Almost two months ago Ben tagged me with this post and said:
5) I’m passing this meme on to:
Kirk at Limpidity, as he hasn’t posted or emailed in awhile;
AnalogKid at RandomNuclearStrikes, as he is one of my favorites nowadays;
and Joe Huffman. I just can’t see him having a big Styx collection that he rocks out to on Saturday nights.
No Styx at all. But at this minute on this Saturday night I’m listening to Ten Years After, A Space in Time. A few minutes ago it was Uncle Bonsai, The Inessential Uncle Bonsai.
I didn’t really mean to wait this long before responding. I had to think about it some. Since we had our first kid, 21 years and nearly five months ago we pretty much stopped listening to music. When the kid(s) were awake music would have just added to the din. When they were quiet (asleep) we were so grateful for the quiet we just enjoyed the silence. When driving alone I usually have some talk radio station on. Music? Hmmm… maybe when I’m cleaning house or something.
I’m in my new digs in the Seattle area now and feeling a little sad and alone. I bought some decent speakers for my computer for the first time and after listening to some Boomershoot sounds put on some music to test them out. It sounds good. It helps bring the mood up a bit. On the drive over I played music in the most geeky way I could think: I played Elvis, The Ventures, and Uncle Bonsai on the laptop computer running off the inverter, the laptop sound output went into a small FM transmitter which I either played into the FM receiver in my new cell-phone and headphones or through the car radio. The laptop also had Microsoft Streets and Trips with the GPS unit running to track my speed, altitude, and of the course exact position. Then there was the walkie-talkie on my arm to communicate chat with Barb and her sister in the Jeep. They came over to catch a cheap flight to the D.C. area to visit Jason.
So… anyway on to the music meme (and Van Halen on the computer):
1) How much music do I have?
Probably 100 albums total. About an even split between CD’s, cassette tapes (I used to see lots of eight tracks but never had one myself), and vinyl albums. I haven’t listened to vinyl since Kim (or was it Xenia?) broke the needle on the turntable when she was just a toddler. James broke it too and we replaced it only to have it destroyed again by one of his sisters.
2) What was the last CD I bought?
Probably the complete collection of Uncle Bonsai a few months ago. I’m not sure. I had a couple of their albums on a pirated cassette and really wanted it legit and in good quality.
3) What am I listening to right now?
You Really Got Me, Van Halen.
4) Five songs I listen to that mean a lot to me?
N/A is probably the best answer. Music doesn’t doesn’t really have “meaning” for me. It’s a pleasant distraction from boredom. If pressed for something more than that I would say That’s What You Get for Loving Me, by Gordon Lightfoot. I don’t listen to it very often, maybe once every couple of years. But over 30 years ago Barb and I were listening to Gordon Lightfoot in the car while parked overlooking Orofino and the Clearwater valley. I decided I would kiss her for the first time when the next song came on. That was the song. Then there was Having My Baby (You’re) that played on the radio immediately after another milestone in our relationship. I can’t remember the last time I listened to that.
5) I’m passing this meme on to:
Whoever wants it.