Laying Down and Shooter Jennings

If you have a job that requires you to stand all day, you'll totally know what I'm talking about this week. Is there anything better than laying down in bed after standing all day? In that moment, as you sink into bed, nothing else matters.

I don't make the bed because doing so promotes the growth of
dust mites and the last thing I need in my life is more allergens. Also, I'm lazy.

It doesn't matter than you've been on your feet for 8+ hours, or that maybe you hate your job and have to get up and do it all over the next day. No, none of that matters for that 5 second window of pure bliss when you lay down. It's utter relaxation and it is amazing.

Sitting down on the couch has never had quite the same effect for me. Yes, it's nice when I can finally sit down  at the end of the day, but nothing quite compares to finally laying down in bed at the end of a long day.

As I've been trying to find the silver lining in my life, I try to enjoy the little moments like these every day, to take a minute to enjoy my contented sigh. I might not always be happy with the way things are going in my life right now, but I can be happy with the little things, and sometimes that just has to be enough.

The hot jam of the week is another southern rock jam (see Lynyrd Skynyrd), this time by Shooter Jennings. It's Manifesto No. 1. Keen eyes will recognize his last name. Yep, Shooter (who's real first name is Waylon) is the only son of country music legends Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. I saw Shooter (we're on a first name basis, clearly) a few years ago at Stagecoach music festival and he is just as good live as he is on his albums. The crowd was a total mix of people too, which I love, good 'ol boys, kids (probably not totally appropriate for them, but still), twenty-something hipsters, parents, etc, and they were ALL having a good time.

Manifesto No. 1 is a great foot stomping, hand clapping kind of song, I mean, it's hard not too. Not mention, how many times have you wanted to say something like, "If that's how you say 'hello', well you can kiss my ass goodbye"? If you haven't before, you'll want to after hearing this song.

I think Shooter Jennings sounds like a cross between Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bon Jovi, circa Dead or Alive, and with a mash up like that, it can't be anything but a hot jam.

here goes nothing

In order to help keep a positive attitude in the face of substitute teaching (which, let's face it, sucks for everyone involved) I've decided to write about my favorite things each week. I'm hoping that this will help me see the little things in life that keep me sane. These are in no particular order.

So here we go. This weeks favorite thing is...

Obituaries. Okay I realize this is a weird place to start, but obituaries really are one of my favorite things. I've always had pretty neutral feelings about death; it is, after all, one of the few constants in life. I'm nosy. Maybe even super nosy and obituaries provide a look into other people's lives. I consider myself a connoisseur of obituaries and I think these things make for a great obit.

1. Old photos. I love seeing high school photos of 90 year olds. Unless you live to be 100+ you should use your high school year book photo. If you do live to be 100+, use a current photo. That's damn impressive and you should show it off.

2. Odd details. Something like, "Betty loved to garden, collect glass bells, and, in her younger days, race hot rods. At age 18, she won Miss Dairy Princess of Northern Iowa" Do I really need to know that Betty collected glass bells and raced hot rods? Of course not, but it does paint a great picture of Betty.

3. Borders, gray shading, etc. Oh man, if you get some sort of border or detail around your obituary, you really made it. That is the ultimate in obituaries.

My parents live in a small town with a newspaper that regularly features great obituaries. For example, Larry Pearce, on board of directors of the water district. His obituary featured great odd details (his boy scout den mother was Norda Zamboni, wife of Zamboni Inventor Frank Zamboni) AND and gray box. Congrats Larry Pearce, you made it.

One of my other favorite things is hot jams (jamz?). So each week I'm going to feature one. This week it's....Freebird. Cliche, I know, but regardless of the number of drunk people shouting out "FREEBIRD!" at dive bar cover bands, it's one of my favorite hot jams.

For your viewing pleasure...
Skynyrd. Live. In 1977. You know it's going to be awesome. Americana at its finest. Skip to 7:00, if you just want to hear the guitar solo.

Thank you Lynyrd Skynyrd for providing the world with anywhere from 9 to 15 minutes of pure heaven. All I want in my obituary is my high school yearbook photo and the lyrics to Freebird. Oh and a nice border.