Day 30 – Dressing
Tuesday’s Theme Music
After reading about South Dakota’s disparaging remarks about herd mentality and the subsequent spike in COVID-19 cases in that states, I thought of the phrase, against all odds.
Against all odds, Alabama held back until it was conclusively demonstrated that despite not being like California, Alabama was going to experience the coronavirus. Checking the news today, I see two thought-provoking headlines to use to compare and contrast:
Alabama Tourism Among States Least Affected By Coronavirus
Mobile sees surge, added the most coronavirus cases in Alabama last week
The first article tells that Alabama’s tourism industry has been one of the least hard-hit in the nation. In the second article, ADPH reports that Mobile surged from 158 cases last week to 468 this week.
Anyway, I can hammer the point that social distancing works, but against all odds, churches, some Republican governors, and Liberty University disbelieve the facts and refuse to take the recommended actions.
And anyway, now that I’ve made this a stupidly long post for a theme music entry, today’s theme music is Phil Collins with “Against All Odds (Take A Look at Me Now)”, a 1984 song written for the movies, “Against All Odds”. Kind of a slow song, bit of sappy movie montage behind it, and it doesn’t even mention odds (what are the odds of that?). Not much of a theme song. Don’t Rachel Ward and Jeff Bridges look pretty, though?
Oh, well.
Cheers
Monday’s Theme Music
“Geez, look at the friggin’ numbers, rising and rising, when will it end?”
“My god, did you read the news?”
“Look at those people! None of them wearing a mask, or gloves, and they’re not six feet apart!”
Such responses to things led to today’s song. Blasting out of 1978 right into today, it’s Chic with “Le Freak”. You can sing along with the refrain, “Ahhh, freak out!”
Yeah, read, think, talk, wonder, watch, and freak out. Perfect for today. Music, with a slice of humor and nostalgia.
Sunday’s Theme Music
After watching people walking up the street this morning (teens, no social distancing or masks, quite oblivious to what’s happening in the world it seems) from the shelter of my home office, I streamed “Gimme Shelter” by the Stones in my head. Next, “Shelter Me” by Joe Cocker bubbled through the stream.
But then then young ones drifted away like dandelion seeds in the wind. Absence their chattering, I instead took in blue skies and sunshine, the ever-greening world, and the promise of another day. With that, “Everyday Sunshine” by Fishbone jumped into my head. I seems like I haven’t heard that song for years, maybe since it came out in 1991. As it’s considered alt-rock, I don’t think it ever got the play time that it deserved, but it’s a lively, upbeat melody.
With a h/t to Metrolyrics.com, here are some of the lyrics.
I wish everyday the sun would shine
Take me to another place in my mind
Where everything is beautiful
And no wants or needs
Nor sign of greed
Could rule our soul
How I wish everyday sunshine
How I wish everyday sunshine
If we could fly away on wings
To a place where all could be true
And the skies were blue
And love was true
And me and you
His Rules
He wears the same damn pants every day. They’re loose, so he doesn’t need to watch his weight.
He’s added pockets to his pants for the remotes so they’ll never be lost (not that he goes far – frig, microwave, shitter, couch). He wears a utility belt with Tums, cough drops, and other crap that he might need that he doesn’t want to get up to get. A small frig resides besides the couch for essential soda and beer.
Clocks and calendars have been removed; who needs time? Sleeping on the couch makes the whole damn thing easier. He doesn’t plan to bathe or shave until this whole damn thing is over, his protest against government overreach.
Still, his mouth is hurting, so he’s thinking, maybe he’ll break down and brush his teeth.
Happy Pretend Everything Really Is Okay Day
Hadn’t been reaching much news today (cause it felt icky on my tongue and was searing my senses) so I didn’t know until just now that today is Pretend-Everything-Really-Is-Okay Day.
Wow. As I age, I discover that I frequently don’t know WTF is going on (and even more frequently don’t care), so I’m not so surprised that you could knock me out with a feather for not knowing today is PERIOD. I don’t have happy memories of PERIOD (see, I just found out about it), even though it’s been around for several thousands years, pre-dating just about every holiday that exists.
I read that celebrating PERIOD means doing things that you would normally do, even if something is going on that might disturb you. You’re supposed to watch television, read, surf the net, clean house, shower, shit, shave, and eat, etc., as though everything is like baked Alaska.
What’d you know? That’s exactly how I celebrated PERIOD.
So Happy PERIOD to you, full stop. Hope you had a damn fine holiday.
Saturday’s Theme Music
Reading the news today, Sonny and Cher’s big 1967 hit, “The Beat Goes On”, sprang into the mental music stream. I’m sure we all know why that song deserves to be today’s theme music.
More
More cases, more deaths, more jokes about drinking wine.
More demands about re-opening businesses, and then everything will be fine.
More stories about valor and the sacrifices made.
More stories about lying, misinformation, and the debts to be paid.
Some things will not change, don’t seem they ever will,
But every time we go through something like, someone pays the bill.
It’s not usually the rich, nor the pols running the gov,
It’s the workers and the nurses and the people that we love.
Friday’s Theme Music
Showered. Shaved. Teeth were brushed. Headed out to make breakfast and thought, yeah, feel like steppin’ out. Which, you know, can be done, but with risk. How much risk? Some; we’re trying to flatten the curve, conserve resources, and buy time until we have a COVID-19 vaccine or we’ve developed herd immunity. Both are expected to require some time to pass. We hope, by social distancing and isolation, we’ll keep the illness and death down in the meantime.
While walking into the kitchen after those thoughts, Joe Jackson’s 1982 song, “Steppin’ Out”, began its fast-paced melodic beat in my mind. That opening track, with its humming vibrancy, captures the anticipation of going out at night to meet people and have fun.
Maybe on another day. Not today, but it’s a good song to help pass the time until then.
Cheers
Michael Seidel, writer 