And Now... Deep Thoughts

Remember that little segment on Saturday Night Live called Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy? It was introduced by the sooooo talented and much missed Phil Hartman… Anyway, here are some “Deep Thoughts” I’ve been chewing over during the last few weeks:

1. After attending 3 fantastic nights of music that was the Yep Roc records 15th anniversary celebration, I remembered seeing live music right up close in a club is sooooo much fun. I miss this ritual immensely. However, standing up for four hours straight at a show was an opportunity for me to use the worn out line, “I’m too old for this sh*t.” My back, my feet, my ears… they all paid the price for this folly, and it was dear. Oddly enough, Robyn Hitchcock observed at the Yep Roc shindig, that “Rock and roll is an old man’s game.” Seriously, both he and Nick Lowe, two of that night’s highlights, sported the most glorious, white-as-snow hair. And the audience was full of grey and balding and bifocaled heads. Remember when we were the people our parents warned us about?

Robyn Hitchcock and his glorious
snowy mane. By the time he played
that night, my dogs were killing me.

2. My son has reached his perpetually “embarrassed” phase. No matter what I do, I am surely embarrassing him. I offer as evidence this direct quote: “Mom, do you have to be a forest fairy in front of my friends?” (Doesn’t he know that Halloween Carnivals and the like are the only I time I can be utterly myself?!) I’m not sure how long this phase is going to last, but it’s a little restrictive on those who must accompany him in public. Should I bend to his hypersensitivity and strive to be as inconspicuous as possible? Or should I explore new and different ways to cause him to want to disown me?

I'm just being myself.
Can I help it if Bill
is mortified?!

3. Classical music’s not half bad. Of course, I have always known this. After all, Amadeus is one of my favorite movies! And Handel’s Messiah? I know it by heart. But in general, it’s not my thing. My discomfort with it probably stems from my growing up years when I had it forced on me night and day by my mom, a die hard WCPE fan. But if you’re a teen, and into the Ramones…. Well, no thanks. And that kind of prejudice can really stick with you. But yesterday we took Bill to a Halloween concert by the North Carolina Symphony, and whaddya know… it was pretty cool. Not that I’m going to set my dial on it now or anything. I mean, at this point, I’m sure a brief concert aimed at kids is just about my speed. (I wonder if my mom was as bummed out by my failure to appreciate her music as I am when Bill tells me to turn off Big Star’s Third or Blood on the Tracks.)

The North Carolina Symphony

4. Yesterday we went to a food truck rodeo. Yum, right? We do love to tuck into some trendy victuals. After downing a nicely bready slice of veggie pizza loaded with artichoke and spinach, some Only Burger fries, and a pumpkin mo-nut (sic), I was just about done in, though. Ready to be rolled out of there. When I declined my husband’s offer to share his salted caramel ice cream sandwich with me… Well, that’s when he hurled this accusation at me: “You’re watching your weight!” Only in our house is that a statement of accusation rather than of congratulations! My husband is awesome.

Food trucks... yum.

5. I may be 15-25 years older than your average mother, but I am just as unsure – maybe even more so – of what I am doing… mom-wise. Pre-teen/teen years are about to collide with perimenopause/menopause years. Can these tempestuous life phases coexist? We’re about to find out. 

6. While we’re talking about motherhood, I’m told that many people spend hours in therapy blaming their moms… as did I. I have learned over time, though, that it’s probably not just the one thing that screwed me up. That would be like saying that my gigantic butt is due to overconsumption of French fries… but omitting the fact that I also am prone to ingest my share of cake, burgers, butter, cheese, biscuits, chocolate and beer on any given day.  So while I am trying NOT to screw up my kid, I am also trying to remember that it’s not all on me. Whew! (I hope not anyway!)

7. I could be a better driver. We are lucky to be alive, and that’s all I’m going to say about that!

John Lennon...
I miss him, too.

8. When John Lennon wrote “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,” he wasn’t kidding. I have found in my half century of living that making plans in general is okay, but you really just have to accept that they are “rough estimates” of what might happen if, for instance, your 81-year-old mother didn’t fracture her hip while hanging out with your eight-year-old son.

9. Now, if that were merely a hypothetical situation, I wouldn’t be able to tell you that it’s wonderful to have fantastic, thoughtful siblings and other awesome kinfolk to help shoulder the load?! It’s great when a family works together.

10. It’s package season. 

11. In his new book Waging Heavy Peace Neil Young reveals that he is an eccentric gentleman… But we do have the exact same view on this: We don’t mind getting sick, because then we don’t have to do anything. We get to just lie there and get well. I guess that means we also both imagine that NOT being sick means we always have to be doing something. Apparently, he sometimes doesn’t even allow himself a break when he’s sick… as he alleges that he wrote Cinnamon Girl, Cowgirl in the Sand and Down by the River in the same day while in bed with the flu. I am not THAT productive when I’m at the top of my game!

I like my style, but 
it's not for everyone.

12. Elections bring out the worst in people on both sides. Snark, snark, snark… Yes, there' a lot at stake... Still, I’ll be relieved when it’s over. I know I’m not the first person to say this out loud, and it's not the first time I've said it, but I still wanted to put it out there.

13. I told my husband that there were blogs where people took pictures of their outfits and posted them and talked about fashion – like my friend Molly here… and he laughed and said, you could post pictures of your raggedy workout clothes every day! See, cos that’s what he sees me in every day before he leaves for work…  In my defense, after I shower (and post the shower song) I do put on an actual outfit… Seriously, I don’t always look great, but I like my style. However, I’m not sure it’s ready for prime time.

14. There sure is a lot about my mom in this list. Love ya, Mom!