5 Good Sips for the Week
What I am currently loving, now what do you love?
Learning the Guitar (in front of my boys)
So I have picked up my guitar again after a long drought. It has been so good for me to take the daily half hour to practice (shout out to the Justin Guitar App), and what has been particularly lovely is how curious my boys are about it. They always find reasons to come into my room to watch, offer suggestions, guess what chords I am playing, or ask if I’ve learned any songs yet. I think watching me is an essential reminder to them that you are never too old to learn something new, being good at something takes time and effort, no one is born an expert, and most of all, music and art feeds my soul, and I hope they find it will fill theirs as well. Last night, Tate shut the door so I could finish practicing, and as he left, he said, “Let me know if you need my help with your song.” Oh little one, you have helped me sing this song for as long as you’ve been in the world.
(at my desk)
The Broken Record Podcast
I love Rick Rubin. I am a die-hard Beastie Boys fan, have Tom Petty’s Wildflowers on constant repeat, love Johnny Cash’s final recordings, and adore the documentary/sessions he recorded with Paul McCartney. Of course, this all showcases my age and that’s fine with me. Rubin was once a young gun who loved pro-wrestling, so we all grow up sometime. His podcast is so well done. He is such a fan of music, striving to preserve and to introduce all the American genres to a new generation and find the thread that links them all. I recently listened to the episode with Roger McGuinn of The Byrds and Rubin’s reverence and McGuinn’s gentleness were a fine mix. The interview spanned the Village, Vegas with Bobby Darin, and The Folk Den where McGuinn has been recording American folk songs on his website since the ‘90’s, even talking about the first recordings he ever did on a computer. I highly suggest you listen.
An Old-Fashioned Phone Conversation with a friend
I did it, friends. I actually spoke on the phone with one of my friends for an hour. Not Facetime, not texting, but an old-fashioned sit at the table, grab a cup of tea, chat on the phone. Sure, I missed twirling the spiral cord around my fingers and even wondered if this desperate need to fidget is why people smoked so much in the 70’s. I found myself doodling and petting the dog and organizing my desk, but most of all, I found myself connecting. Not distracted, but listening with my whole body. Only one sense was isolated, so I could really hear her and consider what she had to say. And you know what? You’re not too busy and it’s not so scary, and it’s something that may be missing from those meaningful friendship connections. So I double dog dare you to try it. Call a friend, and if she’s not in the mood to talk, she won’t pick up anyway, and you can plan your call for another day.
A Good Comic Book Store Visit with the boys
I am the sister of two self-proclaimed comic book nerds. They call themselves that, I don’t. Well, maybe I did at one point in my life, a lot, but now being a nerd is cool, so we can’t have them thinking they’re cool. In any case, here I am once again with two boys in the house, and finding myself in a fair share of comic book stores on the weekend is karma indeed. However, the sheer joy I witness as my boys dig through stacks of comics, old ones inside dust covers, new releases on the wall shelves, Funko pops, D and D miniatures, Magic Cards, and Rick and Morty stickers, is so special. The bond between brothers can often feel like its filled with its own unique language of inside jokes as they navigate a world of memes, YouTube gamers and video games. I yearn to keep up and laugh along, but limiting the screentime in general seems to be the only job I have lately. So during a trip to the comic book store I can join in, show off my requisite knowledge of old X-Men issues, gleaned from my brothers and feel like a good mom. Even though they always say at some point,“I wish Uncle Mike and UB were here.” Me too, boys, me too.
Kendra Adachi’s interview with the band Joseph
Sister harmonies are magical. They sound deep and haunting, ethereal and strong. The band Joseph is made up of three sisters and includes on set of twins. The voices together are exactly as I described. If you have never heard them sing, I suggest the NPR Tiny Desk concert they did, especially the song “White Flag”. But the reason I am recommending this interview with “The Lazy Genius” which is Kendra Adachi’s podcast is because it is so joyful and curious. At one point, Adachi talks about sitting next to her young daughter as she watched a video of the band. It is in that moment, where I realized just how important witnessing the way artists use their voices is to our development as humans. That first time we see and hear someone whose voice is singing what we have in our hearts is powerful. Adachi reminds us in this moment that it is powerful for mothers to see their daughters realize that their own voices can be that strong.
