The Grind

It has been many moons since I last wrote something here...too long I suppose. My last post was about my dog, Max, whom I am finding is more demanding than a human room mate, yet much more adorable. My job is spiraling into an abyss darker and more loathsome than I ever imagined. Summer has oozed over us here in the middle of the States making persons such as myself wilt and perform our daily tasks with a listlessness reserved for the motivationally challenged.
Oddly enough, I've found some solace in listening to music - something that I haven't done in earnest in quite a while. Of course there is the mode of having the radio on in the car while zooming around and the like, but this is different. I mean, acutally sitting down and listening to the music - giving it your complete and undivided attention. Strangely enough, when I do this, my mind often wanders away to some far off imaginary land populated by beings who invade my fantasies and daydreams, but that is alright. The music I've been listening to is not unusual for me, yet I find that when people ask me what kind of music I like and I answer YES, they kind of look at me as though I didn't understand the question. This often steers the conversation to a place that I enjoy but confuses others. YES is, for want of another way of saying it, "my favorite band." I have broad tastes in music, from classical, romantic and baroque to swing, big band, jazz to blue grass and the so called "world" or "ethnic" musics. Among my other favorites are Bela Fleck, Dave Brubeck, the Adair Brothers, Shostakovich, Philip Glass and Bill Munroe. But YES holds a special place in my heart. Lately, I've been "listening" to three albums in particular. The first is one of their classics, Close to the Edge which has a special meaning for me which may be the subject of future entry. The second album is the much berated Open Your Eyes which I have found to be rich, daring and great cruising music. The third album of theirs which I've been tuning into is their most recent opus, Magnification, which, based on the sound engineering alone should be nominated for a Grammy. I'm sure it won't happen, but it should if there is any fairness in the universe.
The music of YES sometimes takes work but is always rewarding. Some have slammed it for being bombastic and pretentious. Hmmm....and the Backstreet Boys make serious music. Right. Others have said that the lyric is innane. Hmmmm again....take a listen to the lyrical content of 90% of what makes it onto the airwaves, then try out a song with lyric like this:
"...On the hill we viewed the silence of the valley,
Called to witness cycles only of the past
And we reach all this with movements in between the said remark...."
from Close to the Edge
All of this aside, I have to say that their music makes me feel good, in fact, it makes me feel better about myself and helps me survive the daily grind.
So, here I sit at work, lots to do but I really don't want to. I have in the back of my mind a list of projects that need to be started and completed. I have another list of things that I should do but really don't want to. I realize that sooner or later I'll have to rise above all of this. Thank goodness I've got some good music to keep me afloat.....
............."I get up, I get down,
....................I get up, I get down,
.........................I get up
..............................I get down......."