Unmitigated

The Waterworks Begin

The children have set a date.

I'll just let that sink in a moment...

My daughter, Partly Cloudy, and her finace, Lovely Young Man, have set a date for their wedding. A hall has been reserved, and plans for flowers, food, music, and photography are in the works. They have been engaged since June of 2007, so even though she is very young, they are not rushing into anything. Actually, she'll be the same age when she gets married as I was the day I got married: 22. (Yes, that means she was engaged at 17. They bought the ring before we even had her graduation party. Eep.)

Buddy and I were driving home from the movies the other night (The Fighter. The acting was incredible, the script was kind of all over the place. Christian Bale deserves an Oscar for this work. So does Melissa Leo.) and, as usual, Buddy has his iTouch attached to the car stereo. Sometimes, when I can figure out how the damn thing works, I select songs I want to hear. We had been listening to some Joni Mitchell on the way to the theater, Woodstock, and then the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young version, both of which have their merits. Then I selected this one, Circle Game, my favorite by Joni Mitchell, which started the waterworks...

Yesterday, a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star

And the seasons they go 'round and 'round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

Then, the child moved ten times 'round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like, "When you're older", must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams

Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels through the town
And they tell him, "Take your time. It won't be long now.
'Til you drag your feet to slow the circles down"

And the seasons they go 'round and 'round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through.

And the seasons they go 'round and 'round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return, we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and 'round and 'round
In the circle game
And go 'round and 'round and 'round in the circle game.

Not an End-of-the-Year Wrap-up Post

Usually the biggest impact a new year has on me, is the learning curve when it comes to writing the new date on checks.

Who writes checks anymore?

I am not one to get all maudlin about the passing of another year, so I am not going to write an end-of-the-year-wrap-up post, linking you to all the past glories of 2010, through which you will likely scroll and not follow the painstakingly added links.

There were a couple of notable events this year, in that I started a new job, which I still love doing, and that my daughter and her betrothed purchased a home that I can see right out my front window (thank you, sweetie, for making that transition a little less painful!). Other than that? 2010 was a relatively quiet year.

For which, Oh! be joyful. I am. I hope you are, too.

We will visit with friends tonight, and once again I will start wishing for midnight at a much more acceptable hour, like 10 p.m. I'll take a nap this afternoon, in preparation for the later-than-usual night.

Some things to look forward to this year....

1. I have purchased this...

My friend Leslie, of Leslie and Larry fame (see below: Frugal Decadence), started piano lessons as an adult, and it made me realize that I would love to have more musical skill. I can sight read for voice, and sing, but I'd like to formalize my knowledge of written music, and make a pretty sound, all at the same time. It's not a huge investment, the way a piano would be, and if I find I have any aptitude for this at all, I'll sign up for lessons, too. Hopefully, they won't make me participate in a recital. Ever.

2. I signed up for this a few months ago, and have two more weeks to play around with it before the (semi-)finished piece needs to be postmarked...

 
Before I send it in, I will ask Buddy to scan and save a copy of what I was able to accomplish, so I can continue to feel proud of it. Who knew I'd still be acquiring skills at this stage in my life?

3. At the end of March, we have this to look forward to...

That's Leslie and Larry there, along with Buddy enjoying what we call Frugal Decadence. I look forward to mastering this concept we invented even further.

4. I just ordered George Clooney to spend time in my pants. That is something to look forward to, no? Pamela calls them Colin Firths, but whatever. The accent is cute, but give me some smoky American eyes, anytime. I have two cloth holders for the ice packs I sometimes need on my lower back, but they aren't soft and fuzzy, and they don't smell pretty. I got a second one to give to Ms. Partly Cloudy for her perpetually cold hands and feet. I feel certain that Buddy will whine about my naming this guy George Clooney, to which I will reply, "Okay, how about Jodie Foster, then?"

Happy New Year, everyone. Leave me a comment letting me know one thing you are looking forward to in 2011. It's like a wishing well, it'll come true.

Love is All You Need

Enjoy this here, then go watch it on YouTube. Starbucks is donating per view to fight AIDS in Africa.

 

State of the Union, If by "The Union" You Mean MAW's Backside

So, there were lots of needles yesterday. BIG ones. I don't recall them hurting that much last time. AND I was sedated at the time.

Usually, when I go for one of these things, it's on the third floor of the hospital, in the relatively laid-back area where they do endoscopies. Because there is an intense shortage of OR and equipment time, my pain guy, the beloved Dr. R., will occasionally schedule in the regular OR. 

Let me describe how this goes...

This type of procedure is done first thing in the morning, so we were asked to arrive by 5:30. Yes, 5:30 a.m., for a 7:15 procedure.

• Sign in.
• Wait.
• Get called back.
• Turn in the sample that proves I'm not pregnant.
• Get nekkid, and put on the silly gown.
• Add booties, this time, for some unknown reason.
• Answer questions, previous surgeries, allergies, medications, etc.
• Blood pressure, pulse, and pulse ox measured repeatedly.
• 1st attempt at starting an IV.
• 2nd attempt at starting an IV.
• 3rd attempt, by different nurse, and finally a successful start of IV.
• Wait.
• Talk to anesthesiologist.
• Surprise appearance of Husband (I don't like to talk before the procedures. It makes me nervous. I told them so, but he must have looked forlorn out there or something).
• Dr. R. comes by with the spiel. He knows I know it, but it's the routine, so I listen. He's very reassuring.
• Time to roll from pre-op to OR.
• Transfer from gurney to table with pillow under belly, to take the curve out of the spine. That way, all of me is the same distance from the fluoroscopy thingie. Now, I am pretty much buck-nekkid to a roomful of people, and it's about 50 degrees in here. The warm blankets arrive fairly soon, though, and I am accustomed to mooning the OR crowd. This was the fifth procedure since September 1st.
• First dose of sedative, which does nothing. They know it, I know it, it's procedure.
• Cleaning of the site (in this case, my lower back and upper boo-tay) with the COLD stuff. Dang.
• Second dose of sedative, which feels like a beer buzz, but that's all I'm gonna get. I need to be awake to tell them about what I can feel.
• Three needles are placed near the right sacroiliac joint nerve outlets. I can't tell you how much this part sucks. The needles need to be wide enough to accommodate the electrode wire, so they are BIG.
• Low voltage is sent through to make sure I can feel the zap, but NOT make muscles twitch, in which case, the needles need to be repositioned. Thank God Dr. R. always gets it right the first time.
• FOURTH needle is placed (yes, there's more!) at the nerve outlet between the lowest lumbar vertebra and the sacrum.
• Repeat the voltage step, while I cringe.
• FINALLY, I am put out with IV sedation. I have been known to say witty things as the sedation takes over. Yesterday, I was hurting enough that I don't even remember it.
• Wake up in post-op and beg for coffee. At this point, my behind is very sore (and still is) but mostly from the injection sites. The nerves have been cauterized, but the area around them has suffered insult, so it's tender. I am using ice, drugs, and a horizontal position to help out.

Now, it's a waiting game, to see if it worked. Unfortunately, this part takes a few weeks. The one they did in July for the lumbar area has been awesome, and I am hoping for the same good results this time.

Brandi Carlile: The Whole Record Store

The transparency bit: I have not been paid to write this review, I volunteered because of what I have read about Brandi Carlile. I did receive a free download of the new album, Give Up the Ghost, for reviewing, and will enter my blog post in a drawing to win a gift card. I don't even know a gift card for what, I just wanted to do this. I even save it for a Thursday, traditionally, my biggest readership day.

When One2One Network sent out a mailing asking for people to do a review of the new Brandi Carlile album, I learned that she picked up a guitar for the first time after seeing Indigo Girls at Lilith Fair one year.

In 1989, I first saw Indigo Girls when they opened for REM at Cobo Hall. The next day I went to my favorite music store, Repeat the Beat in Dearborn, MI, to find a copy. I HAD to have it. I was the fifth or sixth request that day, and added my name to the list, thus beginning my love affair with Amy and Emily.

How could I say "No" to a chance to review the music of someone who was so moved by one of my favorite artists that she learned guitar and started writing songs?

So, you can imagine I was expecting Brandi to sound a lot like her inspiration, and the influence is there, but there's so much more.

Listening to Give Up the Ghost, I heard Bruce Springsteen, and Paul Simon, Sarah McLachlan, and Paul McCartney. Just a few obscure artists who never made much of themselves.

The opening cut is "Looking Out," and the vocal on this song is so rich, so soulful, that it moved me. other tracks, like "That Year," contrast to show her range, which is impressive. She's not k.d. lang smooth, there's more character, less hint of formal training.

In "Touching the Ground," she shows a little of Springsteen's rumble and roughness both vocally and in the spare acoustic arrangement. Add some sweet harmonies, and a little emphasis from the piano and the picture is complete.

Early McCartney solo work is echoed in "Oh Dear," a little ukelele number she does, that could have been on Ram or McCartney One. And if you don't hear Simon and Garfunkel in Dying Day (think "America" or "Kathy's Song"), you aren't listening hard enough.

Although musically my favorite is a jaunty little shuffle called "Caroline," my favorite lyric was in "Pride and Joy":

It was on a day I can't recall
The kind of thing that takes its toll 
Over you, over time, over smiles, over wine.
All in all it wasn't bad. All in all it wasn't good.
But I still care.

That's the problem with the days
They're never long enough to say
What it is you never say
All the books you never read, Throw myself into the wind
Hoping somebody might pick me up
And carry me again.

I am really enjoying this album, and not least because I love to sing along. I am giving this one all five stars. Pick this one up. Brandi Carlile has so much going on, it's like bringing home the whole store.

Brandi’s Website: http://bit.ly/O2O_BC
Brandi’s Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brandicarlile