Month: October 2009

Heroin Girl, or Heroine Girl?

/ Deb / 1 Comment

Like a prisoner being led to Alcatraz. Or a cow to slaughter. A death march. The summer of 1995…the Bar Exam Summer, also known as the summer that never was. For many reasons good and bad, it remains on record as one of the strangest times in my life, and is best viewed in hindsight.

I have a vivid memory of driving to dinner the night before Day One of the exam, near my hotel, listening to Everclear: “Let’s just drive your car, we could drive all day, let’s just get the hell away from here”. I had chuckled at the appropriateness. Despite Everclear’s encouragement to the contrary, I took the exam and passed.

And again, last Friday, as I drove to a CLE conference full of lawyers…..eerily familiar, coincidentally listening to Everclear and feeling that same sense of dread. Do I really want to be part of this club again? Did I ever really want to be? What does it say about my chosen career if I feel like it crushes my spirit?

A cup of coffee, an old colleague, and slowly throughout the day I felt like a lawyer again. (Privity? I think I remember that word. And the Faragher/Ellerth standard sounds vaguely familiar.)

I drove home feeling inspired, and thankful that I had plowed through the dread to gain a little more insight. I still blared Everclear across the bridge, though.

Pantry Blues

/ Deb / Leave a comment

Ever had a song that convinces you that you are a good singer? Well, let me tell you that if Eddie and the boys ever need a backup singer for “Nothingman”, I am their girl. On the Live on Two Legs version, I sound awesome. I do the harmonies, and I can belt it out with urgent conviction.

Of course, that’s how it sounds in my head. The key is to have the music loud enough that you can’t actually hear yourself very well. If I had a set of those headphones that real singers wear, I would probably be horrified.

In my car though, I sound great. And in my kitchen, I’m at the top of my game. Must be the high ceilings – acoustics, you know. Then I walk into the pantry, and the dream is over.

Call Me Randall

/ Deb / 2 Comments

Today I re-discovered a gem hiding in my CD collection. How had I forgotten about The Black Crowes? I don’t know what inspired me to grab it today, but Southern Harmony & the Musical Companion was the perfect music for a grind-it-out, errand day in the car.

I’ve always liked their bluesy, southern rock-ish sound….and this album has a bit of 70’s funk to it as well. In 1992, in the midst of grunge, they were so different than every other band. Right before I started law school, I moved home for the summer, and I devoured this album. (My other musical memory of that summer: listening to Pearl Jam, my dad walking in and proclaiming, “Geez, that’s depressing music”.  Dad, I love you, but don’t diss Eddie.)

So today, in my minivan, I got to feel a bit funky and (almost) 21 again. And on my way to Ballard Market, what did I see? That’s right, a huge flock of crows. I love it when stuff like that happens.

Gather Around

/ Deb / Leave a comment

If I were to make a list of songs that just ooze sunshine for me, this would be near the top of the list. “The Day Brings” always makes me smile. It’s got the catchy little piano groove, the drum skiff, and it’s just darn chipper. Besides, how can you not love the cool mod living room on the album cover, and of course the band name….Brad.

A beautiful crisp fall morning, I walked to school with my 2nd grader on his scooter, then I ran home. Sandwiched in between G. Love and Special Sauce tunes, there was Brad.

And on this run-of-the-mill Thursday, Brad worked its magic. A tiny spring in my stride, and a private acknowledgement that I have much to be thankful for, and no major complaints. And really, what perfect lyrics:

See what the day brings. See what makes you laugh, and see what makes you sing.

Good advice, on any day.

We’ve Got a Thing, and it’s Called..

/ Deb / 2 Comments

Radar Love. In the car coming home from Costco today. One of the best driving songs ever, hands down. But what it really reminds me of, instantaneously – 1992 Apple Cup, Pullman. The Drew Bledsoe year.

Freezing cold in butt-deep snow, we ended up in The Cavern, which, if memory serves, was a bar…on campus(?)

By the second half, the game was of no interest to any UW fan.  We danced, we spun, with the game on in the background.  A Coug stole my Husky hat and probably did unspeakable things with it.

The game wore on…we lost, convincingly. By this time, the jukebox was playing Pearl Jam, and in our Seattle-centric, drunkenly superior mindset, we taunted the Coug fans: yeah, you cowboy hicks, you might have won the game, but we’ve got Eddie Vedder.

The Playlist of Me

/ Deb / 1 Comment

I have a horoscope hanging by my computer: “They say if you do what you love, the money will follow. They don’t say how long it will take to get there, however. It could be a while. Do what you love, anyway”.

I used to be a lawyer. I might be one again someday; both of my kids are now in school and I find myself searching for the next chapter of my life as I transition out of stay-at-home-mom status. I think I used to love being a lawyer, but I can’t really remember why.

What I do love is music. Especially live music, which is central to almost all of my favorite memories with my husband and my sisters. I listen to music every day without fail — in the car, the kitchen, while on a run. It is a daily barometer of my mood and my energy level. Some days call for Pearl Jam, others call for David Gray. (Sidebar: the iPod has got to be one of the best inventions of all time. Where else could you have all of your music in one place, and divided into playlists to suit your every whim?)

I especially love where music takes me….how a song can remind you of a precise moment in time, and of the “you” that existed then. Nothing else does this like music. Every day, we build and edit our soundtrack.

So I thought it would be fun to blog about my daily musical life. I don’t claim to have cutting edge tastes or be an expert. In fact, a lot of my favorite music is downright cheesy. But music is a big part of who I am, and since I am trying to re-discover who that is, music seems like a good place to start.