Last Friday, my TQ phonics class merged with Grace's CS "post-phonics" class and had a caroling competition. These are 2nd and 3rd graders. Grace's class have been studying English for two years but the TQ kids (last group singing) have had less than a year of English, just a few hours a week. So I was proud of them.
[daily log: walking, 7km]
This year, Christmas is on a Sunday. Since Christmas isn't a major holiday in Korea, that means that this year, there are no days off for Christmas. It's just a Sunday, and I get my typical 1.5 day weekend.
I made some syllabuses (-bi?) this past week, for the new year. So I was busy. I will rest in a fairly unchristmassy way, and return to work on Monday.
What I'm listening to right now.
Electric Light Orchestra, "Turn To Stone."
Lyrics.
The city streets are empty now THE LIGHTS DON'T SHINE NO MORE
and so the songs are way down low TURNING TURNING TURNING
A sound that flows into my mind THE ECHOES OF THE DAYLIGHT
of everything that is alive IN MY BLUE WORLD
I turn to stone when you are gone, I turn to stone.
Turn to stone when you comin' home, I can't go on.
The dying embers of the night A FIRE THAT SLOWLY FADES TILL DAWN
still glow upon the wall so bright BURNING BURNING BURNING
The tired streets that hide away FROM HERE TO EVERYWHERE THEY GO
roll past my door into the day IN MY BLUE WORLD
I turn to stone when you are gone, I turn to stone.
Turn to stone when you comin' home, I can't go on.
Turn to stone when you are gone, I turn to stone.
Yes, I'm turnin' to stone 'cos you ain't comin' home.
Why you ain't comin' home if I'm turnin' to stone?
You've been gone for so long and I can't carry on,
yes, I'm turnin', I'm turnin', I'm turnin' to stone.
The dancing shadows on the wall THE TWO-STEP IN THE HALL
are all I see since you've been gone TURNING TURNING TURNING
Through all I sit here and I wait I TURN TO STONE I TURN TO STONE
You will return again some day TO MY BLUE WORLD
I turn to stone when you are gone, I turn to stone.
Turn to stone when you comin' home, I can't go on.
Turn to stone when you are gone, I turn to stone.
I turn to stone when you are gone, I turn to stone.
Turn to stone when you comin' home, I can't go on.
Turn to stone when you are gone, I turn to stone.
[daily log: walking, 7km]
Lately I’ve been struggling with motivation on personal projects of all kinds.
So this blog is boringer than usual, I’m sure. I’ll share this thing I ran across the other day. This Russian guy plays the Star Wars Imperial March using only a plastic coffee stirring stick.
[daily log: walking, 7km]
I slept in quite a bit this morning – I'm still sleeping more than usual. Although yesterday, Monday, I officially resumed my "normal" teaching schedule, for the first time since before my trip, it was still hard – because on my "normal" teaching schedule, Monday is my hardest day. So there's that.
What I'm listening to right now.
Friendly Fires, "Paris (Aeroplane Remix)."
Lyrics (kinda boring).
One day we're gonna live in Paris
I promise
I'm on it
When I'm bringing in the money
I promise
I'm on it
I'm gonna take you out to club showcase
We're gonna live it up
I promise
Just hold on a little more
And every night we'll watch the stars
They'll be out for us
They'll be out for us
And every night, the city lights
They'll be out for us
They'll be out for us
One day we're gonna live in Paris
I promise
I'm on it
I'll find you that French boy
You'll find me that French girl
I promise
I'm on it
So go and pack your bags
For the long haul
We're gonna lose ourselves
I promise
This time it's you and me for evermore
And every night we'll watch the stars
They'll be out for us
They'll be out for us
And every night, the city lights
They'll be out for us
They'll be out for us
And every night we'll watch the stars
They'll be out for us
They'll be out for us
And every night, the city lights
They'll be out for us
They'll be out for us
[daily log: walking, 7km]
I had a really hard day yesterday. Work has been hard lately. I’ll get over it. I woke up too early, but now it’s dawn and it’s trying to snow outside.
Meanwhile, I think that in 1986, Elvis Costello had a Bobdylanesque dream.
What I’m listening to right now.
Elvis Costello, “Tokyo Storm Warning.”
Lyrics.
Oh, the sky fell over cheap Korean monster-movie scenery
And spilled into the mezzanine of the crushed capsule hotel
Between the Disney abattoir and the chemical refinery
I knew I was in trouble but I thought I was in hell
So you look around the tiny room and you wonder where the hell you are
While the K.K.K. convention are all stranded in the bar
They wear hoods and carry shotguns in the main streets of Montgomery
But they’re helpless here as babies ’cause they’re only here on holiday
What do we care if the world is a joke? (Tokyo Storm Warning)
We’ll give it a big kiss, we’ll give it a poke (Tokyo Storm Warning)
Death wears a big hat ’cause he’s a big bloke (Tokyo Storm Warning)
We’re only living this instant
Well, the black sand stuck beneath her feet in a warm Sorrento sunrise
A barefoot girl from Naples or was it a Barcelona hi-rise?
Whistles out the tuneless theme song of a hundred cheap suggestions
And a million false seductions and all those eternal questions
Well, what do we care if the world is a joke? (Tokyo Storm Warning)
Oh, we’ll give it a big kiss, we’ll give it a poke (Tokyo Storm Warning)
Death wears a big hat ’cause he’s a big bloke (Tokyo Storm Warning)
We’re only living this instant
So they flew the Super-Constellation all the way from Rimini
And feasted them on fish and chips from a newspaper facsimile
Now dead Italian tourist bodies litter up the Broadway
Some people can’t be told, you know they have to learn the hard way
Holidays are dirt-cheap in the Costa del Malvinas
In the Hotel Argentina they can hardly tell between us
For Teresa is a waitress, though she’s now known as Juanita
In a tango bar in Stanley or in Puerto Margarita
She’s the sweetest and the sauciest
The loveliest and naughtiest
She’s Miss Buenos Aires in a world of lacy lingerie
What do we care if the world is a joke? (Tokyo Storm Warning)
We’ll give it a big kiss, we’ll give it a poke (Tokyo Storm Warning)
Death wears a big hat ’cause he’s a big bloke (Tokyo Storm Warning)
We’re only living this instant
Japanese God, Jesus robots telling teenage fortunes
For all we know and all we care they might as well be Martians
They say gold paint on the palace gates comes from the teeth of pensioners
They’re so tired of shooting protest singers
That they hardly mention us
While fountains fill with second-hand perfume and sodden trading stamps
They’ll hang the bullies and the louts that dampen down the day
What do we care if the world is a joke? (Tokyo Storm Warning)
We’ll give it a big kiss, we’ll give it a poke (Tokyo Storm Warning)
Death wears a big hat ’cause he’s a big bloke (Tokyo Storm Warning)
We’re only living this instant, hey
We braved the cold November air and the undertaker’s curses, saying
“Take me to the Folies Bergères, and please don’t spare the hearses”
For he always had a dream of that revolver in your purse
How you loved him ’till you hated him and made him cry for mercy
He said “don’t ever mention my name there or talk of all the nights you cried
We’ve always been like worlds apart, now you’re seeing two nightmares collide”
What do we care if the world is a joke? (Tokyo Storm Warning)
We’ll give it a big kiss, we’ll give it a poke (Tokyo Storm Warning)
Death wears a big hat ’cause he’s a big bloke (Tokyo Storm Warning)
We’re only living this instant, hey, ow!
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba!
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]
I'm using my day off to try to get healthy again. Lots of rest and mindlessly drawing and listening to various things.
What I'm listening to right now.
Arrested Development, "Tennessee."
Lyrics.
[Verse 1: Speech]
Lord I've really been real stressed
Down and out, losing ground
Although I am Black and proud
Problems got me pessimistic
Brothers and sisters keep messin up
Why does it have to be so damn tough
I don't know where I can go
To let these ghosts out of my skull
My grandma's passed, my brother's gone
I never at once felt so alone
I know you're supposed to be my steering wheel
Not just my spare tire (home)
But Lord I ask you (home)
To be my guiding force and truth (home)
For some strange reason it had to be (home)
He guided me to Tennessee (home)
[Hook]
Take me to another place
Take me to another land
Make me forget all that hurts me
Let me understand your plan
[Verse Two]
Lord it's obvious we got a relationship
Talking to each other every night and day
Although you're superior over me
We talk to each other in a friendship way
Then outta nowhere you tell me to break
Outta the country and into more country
Past Dyersburg into Ripley
Where the ghost of childhood haunts me
Walk the roads my forefathers walked
Climbed the trees my forefathers hung from
Ask those trees for all their wisdom
They tell me my ears are so young (home)
Go back to from whence you came (home)
My family tree my family name (home)
For some strange reason it had to be (home)
He guided me to Tennessee (home)
[Hook]
[Interlude: Aerle Taree]
Eshe, she went down to Holly Springs
Rasadon and Baba, they went down to Peachtree
Headliner, I challenge you to a game of horseshoes, a game of horseshoes
[Verse 3: Speech]
Now I see the importance of history
Why my people be in the mess that they be
Many journeys to freedom made in vain
By brothers on the corner playing ghetto games
I ask you Lord why you enlightened me
Without the enlightment of all my folks
He said cause I set myself on a quest for truth
And he was there to quench my thirst
But I am still thirsty
The Lord allowed me to drink some more
He said what I am searching for are
The answers to all which are in front of me
The ultimate truth started to get blurry
For some strange reason it had to be
It was all a dream about Tennessee
[Hook]
[daily log: walking, 1km]
As anticipated, this week is quite hard. I'm teaching extra classes – covering for a coworker whose turn it is now to take a trip (as I took a trip a few weeks back). I am not really feeling very healthy – I felt surprisingly healthy during my trip, experiencing none of the complications or issues I had worried might arise during travel, but since getting back it has been as if my body is undergoing a kind of "rebound" or compensation for the all-out effort during the trip.
I'm tired, my neck hurts, my tongue "stings" more than usual (the phantom pain I've described before), and I constantly feel vaguely nauseated – this could be exhaustion, I suppose. Then again, there's some kind of stomach flu going around Karma, lately. OK, enough complaining.
What I'm listening to right now.
Miranda Lambert, "Vice."
Lyrics.
Stay as a needle dropping on a vinyl
Neon singer with a jukebox title full of heartbreak
Thirty-three, fourty-five, seventy-eight
When it hurts this good you gotta play it twice
Another vice
All dressed up in a pretty black label
Sweet salvation on a dining room table
Waiting on me
Where the numb meets the lonely
It's gone before it ever melts the ice
Another vice, another call
Another bed I shouldn't crawl out of
At 7am with shoes in my hand
Said I wouldn't do it, but I did it again
And I know I'll be back tomorrow night oh
I'll wear a tail like a leather jacket
When the new wears off, I don't even pack it
If you need me
I'll be where my reputation don't proceed me
Maybe I'm addicted to goodbyes
Another vice, another town
Where my past can't run me down
Another life, another call
Another bed I shouldn't crawl out of
At 7AM with shoes in my hand
Said I wouldn't do it, but I did it again
And I know I'll be gone tomorrow night
Mmm, another vice
Standing at the sink now, looking at the mirror
Don't know where I am or how I got here
Well the only thing that I know how to find
Is another vice
Mmm, another vice
Yes, another vice
Ooh, another vice
Another vice
Another vice
Another vice
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]
A few days ago we had stopped in Whitewater, Wisconsin, to see my friend Bob who is a Professor of Music there. He has a colleague named Chris Ellenwood. When Bob was giving us an impromptu tour of the Music department, we met Professor Ellenwood and he, upon learning that there were two visitors from Korea, gave a spontaneous rendition of the Korean folktune "Arirang" using a whistling technique, which Curt captured on video. I said I'd post it when I got a chance, so here it is.
Since the unexpected and unplanned departure of one our teachers at Karma two weeks ago, I have been teaching some of the so-called "CC" classes that I haven't done for quite a while. These classes are essentially a kind of "pop music" listening class – have the kids listen to pop songs and make an effort to compel them to sing (not necessarily a very rewarding exercise with middle schoolers, especially since I have a lot of sympathy for their position).
So I have been trying to come up with songs where I can actually teach something about the song's meaning, and not just focus on the mechanics of capturing the lyrics.
I did NWA's old rap song, "Express Yourself" (which I've blogged before but which for some weird reason I can't seem to find in google – google is great but it has mysterious holes sometimes, when it comes to googling my own blog).
And then I did this song by Avicii, a weird kind of Celtic-influenced Technopop, I guess – I'm not great at genre classifications. The song is not quite as shallow as it seems at first, although it's fairly conventional. The kids like the video, anyway. So we went through the lyrics in detail, line by line.
What I'm listening to right now.
Avicii, "The Nights."
Lyrics.
Hey, once upon a younger year
When all our shadows disappeared
The animals inside came out to play
Hey, went face to face with all our fears
Learned our lessons through the tears
Made memories we knew would never fade
One day my father—he told me,
"Son, don't let it slip away."
He took me in his arms, I heard him say,
"When you get older
Your wild heart will live for younger days
Think of me if ever you're afraid."
He said, "One day you'll leave this world behind
So live a life you will remember."
My father told me when I was just a child
These are the nights that never die
My father told me
[Instrumental]
When thunder clouds start pouring down
Light a fire they can't put out
Carve your name into those shining stars
He said, "Go venture far beyond these shores.
Don't forsake this life of yours.
I'll guide you home no matter where you are."
One day my father—he told me,
"Son, don't let it slip away."
When I was just a kid I heard him say,
"When you get older
Your wild heart will live for younger days
Think of me if ever you're afraid."
He said, "One day you'll leave this world behind
So live a life you will remember."
My father told me when I was just a child
These are the nights that never die
My father told me
These are the nights that never die
My father told me
Hey, hey
[daily log: walking, 7km]
What I'm listening to right now.
EXO, "너를 위해(For you)" – this is from the soundtrack for a historical drama ("달의연인 – 보보경심려") I haven't actually ever watched – I don't really get into the extremely popular Korean historical dramas – their revisionism is too annoying. But my student told me I must listen to this song. Normally, when it comes to pop culture, I do what they say if it's relatively painless. It seems the best way to keep up to date. It's just a sappy love song.
가사.
다른 공간의 다른 시간이지만
내 사랑이 맞을거야
바람에 스치는 너의 향기로도
난 너인걸 알수 있어
but I don't know
내 맘속에 언제부터 니가 산건지
I don't know
너를 보면 설레는 이유
나를 스쳐 지나가도 돼
니가 날 다 잊었으니까
니가 기억할 때까지
나는 너를 기다릴테니까
그대여 나를 바라봐줘요
여전히 그대도 나를 사랑하나요
그대여 내눈을 보고 얘기해줘요
사랑하는 맘은 숨겨지지 않아요
너에겐 내가 곁에 있었단
사실을 절대로 잊지는 마
널 위해 모든걸 바칠 수 있었던
내 마음을 지우지마
but I don't know
내맘속에 언제부터 니가 산건지
I don't know
너를 보면 설레는 이유
나를 스쳐 지나가도 돼
니가 날 다 잊었으니까
니가 기억할 때까지
나는 너를 기다릴테니까
같은 공간 같은 시간 함께 있잖아
언제라도 내 곁에 와 너의 자리로
라라라라라라라
With you 너를 위해서
그대여 나를 바라봐줘요
여전히 그대도 나를 사랑하나요
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]
Typical Sunday.
점점점.
What I'm listening to right now.
Linkin Park, "Easier To Run."
Lyrics
It's easier to run
Replacing this pain with something numb
It's so much easier to go
Than face all this pain here all alone
Something has been taken
From deep inside of me
A secret I've kept locked away
No one can ever see
Wounds so deep they never show
They never go away
Like moving pictures in my head
For years and years they've played
If I could change I would
Take back the pain I would
Retrace every wrong move that I made I would
If I could stand up and take the blame I would
If I could take all the shame to the grave I would
If I could change I would
Take back the pain I would
Retrace every wrong move that I made I would
If I could stand up and take the blame I would
If I could take all the shame to the grave
It's easier to run
Replacing this pain with something numb
It's so much easier to go
Than face all this pain here all alone
Sometimes I remember
The darkness of my past
Bringing back these memories
I wish I didn't have
Sometimes I think of letting go
And never looking back
And never moving forward so
There would never be a past
If I could change I would
Take back the pain I would
Retrace every wrong move that I made I would
If I could stand up and take the blame I would
If I could take all the shame to the grave I would
If I could change I would
Take back the pain I would
Retrace every wrong move that I made I would
If I could stand up and take the blame I would
I would take all the shame to the grave
Just washing it aside
All of the helplessness inside
Pretending I don't feel misplaced
Is so much simpler than change
It's easier to run
Replacing this pain with something numb
It's so much easier to go
Than face all this pain here all alone
It's easier to run
(If I could change I would
Take back the pain I would
Retrace every wrong move that I made)
It's easier go run
(If I could change I would
Take back the pain I would
Retrace every wrong move that I made
If I could stand up and take the blame I would
I would take all the shame to the grave)
[daily log: walking, 1km]
I'm not completely shocked at the idea of Bob Dylan winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. I would be first to defend his "literariness," and have done so consistently for decades. He is a great poet.
Still, there is something a bit parochial about the choice, in my opinion. In my observation, Dylan has been more popular in Europe and Latin America than in North America for many decades now, and as such he seems to be a regional choice betraying a certain European parochialism.
Regardless, as one blog commenter I read pointed out: who else deserves the Nobel in Literature? Let's actually look at who's out there, and then ask, how does Dylan compare to these others, in terms of cultural impact?
What I'm listening to right now.
Dave Alvin, covering Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited." Given that Dylan is a better poet than singer, I thought finding a cover with a clearer voice might do better justice to the literary aspect. This one seems appropriate.
Lyrics.
Oh, God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe said, "Man, you must be puttin' me on"
God said, "No" Abe say, "What?"
God say, "You can do what you want, Abe, but
The next time you see me comin', you better run"
Well, Abe said, "Where d'you want this killin' done?"
God said, "Out on Highway 61"
Well, Georgia Sam, he had a bloody nose
Welfare department, they wouldn't give him no clothes
He asked poor Howard, "Where can I go?"
Howard said, "There's only one place I know"
Sam said, "Tell me quick, man, I got to run"
Oh, Howard just pointed with his gun
And said, "That way, down Highway 61"
Well, Mack the Finger said to Louie the King
"I got forty red-white-and-blue shoestrings
And a thousand telephones that don't ring
Do you know where I can get rid of these things?"
And Louie the King said, "Let me think for a minute, son"
Then he said, "Yes, I think it can be easily done
Just take everything down to Highway 61"
Now, the fifth daughter on the twelfth night
Told the first father that things weren't right
"My complexion," she says, "is much too white"
He said, "Come here and step into the light"
He said, "Hmm, you're right, let me tell the second mother this has been done"
But the second mother was with the seventh son
And they were both out on Highway 61
Now, the roving gambler he was very bored
Trying to create a next world war
He found a promoter who nearly fell off the floor
He said, "I never engaged in this kind of thing before
But yes, I think it can be very easily done
We'll just put some bleachers out in the sun
And have it on Highway 61"
[daily log: walking, 7km]
I have evolved a pattern as far as acquiring new music. I follow leads of things I'm interested in to youtube. Most anything can be found there, uploaded by somebody.
There are free online web services that quickly "grab" the soundtrack of any youtube video and will give you an mp3 file. So I grab the file, and I save it to my computer, and then I use FTP to put it on my private server (my secret cloud). With my new Linux system, this is almost trivial, since FTP is integrated with the file manager – my cloud is just another folder on my desktop.
On my Samsung Android phone, I open my FTP app and grab the mp3 file into my Music folder on my phone.
In about 3 minutes, I have acquired a new song or piece of music and can listen using my phone, which is also my main mp3 player. The one drawback is if the youtube version I've captured is of poor quality… but generally some google-fu can find a better version.
In fact, I believe artists should be remunerated for their work. But I can't get Amazon to work smoothly with my system – it doesn't play nicely with the Korean internet (at least, not for someone who wants to pay with a US-based identity), for one thing, nor with Linux, for another thing. Other online music vendors create the same kinds of problems. Further, the hoops they make you jump through and the crap they put on your computer, as part of their efforts to monetize customer buying interests and follow online behavior are off-putting.
So what I do is that I go into Amazon and "buy" the music I like, but I never download it – because I already have the file using my – for me – easier system. The artists get their money, and I get my music in the most convenient way.
What I'm listening to right now.
Brian Eno and John Cale, "Spinning Away."
Lyrics.
Up on a hill, as the day dissolves
With my pencil turning moments into line
High above in the violet sky
A silent silver plane – it draws a golden chain
One by one, all the stars appear
As the great winds of the planet spiral in
Spinning away, like the night sky at Arles
In the million insect storm, the constellations form
On a hill, under a raven sky
I have no idea exactly what I've drawn
Some kind of change, some kind of spinning away
With every single line moving further out in time
And now as the pale moon rides (in the stars)
Her form in my pale blue lines (in the stars)
And there, as the world rolls round (in the stars)
I draw, but the lines move round (in the stars)
There, as the great wheels blaze (in the stars)
I draw, but my drawing fades (in the stars)
And now, as the old sun dies (in the stars)
I draw, and the four winds sigh (in the stars)
[daily log: walking, 7km]
I was in the US Army, stationed at Camp Edwards, Paju (Geomchon), South Korea, in 1990. I hated my sergeant – he was corrupt, which distorted my chain of command.
He would volunteer our squad for details (extra tasks, like cleaning post latrines or moving boxes at the warehouse), currying favor with the Company CO, and then promptly disappear, to meet with his girlfriend at the post NCO club (bear in mind that he was married, with a wife and kids back in the States, and that his girlfriend, as an enlisted member of the same battalion, was off-limits due to rules about fraternization). The rest of the squad was on the line for getting the detail done.
The sergeant was a terrible hypocrite, and it was only a matter of time before I got out of line and said something insubordinate. When I did, I was disciplined. The company CO put me on an "extra duty" detail that was, in fact, the best thing that happened to me in the Army.
I was obligated to ride as a "US military presence" with a group of Korean civilians whose job it was to go onto US bases all over Gyeonggi Province and collect boxes for shipment of personal effects of US service personnel, via civilian courier, back to the US (or to other US military bases around the world). I think basically I was with them to provide a kind of "peace of mind" to the US military personnel who were entrusting their possessions to the Korean civilians. I accompanied an ROK NCO who was functioning as a "Customs liaison" – his job was to make sure no US soldiers were shipping contraband. My job was just to tag along so that the military presence was "bi-national," as far as I could tell. I had no actual duty whatsoever, although at the start of the duty I'd been forced to memorize a set of Korean customs regulations as applied to US service personnel.
I was never called upon to make use of this information, however. Sometimes the ROK soldier would make me hold his clipboard. Typically, the Korean soldiers always enjoyed chances to be "in command" of US soldiers, and I was happy to go along with it, for the most part. None of the Korean NCO's I worked with were in any way corrupt compared to the US NCO's at Camp Edwards, who, with the shining exception of Staff Sergeant Jones (a few links up my chain of command, and the closest kind of "friend" I had during this period), were all a pretty bad bunch.
The ROK soldier, who was a different person on different days, was really the only person who had any English competency at all. The Korean "ajeossis" who packed the boxes and drove the truck had only a few limited phrases. They were exceedingly kind and friendly toward me, however, and during my 3 months of special duty, I became a part of their "team," in a way that never occurred with the ROK soldiers. I was their pet American. I spent between 6 and 8 hours a day with this team, 4 days a week. I loved riding around the Korean countryside with them, from US base to US base, from Panmunjom (several times) all the way down to Osan. I got to visit every single active US military installation in the region, while spending most of my time in transit between, stopping at bunshik joints at the side of the highway and eating excessively spicy ramen with slices American cheese floating on top – a favorite of these men. I learned some of my first phrases of Korean. All these years later, they are still the few phrases that come most naturally to me.
There were long waits, sometimes. I carried my current Dostoyevsky or Gogol novel and would read. The Camp Edwards post library inexplicably had an excellent collection of Russian literature in translation, and thus my year in Korea was when I worked my way through most of the Russian greats. I also had my little Sony Walkman (this was 1990, right?). I only had 4 cassettes, however. So they were on constant rotation.
One of those tapes was Nik Kershaw. Even now, if I hear one of his songs, I become exceedingly nostalgic for those road trips along the DMZ with those ajeossis. This is even stronger when the day is drizzly and gray, late Summer fading into early Fall, and I look out my window at the same Korea I saw then (with a few buildings added). The picture (found online), above right, shows the south check point, back in the day, which I remember vaguely. It's less than 10 km from my current home. I start craving spicy cheese ramen.
What I'm listening to right now.
Nik Kershaw, "Know How."
Lyrics.
Got a badge upon my chest
I'm a cut above the rest
So I can tell you what to do
Got my regimental hat
Got my "by the good book" chat
So I can tell you where to go
I've got a job to do and I'm telling you
I intend to do it well
It's easy when you know how
Got my smart uniform
And my duty to perform
So I
Don't care you who you are
I'm the only one who can spoil your fun
With one shake of the head
It's easy when you know how, know way
Know where and know today
Know mercy, know time
Know reason, know rhyme
Know how
I can tell you I'm the law
With my medals from the war
So don't tell me what to do
With my narrow point of view
Though I know you're probably right, I guess
It's still not easy saying yes
It's easy when you know how, know way
Know where and know today
Know mercy, know time
Know reason, know rhyme
Know how
[daily log: walking, 1.5km]
My 내신 (middle-schoolers’ test-prep period) started, which means I don’t have to work Saturdays for a few weeks. I feel supremely lazy today.
Mostly I don’t miss living in L.A. But then I read something like this, and I get a little bit nostalgic for that truly weird city with the boring climate.
What I’m listening to right now.
Modest Mouse, “Lampshades On Fire.”
[daily log: walking, 1km]
I had a rather braindead weekend. So I don't have much to say. Meanwhile…
What I'm listening to right now.
Mexican Institute of Sound, "Katia, Tania, Paulina y la Kim."
Letra.
Ya no voy a exposiciones ni a las fiestas de moda,
porque toda la rutina me recuerda a Paulina.
Ya no voy al colegio que es el General Prim
porque cuando voy me acuerdo de Kim.
Es que ya no me gusta salir de noche,
porque me acuerdo de las noches en el coche.
Tan bonitas y preciosas, todas con un defecto,
ya no salen conmigo, salen con un güey perfecto.
Katia, Tania, Paulina y La Kim
(Qué Maravilloso!)
Katia, Tania, Paulina y La Kim (x2)
Ya no quiero una novia intelectual,
que vaya en … y que lea Kant
que sólo baile salsa con sus amigas,
y que oiga Mano Negra a escondidas.
No es que no me importe la cultura,
pero a estas alturas no me hacen sabrosura
parece que en un siglo no me hubiera importado,
pero la verdad es que me he relajado.
Katia, Tania, Paulina y La Kim (x2)
(Qué Maravilloso!)
Esta canción es un panteón de ex-novias
pero es difícil superar a todas.
Paulina tan chula y educada.
Tania tan güapa y sofisticada.
La Kim era adorable, inteligente.
Katia era alocada pero muy decente.
Aquí dejo un espacio libre en la pista
por si se ofrece mi siguiente conquista.
Katia, Tania, Paulina y La Kim (x2)
Ya no voy a exposiciones ni a las fiestas de moda,
porque toda la rutina me recuerda a Paulina.
Ya no voy al colegio que es el General Prim???
porque cuando voy me acuerdo de Kim.
Es que ya no me gusta salir de noche,
porque me acuerdo de las noches en el coche.
Tan bonitas y preciosas, todas con un defecto,
ya no salen conmigo, salen con un güey perfecto.
Katia, Tania, Paulina y La Kim (x2)
(Qué Maravilloso!)
Y de todas las mujeres en el Universo,
las que mas he amado están en el verso.
Y me quiero volver a enamorar,
pero esta vez me la voy a pensar.
Lo que estoy buscando es una chica cotorra,
que salga de noche y que no sea modorra.
Solamente busco una clase mediera,
que sea como yo pero que me quiera.
Katia, Tania, Paulina y La Kim (x2)
(Qué Maravilloso!)
Katia, Tania, Paulina y La Kim
[daily log: walking, 7km]
What I'm listening to right now.
And One, "Heart of Stone."
Lyrics.
They want to become one flash
The video shows the body crash
Take an oath to fall from grace
Decide it with a devils face
Drag their victim to the shack
Unobserved put on their back
With agony and fear of death
First pray to god with the last breath
"What if he doesn't survive?"
Loser means leave him alone
But leaders got a heart of stone
Out of pity with their guests
Buried alive and laid to the rest
Seems like magic light
Stars are shining bright
Holz , Schlinge
Schließe meine Augen
Süßlicher Geruch
Betört meine Sinne
Vergebung für mein Sein
Hör die Bäume schreien
Ich spür euren Atem
Loser means leave him alone
But leaders got a heart of stone
Out of pity with their guests
Buried alive and laid to the rest
Seems like magic light
Stars are shining bright
[daily log: walking, 2km]
What I'm listening to right now.
Pop Will Eat Itself, "Ich Bin Ein
The song is 22 years old, by the British group Pop Will Eat Itself. Yet it seems eerily contemporary, vis-a-vis recent developments like the European response to the refugee crisis, Brexit, and Trump. The zeitgeist.
Lyrics.
Listen to the victim, abused by the system
The basis is racist, you know that we must face this.
"It can't happen here". Oh yeah?
"Take a look around at the cities and the towns."
See them hunting, creeping, sneaking
Breeding fear and loathing with the lies they're speaking
The knife, the gun, broken bottle, petrol bomb
There is no future when the past soon come.
And when they come to ethnically cleanse me
Will you speak out? Will you defend me?
Or laugh through a glass eye as they rape our lives
Trampled underfoot by the right on the rise
[CHORUS}
"You call us…" …Ich Bin Ein Ausländer
"You call us…" …Ich Bin Ein Ausländer
"You call us…" …Ich Bin Ein Ausländer
"You call us…" …Ich Bin Ein Ausländer
Welcome to a state where the politics of hate
Shout loud in the crowd "Watch them beat us all down"
There's a rising tide in the rivers of blood
But if the answer isn't violence, neither is your silence
If they come to ethnically cleanse me
Will you speak out? Will you defend me?
Freedom of expression doesn't make it alright
Trampled underfoot by the rise of the right
[CHORUS]
Ich Bin Ein Ausländer.
Ich Bin Ein Ausländer.
Ich Bin Ein Ausländer.
Ich Bin Ein Ausländer.
Ich Bin Ein Ausländer.
Ich Bin Ein Ausländer.
Ich Bin Ein Ausländer.
Ich Bin Ein Ausländer.
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]
So it's Saturday. I worked this morning. I am tired again.
What I'm listening to right now.
Sarah Jaffe, "Clementine."
Lyrics.
50 states
50 lines
50 crying all the time's
50 boys
50 lies
50 I'm gonna change my mind's
I changed my mind
I changed my mind
Now I'm feeling different
We were young
We were young
We were young, we didn't care
Is it gone?
Is it gone?
Is it floating in the air?
I changed my mind
I changed my mind
Now I'm feeling different
All that time wasted
I wish I was a little more delicate
I wish my
I wish my
I wish my
I wish my
I wish my name was Clementine
50 states
50 lines
50 crying all the time's
50 boys
50 lies
50 I'm gonna change my mind's
I changed my mind
I changed my mind
Now I'm feeling different
We were young
We were young
We were young, we didn't care
Is it gone?
Is it gone?
Or it's floating in the air?
I changed my mind
I changed my mind
Now I'm feeling different
All that time wasted
I wish I was a little more delicate
I wish my
I wish my
I wish my
I wish my
I wish my name was Clementine
All that time wasted
I wish I was a little more delicate
I wish my
I wish my
I wish my
I wish my
I wish my name was Clementine
[daily log: walking, 7km]
I caught this movie on the TV, called 나의 절친 악당들. It was funny and a bit surreal. I recommend it.
The song at the end, kind of an outro theme song, had a classic music-video style sequence, with the actors lip-syncing the lyrics. I couldn’t find the clip online, but the whole movie is posted here (for now, since these things tend not to last long) so you could scroll to the end to catch the video sequence, at 1:43:00. I kind of got hooked on the song. I started trying to translate the lyrics because I couldn’t find a translation online, but that effort lost steam. I thought the title, anyway, might be something like “What’s your game?” or “What are you playing at?” although the subtitles in the movie posting have “Why surprised?” But I think the the verb 놀다 has an element of the meaning “to play” that “Why surprised?” fails to convey. Maybe something like “Why are you pretending to be surprised?”
So that song is…
what I’m listening to right now.
장기하와얼굴들, “뭘 그렇게 놀래.”
가사.
뭘 그렇게 놀래
내가 한다면 하는 사람인 거 몰라
그렇게 동그란 눈으로
나를 쳐다보지 마
뭘 그렇게 놀래
내가 빈말 안 하는 사람인 거 몰라
뭐라도 본 듯한
표정 짓고 서 있지를 마
뭘 그렇게 놀래
내가 한다면 하는 사람인 거 몰라
그렇게 얼빠진 눈으로
나를 쳐다보지 마
잘 들어 미안하지만
니가 보고 있는 것들은 꿈이 아냐
그리고 잘 봐 낯설겠지만
니가 보고 있는 사람이 진짜 나야
나도 내가 진짜로
해낼 줄은 몰랐었어
이렇게나 멋지게
해낼 줄은 몰랐었어
너도 내가 진짜로
해낼 줄은 몰랐겠지만
더 이상 예전에 니가 알던
내가 아니야
뭘 그렇게 놀래
내가 굉장히 냉정한 사람인 거 몰라
되돌릴 수 있다는
그런 꿈꾸지도 마
잘 들어 미안하지만
니가 보고 있는 것들은
꿈이 아냐 그리고
잘 봐 못 믿겠지만
니가 보고 있는 사람이 진짜 나야
나도 내가 진짜로
해낼 줄은 몰랐었어
이렇게나 멋지게
해낼 줄은 몰랐었어
너도 내가 진짜로
해낼 줄은 몰랐겠지만
더 이상 예전에 니가 알던
내가 아니야
나도 내가 진짜로
해낼 줄은 몰랐었어
이렇게나 멋지게
해낼 줄은 몰랐었어
너도 내가 진짜로
해낼 줄은 몰랐겠지만
더 이상 예전에 니가 알던
내가 아니야
뭘 그렇게 놀래
[daily log: walking, 11km]
What I'm listening to right now.
Albert Hammond Jr., "Caught By My Shadow."
Lyrics.
You and I got burned in paradise
High heels on our knees
One by one that's what we do for fun
Playing hide and seek
High rise living side by side
How thirsty can you be?
Cold as hell laughter could do you well
Fighting in the street
Have you been in a house so big
Where rooms don't exist
Where some rooms don't exist?
Two wrongs don't make a right
Three rights make a left
Sing to me, livin' in fantasy
Find a place to rest
Saw her eyes blue as the naked skies
You were on TV
Who where you what could I make you do
What was left to see
Have you been in a house so big
Where rooms don't exist
Where some rooms don't exist?
High rise living side by side
How thirsty can you be?
Cold as hell laughter could do you well
Fighting in the street
Saw her eyes blue as the naked skies
You were on TV
Who were you what could I make you do
Fighting industry
Fighting in the street
[daily log: walking, 4km]
I guess I’m just really, really tired. Maybe it was this past week: the two hospital visits combined with the end of the test-prep time at work and the new summer schedule.
So.
What I’m listening to right now.
Muse. “Map of the Problematique.”
[daily log: walking, 7km]
Did you know that at least part of the time, I am an elementary EFL teacher? Betcha didn't.
Thus: what I'm listening to right now.
Sesame Street, "Outer Space ABCs ." I'm rockin'.
Lyrics.
A a
B b
C c
D d
E e
F f
G g
H h
I i
J j
K k
L l
M m
N n
O o
P p
Q q
R r
S s
T t
U u
V v
W w
X x
Y y
and
Z z
Now I know my ABC's
Next time won't you sing with me?
[daily log: walking, 1km]
I'm not sleeping very well, lately. I think mostly it's because summer has arrived – my apartment is slightly too warm for me to sleep comfortably. Running the air conditioner at night, on balance, doesn't help – it's not a very efficient air conditioner and anyway the conditioned air feels stale. I woke up yesterday morning at 3:30 am, and only managed a short nap before work. I thought that would mean I'd sleep in this morning, but no such luck – I was wide awake and insomniated at 5 am. So…
What I'm listening to right now.
Depeche Mode, "Waiting For The Night." I posted this song about 5 years ago, on this here blog thingy, but I wasn't yet in the habit of trying to include lyrics, so I figure it's OK to post it again. In fact, I think the song is about heroin addiction. As such, I'm not sure I buy the message. Nevertheless, I have long liked this song.
Lyrics.
I'm waiting for the night to fall
I know that it will save us all
When everything's dark
Keeps us from the stark reality
I'm waiting for the night to fall
When everything is bearable
And there in the still
All that you feel is tranquillity
There is a star in the sky
Guiding my way with its light
And in the glow of the moon
Know my deliverance will come soon
I'm waiting for the night to fall
I know that it will save us all
When everything's dark
Keeps us from the stark reality
I'm waiting for the night to fall
When everything is bearable
And there in the still
All that you feel is tranquillity
There is a sound in the calm
Someone is coming to harm
I press my hands to my ears
It's easier here just to forget fear
And when I squinted
The world seemed rose-tinted
And angels appeared to descend
To my surprise
With half-closed eyes
Things looked even better
Than when they were opened
Been waiting for the night to fall
I knew that it would save us all
Now everything's dark
Keeps us from the stark reality
Been waiting for the night to fall
Now everything is bearable
And here in the still
All that you feel is tranquillity
[daily log: walking, 7km]
What I'm listening to right now.
Cage The Elephant, "Cigarette Daydreams."
Lyrics.
Did you stand there all alone?
Oh I cannot explain what's going down
I can see you standing next to me
In and out, somewhere else right now
You sigh, look away
I can see it clear as day
Close your eyes, so afraid
Hide behind that baby face
Do do do do do do
You can drive all night
Looking for the answers in the pouring rain
You wanna find peace of mind
Looking for the answers
Funny how it seems like yesterday
As I recall you were looking out of place
Gathered up your things and slipped away
No time at all I followed you into the hall
Cigarette daydream
You were only seventeen
Soft speak with a mean streak
Nearly brought me to my knees
Do do do do do do
You can drive all night
Looking for the answers in the pouring rain
You wanna find peace of mind
Looking for the answers
If we could find a reason, a reason to change
Looking for the answers
If you could find a reason, a reason to stay
Standing in the pouring rain
Do do do do do do…
You can drive all night
Looking for the answers in the pouring rain
You wanna find peace of mind
Looking for the answers
If we could find a reason, a reason to change
Looking for the answers
If you could find a reason, a reason to stay
Standing in the pouring rain
[daily log: walking, 2km]
I don't really have routines. What I seem to have, instead, are checklists. I rarely do the various things that need to be done in any fixed order, rather, I just work through the list, almost with a deliberate view to randomness. "I can't do dishes before my shower, because I did that yesterday. So today, I'll do them after my shower."
I have been doing this since I was quite young. I remember when I was maybe 6 years old, just becoming competent at tying my own shoes, and it was very important to me that I never tie them in the same order. Each time, I would think, "Well, which shoe did I tie first yesterday? If it was right, I should do the left first, today. But… if I have been alternating for a while, then I should do the same one, because alternating is a pattern, too."
It seems to be like a kind of inversion of the standard manifestation of OCD. I was aware of it more than usual, today, for some reason.
Taking this into account might explain the character of this blog, too.
What I'm listening to right now.
Arctic Monkeys, "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair."
Lyrics.
Break a mirror
Roll the dice
Run with scissors
Through a chip pan fire fight
Go into business with a grizzly bear
But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair
Find a well known hardman
And start a fight
Wear your shell suit
On bonfire night
Fill in a circular hole with a peg that's square
But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair
Ooh… Yeah yeah yeah [x2]
Bite the lightning
And tell me how it tastes
Kung Fu fighting
On your roller skates
Do the macarena in the devils lair
But just don't sit down 'cause I've moved your chair
Ooh… Yeah yeah yeah [x3]
[daily log: walking, 1km]
What I'm listening to right now.
Bloodhound Gang, "Along Comes Mary."
Lyrics.
Every time I think that
I'm the only one who's lonely
Someone calls on me
And every now and then
I spend my time at rhyme and verse
And curse those faults in me
And then along comes Mary
And does she want to give me kicks and be my steady chick
And give me pick of memories
Or maybe rather gather tales from all the fails and tribulations
No one ever sees
When we met I was sure out to lunch
Now my empty cup tastes as sweet as the punch
Sweet as the punch
When vague desire is the fire
In the eyes of chicks whose sickness
Is the games they play
And when the masquerade is played
And neighbor folks make jokes
At who is most to blame today
And then along comes Mary
And does she want to set them free and
Let them see reality
From where she got her name
And will they struggle much
when told that such a tender touch of hers
Will make them not the same
When we met I was sure out to lunch
Now my empty cup tastes as sweet as the punch
Sweet as the punch
And when the morning of the warning's passed
The gassed and flaccid kids
Are flung across the stars
The psychodramas and the traumas gone
The songs have all been sung
And hung upon the scars
And then along comes Mary
And does she want to see the stains,
The dead remains of all the pain
She left the night before
Or will their waking eyes reflect the lies
And make them realize
Their urgent cry for sight no more
When we met I was sure out to lunch
Now my empty cup tastes as sweet as the punch
Sweet as the punch
[daily log: walking, 1km]
What I’m listening to right now.
Olga Bell, “Пермский Край.”
Lyrics – these are a translation, I was unable to find the original Russian online, although admittedly my Russian-language search skills are quite poor.
Once upon a time, on the river
Kamishinka…
There lived
Free people –
The Volga Cossacks and the Don Cossacks.
They had a chief: Yermak Timofeyevich!
Calling gently, a horn heralded his unforced speech:
Listen here my friends, I have a thought…
Summer soon will end and a harsh cold will set in,
And where, my friends, are we to winter?
Shall we go to the Volga, become thieves,
And pass the winter there?
Shall we go to Yaik?
The portage is great there, the portage there is hard.
Shall we go to Kazan-city, where Ivan the Terrible sits?
His forces are many, some one hundred forty thousand…
On the Irtysh River we’ll take the city of Tobolsk, the lovely city…
On the Irtysh River we’ll take the city of Tobolsk, that very one!
And once we’ve taken the city,
The city of Tobolsk,
Listen my friends, listen!
Once we take the city
We’ll go the Czar
and battle!
[daily log: walking, 1.5km]
I like Genki Sudo and his weird choreographies, and I especially enjoy the cryptic semiotics of his videos – there’s a lot there if you look for it, although superficially they seem quite silly.
Here is a recent video by his group, World Order – more interesting when you realize it’s all choreography, done without camera or editing tricks.
What I’m listening to right now.
World Order, “Have A Nice Day.”
Lyrics (credit Moriyama translations blog).
日曜日の朝 閃いた
nichiyoubi no asa hiraimeita
This Saturday morning, an idea came to mind
今日は街へ繰りだそう
kyou wa machi e kuridasou
Today, I’ll head over to town
お気に入りのジャケット羽織り
okiniiri no JAKKETTO haori
With my favorite haori jacket*
みんなが待っている交差点へ
minna ga matteiru kousaten e
I head to the road crossing where everyone waits
everywhere グレートな僕は
everywhere GUREETO na boku wa
Everywhere, The great me
everywhere スマートにcheck it out
everywhere SUMAATO ni check it out
Everywhere, checks it all out in a smart manner*
everywhere シンプルに踊り
everywhere SHINPURU ni odori
Everywhere, and simply dances
ガラス越しの 未来を見て
GARASUgoshi no mirai wo mite
And within the glass reflection, I see the future
everywhere キュートなキミは
everywhere KYUUTO na kimi wa
Everywhere, the cute you
everywhere スマートにcheck it out
everywhere SUMAATO ni check it out
Everywhere, check it out in a smart manner
everywhere シンプルに彩り
everywhere SHINPURU ni irodori
Everywhere, and simply dance
ガラス越しに 君微笑む (微笑む)
GARASUgoshi ni kimi hohoemu (hohoemu)
And within the glass reflection, you are smiling to me (smiling to me)
微笑む (微笑む) 微笑む (微笑む)
hohoemu (hohoemu) hohoemu (hohoemu)
smiling to me (smiling to me) smiling to me (smiling to me)
今日はHAVE A NICE DAY
kyou wa HAVE A NICE DAY
Today, have a nice day
今日はHAVE A NICE DAY
kyou wa HAVE A NICE DAY
Today, have a nice day
日曜日の 青い空
nichiyoubi no aoi sora
With the sky blue this Saturday
今日はあの子に会いに行こう
kyou wa ano ko ni ai ni ikou
Now let’s go meet “that girl”* today
エスカレータ駆け上がり
ESUKAREETA kakeagari
Rushing up the escalator
君の待つステージへ急ぐ
kimi no matsu SUTEEJI e isogu
I hurry to the stage where you wait for me
everywhere グレートな僕は
everywhere GUREETO na boku wa
Everywhere, The great me
everywhere スマートにcheck it out
everywhere SUMAATO ni check it out
Everywhere, checks it all out in a smart manner*
everywhere シンプルに踊り
everywhere SHINPURU ni odori
Everywhere, and simply dances
ガラス越しの 未来を見て
GARASUgoshi no mirai wo mite
And within the glass reflection, I see the future
everywhere キュートなキミは
everywhere KYUUTO na kimi wa
Everywhere, the cute you
everywhere スマートにcheck it out
everywhere SUMAATO ni check it out
Everywhere, check it out in a smart manner
everywhere シンプルに彩り
everywhere SHINPURU ni irodori
Everywhere, and simply dance
ガラス越しに 君微笑む (微笑む)
GARASUgoshi ni kimi hohoemu (hohoemu)
And within the glass reflection, you are smiling to me (smiling to me)
微笑む (微笑む) 微笑む (微笑む)
hohoemu (hohoemu) hohoemu (hohoemu)
smiling to me (smiling to me) smiling to me (smiling to me)
今日はHAVE A NICE DAY
kyou wa HAVE A NICE DAY
Today, have a nice day
通りすぎてくこの恋模様
toori sugiteku kono koimoyou
Within this air of loveliness* that passes by
君からの返事 ただ待っている
kimi kara no henji tada matteiru
I just keep waiting for your reply
言葉にすると消えてしまいそう
kotoba ni suru to kieteshimaisou
It feels like it’ll disappear once spoken
僕の想い ほろ苦いチョコレート
boku no omoi horonigai CHOKOREETO
These feelings of mine are like bittersweet chocolate
通りすぎてく そう雲のよう
toori sugiteku sou kumo no you
Just like the clouds that pass on by
君からの答え もう知っている
kimi kara no kotae mou shitteiru
I already know what you’ll answer with
また会おうねって 去ってく空が
mata aounette satteku sora ga
The sky darkens as you tell me “Let’s see each other another time”
僕の恋は どうにも届かない
boku no koi wa dounimo todokanai
My love will hopelessly not reach you
[daily log: walking, 7km]
I guess someone golfing in Florida encountered a different type of water hazard.
Mainly, this is interesting to me because of my "alligator" brand with my students. I showed some of them this video.
My students often ask me, "why do you like alligators?" to which I typically, and cryptically, respond: "because you like alligators." In fact, I don't really care about alligators. They're just a kind schtick I use, with my students.
What I'm listening to right now.
The National, "The Daughters of the SoHo Riots." From their Alligator album, of course.
Lyrics.
I have your good clothes in the car
So cut your hair so no one knows
I have your dreams and your teethmarks
And all my fingernails are painted
I'm here to take you now
You were right about the end
It didn't make a difference
Everything I can remember
I remember wrong
How can anybody know
How they got to be this way?
You must have known
I'd do this someday
Break my arms around the one I love and be forgiven by the time my lover comes
Break my arms around my love
Break my arms around the one I love and be forgiven by the time my lover comes
Break my arms around my love
I don't have any questions
I don't think it's gonna rain
You were right about the end
It didn't make a difference
I'm here to take you now
Out among the missing sons and daughters of the Soho riots
Out among the missing sons and daughters of the Soho riots
I'm here to take you now
How can anybody know
How they got to be this way?
You must have known
I'd do this someday
Break my arms around the one I love and be forgiven by the time my lover comes
Break my arms around my love
Break my arms around the one I love and be forgiven by the time my lover comes
Break my arms around my love
Break my arms around the one I love
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]
I'm still kind of recovering from last week. Still have a lot of work. My reduced test-prep work schedule is coming soon, and will give me a chance to rest.
What I'm listening to right now.
Beach House, "Space Song."
Lyrics.
It was late at night
You held on tight
From an empty seat
A flash of light
It will take a while
To make you smile
Somewhere in these eyes
I'm on your side
You wide eyed girls
You get it right
Fall back into place
Fall back into place
Tender is the night
For a broken heart
Who will dry your eyes
When it falls apart?
What makes this fragile world go 'round?
Were you ever lost
Was she ever found?
Somewhere in these eyes
Fall back into place
Fall back into place
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]
It was a really long day yesterday, with six classes back-to-back and essays to score. I'm feeling gloomy because I made a mistake with last-month's grades. Just a stupid mistake in the spreadsheeet, but the sort of mistake that unnecessarily and negatively impacts the impression parents have.
What I'm listening to right now.
Garbage, "You Look So Fine." This is from Garbage's Version 2.0 album, possibly one of my most favorite and most listened-to albums of all time – one of those albums where I like every song on it.
Lyrics.
You look so fine
I want to break your heart
And give you mine
You're taking me over
It's so insane
You've got me tethered and chained
I hear your name
And I'm falling over
I'm not like all the other girls
I can't take it like the other girls
I won't share it like the other girls
That you used to know
You look so fine
Knocked down
Cried out
Been down just to find out
I'm through
Bleeding for you
I'm open wide
I want to take you home
We'll waste some time
You're the only one for me
You look so fine
I'm like the desert tonight
Leave her behind
If you want to show me
I'm not like all the other girls
I won't take it like the other girls
I won't fake it like the other girls
That you used to know
You're taking me over
Over and over
I'm falling over
Over and over
You're taking me over
Drown in me one more time
Hide inside me tonight
Do what you want to do
Just pretend happy end
Let me know let it show
Ending with letting go [3x]
Let's pretend, happy end [4x]
[daily log, walking, 6.5km]
Q: What sport do you play with a wombat?
A: Wom.
What I’m listening to right now.
San Cisco, “Bitter Winter.”
Lyrics.
I don’t wanna be, with anybody else
If I wanted someone like me
I’d hang out with myself
I’m stuck here, in the middle of winter
I feel a bit bitter about what you said to me
Well you never talk about it
Instead you scream and shout it
Never let nobody into let them know what you been through
You love drama I believe in karma
I’m struggling and might see a shrink
I never thought that I would think that
I, no I don’t wanna be
With anybody else but you
Can you come with me [x2]
We’re so different you and I
I think that’s what first caught your eye
I’m your mistake, you’re my escape
You suggest the theatre
I go just to be with you
It’s not something I like to do
I hate musicals, I know
I’ve been to a few
I, no I don’t wanna be
With anybody else but you
Can you come with me [x2]
I don’t wanna be, with anybody else
If I wanted someone like me
I’d just hang out with myself
I, no I don’t wanna be
With anybody else but you
Can you come with me [x2]
[daily log: talking, 1km]
