H-H-H Happy New Year

Happy New Year, everyone. May it bring better things for all of us, and may those of us who are happy stay happy, dammit. My resolution -- stop thinking, and just do! No more obsessing about everything. Enjoy life when I am happy instead of worrying about when the source of my happiness will be yanked, because no matter what one does, you can't protect yourself from being hurt or sad. And why would you want to? Anyway, my happiness needs to come from within. Awwwww....

I'm fresh out of thoughts, so here are some pictures.

Insert cheesy cliche about the innocence of children, or just bask in the insane cuteness of this kid. Look at that face. Seriously. Look at that face.

Happy 30th Birthday, Jess!

This picture is jacked, but I still like it because we look happy, and the balloon is kind of cool.

An Anniversary

In Memoriam, 1942-1988. 17 years, but I still think of you each day and miss you.

The Denial Twist

My obsession with The Strokes (12:51 from the very great Room on Fire) and The White Stripes (The Denial Twist, my favorite from Get Behind Me Satan) continues.

How long until you stop caring and forget? I finally got around to watching "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," or most of it at least, and the concept is interesting. Would I want to forget? Is all of this worth it? At the very least, I can take comfort in the fact that as hard as I have tried to protect my heart, keep it swathed in non-committal feelings, not give too much of it up, and entertain notions of "I'm fine and I'm strong," it is still bruised. OK, so that sucks because obviously no one likes to feel this way. But on the side formerly known as Bright, I still retain my humanity and my emotion and a soft, somewhat malleable heart though I try so desperately to be a strong, modern, independent woman (Bah! What a farce, at least to a certain extent). I just hope that I don't succeed some day in the road to Unscathed, but Cold. Or maybe I do. Hope, that is.

Strange

OK, I'm trying something new. Back to a.m. songs in my head, here's one:



It's actually Strange, by Built to Spill, from Ancient Melodies of the Future

Let's see if that worked.

OK, I checked -hurray, it worked! I don't like the shameless advertising to Amazon, especially given that Amazon is a red company (BLEAH). But still, it makes it more interesting to the one person who reads this blog besides me (thanks, Jess). I am clearly the biggest geek among my circle of friends. Unless any of you Q&C people are reading this, which I highly doubt.

One thing. John Kerry, stop. Please, stop. Go back to being the junior senator from Massachusetts. Seriously. We gave you our all and you lost, and now we are tired of you.

So Built to Spill was in my head this morning, which is odd because lately I've been inundating myself with Christmas music. These days, there is too much music that makes me sad, but Christmas music always gives me that warm feeling. And snow, look at that marvelous snow! Well you can't really see it now because it's too dark, but earlier it was beautiful. But sad, too. Maybe I'm just sad.

Snow!

This morning on the el, I had my head buried in my book and The Chemical Brothers, and looked up momentarily to see the city swathed in gentle snow. I unwittingly timed it well, as it was during the long stretch between Sedgwick and Chicago, and I could see the city look beautiful and heartstopping and hopeful, for a moment at least.