Frosty Monday

Blown Opportunity

It is difficult to say what is making me more miserable today: Whatever illness(es) are ravaging my body in a way I haven't experienced (at least not this extent) since I left teaching, or screwing up a rare opportunity to visit with my best friend Skip this past weekend in Kansas City.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

One of the highlights of meeting Skip in KC is always Sunday Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. It is a very beautiful church, which is to be expected since it is the seat of the diocese and therefore is also the bishop's home church.

Skip has attended Mass with me there on two previous occasions when he has flown in to visit from his home in Pennsylvania.

Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland

The highlight of this particular trip was going to be taking Skip to see my guitar hero Joe Bonamassa tonight at the Midland, including a pre-show opportunity to meet Joe.

After seeing Joe myself in Des Moines last Thursday, there was one aspect of his current touring line-up and set list I really regret not getting to share with Skip...

"If you're going to screw up, might as well screw up royally, am I right?"

I'm sick, but not so sick I won't tie your snout in a knot, wise guy...

On Top of Everything Else

View from my porch at 8:10 AM CDT, temperature 21 degrees

As if I didn't have enough problems to deal with right now, Mother Nature has decided to give us some really nasty February weather in mid-March.

Perfect.

"Sticking your nose in frozen ground to eat is no fun, for sure."

I'll have to take your word for it, old friend...

Change of Pace

Ordinarily when I'm in the mood for a nice gin and tonic with lime, or a Tom Collins, or even the occasional martini, my gin of choice is Bombay Sapphire, with Boodles a very close second.

I do try other brands like Aviation and Brokers from time
to time, but I don't really drink enough gin to justify a lot of experimentation. Better to mostly stick with gins I already know I like.

That said, given my current mental and physical state,
I'm thinking of giving a new player an audition...

Made You Look, Though

From the Jeff MacNelly-created comic strip Shoe, now being produced by Gary Brookins and Jeff's widow Susie.

Until Next Time...

The songs in my "Tearjerkers" iTunes playlist are there mostly to provide me with what my pal Aristotle called catharsis, which they typically do by reminding me
of specific people or moments in my life which bring on tears. A small handful of the songs are there to serve as a reminder not to give in too fully to the darkness whose siren song is characteristic of depression.

One of those songs is "Everybody Hurts," released as a single on April 15, 1993 by my faves R.E.M. from their multi-platinum-selling 1992 album Automatic for the People. The song's simple message, sung beautifully by Michael Stipe, never fails to move me.

"Everybody Hurts" is one of the rare songs that is in that playlist twice. The second instantiation is a gorgeous cover version by Irish band The Corrs, another long-time favorite of mine. (I have a thing for female Irish singers.)

On October 5, 1999 The Corrs appeared on the popular cable TV show MTV Unplugged, and gave
a memorable performance that showcased their musicianship and gorgeous vocals. The performance was released on both CD and DVD.

One of the unexpected highlights for me when I watched the show was their heartfelt rendition of "Everybody Hurts." I'm not a huge fan of other groups doing covers
of R.E.M. songs, but The Corrs version is as beautiful and moving in its own way as the original.

Today's send-off is their hauntingly lovely performance of the song, from the DVD
of the original MTV broadcast. Enjoy...