Why do we like lists so much? Is it because most of us like some semblance of order? A way to make sense of our crazed world? Hmm, even though that's hardly philosophical, it seems too much for my tiny brain to ponder this evening. (My head is full of archival theories - like, how does an organization handle electronic records? If only I knew.)
I took a couple of days to ponder the last five albums that changed my life - even though, as I explained below, not all of these were life altering. Some are just kick-ass.
21. Greatest Hits – James Taylor. I used this album to comfort me back in the early 1990s when I struggled to find work. Even when I was feeling down and low (or should I “down and blue,” as James sang in “Something in the Way She Moves”), this CD would always lift my spirits a mite, and made me realize that better days lay ahead. And they did.
22. A Charlie Brown Christmas – Vince Guaraldi Trio. The best holiday recording of all time. I can listen to this in July and it makes me yearn for the holiday season. Has it changed my life? Of course not, but it always brings a smile to my face and warmth in my heart. That should be enough to merit inclusion on this list.
23. Songs for Swinging Lovers – Frank Sinatra. This recording is important for two reasons: it was the first album my parents owned (they bought it for their Blackpool honeymoon 50 years ago) and it was the album that introduced to me Sinatra, who is my favourite singer of all time. Beginning with “You Made Me Feel So Young” and ending with “How About You” (a song that was sort-of a theme song for me and my second serious girlfriend), it's the quintessential romantic Sinatra album. (I knew a relationship was doomed many years ago when the woman I was seeing told me, “I don't like his voice.” Not exactly shared sensibilities.)
24. Check Your Head – The Beastie Boys. P. Introduced me to this fantastic CD while I was visiting him in Japan back in 2001. Not only is it a great album (“Funky boss, funky boss, funky boss, get off my back”), but it will forever remind me of those weeks I spent in the land of the rising sun (that's Japan, right?). (I should also give a shout-out to The Best of Sade, another great CD which accompanied me on many a train ride in Japan.)
25. Let it Die – Feist. While compiling this list, it made me realize how few recent releases were included. I sort-of lost interest in new music a few years ago, largely because I thought the music scene wasn't talking to me anymore. Not that I was unaware of some interesting bands, but I wasn't proactive enough to seek them out. But this remarkable album by Feist, which blew me away on first listen, really got me galvanized to explore some new bands, particularly those coming out of Canada. Now I'm forever seeking out new music (via the Toronto Public Library – it's a fantastic resource for Canadian bands). Thank you, Leslie.
Honourable mentions:
Body and Soul - Joe Jackson (actually, I'm shocked there's no JJ on the list since he's still one of my favourite artists; he'd be in the top five of my all-time favourite musicians, to be sure)
Everybody Digs Bill Evans - Bill Evans
Grace – Jeff Buckley
Fumbling Toward Ecstasy – Sarah McLachlan
The Complete Blue Note Recordings (Vols 1 & 2) – Thelonious Monk. (Because a day without Monk, is like a day without sunshine.)
Selling England by the Pound - Genesis
Charlie Parker's Complete Dial Recordings
Pretty much anything by my one of my favourite composers, Antonio Carlos Jobim
Ah, lists. Tailor-made blog posts. I'm sure there's another one in me, and soon. Mind is obviously pre-occupied right now with other matters.
Showing posts with label 25 things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 25 things. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Some things (including the 25 variety)
I'm on the couch this morning, taking a seldom-used sick day to tend to a low-grade cold/flu thing I've been battling for the last couple of days. It's basically a bothersome throat, an annoying cough, and feeling tired and achy. I was in bed last night by 9:30, but woke up this morning still feeling like crap, so I figured my body could use the rest from work. Funny though, I always feel guilty about phoning in sick to work. I blame my father, who I never remember taking a day off work because of illness. Of course it eventually caught up with him: he had to take eight weeks to mend a quadruple bypass in the early 1990s. (Even then, he was afraid to tell his employers that he needed the whole summer off work! I think he viewed being sick as a kind of weakness that could and should be avoided. Probably less-so today, thankfully.)
It's a lovely warm day today, so it's nice to open the windows and allow some fresh air into the apartment. Ah, spring, you will be upon us shortly!
So I've been getting the various "25 things" memes that have infected facebook over the last couple of months. I haven't bothered to answer them via facebook, largely because I consider myself a somewhat private person (this blog notwithstanding... although this is still sort-of a secret blog in that many of my friends are unaware of its existence) and don't want some of my facebook "friends" (ie. acquaintances) knowing more about me than the bare superficialities of what I choose to report on FB. I also don't want my mother (who is an avid Facebooker, largely for the Scrabble app) knowing my business - I love her dearly, don't get me wrong, but I've never been one to share my innermost thoughts with her. I wonder if this reflects poorly on me? But I sort-of like these self-indulgent exercises - in fact, it'll be my first random thing about me! So here we go...
1. Despite evidence to the contrary, I tend to enjoy these self-indulgent, narcissistic exercises - sometimes I even learn a thing or three about myself.
2. I often wish I was about 2 or 3 inches taller (although, oddly, I don't really consider myself short).
3. I wish I could sustain a weight that's about 10 pounds less than my current weight (I tend to carry more in the winter because I don't run near as much).
4. Despite evidence to the contrary, I don't dwell on my physical attributes.
5. I was an early and avid blogger - my first blog was called "Letters to Harry" way back in 1999 - and my "classic" blog from 2004, which documented a break-up and my forays back into the dating world, had a very devoted and loyal readership.
6. My current blog is not very well read (because even the people that know about it don't visit it often - or maybe it's just not very good).
7. I consider myself a crush-aholic.
8. Although I haven't lived there for many, many years (but grew up there), I still consider myself a Montrealer at heart.
9. Toronto feels like home.
10. While I treasure my CD collection, I've pretty much made the transition to buying my music digitally.
11. I once did a list like this when I was doing the online dating thing.
12. While I consider myself an excellent ice skater, I always seem to be slipping and falling on icy sidewalks.
13. I have fond memories of every woman I've been in a relationship with, even with the ones that ended badly.
14. Regrets, I have but many.
15. Every time I go see a live event (concert, theatre, the opera), I almost-always say to myself, "Why don't I go see more live events?"
16. Money, and the lack thereof, is a constant source of concern (even though I'm not living near the poverty line, which I have to remind myself).
17. If someone said to me "Name your ideal occupation," I'd answer, "Staff writer at the New Yorker magazine."
18. I long obsessed about my imperfect teeth (which is why I'm wearing braces - thankfully near the finish line!)
19. I rarely have problems falling asleep at night (sleeping through the whole night is another matter).
20. I sometimes shake my head in amazement at the quality of people who consider me a friend (I don't think I have many friends, but the ones I have are wonderful and special).
21. I've only ever really been in love twice.
22. I'd go out to more social events, particularly on my own, if I wasn't so shy.
23. I hate street festivals.
24. Although my friend H. insists there's no such thing, I like closure.
25. When I discover a new song that I like, I can listen to it over and over and again.
Hmm, pretty bland list. Oh well. To come: 25 Albums that changed my life!
It's a lovely warm day today, so it's nice to open the windows and allow some fresh air into the apartment. Ah, spring, you will be upon us shortly!
So I've been getting the various "25 things" memes that have infected facebook over the last couple of months. I haven't bothered to answer them via facebook, largely because I consider myself a somewhat private person (this blog notwithstanding... although this is still sort-of a secret blog in that many of my friends are unaware of its existence) and don't want some of my facebook "friends" (ie. acquaintances) knowing more about me than the bare superficialities of what I choose to report on FB. I also don't want my mother (who is an avid Facebooker, largely for the Scrabble app) knowing my business - I love her dearly, don't get me wrong, but I've never been one to share my innermost thoughts with her. I wonder if this reflects poorly on me? But I sort-of like these self-indulgent exercises - in fact, it'll be my first random thing about me! So here we go...
1. Despite evidence to the contrary, I tend to enjoy these self-indulgent, narcissistic exercises - sometimes I even learn a thing or three about myself.
2. I often wish I was about 2 or 3 inches taller (although, oddly, I don't really consider myself short).
3. I wish I could sustain a weight that's about 10 pounds less than my current weight (I tend to carry more in the winter because I don't run near as much).
4. Despite evidence to the contrary, I don't dwell on my physical attributes.
5. I was an early and avid blogger - my first blog was called "Letters to Harry" way back in 1999 - and my "classic" blog from 2004, which documented a break-up and my forays back into the dating world, had a very devoted and loyal readership.
6. My current blog is not very well read (because even the people that know about it don't visit it often - or maybe it's just not very good).
7. I consider myself a crush-aholic.
8. Although I haven't lived there for many, many years (but grew up there), I still consider myself a Montrealer at heart.
9. Toronto feels like home.
10. While I treasure my CD collection, I've pretty much made the transition to buying my music digitally.
11. I once did a list like this when I was doing the online dating thing.
12. While I consider myself an excellent ice skater, I always seem to be slipping and falling on icy sidewalks.
13. I have fond memories of every woman I've been in a relationship with, even with the ones that ended badly.
14. Regrets, I have but many.
15. Every time I go see a live event (concert, theatre, the opera), I almost-always say to myself, "Why don't I go see more live events?"
16. Money, and the lack thereof, is a constant source of concern (even though I'm not living near the poverty line, which I have to remind myself).
17. If someone said to me "Name your ideal occupation," I'd answer, "Staff writer at the New Yorker magazine."
18. I long obsessed about my imperfect teeth (which is why I'm wearing braces - thankfully near the finish line!)
19. I rarely have problems falling asleep at night (sleeping through the whole night is another matter).
20. I sometimes shake my head in amazement at the quality of people who consider me a friend (I don't think I have many friends, but the ones I have are wonderful and special).
21. I've only ever really been in love twice.
22. I'd go out to more social events, particularly on my own, if I wasn't so shy.
23. I hate street festivals.
24. Although my friend H. insists there's no such thing, I like closure.
25. When I discover a new song that I like, I can listen to it over and over and again.
Hmm, pretty bland list. Oh well. To come: 25 Albums that changed my life!
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