Crisis? What Crisis?

...when half of what they got, you know, they never will use.  Enough to get by suits me fine; I don't care if you think I'm funny...

          I've got the baton.  I enjoyed following Ginny, but yesterday she forwarded all her planned titles, which—I think—means she's relayed the song-a-day baton.  Hopefully she'll resume.  Until then, I'll cherry pick from her list and make up my own until...questionmark.

          Choosing a title is much more complex than the linear exercise of identifying a song to fit someone else's title.  This conundrum (similar to mentally wrestling with a kōan) stems from my mind instantaneously "discarding" titles which don't immediately pair-up with a tune from my frontal and parietal lobes.  Even when I remind myself the challenge is to force yourself to dredge deep; you can't do that if you're putting the song before the title, my conscious brain still cheats when it competes with itself.  I never could finish a paint-by-numbers, because I already knew what it would look like.    

          Today's title:  A Song That Describes You.

          The Supertramp song, Poor Boy, succinctly describes my personal politics, character, as well as a portion of my attitude (lassitude?) towards others and life in general.  The "mouth-trumpet" which bookends the song is a key ingredient to my enjoyment of it.  For me, it imbues an attitude of:  too destitute to own an instrument but not too proud to fake it.

          The one lyric which captures me best:  Although I'll rant an I'll rave about one thing an' another...the beauty of it is (hope you'll agree)...tho' I'm a poor boy, I can still be happy, as long as I can feel free.

Day 11 - A Song You Can Dance To

No Children

          In the spirit of being a good military wingman (Ginny's probably currently engaging the enemy with Gatling guns a-blazin) and a desire to—mixed metaphor ahead—pick up the fumbled ball and serve it with scallions and cheese...I'll keep her video-for-a-month thing going with an abstruse tip o' the dunce cap to April 1^st (All Fools Day).  My title for today is A Song That Makes You Laugh.

          The Mountain Goats, No Children fits perfectly by causing giggle fits.  
 

          I was never mentally supercharged enough to orchestrate an April Fools Day Joke.  Days like today were the bane of my youth.  In pre-cellphone years not only would I arrive an hour late each year on the day after Spring-forward's daylight savings but six months later I'd arrive an hour early after failing to Fall-back; I'd always get pinched for failing to wear green on March 17^th; and I seemed to be a prank-magnet every April's Fools Day morning (after falling for the first one, I'd then engage my remain-vigilant and overly-suspicious filter).

Day 10 - A Song That Describes You

Ahhh've Seen Trouble All My Days

          As a serial monogamist, I've been involved with, married to, or in a serious relationship with, a relatively small quantity of women.   Over the decades, I willingly adapted to the druthers, hobbies, and preferences of my partner.  I started with Catholic Mass (I was young, forgive me for my hypocrisy) and over the next thirty years, as I dumped /slash/ became the dumpee /slash/ agreed we should go our separate ways...I morphed.  From church, to wherever any other military personnel would not be, to bingo, to wherever her boyfriend wouldn't be, to slot machines, to hiking trails, to dance clubs, to casinos, to . . .

          In 2003 I fell in love with a woman who loves to sing Karaoke.  Last year she agreed to be my fiancée (pronounced fy-ants).  And, can't forget to mention:  she's bona fide.

          Did you know that is the grammatically correct spelling?  Two words?  Latin?  I didn't.  Not until this very moment.  Which is what Ginny's 30-day marathon is supposed to accomplish!  Today is Day 8: A song you know all the words to.

          Now I—too—kroak on occasion; and I've learned the words to some.  One of my favorites is The Soggy Bottom Boy's rendition of Man of Constant Sorrow.  Here's why it is the perfect song to sing in public:

• Not many sing it because nobody remembers the artist or title.
• Once the first chords begin...everybody recalls it from the film, and loves it.
• It's short.
• You can almost talk all the words with a breathy nasal twang.
• There are a few well-spaced instrumental breaks so you can catch your breath.
• If you over-pantomime a few hillbilly-esque step-turn-kicks and duck-walks (from the film) while pretending to run your thumbs under shoulder straps you can OWN the audience.

Day 9 - A Song That Makes You Laugh

Birthday Event

          Ginny's title the 7^th day of this month-long videorama is A Song That Reminds You of a Certain Event.

          How apropos.

          Today is my birthday.

          My favorite impressionist painter was also born today.

          I'm unsure which came first—learning that our births were exactly 106 years apart or falling in love with his brushstroke-genius.  Vincent by Don McLean always reminds me of today.  As an added coinkeydink...my favorite painting is at the three-minute and thirty-second point of this video.

          For all the skeptics who don't believe in coincidences:  Ginny and I didn't discuss today's topic ahead of time.  It's just a happy circumstance that her song reminds her of giving birth and my song reminds me that Vincent Van Gogh's and Veach Glines's geboorte verjaardag valt samen.  Since, in the US, today's date is depicted: 3-30; I also didn't coordinate with the creator of this video to insure Wheatfield with Crows would appear at the 3.30 mark...and it really has been my favorite since 1994, when I saw it at the Van Gogh Museum.

Day 8 - Song That You Know All the Words To

1970, Winter, Ohio

...one floor below me you don't even know me, I love you...

          -  Caught my Mother in a lie; began filtering my thoughts and actions (and stopped confiding).
          -  Had my first crush on a classmate—Janice Brailer (but not on her twin, Janet).
          -  Discovered masturbation (far out, man).
          -  Began to cultivate a new-found interest in music different from that favored by family members.
          -  Asked for a Panasonic Ball Radio for Christmas, which I'd seen in a magazine.
          -  Joined the Nashport Elementary basketball team (a mean feat for the shortest boy in class).
          -  Became crossing guard (allowed to be late for first period; had to leave last period before everyone else).

           I actually received the Christmas present I asked for—unheard of in my family—since we normally received clothes, books, safe and sanitized bargain-bin toys which may have been popular a year or two prior, and odd things that mom and ²dad wrongfully concluded we would enjoy.  I hung this radio on my headboard and listened to it constantly until the battery died.  And the next battery.  And the next.  Weeks.  Months.  Any rainy weekend, most winter evenings, every night...I was in my bedroom with the door closed.  Doing homework.  Reading books.  Beating off while fantasizing about Janice.  But always listening to my radio.

          Day 6 of Ginny's month o' videos title is A song that reminds you of someplace.   Knock Three Times by Tony Orlando and Dawn, reminds me of that entire winter.

Day 7 - Song that Reminds You of an Event