Goodbye 2009

I feel like I’ve been bombarded with the usual onslaught of “Best of 2009″ and “Goodbye 2009″ lists over the past month. Not that I mind; I just don’t normally feel the need to make similar lists and blog entries (aside from the standard “Best Albums” of that particular year).

However, I feel differently for 2009. This year deserves a particular kind of tribute, of recognition, of retrospect, and of appreciation.

I lost both of my grandmothers in 2009. Babcia (Gazdowicz) passed in January, Grandma passed six months later in early July (Higgins). It was simply time for both of them, and they each died peacefully, with family at their sides. They were responsible for raising some of the most warm, loving, and generous people – people I am proud to call family each and every day. I find it extremely inspiring and humbling to come from women who worked hard their entire lives with integrity and grace, full of love for their family and friends. Through death, I was reminded in 2009 that family is extraordinary, family is the focal point of life – no matter where you find it. Rest in peace to my beloved grandmothers.

But also in 2009, amongst societal and economic stress and turmoil, I found happiness in so many places: a new home with wonderful people, inspirational hobbies, fulfilling employment, in friends both new and old, and in love. There was constant reminder of being alive, of appreciating and understanding surroundings, and therein finding a new lust for life.

Here’s to 2010, whatever it may bring.

A daily song: The National – “Apartment Story”

I put together a Genius playlist on my iPhone yesterday with New Order’s “Age of Consent” as the seed. The result was all sorts of awesome: more New Order, some Spoon, Broken Social Scene, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Beirut, Arcade Fire, My Bloody Valentine . . . and the National.

I’ve always really liked the National, but haven’t had many “listen-on-repeat” instances with their songs. Today, however, when revisiting the “Age of Consent” playlist, I just kept hitting repeat once “Apartment Story” come up in the mix. I was hooked. It’s just so divine.

“Tired and wired, we ruin too easy.”

The National – “Apartment Story”

A daily song: Damien Jurado – “Ohio” (Daytrotter session)

Wow.

Damien Jurado – “Ohio”

A daily song: Colin Hay – “I’m Waiting for my Real Life to Begin”

I seem to have a different song and/or melody stuck in my head on a daily basis. I will try to post them here as often as possible.

Blame it on the cycles, be it moon, weather, or hormone-based – the nature of this song is hitting me upside the head, knowing so much but wanting more.

Colin Hay – “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin”

I actually first discovered this song from a “Scrubs” episode. The early years – ahhh, yes:

Photos: The Dodos, the Ruby Suns at Bimbo’s

As originally published here on Stranger Dance.

The Dodos’ homecoming show at Bimbo’s proved to be an excellent celebration of the band’s success circa Time to Die. Controlled chaos and pronounced energy filled Bimbo’s elegant walls, through the Dodos’ experimental folk and the Ruby Suns’ infectious, tribal-infused indie pop. Photos for both bands after the jump.

Maine, Virginia . . . and California

In the sixth (seventh?) grade, my best friend came out to me and one of our other friends. She was in love with a female friend of hers. She pined for her. She wanted nothing more than to be her girlfriend. This was obviously something that she had been struggling to confess for a long while.

This girl had been one of my best friends for years. She ended up at a different high school, and then at a college across the country, where she is still living and working and loving – and she also happens to be a lesbian. Facebook tells me these things. I’ve been happy to follow her over the past couple of years, to know that she’s working hard at an admirable job and living a fulfilling, giving life.

One of my dearest friends from college is a gay man. I’ve been his friend since he met his first official boyfriend; his first great love; his first great heartbreak; his first “this is the real deal.” We’ve been through a lot together over the years, have had some wonderfully fun times, and continue to maintain a solid friendship here in San Francisco. He is incredibly smart, hilarious, kind, and open-minded. One of his ex-boyfriends remains as a friend of mine to this day – he even came with me to the Bonnaroo Music Festival back in 2007.

Another one of my dearest friends from college is a gay man. He’s easily one of the most warm-hearted, hard-working, intelligent people I’ve ever known. The fact that he associates with me as a good friend makes me proud, makes me want to be a better person, as I admire him on so many levels. He inspires me, and many others.

And that is just scratching the surface. I have other friends from over the years that identify as gay – all wonderful, fun, lovely, intelligent, hard-working people, trying to make it in this world, just like me. The people we meet in our lifetimes ultimately shape us, make us who we are, inspire us to move forward. I’m proud of all the people who have shaped me, and continue to do so.

To many people in this country, my friends are second-class citizens. Maine, Virginia, my own home state of California . . . it makes me heart hurt.

Can this just be over now? Can these people who vote against gay marriage, with their ridiculously bigoted, close-minded views, just fucking get over it and move on? And if marriage is so goddamn sacred, why is divorce legal?

Where Weezers Meet Snuggies, in a land I never thought I would be

If you had asked me  three years ago if I would ever be in a position to receive press releases about Weezer releasing “their own Snuggie – the blanket with sleeves,” I would not have even known what you were talking about. “Snuggie? Is that a band? Who? Weezer? That band from the 90s? What’s a press release?”

Life is strange sometimes. And by strange, I mean awesome in every possible way.

I never really listened to 2Pac

But it’s tough to argue against the lyrical content of this song:

“Since we all came from a woman, got our name from a woman, and our game from a women, I wonder why we take from women, why we rape our women, do we hate our women? I think its time we killed for our women, be real to our women, try to heal our women, ’cause if we don’t we’ll have a race of babies that will hate the ladies, who make the babies. And since a man can’t make one he has no right to tell a women when and where to create one.”

2Pac – “Keep Ya Head Up”

A daily song: GLEE cast – “Somebody to Love”

I seem to have a different song and/or melody stuck in my head on a daily basis. I will try to post them here as often as possible.

God damn it, I fucking love GLEE. This Queen cover makes me almost pee myself.

It’s not really the same in this streaming mode, but this is all that’s currently available. If you’ve been watching the show, you know what I’m talking about. You can watch the full episode (until it gets taken down, probably within a couple of weeks) via Hulu.

A daily song: Interpol – “Evil”

I seem to have a different song and/or melody stuck in my head on a daily basis. I will try to post them here as often as possible.

Indeed. By no means an album that I’ve listened to all that much, but this song makes me want to jump in all sorts of directions.

Interpol – “Evil”