Want to Take You Higher

Lift Up Your Hearts

Much as I enjoy engaging in the rough-and-tumble of political and social controversies in this space and elsewhere, it can be a little dispiriting, sometimes.
I don't think most people could watch the Planned Parenthood videos, for instance, without suffering an emotional blow. I see otherwise-intelligent people spout the most absurd nonsense in defense of asshat Donald Trump, and I'm tempted to throw in the towel on politics. Everywhere one looks these days, it seems there is nothing but suffering and strife. It is easy to forget that there is more to life than all of that pain and anger, so today I'm going to offer some suggestions for how to cheer yourself up when it all gets to be a bit too much...

"You giving people advice on how to cheer up? Irony much?"

Shut your pipe.

It will seem like the most obvious advice imaginable, but sometime it is the obvious of which we need to be reminded the most. When I need to boost my spirits, I have several avenues from which to choose...

Raymond Chandler and friend

I have been a voracious reader my entire life, but when I just need to step back, relax, and read for pure enjoyment, I turn to the pantheon of mystery writers
I have embraced since I first encountered the genre as a college sophomore in 1972.

Chief among that pantheon is one of my writing heroes, Raymond Chandler. Reading Ray's thoughts on the writing process is almost as much fun as reading his fiction...

Movies and television shows can often be mere escapism, but the ones I tend to favor have something on their minds, too. Television shows like Justified or  
The West Wing give my mind plenty of exercise, as do my favorite films.

I could watch Fred Zinnemann's marvelous A Man for All Seasons once a week, for instance, and never get tired of it. Brilliant in every way, and profoundly uplifting...

"As it happens, I liked curmudgeons."

Music of all kinds provides not only comfort, but also inspiration. It is virtually impossible for me to stay depressed after listening to Beethoven's magnificent Piano Concerto No. 5 ("Emperor").
I own several recordings of it, each of them dear to me and special in its own right...








I know you did, maestro...

And, of course, if you can possibly manage it, spending some time outdoors (preferably somewhere you can enjoy a bit of solitude) can be a genuine tonic for the spirit. During my high school days, I would sometimes go here when I needed somewhere peaceful and beautiful to recharge myself...

 Frank Vaydik Park (formerly Line Creek Park), Kansas City, Missouri

There is more to life than one's own troubles, or the country's political squabbles, or the world's assorted crises. All of those things will still be there when you're done lifting your spirits. And you'll be much better-equipped to face them then, too...

Enough, Already...

Really tough to maintain a positive attitude when I look out my patio door in the morning and see this (again):

There are thunderstorms in the forecast for the whole week, so the cooler temperatures we're supposed to be getting will be a mixed blessing...

Things That Make Me Happy: Late Heroics Edition

The finale of the four-game series between my beloved Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (seriously, guys?) was the featured game on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. The two teams put on a fine prime-time show: A tense pitcher's duel between the Royals' Yordano Ventura and the Angels' Hector Santiago was tied at 2 after seven innings. The Angels took a 3-2 lead in the 8th inning when Kole Calhoun hit a solo homer off of All-Star Wade Davis, only to watch the Royals tie it with a 9th-inning rally, then win 4-3 on a two-out single by DH Kendrys Morales in the bottom of the 10th off of Angels rookie Trevor Gott.

"Sometimes a 'doink' is as good as a 'boom,' you know?"

The Royals took the series 3-1, and completed an 8-2 homestand. Now they have a much-needed day off today before embarking on a six-game road trip to Cincinnati and Boston...

Empathy is Key

From the hilarious comic strip Zits, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, which you should ready every day, as I do.

Until Next Time...

By the time they took the stage at Woodstock in the wee hours of the morning on August 17, 1969, Sly and the Family Stone had already enjoyed some chart success with their breakthrough album Stand! in the spring of that year. In particular, the song "Everyday People" had spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and finished 1969 as the No. 5-selling single that year. A second hit single, "Hot Fun in the Summertime," was released in late August to capitalize on the word-of-mouth following the group's electrifying performance at Woodstock. It reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart, and finished the year as the No. 7-selling single.

As with the other two unforgettable performances I saw in that movie theater in April 1970 (namely the ones I wrote about here and here), what I knew of the band did not prepare me for what I saw on that huge 70mm screen. I haven't been able to locate a decent clip of the entire performance (an extended medley of "Dance to the Music," "I Want to Take You Higher," and "Music Lover") captured in Michael Wadleigh's Woodstock film (all the more reason you should just buy the dang movie), but the music alone is more than enough for today's send-off. When this segment of the film ended, the audience I was with sat in stunned silence. Simply an irresistible groove, one that still knocks me out 45 years after I first heard it. Enjoy...and if you feel like dancing to the music, go right ahead...