Let's Face It

Hello all - hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Just a brief post about the past week in my corner of the world. As it turns out, my face was the center of quite a bit of activity, albeit somewhat unplanned. :c)

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Cassidy Coughs Up a New Post

Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the extended absence, especially in light of my previous post promising an imminent follow-up. I do have a good excuse, however... honest!

I'm afraid I've been down for the count for nearly two full weeks with the flu. Yes, again, believe it or not. I had a particularly nasty bout with it for nearly a month back in December/January. I was hoping I'd be spared my usual March follow-up visit, but alas, it was simply biding its time.

On the bright side, I didn't get sick until I had just about finished work for the current project at work. It's been a very busy six months. I was also dealing with the fallout I've alluded to in my personal life as well.

I suspect my immune system held off the bug until I could finally take a bit of time. This has happened in the past when I've completed a major project, so it would make sense. I haven't been quite as sick as I was around the holidays, fortunately, but I'm still coping with a persistent cough and seemingly endless congestion.

That said, today was the first day in some time I felt as if I was improving. I'm hoping with the weekend imminent (and good weather as well - it's been a particularly raw and damp spring here in New England) that I can get past this. I am chomping at the bit to go for a run. But I've learned my lesson - better to wait an extra day or two than set off a relapse that puts me right back where I started.

OK, time for this girl to get some rest. In the meantime, here's a quick shot to give you some idea of my current cadaverous pallor:

OK, I really *am* paler than usual at the moment... but not cadaverous like this! Joking aside, isn't the light in this shot wild? Pretty cool, eh?

***

Like many of us, I suspect, I've been listening obsessively to A Moon Shaped Pool, Radiohead's new album. I'm a huge fan, so my opinion is admittedly biased, but I think it's absolutely brilliant. If you haven't already, check out the video for "Daydreaming." The song and the video are stunningly
beautiful:

And from back in the day, here's their ferocious performance of "Paranoid Android" at the 1997 Glastonbury Festival:

Man, are Jonny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien monster guitar players or what?!? I love their more experimental albums, but I know I can put on OK Computer and (particularly) The Bends when I need an energy boost on a run. :c)

And to prove a great song is endlessly adaptable, here are Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings with a mesmerizing cover of "Black Star":

Dave Rawlings is the best guitarist I have ever seen. Period. And I saw Stevie Ray Vaughan. :c)

Finally, for comparison, here's the original, from 1995's The Bends:

Songs like this show why they frequently merit comparison with Pink Floyd at its most majestic. Just stunning.

Off to bed here. Have a nice weekend, all, and I'll do my best to get to posting weekly again!

Be On The Lookout...

...another post is en route shortly! :c)

Meanwhile, since waiting is the theme du post, here are The Jayhawks, with a great live version of "Waiting for the Sun," from their classic 1991 Hollywood Town Hall album. I was lucky enough to see them in 1992, and they were every bit as good as this performance promised.

Their new album, Paging Mr. Proust (produced by R.E.M.'s Peter Buck!) comes out Friday, and is getting great advance buzz. Already ordered my copy. :c)

Musings: Grow Grow Grow / Long Long Long

Hi everyone. This post evolved quite a bit as I worked on it today. I've had a lot on my mind the past few months, and that came out as I was writing this today. It began as a brief post on my recent visit to the salon, but it soon evolved into something much more involved.

Upon reading it now, I think the two pieces of the post - the original, somewhat light-hearted idea, and the more intensive, soul-searching conclusion - share a common thread: self-worth, and self-awareness. I hope you find it worthwhile.

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Chilled Cass (a/k/a Spring Has Been Sprung)

Chuffed Cass, searching the Internet for where spring went.

Happy Sunday evening from frigid New England. The weather has been crazy here, even by Boston standards. On Thursday and Friday of last week the temperatures reached 70 F (21 C); I wore sandals to work for the first time since last October.

Today? Snow, a high temperature of 32F (0C), and gale force winds (with gusts up to 60 mph/96kph). Tomorrow will be even colder, with half a foot of snow (~15 cm) and more wind. You would never suspect that tomorrow is Opening Day for most major league baseball teams, including personal favorites Boston and Seattle. (Toronto and Pittsburgh, my other two adopted teams, actually opened - and won - their season openers today - yea!)

Anyway, I just wanted to check in and say hello; I'm wiped out after four-plus intense months on both the personal and professional fronts. With a bit of luck the craziness on the professional side peaked last Friday, and should begin to slow down considerably - and not a moment too soon, to be honest.

I promise I'll write more detailed posts soon; at the moment I'm just too worn out at the end of the day, or even on the weekends, to do much more than the cursory posts I've been putting up recently. Thank you for bearing with me, all. :c) Have a good week, everyone...

***

In honor of Opening Day, here's a lovely song by folk singer Chuck Brodsky, "Letters in the Dirt." While the ostensible subject of the song is baseball (and specifically Richie Allen, an outstanding player for the Philadelphia Phillies in the Sixties), it's really a moving meditation on racism, injustice, and childhood innocence.

I'm pretty sure I've posted this next one before, but it's such a great song it deserves to be heard again. Greg Brown's thoughtful "Laughing River," from his 1992 Dream Cafe album, uses baseball as a metaphor for self-acceptance, resilience, and contentment.

This has always felt like a song Gordon Lightfoot could have written, which is high praise indeed. Perhaps it's the chord changes, or that it's set on Michigan's Upper Peninsula; regardless, it's one that is clearly inspired by one of Canada's greatest songwriters, and more than does him justice.

Last but not least, a song that sums up the past few days here - the great Bill Evans (from his classic 1962 Moonbeams album) and "It Might As Well Be Spring." It should, but this certainly helps take the chill out of the air while we wait for it...

Quick Sunday Night Check-in

Hi everyone, and Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates it. Hope the Easter Beagle was good to you today.

Apologies for the gap between posts; I've made it past my major deadline at work, but things are still quite busy with the remaining work for my projects. It isn't difficult, but there's a lot to do. And quite honestly, I'm running on fumes.

It isn't just work, although that is certainly a major factor. I think this deserves its own post, so perhaps I'll save it for the next one. For now, suffice it to say I'm weary. Not tired - weary. I've learned the hard way what happens when I don't listen to my body, so I'm taking steps to address this before it gets out of hand. More to come on that.

I thought I'd end with two songs that are semi-related to Easter. The first is "The End of the World," from U2's Achtung Baby.

While it doesn't get discussed much now, U2 were identified as a Christian band early in their career, with many overt references in their songs. This song, from 1991, is a later example of that influence. The lyrics are a conversation between Jesus and Judas Iscariot, told from Judas's point of view. It is a powerful song from one of their masterpieces:

The Edge's guitar work on this is just astonishing. Such a great song.

The second song is from Robbie Robertson's self-titled debut album from 1987. Like many great songs, "Broken Arrow" is open to interpretation. Robertson is half-Jewish and half-Native Canadian, and the lyrics contain several instances of Native American/Canadian symbolism (a broken arrow is a symbol of peace, while a bottle of rain represents a wish for prosperity for the recipient).

I tried for years to decipher the meaning of this song. Late one night, I suddenly realized that while they could certainly be taken as a love song - and, judging from Robertson's anguished vocals, an intensely personal love song - but also as Jesus talking to God.

Who else is gonna bring you a broken arrow?
Who else is gonna bring you a bottle of rain?
There I go
Moving across the water
There you go
Turning my whole world around

Can you feel what I feel?
Can we make it so that's part of the deal?
I will hold you in these arms of steel
Lay your heart on the line
This time

Can you see what I see?
Can you cut behind the mystery?
Count the beads of sweat that cover me
Can you show me a sign
This time?

Who else is gonna bring you a broken arrow?
Who else is gonna bring you a bottle of rain?
There I go, moving across the water
There you go, turning my whole world around

I'm gonna come when you call
I'll get to you if I have to crawl
I will meet you by the witness tree
Leave the whole world behind
This time

Who else is gonna bring you a broken arrow?
Who else is gonna bring you a bottle of rain?
There I go, moving across the water
There you go, turning my whole world around

Regardless, it is a remarkable song from one of my very favorite albums. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Me & U2 (24 Years)

Happy St. Patrick's Day, all. Hope you had a lovely Thursday.

24 years ago tonight, in 1992, I attended a concert that remains as one of my most cherished memories: U2 at the Boston Garden. Follow along for the details...

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