SPRING! Well, we're getting there anyway. I know I should have included a colourful photo of blossoms but I took this shot a few days ago riding my bike by Kits Beach so - ever the realist - here's spring as of the beginning of April. As inevitable as it is,when it fully arrives it still feels like a miracle. Even more for you in the east, I'm sure.
I have always been smitten by the silhouette of trees against the sky. Although it has been proven to me over and over again that it is virtually impossible to capture the stunning beauty of nature and reproduce the breathtaking sensation that inspires me to pull out my camera in the first place, I keep trying. The contrast of the branches particularly sends me - this pattern that is reproduced in the leaves, in the roots, and in our veins.
Hello my friend!
Tis the season ….again….seemingly cycling around increasingly more quickly every year. For me, the ramp up is always the same - the predicable subtle dread and contempt triggered by the commercial sales pitch that pounces the day after Thanksgiving, ramping up wildly the day after Halloween. Then by the end of November I feel myself softening and starting to get seduced by the twinkly lights (I am SO easy!) and the thoughts of the delectable down time that happens over the holidays - when the world seems to stop and all manner of relaxation and communing with friends and family is officially sanctioned. The full surrender seems to be marked by the evening we trim the tree and I swoon with the memory of each ornament.
"Garageband" –a term that reeks of beer, adolescence, motor oil and cigarette butts– has become my new best friend. Who knew, after all the years of my life I spent slaving away in my basement studio learning Logic and techy skills I never really needed, that I could simply sit down and record ideas and demos as easily as writing an e-mail. I thought it was just for kids - but it's surprisingly sophisticated! Such a clever man that Steve.
Since I craftily bred my own personal engineer (which unfortunately I now have to share with the rest of the world) I have pretty much abandoned my studio, so when I launched into writing in the spring and needed to demo the songs for the band, I thought…okay, I’ll humour my Mac and try out this toy.
I know - I shouldn't open with this - it goes against my Pollyanna nature. And don't worry - we're not going to talk about the 'T' word - an agreement made at so many gatherings of friends these days. It's just too toxic and frustrating. But just to say, when the Paris Accord news hit, like millions around the world, I felt sick, scared, and hopeless. Not an uncommon state of mind over the past 4 months, at least when I take my fingers out of my ears and stop singing la-la-la-la. But by the end of the day the fact that cities and states were picking up the gauntlet and claiming their right to continue to participate in the Accord and embrace the goals and agreements made by the dedicated and intelligent humans from around the world in Paris....my sense of hope did a 180. The fact that the dire state of environmental affairs could indeed finally trigger the mother bear in us to rear up to protect sanity and science gave me the first hope I've felt in a long time. And it inspired other countries to renew their dedication to reaching their goals. Finally...a glimmer.
Read MoreHOW THE &%#@ DID THAT HAPPEN??
Okay - just this ONE little reference. Though it goes without saying (and even Ms. Verbose here doesn't want to talk about it anymore) that we're all continuing to reel about the state of the union down south. The disturbing effect on the hearts and spirits of millions is unprecedented. Of course, the most often uttered question is "How did this happen?".
Pete Heitzman, one of the most probing and curious minds I know, sent me this link to a truly fascinating interview with George Lakoff - linguist and cognitive scientist and director of the Center for the Neural Mind and Society at UC Berkeley. Check it out. It's fascinating. Somehow understanding helps - a tiny bit anyway.
Happy belated New Year to you!
Ah….a new start; a new chapter in uncertainty; renewed resolutions! Okay - Exercise more; eat less; do yoga; read more books - (no…..read ALL the books on my bookshelves!); write more songs - (no… write an album full of the best songs I’ve ever written!); get my year end done in January instead of August; write a book; record a new album; record a Christmas album; be more productive; write you more frequently; find an assistant or manager or SOMEONE who can help me achieve all these things; oh, and help create world peace.