Enough, already

Sunday: “Lean on Me”/“Sincerely”.
Monday: “Just One Look”/“Leavin’ It Up to You”
Tuesday: “Bye Bye Love”/“Stand By Me”
Today: “Spanish Harlem”/“Respect”

It’s been pretty hot and humid, so I’ve been shuffling early. The ankle has been fine, and all my other parts seem temporarily to be functioning as designed. Moving is still feeling good, and getting out at the crack of dawn every morning leaves me with that preening, self-satisfied glow that is so attractive to others.

It’s the music that’s starting to get to me.

I’ve never been a music man as a runner. I don’t have whatever skills it takes to properly engage the gears among brain, lungs, and muscle, and listen to tunes at the same time. That’s why I go for the sounds when it’s important those gears not be effectively engaged.

A few years ago, I consulted with friends, plumbed my own memory, made a list, and downloaded an even 100 ’50s and ’60s pop songs to iTunes for events surrounding a major twist ’n shout social event. It’s a large subset of this stuff that I loaded to the Shuffle as tunes to go slow by.

I like Oldies. They remind me of moments that the passage of time has lit with golden sun and populated with happy people doing uniquely splendid things. But with rare exceptions that’s really all they are to me: mere nostalgia, a realm that, after I thank my dance partner, wipe my brow, and tuck in my shirt, has always given me the quick willies. So piping this stuff into my ears every morning has gotten old fast.

So I’m thinking of trying a book. There’s nothing better to distract your attention, which is the point here. But books don’t work all that well on the Shuffle. Although you can suppress the shuffling, you can’t see where you are or run things back a few minutes if you want to hear that bit of wit or moment of stunning pomposity again. Perhaps I’ll give it a try all the same. Something shortish for starters. Maybe something about music.