I'm pulling an all-nighter tonight because I need to be really sleep tomorrow night so I can get to sleep at 8:00 pm and up by 4:30. Gotta get down to Dad's by 6:30 am on Friday so we can get on the road for my uncle's in Ohio by 7:00.
So, right now, I'm making tapes for my dad's truck (it's an old truck, with only a tape player--we tried to play a CD Walkman with a car adapter a few years back, and it didn't work). I got Lyle Lovett, John Mellencamp (his blues album), the Monkees, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Steve Goodman, and Jim Croce so far. Dad's a big fan of folk music, but also likes classic oldies, so I'll also be taping the Beatles' Love album and some Paul Simon. He can keep all these tapes so he'll have something new to listen to on his long road trips east that he takes a few times a year.
Then I just need to finish cleaning the apartment while I'm up, get tanked up on caffeine, go to work before 9:00, and then see if my boss will let me take a half day (I don't think I'll be very functional at work) so I can come home, do laundry, pack, and then go to bed.
Sometimes, even weekends away are almost more trouble getting ready for than they're worth.
Hee! That Steve Goodman tape was really giving me problems--for some reason, my pretty old boombox that I'm using to tape has problems recognizing certain CDs (it doesn't think they're in the player when they are). I ended up burning a CD of the songs I wanted to tape, and then taping off of that copy. It's not a complete waste of time--I can put that CD in my car, since it'll save me having to pull my favorite songs off the two-CD set.
I love Steve Goodman--there's a new biography on him that I've got on order at the library. The man definitely died waaaay too young.
I must confess my ignorance of Steve Goodman. ETA: which is quite embarrassing when I look up his bio only to find he is quite the famous CHICAGOAN. I even thought his, "Lincoln Park Pirates" was written by Arranmore.
I'm sad because when I got in projection asked me if I could screen Pirates tonight but it turns out they don't need to screen it until tomorrow morning. Wah!
Too bad you couldn't see it tonight, Laga!
Steve Goodman is best known as a songwriter (his "City of New Orleans" was his biggest hit outside of Chicago, even though Arlo Guthrie was the one who made it a hit). "Lincoln Park Pirates" is fun, but my favorite is "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request." His 2-disc set, "No Big Surprise," is definitely worth a listen if you can find it. Disc 1 is his studio stuff, and disc 2 is my favorite--his live music. He was a brilliant improvisor, and had a legendary memory of songs. On one track, he's at a concert asking if anyone has a cowboy hat he could wear while singing "You Never Even Call Me By My Name," but gets distracted when he's offered a motorcycle helmet instead. So, he goes off on a medley of what starts off as motorcycle songs ("Born To Be Wild"), and then quickly morphs into "dead girl songs"--"Teen Angel," "Tell Laura I Love Her," and "Strange Things Happen." Very fun to listen to!
I think I know what my Dad's getting for Christmas this year.
meanwhile I am totally in love with this game [link] it feels like the sweetly meditative opposite of Defend Your Castle.
Yesterday evening I went to the farmer's market and everything looked so good. I ended up with a dinner of tomatoes and artisanal cheese, some whole wheat bread, and finishing up with real strawberries. yum.
"I've got a long list of people I'd like to see blasted into space, but it's not that long."
