And the ghost of Carl, he approached my window...I was hypnotized, I was asked to improvise
The mixed Cds of Mary Katharine Baynor never cease to amaze me. She can go from Phantom of the Opera into the Time Warp or from Otis Redding to End of the Century (from Dance Dance Revolution). Tonight it was a mix CD that had some Sufjan Stevens on it that got my brain going as I drove. (I wish I had a tape recorder for my brain while I drive because, I swear, I’m like Whitman or Emerson with these grand thoughts that make sense and flow artistically.) I have been toying with the idea of starting up on a live journal again so here I am…
My thoughts tonight were spurred by "part 1: the world's columbian exposition part 2: carl sandburg visits me in a dream" by Sufjan Stevens. It’s this amazing song with great lyrics about the Colombian Exposition that took place in Chicago in 1893. It speaks of the Ferris wheel, Frank Lloyd Wright and Carl Sandberg. The woodwind parts are intricate and brilliantly fun.
Hearing this song tonight made me think of being in Chicago a few years ago. We were in the city for a music education conference (in itself was very inspiring) but my best memories are of that day I spent alone wandering about…..walking along the Navy Pier on a very cold (and windy) December afternoon by myself. ….taking pictures of the Ferris wheel so white against a surprisingly blue sky (considering it was winter)…..taking refuge from the wind in the stained glass museum….looking at Tiffany windows while contrapuntal fugues and chorales of Bach played softly from the speakers in the ceiling…..collecting pressed pennies.
All of these specific memories and the almost palpable feeling of being relaxed and completely free along the streets under tall buildings and next to the river that winds through the city….all from hearing one song. I think it is beautiful how such little things can bring such memories and feeling in me. I like that I can chronicle my life by what album I was listening to. I hear a song and I can feel the hurt of a heartbreak or the memory of the first time I truly laughed after it. I can remember driving in the car with the windows down or looking across a crowded party filled with faces of the people that meant the most to me at that time. I love that I have music to be that strong connection to my past.
Sidenote: This brings me to a brief conversation I had with one of Eddie’s coworkers yesterday. We walked outside after lunch and there was a slight cool breeze that had the first inkling of autumn to it. She said, “This reminds me of marching band.” I nodded my head and thought about how it is the same way for me. The first breeze with a hint of autumn blows and in it I can hear the drum cadence echoing off the stadium and can smell the fallen leaves. It is like how the first warm day after winter makes Eddie think of baseball. I am sure that he can hear the crack of the bat and smell the freshly cut grass of the outfield.
This is where my thoughts end tonight for now...
I hope to write in this journal with some consistency as writing used to be such a large part of my life and it is something I would like to get back to. I have a little more time (and am much more relaxed since my change in occupation) and hope that I can keep up with it.
Good night, gentle readers. (Have to keep something from my old journal days...)
My thoughts tonight were spurred by "part 1: the world's columbian exposition part 2: carl sandburg visits me in a dream" by Sufjan Stevens. It’s this amazing song with great lyrics about the Colombian Exposition that took place in Chicago in 1893. It speaks of the Ferris wheel, Frank Lloyd Wright and Carl Sandberg. The woodwind parts are intricate and brilliantly fun.
Hearing this song tonight made me think of being in Chicago a few years ago. We were in the city for a music education conference (in itself was very inspiring) but my best memories are of that day I spent alone wandering about…..walking along the Navy Pier on a very cold (and windy) December afternoon by myself. ….taking pictures of the Ferris wheel so white against a surprisingly blue sky (considering it was winter)…..taking refuge from the wind in the stained glass museum….looking at Tiffany windows while contrapuntal fugues and chorales of Bach played softly from the speakers in the ceiling…..collecting pressed pennies.
All of these specific memories and the almost palpable feeling of being relaxed and completely free along the streets under tall buildings and next to the river that winds through the city….all from hearing one song. I think it is beautiful how such little things can bring such memories and feeling in me. I like that I can chronicle my life by what album I was listening to. I hear a song and I can feel the hurt of a heartbreak or the memory of the first time I truly laughed after it. I can remember driving in the car with the windows down or looking across a crowded party filled with faces of the people that meant the most to me at that time. I love that I have music to be that strong connection to my past.
Sidenote: This brings me to a brief conversation I had with one of Eddie’s coworkers yesterday. We walked outside after lunch and there was a slight cool breeze that had the first inkling of autumn to it. She said, “This reminds me of marching band.” I nodded my head and thought about how it is the same way for me. The first breeze with a hint of autumn blows and in it I can hear the drum cadence echoing off the stadium and can smell the fallen leaves. It is like how the first warm day after winter makes Eddie think of baseball. I am sure that he can hear the crack of the bat and smell the freshly cut grass of the outfield.
This is where my thoughts end tonight for now...
I hope to write in this journal with some consistency as writing used to be such a large part of my life and it is something I would like to get back to. I have a little more time (and am much more relaxed since my change in occupation) and hope that I can keep up with it.
Good night, gentle readers. (Have to keep something from my old journal days...)