Bag of Nerves

I get so nervous over little things. Tonight I'm going out with Felix to see Franz Ferdinand play at the Avalon Theatre. It's the first time in months that I've done anything without Emily or Madeleine, and it's so funny how much that scares me.

I take it as a sign that this is something I absolutely must do. "A person needs new experiences. They jar something deep inside, allowing him to grow. Without change something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken." Right? I'm worried I'll settle down too comfortably in my own little world, and begin to lose touch with reality.

I was a complete wreck as the plane touched down in Rome. Changing plans and planes
in Atlanta and Paris had shaken me, and knowing that a large city in a foreign country lay ahead of me got the better of my senses. But finally something clicked in me and I was able to function again. The whole trip had its difficulties that caused me plenty of worry, but that's part of what it made it so great for me. The high I felt (and am still feeling) is due in no small part to the feeling that I "survived" it.

But does seeing a band I'm familiar with in a venue I've all ready visited with one of my closest friends really count as a new experience? It's got me nervous enough, so we'll count it as one.

Grown Up

My girl is growing up too fast for me. We went bowling tonight, and I just couldn't believe she's all ready at the age where we can go on dates. Not just me dragging a toddler along, but having a real conversation - even if it was silly. She informed me that after she's a ballerina and a rock star, she's going to be a worm-helper (veterinarian for worms), and finally an eye doctor. Then she realized that before all that she needs to be a babysitter first. Then she told me that she's not a baby, so if I need someone to watch her, I should call a babysitter, I should a grownupsitter.

Death and Taxes

Oh good God. Today was "Tea Party" day. I'm making a note of it now, because within weeks it will be forgotten. If only we could remember the sheer volume of stupidity of this day, maybe we wouldn't be doomed to repeat it.

It's a covert Republican rally. The Republican brand has been shamed so thoroughly, they can no longer sell it. But I can't decide if it's laughable or frightening that their new tack is "Bring down the government!" They mean "Bring down the Democrats" but I don't know if that's clear enough to their constituents.

Hateful people can be stirred up into a dangerous frenzy, it's true. But I wonder if anything lasting will come of this, because the figureheads of the movement don't truly believe in it. It's all a soulless ploy to rebuild a political party. Amazingly enough, it's the party that created the economic problem they're rallying against.

I had a little bit of hope that our country had turned a corner, and Bush's incompetence had awoken the people to just what his party was up to. But here we are, he's only been out of office a couple months and these morons are clamoring for more.

Protesting taxation? Really? First of all, this is still Bush's tax rate. Obama hasn't done anything to it yet. If you had wanted change, you should have asked for it during the six years Republican control. Calling this tax code tyranny or even terrorism (Neil Boortz just did), is calling Bush a tyrant. You didn't like that so much when we did it, did you?

Secondly, these public places you're using for your rallies are maintained by your tax dollars. The roads you drove on to get there are maintained by your tax dollars. The schools you pulled your children out of, the police present keeping the peace, the military you claim to support, the very infrastructure that makes your everyday lives possible: all tax dollars. Don't fool yourselves.

Thirdly, there are a few historically handicapped folks (outside of Washington D.C.) that are screaming "no taxation without representation!" Hopefully not all of you are that stupid.

Speaking of history, how about these protesters claiming that this is all about getting back to what the founding fathers had in mind? I heard a woman claiming that this is about small business, as the constitution intended. Completely unaware of what the Constitution actually says (specifically regarding tax), she also didn't realize that under the original constitution, she would not have a vote.

Finally: teabagging? Seriously? Your mothers must be so proud.

But why do I worry? Like I said, in a few weeks this will all be forgotten. America will go on as usual. I'm just recording the parade of idiocy.

Fastball

Fastball has a new album out today, so I'm writing about it before I ever hear it. I have a problem with new albums from bands that I love. I never like them at first. I don't know why, but my first day with an album is always a disappointment. Fastball has been this way for me, so have Spoon, Rufus Wainwright, and the Strokes. Almost always, I go on to love the album, but it takes awhile. So, I'm experimenting this time, and getting all my negative feelings out beforehand. Now we'll see what happens when I listen.

I'm also looking to buy the new Franz Ferdinand album. I'm still not so sold on their previous one, but I've discovered another interesting facet that colors my view of an album (like cover artwork): release date. There is something to be said about being contemporary. Maybe it comes from studying music of the sixties and wondering what it was like to hear this music in context. But I happen to enjoy an album differently (not necessarily more or less) when I know that other people are also hearing it for the first time.

It's a surprising revelation, actually, how much more goes into my view of music than just music. My opinion of the artist (or in some cases, only the limited view of the artist's image) shapes my opinion of their songs. I guess it's like blindfolded taste-tests; the tongue has a different taste for things without the eyes telling it what to expect.