Fully, Mementos, and the mix for 4-23-21

Hello again you fabulous avatars, bots, pixels, and abstractions! Yes, it’s been a few weeks where Friday posts haven’t been tenable. Such are the vagaries of free content.

The good: I’ve had my second vaccine dose and am two weeks out so I’m Fully Vaccinated. I’m extremely happy to say many in my life are also coming up on their fully vaxxed status too.

It’s odd processing how time works at the tail end of the pandemic. While it is ending for the US, it isn’t over and I’m not sure what measure to use as to when one can say it is over. The current situation is a different type of limbo. Can tell you that I’m sick of being in the house, am sick of the small routines that are now a year old, and yet am still uncomfortable being around others in public.

The bad: Last weekend I was helping clear out my Aunt Elaine’s place in Iowa. She passed a few months ago and this was the last big push to have the house ready to be sold. It was complicated and exhausting on all levels. There is something terrible about having to do physical heavy lifting when each item also carries the emotional weight of grief as well.

Not sure that I have fully developed thoughts about the mementos one collects from the effects of those who have passed, but many small, quirky things can become talismans that conjure that person to mind and I’m not sure sure one has much control over what those touchstones are. I certainly don’t. There are probably specific items, let’s say souvenirs from trips you took together, that are obvious candidates, but those aren’t the ones that catch me. When I think about the items I have squirreled away from other times I’ve gone through this process the artifacts are usually quotidian. It’s a little “Our Town” that way I guess. Or items that show an aspect of the person that maybe wasn’t often on display when you knew them. It’s jarring to me how often that I learn a lot about someone after they have died. The stories, remembrances usually mundane but that add depth and shadow, come out when people are gathered and trying to parse long forgotten papers or figure out who exactly is in a picture.

What is sticking with me, like the shard of a dream you both can’t quire recall and can’t shake, is how much louder I can hear the clock ticking now. I think you never really end grieving. You get used to the noise of it, which does fade, but its part of your permanent soundtrack. I don’t know.

Since this space is usually about music, I wanted to highlight something of Elaine’s that came home with me.

Listen to and/or download this podcast! The Funkomaticjamatron Presents 4-23-21

NOTE: New “The Funkomaticjamatron Presents…” podcasts are generally posted on Fridays. The show archives are around ten shows deep. Beyond that, if the link isn’t active, the mix has been deleted to make way for new material.

Song – Artist - Album
Burning Bridges - Pink Floyd - Obscured By Clouds.
Letting You Go - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Hard Promises.
I've Been Working - Van Morrison - His Band And The Street Choir.
The Tracks Of My Tears - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Big Chill (Soundtrack).
Never Going Back Again - Fleetwood Mac – Rumours.
Here Comes The Rain Again – Eurythmics - Greatest Hits.
Demolition Man - Grace Jones - Private Life.
Nothing - Depeche Mode - Music For The Masses.
Let Me In - Laura Branigan - Laura Branigan.
Pink Cashmere – Prince - The Hits/The B-Sides [Disc 1].

Dead Letters, Lost Shores, and the mix for 1-29-21

Been feeling very cooped up this week. I’m sure many of you feel the same. I, for one, don’t like it and am running thin on ways to combat the walls being so close.

This year two Christmas cards came back as having a dead address. One I was able to revive. A couple of short texts back and forth and the spreadsheet was updated. I wasn’t sure I should reach out as I haven’t had a meaningful conversation with this friend since their wedding some years back, but the thin silver thread is still intact, such as it is, and that is a comfort.

The other is more enigmatic. I’ve been sending this friend postcards about every other month for almost two years so the return was a surprise, but then a sad thought occurred to me. I bet a year’s worth of postcards are sitting in a dead letter office somewhere out west because they lack a return address. More confusing still is that I got a text on December 25th saying simply “Merry Christmas”. I texted back to no answer, but I wasn’t expecting one. When the letter came back a couple weeks later, I texted again. A day or two later I called. It was the default voicemail message so no indication of its ownership. I emailed too. Silence on all fronts. I’m worried about this person, but I think I have done what is reasonable and in my power to do. I can make some guesses, but I think the way is lost.

Been thinking about all the people that have come and gone on the various social media platforms I’ve been on. The people, that for s sliver of time, were regular conversationalists, that shared a common interest. Then one day aren’t there. No more posts or an account erased. I bet there are more people that fall into this shadowy range of friendship than is healthy to recall.

This same thing used to happen working retail. Work with someone day in day out for a year, then you never see them again, no chance to say “It was good to cross paths” or “Good luck on what comes next” or even just “goodbye”.

Reader, I am not good at navigating these waters. I don’t know how to be ok with these small (and sometimes not so small) losses.

There is a part of growing older (but not confined to growing old) that necessitates these temporary moorings, these stop overs with other vagabonds that you know only a little about and that fade quickly from sight as the current rushes you onward. I often feel that there are not going to be any shores as good as the ones I have already walked, that the stops will be shorter, rockier, less plentiful fishing under cloudier skies. Not sure if that is a natural state that all travelers have or if it is peculiar to me. I’m inclined to the first option.

Meanwhile, on other shores, there is hopeful news in terms of new COVID cases across Minnesota continuing to decline as vaccination rates continue to increase. I do wish there was a better plan to get the most vulnerable folks to the front of the line and not an ad hoc lottery system, but its hard to pivot from no plan to a good plan.

A sad note of context: There have now been more COVID deaths than US troops that died in WW2. Another way to understand that number is, if these deaths all happened in a single spot, it would equal the entirety of Minneapolis vanishing. That is a hard problem to get traction on as fast as we all want.

Listen to and/or download this podcast! The Funkomaticjamatron Presents 1-29-21

NOTE: New “The Funkomaticjamatron Presents…” podcasts are generally posted on Fridays. The show archives are around ten shows deep. Beyond that, if the link isn’t active, the mix has been deleted to make way for new material.

 Song – Artist – Album
 You And Me And P.B. Shelley - Ogden Nash - Ogden Nash Reads Ogden Nash.
 Miss You - The Rolling Stones - Some Girls.
 Real Real Gone - Van Morrison – Enlightenment.
 My Old Friends – Emot - Make You Electric.
 No Light, No Light - Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials.
 I Would Crash This Ship To Save My Friend - The Sevateem - The Caves.
 All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver.
 Still A Friend of Mine – Incognito – Positivity.
 Miss You Less, See You More – Faithless - No Roots.
 Missing (Ultramarine Remix) - Everything But The Girl - Missing: The Full Remix [EP].
 Galaxy of Emptiness - Beth Orton - Trailer Park (Bonus Track).
 #11 from "Pictures Of \The Gone World"  - Lawrence Ferlinghetti - A Coney Island Of The Mind. 

Quint, Pete,and I Hope You Are Well

Much like Quint explains to the town meeting in “Jaws”, we all know why it has been five months since the last blog.

The real villain in the movie is the mayor who insists the beaches be opened.

If you don’t know that speech, I’ll use another movie example, this time “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?”…

(If I could R-U-N-N-O-F-T I would)

I’m not going backward to talk about it. I’m also going to try to limit my foaming at the mouth ranting about just how badly the federal government has handled every single aspect of the crisis because of their selfish grifting and unbelievable incompetence. I’ll also generally resist the urge to talk at length about the systemic inequities made so much worse in this crisis. Because if you are here, if this page isn’t just a place you stumbled blindly into, you are aware of my politics.

And there has been as much to talk about politically as there has been pandemically. Here too, you are most likely aware of my stance. I am not a religious man but I hope to whatever greater power might be that the murder of George Floyd here in my home town becomes a real movement, not just a moment, for justice and racial equality.

So what does that leave us to talk about? Fair question. Honestly, I’m not sure.

We can talk about how schools at all levels are in an intractable spot. We can talk about how there is a boom in home improvement because everyone is stuck inside. We can talk about coping mechanisms to deal with being near the same people all the time (I recommend a healthy dose of “please” and “thank you”). We could talk about how difficult and sad it is to tell kids they can’t play together. The list goes on and on.

But there are points of light in the vast inky dark.

Working from home means I’m listening to my old weird records while I sit here. It is at least a journey I enjoy. I’ve been making postcards and sending them to people and they seem to bring joy for both parties. I haven’t burned down the house. Not even once. Been staying in contact with college friends via a weekly video call. Normally I would have seen them once a year.

Please consider this post as that I am checking in on you. I miss you. I care about you. I hope that you are well. I am sorry for not writing as often as might be helpful. If you’ve got the time and inclination, I’d love to hear from you.

Take care, my loves. Stay safe, mask up, wash your hands, stay at least six feet apart. Be kind.
-Until the next time I can muster up some words.

Umm, Uhh, and the mix for 5-4-18

Spring has rendered me wistful and distracted.

Usually under the pressure of a deadline ideas spring to mind, but not today. My work day takes me away from the desk for the last hour of the day and it’s just been emails and maintenance all week. So, I’ll let the mix (which I really enjoyed putting together and listening back through) speak for itself. There are a couple songs in here which either rarely come up or are new to the blog.

This picture is unrelated. I just like morning glories.

If we get rain in the next few days, these arrive!

Listen to and/or download this podcast! The Funkomaticjamatron Presents… originally mixed the week of 5.4.18.

NOTE: New “The Funkomaticjamatron Presents…” podcasts are generally posted on Fridays. The show archives are around ten shows deep. Beyond that, if the link isn’t active, the mix has been deleted to make way for new material.

Song – Artist – Album
Mr. Tiddles – Sasha – Airdrawndagger.
Broken Promise – Toonami – Deep Space Bass.
I’ll Carry You – Halou – Loop: The Cut and Paste Groove Collection.
Bermuda – Fluke – Risotto.
Blue Lines – Massive Attack – Blue Lines.
Rino’s Prayer – Leftfield – Rhythm And Stealth.
Dirty Shadows – The Future Sound Of London – ISDN.
Freefloat – Aural Float – A Night In Space: Space Night, Vol. V.
Fires of Ork II – Fires Of Ork – Logic Trance 2 [Disc 2].
Crocodile (Live) – Underworld – London Roundhouse 18.10.2007 [Disc 1].

Vol 3, Dadding, and the mix for 2-9-18

The last couple weeks have been busy at work and busy at home. I’m busy right now wrapping up my ersatz work day to head off to a set of routine doctor appointments. Under this pressure I can think of two things to share*.

First, for your edification. I will have an essay published in Mixtape Memoirs Vol 3 which will come out on Valentines Days (Wednesday, Feb 14th if you are bad at calendars like I am). And yes, it’s about love. I’m very happy about this essay and its being published.

Second, for your amusement. Parenting is a strange gig. Last Wednesday night, I had just got in the shower and was in there long enough to be covered in water, like a literal ten seconds, when kiddo runs into the bathroom and vomits in the sink. He did an admirable job getting as far as he could and (mostly) hitting the sink. Anyway, I turned off the water, hopped out of the shower as quick as possible and attended to kiddo. Then I had to decide: Use the towel to clean him up or dry myself off. So I spent the next half hour cold, wet, naked, and cleaning up vomit. Turns out nakedness is not in anyway a deterrent for me to getting a job done. As my Dad said, the highs are very high, the lows are very low.

*I assume people read this space for updates about my life. I have no idea if that is true, but it seems like a reasonable assumption.

Listen to and/or download this podcast! The Funkomaticjamatron Presents… originally mixed the week of 2.9.18

NOTE: New “The Funkomaticjamatron Presents…” podcasts are generally posted on Fridays. The show archives are around ten shows deep. Beyond that, if the link isn’t active, the mix has been deleted to make way for new material.

Song – Artist – Album
Dr. Feelgood (Love Is a Serious Business) – Aretha Franklin – 30 Greatest Hits.
Give It Up Or Turnit Loose – James Brown – 20 All Time Greatest Hits!
Superman Lover – Johnny “Guitar” Watson – The Funk Anthology.
Slim Jenkins’ Joint – Booker T. & The M.G.’s – Hip Hug-Her.
You Got the Love – Rufus – Rags to Rufus.
Superstitious – Stevie Wonder – Talking Book.
Nothing Ever Hurt Like You – James Morrison – Songs for You, Truths For Me.
Nowhere to Run – Martha Reeves & The Vandellas – Dancing in the Streets.
More Bounce to the Ounce – Zapp & Roger – All The Greatest Hits.
Far Cry – Marvin Gaye – In Our Lifetime.
Going to a Go-Go – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Going to a Go-Go.
Bambi – Prince – Prince.
West Coast Poplock – Ronnie Hudson – GTA:SA.
Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life – Indeep –Last Night single.
In the Midnight Hour – Wilson Pickett – In the Midnight Hour.
Can’t You Hear Me Knocking – The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers.