Republic -- "If you can keep it" [Democracy]
Accountability for Jan. 6 insurrection
U.S. Select House Committee on January 6th Hearings will continue in the fall.
U.S. Dept. of Justice and F.B.I. deserving of respect for doing their jobs.
Stars / Feelings (Medley / Live at Montreux, 1976)
NINA SIMONE
"Stars lives come and go ... they all have a story." Perhaps this is Nina's story, too, as she also refers to Billie Holiday and Janis Joplin. This talented artist left our world in 2003 at age 70 years. In her mid-twenties she aspired to being a classical concert pianist.
Composer Janis Ian commented on YouTube: "I wrote the song [Stars] when I was 21, and already a 9 year veteran of the music industry. Nina's version is brilliant. She re-writes it some here and there, and I've never known whether the ad libbed sections at the end were because she forgot, was overwhelmed, or what - but brilliant nonetheless. One of the most underrated arrangers and pianists ever, too."
The heat must be getting to me. I'm lacking enthusiasm of thought to focus on writing here. There are so many issues hanging fire, so to speak, all of which are on my mind from the local to the national level as well as what's occurring around the world. I'm sure you are as aware of them as I am, so I'll not bring up the matters. I'm trying to patiently wait for many of them to move forward toward some resolution. Frankly, it doesn't look like that will occur anytime soon.
Also, I need to focus attention on some personal things here that require more of my time which I'll be doing in the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, I've resumed some occasional pleasure reading but nothing of any consequence for my reviewing here. They're autobiographies of a couple of now deceased women, each a decade or so older than me. One woman had a career in D.C. legitimate news journalism to which I had paid some attention. The other out of NYC focused on show biz gossip and facts to which I've never paid much attention. I like to think about what I was doing when some events they note were occurring in their life.
I was glancing through some notes I've written from time to time for possible blog topic elaboration in the future, but I'm presently not motivated to further develop them. What I'm relating now reminds me of how our perspective in life evolves with experience over the years.
I guess I could say in this instance I would be generous to myself by saying I simply mis-spoke. This is a regretted utterance I've never forgotten from the moment I heard the words coming out of my mouth.
I was a teen describing to a life-long year-older dear friend when she asked, the names of several Florida cities on the Gulf she might want to visit. They had been included on my high school senior class trip itinerary after we departed New Orleans, heading to the Atlantic east coast. After one Gulf city I mentioned, I hastily added, "Oh, you don't want to go there! There's nothing but a bunch of old people."
I instantly realized, as her mother listened, that her grandmother who I knew and loved had moved to Florida. I thought of my own dearly loved grandmother and felt chagrined at my utterance stimulating heart-sick feelings I've never forgotten. Now that I'm one of those "old people" I can't believe I was so insensitive as to say those words. After all, if we're fortunate enough to avoid the alternative, we all become "old".
I have not had any such experiences but, I would say that there is no point in crying over spilt milk.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you never had an regrettable utterances.
DeleteI think many of us are in a sort of funk right now. We're overloaded and overwhelmed with the barrage from the news cycle. Those of us with online presence don't want to write about it, but we have a hard time thinking about something else sometimes.
ReplyDeleteIt's also a transitional time seasonally, at least for me. Oddly, fall has started early here in NEO. The outlook (according to the Almanac) for fall and winter here is scary--snow in October and lots more, accompanied by bitter cold all winter long.
Not looking forward to it.
That is odd, fall starting so early -- a bit prematurely from what I recall.
DeleteListened to Nina but found her hard to watch. So much pain in her face and eyes.
ReplyDeleteSorry your mis-poke is still with you. That wasn't so bad. I once said that Florida was the land of the newly wed and nearly dead that my grandmother heard. Ouch.
Ouch, indeed, if your grandmother heard, but similar to what I said.
DeleteYes, Nina's pain -- so very real though Janis Joplin was greatly lauded by her fans for a much more tortured version, I've thought. Nina experienced the effects of racism thwarting her aspirations which she tried to overcome as best she could. Like many U.S. black performers Europe welcomed them and appreciated their talents. She died in France.
I had a similar experience with my own father. We travelled a lot together when he was in his seventies and eighties. And he was telling me as we went somewhere that all his friends were now dead. And blithely I said to him: "time to make new ones, dad". I still can't quite believe I said that.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
I think that's a common response by many even today which we realize when we're older is not the panacea those well-meaning advice-givers so easily and readily give.
DeleteI see many blogger buddies are reflecting now on the passing of time, feelings of fear, regret, worry. I guess I'm not alone. I know we don't go out as much, don't socialize as much... so I think I'm focusing too much on things that can bring me down.
ReplyDeletePeriodically there comes a time when I seem to evolve into reflecting on aspects of my life. Presently, I I find myself thinking more of the differences between now and earlier years in my life for reasons I truly don't understand. Perhaps it's because I feel a threat that some of the positive gains I thought we had achieved as human beings and how we treat one another seem to be unraveling. An infusion of thought energy to resume pressing forward to protect humanities gains and achieve even more is what would most benefit me now.
DeleteI have made many blunders myself so you are not alone. Gigi hawaii
ReplyDeleteHopefully there were none that were too problematic for you.
DeleteWell, we all blurt out daft and insensitive things from time to time. I've blurted out plenty myself. All you can do is regret what you said and put it behind you. And maybe apologise if it was something really crass.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most embarrassing things is getting someone's name wrong. You confidently greet someone as Julie and then realise they're Laura. Oops!
Yes, I did that once naming a new friend's husband incorrectly in our conversation. She seemed less than accepting of my mistake though we remained friends.
DeleteOMG - I've called people by the wrong names all of my life. For some reason, I mentally pair two people (never mind that they have little resemblance, physical or otherwise one to the other) and forever after call each by the other's name. In absence of such "twinning", I called a guy by the wrong name for 12 years before he kindly corrected me. I blame my brain (or lack thereof).
DeleteI guess it's not funny if problems were created for you from doing this, but I laughed when I read this. I hope you never had any serious repercussions from doing this.
DeleteI've started a book titled "Last Call at the Hotel Imperial", about the reporters who covered the world between the two Great Wars. Interesting so far.
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting. I've advocated for the press here as a vital component for keeping our nation's freedom, so am intrigued to read this book, perhaps especially timely now. In a quick search I read "Truth is the first casualty of war ...", then the NYT "...the story of four foreign correspondents who sounded the alarm from Europe before ..."
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