Fading Light of Youth

I adopted Bubby with my then girlfriend Tekla in the fall of 2006. I had graduated college just a few months earlier and was still reeling from the immediate and permanent splintering of my social circle. Going to school had been my purpose my entire life, more than twenty years. I hated my "college" job, resented my social circle for splintering, and had a tumultuous relationship with a beautifully complicated woman who desperately wanted a cat. The White Doe of Rylstone by John William Inchbold

There was a dark age during which I was not a blogger. I don't like to think about it because the sheer amount of lost content is just dizzying. Episodes of Dr. Phil, and important cultural events like...well I'm sure there was something. For the record, this was 2014-2016. I was SO depressed that even when I got excited about being creative, by the time I had actually sat down to do so the feeling was long lost. I'm just grateful I was able to hold down a job and help put food on the floor because I wasn't good for much else. I certainly wasn't achieving the level of human potential that I am today, running a blog with several readers, attending important artistic and society functions if there were any. The only reason I mention that hideous, murky and fortunately interim bloglessness is because I was reminded of the lone bright spot of my "creative" life during that time: a Reddit forum called Music Theme Time. Every day a new person would pick a th...

Tomorrow is the fourth of July, American Independence Day. If you're like me and don't drink alcohol or light fireworks, it is just yet another day to watch Independence Day, The Patriot, Natural Born Killers, and all the other classics of American film. You know, bald eagle shit that makes you wanna rev up the dualie and head down to the quarry. I studied American history a great deal in college and there's no denying the American Revolution and "our" independence is worthy of celebrating. I'm just not sure what we have to celebrate in the last thirty-seven years outside of me being born and this blog. And that goes doubly for tomorrow, as I'd be hard pressed to find a single thing America as a geographical entity has had going for it in 2020. One (supposed) trait of Americans is our resilience, typically in reference to some problem we created ourselves through stupidity. It seems like a big piece of that resiliency in modern America is just surv...

It is only occasionally an honor and a privilege to be an American - unless one is a blogger. In that case, each day in America is a glistening, overflowing trough of garbage media, garbage food, garbage opinions, and everywhere you look literal garbage. If you are highly evolved, and have achieved Buddhist monk levels of oneness, you can navigate American culture without prejudice, simply enjoying the ride and praying to Jeebus you don't get shot or eat a bad Whopper. Almost twenty years ago, I took the path less traveled in America and tried  to evolve beyond prejudice, to live in the moment and give every second the benefit of the doubt. In other words, I chose to be grateful instead of resistant. What the fuck was I thinking LOL. Over the years, the things that have helped immensely have been cats, my wife, the home my wife lovingly creates, my family, my coworkers, and drugs. Specifically antidepressants unless you're offering something stronger. I still fuck up my one...

"God gave Daniel knowledge, skill in learning, and wisdom; but Daniel also understood visions and dreams." Lots of love to my dad for Father's Day 2020 :) I thought I would pay homage to him AND have my usual Fading Light fun with a list of songs that remind me of him for one reason or another. He is the best male role model I've ever had. For so many years he took care of my physical, spiritual and shopping needs. He has been an ox of a support system for my entire family my entire life. I love him dearly and I feel grateful that he knows that and that we have the relationship that we do. He is one of a kind, a great friend, and the best dad 😎 the Beatles - Day Tripper (1966) When my family moved from our duplex on Fiesta to our new home on Danz, we upgraded our "free space" in a major way. Our new basement was huge and had several separate "caves" where you could alternatively set up shop to hang out or dump a pile of stuff to be unto...

This entire site is nothing more than a love letter to the art and experiences of my life which can't be honored any other way. I feel a special connection to all of these songs, some going back more than thirty years. I'm going to do my best to honor the people and places that were involved or important in my love for them. It is my hope that somehow people will find my blog and connect with me via a shared appreciation of all this shtuff that, in part, makes up a life. I hope you enjoy reading and listening along, and I'd be thrilled to get a comment from you :) 100. Midlake - Roscoe (2006) It is clearly the band's intent to conjure up images and feelings of an earlier, simpler time with this song. The fact that the song succeeds so well in doing so is a result of fantastically odd and specific old-time lyrics and a catchy, driving instrumental. Midlake's strengths, pretty and ethereal vocals and explorative instrumentation, are both at their pe...

How much more meaningful sitting on one's ass watching television becomes when one has a blog . I've felt at times both guilty and burdened when it comes to my bloggeristic calling, but this stuff isn't going to watch itself, people! If I'm asking, my wife will officially only  watch her ten favorite films from now on: Return to Oz, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Hook, Twister, 28 Days Later, Train to Busan, and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy Extended Edition. Luckily for me she'll take recommendations from other people and we've been watching movies with our Madison movie club regularly.  In a typical post-workweek bender, I signed up for the Hulu/Disney/ESPN streaming deal, which means Sara has access to all of her favorite shows she'd never admit to watching. I see it is as a necessary business expense and we now have our content bases covered indefinitely. Long live the fading light of youth! Cape Fear (1991) Rating: 4.8/10 Summary: Robe...