Music alert

I haven’t cared much for Fleet Foxes in the past but decided to listen to their new album on NPR’s first listen anyhow, as they’ll be playing Primavera this year and I’ll be attending Primavera this year.  And I am really enjoying it.  They still sound a little too Crosby, Stills, and Nash but, surprisingly, I’m okay with that. 

Oh crap, does this mean I’m going to start liking Crosby, Stills, and Nash now?  Because I used to dislike Fleetwood Mac too, but now I like them.  Which makes me wonder, when did it become okay to like Fleetwood Mac?  Because for a while, it was totally not okay to like them.  And then suddenly, poof, everybody was sounding like Fleetwood Mac and everybody else was enjoying that.  And then whenever I would go over to friends’ houses they’d have their parents’ old Fleetwood Mac records on or they’d be playing Rumours on the ukulele or whatever.

And, dear god, that makes my friends sound nerdy.  They’re not, I swear, they just like music and records and ukuleles and Fleetwood Mac and other things too, like Scotch and The Wicker Man (original) and taking pictures and robots and cake baking and Ghost Dog and Scrabble and this is not helping is it?  Anyhow, my friends are awesome and it’s okay that we all like Fleetwood Mac because they were a very talented band, I just can’t help but wonder when this shift happened. 

As long as nobody ever expects me to like the Eagles, because I’m with The Dude on the Eagles, which is to say that ‘I hate the fucking Eagles, man.’

ETA

But the whole point of this was supposed to be, Primavera is really soon and I am very excited to be going again and I cannot wait and yay!  Primavera! Music!  Beer! Sunshine! Barcelona! Goodgoodgoodgoodgood!

I’m not making myself seem any less nerdy am I?

Wedding fever

Oh my gosh, please shut up about the stupid royal wedding already!  Especially you, America!  We fought a war so we would be exempt from caring about this nonsense.  Yet there you sit, fussing over what Kate will wear, how this is true love always and how romantic it all is.

It’s not romantic, it’s a pain in the butt, or bum, whatever. 

The only good thing about the whole deal is the extra bank holiday and that is soured by the number of times I have been asked if I’m excited about the upcoming nuptials.  I suppose I am excited in the old-fashioned sense of the word in that it’s got my nerves excited. 

In a country that is drastically cutting public services while government leaders lecture us on austerity, the fact that public funds will be used in support of this event in any way is shocking. That’s right, shocking.

Maybe it’s because I’m American and therefore can’t understand, maybe I’ve just got no sense of romance (though my bookshelves beg to disagree), but I just find the whole thing galling.

So in case you were wondering, I’ll be celebrating by sleeping in, going to Secret Cinema in the evening and maybe attending a friend’s garden party in the afternoon (but only if she has a keg or free cocktails), and maybe trying to egg the American news anchors or at least shouting at them about how there are revolutions in at least two countries that require their focus a tiny bit more and certainly countless worthwhile issues in the US as well.

Yes, my heart is made of stone and apparently, in the British sense of the word anyhow, I’m a die-hard republican.

Proof!

A couple of my friends have recently posted this link on Facebook today, Dad’s Are the Original Hipster

And I would like to provide some additional proof:

I mean, seriously, look at the man.  Ironic t-shirt, ugly hat (which is currently sitting on my ironing board, but whatever), and just check out the bonkers hybrid mustache / beard on his face.  It’s not quite a goatee, either.  I have no idea what to call it, I just know it could show up in Shoreditch any day now.  On top of it all he’s probably listening to country western music and drunk as hell on cheap beer.

Items Learned

As I am now 34 entire years old I thought I would impart some of my elderly wisdom with you. 

Get ready, dear reader(s), this is certain to blow your mind(s).

Here are some things I have learned in the last 34 years:

1. Don’t rely on other people to bring the awesome on your birthday, you must bring it yourself.  Other people only understand how important their birthday is, not how important YOUR birthday is.  So if you want a party, plan it yourself, that way you’ll get what you want the first time.
2. 3D playing cards with kittens in costumes on them will always be the best possible present.
3. Airport food will always suck and it will always be stupidly expensive.
4. Don’t tighten all the screws on your new Ikea furniture until after you’ve put everything together. 
5. Italy is better than where you currently live.  It just is.  The food is better, the weather is better, the wine is better, the everything is better.  Unless you live in Italy, if this is the case I imagine there is probably someplace you think is better than Italy, but I don’t know where that place is, my brain isn’t ready yet.
6. Even though it’s probably true that the things that don’t kill you make you stronger, I would sometimes rather that those things just didn’t happen at all.  Being stronger isn’t really much of a payout to be honest.
7. Cats are better than dogs.  Dogs are still good, but cats are better.
8. It is okay to have pie for breakfast as long as it is apple pie because apples are healthy.  My grandma told me this therefore it is true.
9. Yoga is fun, especially when it involves chanting because chanting is sort of funny and helps you forget you are doing something that is actually pretty hard.
10. Some people are just jerks, but mostly when people do lousy things it isn’t out of malice, mostly they’re just being careless and maybe a little stupid.  It’s a rare thing, though, when they are actually out to get you.
11. When in doubt turn to old episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210.  You’ll find an answer (not necessarily the RIGHT answer, but you’ll still find an answer).
12. If you’re in a bad mood you should listen to the Pixies’ song Debaser.  Loudly.  You’ll feel better.
13. The theme music from the Exorcist is the scariest music ever.
14. Even though Krispy Kremes are delicious they’ll probably make you feel sick if you eat more than one.

 

I was going to try for 34 item, but it appears I’ve stalled at 14.  That’s enough wisdom for now.  It’s all a load of BS anyhow so it’s not like 20 more would make much difference. 

Except for number 8.  That’s rock solid truth.

Back from the thawing north

Even though we were only back in Michigan for a week, just under, really, it felt like we were there for at least 2 or 3.  In a good way though.

Dad’s party was a tremendous success.  Only 210 people were expected but at least 250 showed up, probably more.  One of the rules he decided on for the party was that there should be more laughs than tears and this was definitely the case.

People talked about him with such love and humour, I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of my father.  Sure he used to make me crazy and angry on a regular basis but he was still one of the most outstanding men I’ve ever known.  And, clearly, he touched a lot of lives in very positive ways.  We should all be so lucky.

My mom planned an amazing party, she put together hundreds of photos and pieces of memorabilia from Dad’s life.  Every table had a Donald Duck in the center and an ARDS support center brochure and K8DD card at each place.  Much to Mom’s dismay, a lot of fart jokes were told, but I think she just needs to accept the role that flatulence will always play in my father’s legacy.  It was truly one of his special talents.

We were all lucky to have known him despite this special talents.

Dad (K3DCB) and his friend Jim at the start of the obsession

Stories

I learned a new story about my dad today.

Back in the 60s his friend Jim came to see him in Detroit. Dad took Jim to a party thrown by a group of nurses because “You can get as drunk as you want, they’ll take care of you and you’ll get home safe.” On the walk over Dad decided he would use an Australian accent all night long. They got to the party an at some point Dad disappearred. For whatever reason it was 2 years before they spoke again and the first thing Dad said when he called Jim to catch up was “Hey, so I got home alright.”