Tuesday Two - Episode 10

Patrick's got himself some Christmas spirit, to wit, he's giving us CHOICES. See?

“There's a unique feature of the "Tuesday Two" that appears every tenth edition. From the start, I've pointed out that the rules are you answer only one of the questions, but not both. Now that we've reached the tenth edition, you find out why.

“First, though, I want to recognize Yaya1 of "My Thoughts," who was first to answer last week's questions about the Future.

“This time, instead of giving you two questions related to a single topic, I'm going to give you two previous editions and you have to choose one of them and answer the question that you dodged the first time around. If you thought you were taking the easy way out, you might find out that the harder question is still one that's waiting for you! (Insert evil laugh here.)

“So, go back and visit these two editions. (If you played before, you'll have to remember which question you answered, because the old links won't be there. You're welcome to leave links to your original responses at these entries if you wish.)

Episode 4: PREJUDICE

or

Episode 5 (A Double Topic): SONGS or YOUR WORST ENEMY

“Once you've selected your previously-unanswered question, the same procedures apply: either answer it in a comment here, or answer it in your journal and leave a link here.”

Well, going back in the archives, it seems I didn't do the Tuesday Two – Episode 5, so that'll be this week's choice. Not really, as my relationship to music is rarely about identifying myself in the music. No one is out there writing songs about me. Just as well. It's called the “Top 40” not the “Snooze Loozers 10.”

Lots of songs capture a feeling or a mood I resonate to. Sometimes, it's a situational thing. Something going wrong or right in my life and a bit of music corresponds with how I'm feeling. Other times, I swear the music is acting as a trigger for the mood, particularly anger. Maybe I should stop listening to heavy metal. And that bleed-over from the christian rock station that comes in on the phone line just plain pisses me off.

There is not as much music in my life as there once was, even though there are more opportunities for me to listen. But, as I age, I am coming to appreciate silence where once I had to be surrounded by noise. I no longer reflexively turn the radio on when I get into the car. Now, I consciously choose to listen to a special show, say Celtic music or “Hearts of Space” while I wait for my wife's release from the salt mines. While I have ever more opportunities to surround myself with the sounds of angelic voices or satanic minions, what with XM satellite radio available on DirectTV and thousands of “radio” stations available over the Internet, I find myself most often turning to “old” music. That is, my musical companions from twenty thirty, even forty years ago. I derive as much pleasure listening to something sweetly obscure from my collection, such as Richard and Mimi Farina singing a duet in 1965 as I could listening to Coldplay's “Talk” performance at “Austin City Limits” this week.

A long way to say a short thing and not at all what I suspect Patrick was fishing for. And so it goes...