of which is off the radar and somewhat positive, proves to be deluded, indulgent, destructive, selfish, and meaningless. Someone please let me know what they find redeeming about the music they like.

I am a big fan of music yet I feel that it rarely serves any purpose and only leaves me more unsatisfied than before I listened to it. Sure I have a bad attitude, but that isn't all of it. I think the problem is focus. Artists aren't focused on anything but themselves and thus have nothing to offer us in today's topsy turvy world.

That being said I spent last night listening to the escapist gem Breath From Another by Esthero and reading trashing Southwestern short stories in Naked Pueblo by Mark Jude Poirier. So I'm a hypocrite and don't feel good about any of it!

Bandwagon Jumping

I’m jumping on the soulful hipster, Anglophile exoticism bandwagon here with Amy Winehouse. I first heard her with Bugz in the Attic in 2005 and wasn't floored. Hearing her new stuff I'm happy to join the hype. I don’t like anorexics or drunkards, but this gal is off the chain! She can sing, she don’t care ‘bout nothing, and her retro girl group sound is oddly refreshing. There is a liberating quality to her music (as negative as it may be). Now, for the first time in maybe 5 years I’m excited about a new release. In case you don’t know what I’m talking about:

Chill Pill

1st post here...probably should be an intro. We'll get to that later. For now look for this old song by Mary Mary-"Trouble Ain't" -a real gem of their 2nd lp 'Incredible'. Poppy R&B w/mellow acoustic guitar and uplifting lyrics. Just what you need to get through a rough day, or season. I was turned onto this track (as well as dozens of others)by supreme Gospel DJ, Fitz over at BBC's 1xtra, check out his latest show featuring that track as the 'Chill Pill' and an interview with and tribute to The Sounds of Blackness at http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/djfitz/