Like any kind of music, jazz has songs that are pretty quirky. One of my favorite jazz composers is Dave Frishberg. His songs are hilarious with layered narratives and lyrics that make you feel like you’re on the inside of an inside joke. Many of you already know one of his songs. He’s best known as the composer of I’m Just a Bill from Schoolhouse Rock. Recently my daughter was deciding which songs she should sing for a showcase in her vocal jazz class.
I was thrilled that my three kids, ages 12, 14, and 15, were able to get their first vaccine dose today. Still in awe that we have this medical magic available to us.
What an incredible article: Reality has a Surprising Amount of Detail. As life heats back up and we get ready to plant our garden and do summer vacation things, this is a great reminder that high complexity is normal (and good!)
It is not so much about what we are going through in life but what we are becoming. There is joy in pressing toward the mark. -Edward Dube I often think of quotes like this when days get long or struggles persist. The idea of finding joy in our journey through life is a powerful one. It won’t help us through all of life’s rough patches, but the reminder to try and view life from a larger perspective is powerful and useful.
I shaved my beard down to just a mustache today. I think it looks pretty Ron Swanson. My kids just laughed and said I look like Uncle Vernon. (sigh)
I’m lucky to both live close to my parents and have a good relationship with them. My kids are probably the greatest beneficiaries. Today we had a wonderful evening together eating BBQ and celebrating my Mom. After dinner my youngest brother was horsing around and shook up a can of soda then opened it. It didn’t explode (he was disappointed, haha) but it reminded me of one of my favorite stories about my mom.
One of the pivitol moments of my life came in 9th grade when the high school jazz band teacher asked me to join the jazz band. I was the only high school string bass player in the entire school district. He didn’t have many options, so he took a chance on me. I fell in love jazz. It was fun to play, and as I learned and improved I started to enjoy listening to it as well.
Not long after graduating from college, my wife and I moved to Taiwan. We were a short time away from the arrival of our first child, I had no real job prospects after graduating with a history degree, and we both missed Taiwan. Going “home” seemed like a great plan. (Taiwan is my wife’s first home and I consider it my second home.) And it was great. My wife was close to her mom through the end of her pregnancy and the delivery.
It’s been kind of a grey and dreary day. On days like this I think of one of my favorite Teddy Roosevelt quotes: Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
A window. This is both for fresh air and to look at. If you can swing it, arrange your work area so that the window isn’t directly behind you or directly in front of you. To the side will give you good light without washing out your screen or making you feel uncomfortable with an open window behind you. A door. Bonus points if it closes and can lock. We’ve all seen enough mid-meeting interruptions during WFH.