Thursday Tidbits

Posted on October 7, 2021 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

From earworms to books

I often sound like a broken record. Of course, most people under the age of 40 have no idea what this means in a literal sense. For the benefit of all my loyal millennial readers out there (all 3 of you), back in the days of vinyl records (which are making a huge comeback), it was not uncommon for the stylus of your record player to hit a groove, causing a phrase to repeat itself incessantly until someone gently lifted the arm and moved it ahead a groove or two. Hell, maybe this is how the term ‘groovy’ was coined!

Last week, I wrote about the soundtrack of my youth listing 25+ of my favourite songs. A few of you sent messages with some of yours. Obviously, there are still a lot of Beatles fans out there. This week, I’m turning the page and will chat briefly about books.

I wish that I could say that I have been a voracious reader my entire life. I would be far wiser today and wouldn’t have wasted so much time watching television. While I have tried (in vain) to live a life of moderation, I am convinced that that’s just not in my DNA. I am a feast or famine kind of guy. To wit, this past summer, as restrictions were lifted back home, I spent some of my hard- earned cash on beer, wine and restaurant meals on a fairly regular basis. It felt so damn good to be able to go to a patio to quaff an ale, have Friday afternoon hors d’oeuvres with my walking partner, or share a nice meal with friends old and new. Now that I’m back in the saddle, I haven’t had any alcohol and there aren’t a whole lot of patio restaurants in the village thereby curbing my appetite for a delicious meal… prepared by someone else.

I have mentioned more than once in this space (cue the broken record) that I have first rate accommodations this year up north. I have an entire house to myself, and it has Sirius radio, excellent internet, and a couple of flat screen TV’s for watching Netflix and Prime. I don’t have cable. At first, I was worried that I would suffer withdrawal pains from not being able to watch sports and news, my two mainstays. I got over this quickly. I am not missing the mind numbing, inane, soul-destroying ads which utterly ruin television as far as I’m concerned. I know it’s a necessary evil or there wouldn’t be any live television but, come on, do TV execs think we’re all morons? Yup. They do and they will continue to force feed us tasteless gruel, as long as we’ll consume it.

In the absence of Kurt Browning spouting the merits of reverse mortgages, I have returned to books. When I get on a roll, I read a lot. Feast. Famine. Presently, biographies are my genre. I just finished Michelle Obama’s excellent book called “Becoming”. It’s quite a story and one that I think most people would enjoy. I have just begun to read Nelson Mandela’s “Conversations With Myself”. He was truly one of the giants of the 20^th century. I have been lugging around Walter Isaacson’s biography of Leonardo Da Vinci. Leonardo was an interesting dude for sure and like many of his works that he didn’t finish, I don’t know if I’ll ever have the energy to complete this book. Let me know what you’re reading these days.

After completing my latest marathon walk last weekend (42km), friends on both coasts expressed their concern about my health. They know about my physical infirmities, but I think deep down, they were more concerned about my mental health. What kind of kook walks for 10 hours with a bad back and a wonky knee? I assured them both that I was no worse for wear. I was a bit sore for a day but that didn’t stop me from showing up to work this past Monday, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Intellectually I know that 70-year-olds probably shouldn’t take part in extreme activities but I’m also aware of how lucky I am to be 70. Many people die long before this. I suppose if we knew when we were going to die, we could plan out our remaining days but with all of life’s uncertainties, my plan is to continue to live full throttle while I’m able.

Last thing. A dear friend from the west coast sent me one of her favourite songs. It forms part of the soundtrack of Four Weddings and a Funeral. “Love is All Around” was originally released by The Troggs of “Wild Thing” fame, back in 1967. The rendition of the song in the movie was performed by a group called Wet Wet Wet. Give it a listen. https://youtu.be/h3gEkwhdXUE It’s a wonderful version. There are some sweet harmonies. Thanks for giving me an earworm all week, IC!

Have an awesome Thanksgiving weekend. And while you’re at it, be thankful.

P.S. After an outpouring of demand (one person), I plan to do a live music Pillow Talk show on FB on Thanksgiving Monday at 7:00 EST (8:00 AST/4:00 PST). Sure to cause indigestion after a turkey dinner!

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