Back from the Beach

I took this week off to relax at the beach and really enjoyed doing nothing during that time other than reading, sleeping, eating, and watching TV. I also went down to the beach and watched the sunset. (I couldn't get out of bed eary enough to see any sunrises during the week.) I enjoy my time at the beach in Gulf Shores, AL. It's very calming and soothing this time of year. I can't imagine what it's like in the height of summer, but in October/November when I usually visit, it's great: no crowds and very chill. I flew back to Chicago yesterday and I was glad to be back home too (albeit with a head cold). I hope I don't have Covid. I should probably take a test. (I really don't think it's Covid. When I had Covid, I felt like I had Covid!) Anyway, this was my last vacation for the year and it's back to the grind on Monday. I wish I could say I got some writing done while I was away but, alas, that didn't happen. Oh well. Tomorrow's another day!

I Love Music

I've been listening to CDs from my vast collection while I work my day job and I put on Sarah McLachlan's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy earlier today. I used to play this CD all the time. Sarah's songs are often sad, but she has such a beautiful voice that I can overlook the sadness. One of my favorite songs on the CD is "Elsewhere." Sarah's voice is so powerful when she sings, "I believe this is heaven to no one else but me." Hearbreaking and so beautiful. I remember someone I used to work with said attending a Sarah McLachlan concert was great and low-key because her music lulled everyone to sleep. I wasn't sure if she meant that as a compliment or an insult to the singer. Maybe both. Whatever. Sarah's great and she's a singer who can really sing, unlike a lot of artists out today who put on a good show, but can't really carry a tune. Speaking of not great singers, I recently saw a clip of a highly popular artist (whose name will not be mentioned here) doing a song with the great Stevie Nicks. This "artist" sounded so bad whenever she opened her mouth to "sing" and even Stevie looked like she wanted to run from the stage to get away from this woman's warbling. Terrible. Stevie deserves to share the stage with artists who can bring it as hard as she does, not some pop star who sounds awful live and is probably auto-tuned to death in the studio and in concert.

Another really good singer is Kelly Clarkson. I watched a clip of her singing Whitney Houston's song "I'm Your Baby Tonight" on her show and she was really great. I'm not even a fan of that particular song (because they played it too much when it was out), but I enjoyed Kelly's version of it. You can see it on YouTube (because that's where I watched it). Kelly Clarkson is the best performer to come out of the American Idol show. She's very talented and she's another singer who can really sing.

In other music news, I was surprised and saddened to hear that R&B singer D'Angelo died from cancer at age 51. He was so talented and really made some great songs. His song "Lady" is a particular favorite of mine. Why do we always lose the good ones? He's another singer who could really sing. He had a lot of personal struggles in his life, but he made some excellent music while he was around. RIP, D'Angelo.

New Month...Old Problems

Welcome, October! With each day that passes, I'm just grateful to be alive and not out my mind. And, with a new month, we have a government shutdown. Whatever. Shut it down. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't when you're dealing with Donny T. and his minions. You either cave and give them what they want or don't cave and they take what they want anyway. Donny and Friends control the House, the Senate, and the Executive Branch. If they can't pass legislation on their own with that much power, then they can kick rocks. I really hate to see the government shut down because I depend on government services like other folks (the TSA, etc.). But this current government is so ridiculous and hostile that it's not even worth trying to work with them. 

Speaking of work, I had a rough day myself with an annoying coworker who seems to think that his projects should be pushed to the head of the line before anyone else's. I had to try and set him straight about having reasonable expectations. I'm working with a very reduced workforce and I'm doing the best I can with what I have. That means I have to prioritize my work. This guy didn't want to hear it. I had to loop his manager in also, but they're such cronies that he probably just ignored the whole thing. My manager also was looped in but he's largely useless when stuff like this comes up also. I'm grateful to have a job, but working with annoying people is annoying. I need a vacation!