Gardens and Eagle-Eye Cherry

This time last year I was writing about baseball, and I’m tempted to do it again, but I won’t. (But if you’d like to (re)read my opinions on the sport, you can find it here)

Instead this week is going to be all about gardens. It seems appropriate as spring as finally sprung (if you will) and the record-breaking snow is melting here in Anchorage. Granted, planting won’t really start until May, but spring is nevertheless upon us.

Every year I think about starting a container garden on my porch and every year I don’t do it. But this year is going to be different! I’m really going to do it! (So I say now.)

I think there is something really calming about gardens and gardening. The smells, getting dirty, and the methodical work create a sort of calming trifecta for me. (Minus the fairly constant worry of getting stung by a bee.) Not to mention, after days or months of hard work you have something to show for it. Toiling away in the spring brings things like strawberries and fresh herbs and beautiful flowers later in the summer. Well worth it, if you ask me.


I think there is a serious lack of respect for music of the 90’s. Yes, Nirvana, blah blah blah, but there is a whole host of artists that are completely overlooked. Music from the 90’s isn’t old enough to be cool again, and generally doesn’t offend anyone, so it’s played in places like dentist offices and elevators. It’s hard to validate a song that you hear while getting a filling, but I’m up to the challenge. This week’s hot jam is Save Tonight by Eagle-Eye Cherry. Save Tonight was the only real hit for Eagle-Eye Cherry (who is just one guy, not a band, and was actually named Eagle-Eye Cherry by his parents) and I love a one hit wonder. The best part of Save Tonight is one line: There's a log on the fire/And it burns like me for you. Pure genius. It’s such a cheesy line, but so amazing. Of course, I would roll my eyes if a gentleman ever said that to me, but I would appreciate the reference.

This video is super weird, but would you expect anything less from a man legally named Eagle-Eye? It very easily could have been done in a slow jam-style, all bear skin rugs and roaring fires, but it's not even close. In fact, if there was an opposite to slow jam-style this might be it.

Four Seasons and George Jones

I'm once again at a place in my life where I can decide to go pretty much wherever I want. (Assuming that someone will actually hire me, but that is one of my least favorite topics, so it certainly doesn't belong here.) In my search for a job, location is of the utmost importance to me. I've come up with a pretty good list of requirements, one of the which is having four seasons. (Other things on the list include: fireflies, thunderstorms, and relatively close proximity to a major airport.)

It's been a few years since I've lived somewhere with textbook seasons. You know, cold in the winter, hot in the summer, red/orange/yellow leaves in the fall, and rain and tulips in the spring. I like the balance of the seasons; as a reward for a surviving a cold and snowy winter, you get a hot and sunny summer. It all evens out. Here in Anchorage we have two seasons winter and not winter; dark and light, which has a balance of its own, I guess, but it's just not quite the same. For example, it's May 4th; it's raining, which is spring-y, but it's also 35 degrees, which is not.

This week's hot jam is He Stopped Loving Her Today by George Jones. Generally, I wouldn't consider a song this melancholy to be a hot jam, but I do love it. Released in 1980, it was George's first #1 song in six years, and it's often considered the greatest country music song of all time, although I'm not so sure about that. How do you judge such a thing? But it does have its own website (http://www.hestoppedlovinghertoday.com/) so that must count for something. Also I love any song that has talking in the middle.



Fun fact about George Jones: His alcoholism is/was well known, and apparently one time his wife got mad at him for being drunk all the time so she hid the car keys and left. The liquor store/bar was 8 miles away and she knew he wouldn't walk that far. Fueled by alcohol withdrawals and a stubborn streak, George rode the lawn mower all the way there.

Baseball and The Jock Jams Megamix (Yes, seriously)

As I write this I'm grumbling at my computer. Mostly things like, "Really!?" and "Come on, guys!" and probably a few "You've got to be kidding me!"'s. Ah yes, baseball season is upon us. Baseball is one of my favorite things, and I am cursed with a love of the Cleveland Indians, hence the grumbling. I can hear you fellow baseball fans snickering, muttering about me being a poor sap. Yes, I know. They lose. A lot. (They've won 2 World Series', 1920 and 1948; and they have the longest World Series drought in the American League. It's the second longest drought in all of baseball. Topped only by my distant second favorite team, the Chicago Cubs' 102 year drought.) In fact, the Indians are losing right now. 8 to 3 to the White Sox. THE WHITE SOX of all teams! Horrible. Not to mention they lost on Friday 15 to 10 AND IT WAS THE HOME OPENER. But I love them still. (Edit: They finally won on Monday! Woohoo!)

It's really all my dad's fault that I love both baseball and the Indians. He's a big fan and it rubbed off on me and my sister. We lived in Cleveland until I was 8ish and I went to a few games as a kid. My sister even got to be a ball girl at one of the games. (Did you win an essay contest, Alissa?)

Alissa on the field. Check out that sweet jacket under her jersey

Alissa's friend Sarah and me before the game

I've been to a few since and I always love it. One time we got to use my parent's boss' season ticket seats at an Angels-Indians game. They were very good  seats. Like 10 rows behind home plate seats. Did you know they come and take your order down there? Very nice. It's not just major league baseball I like though, I love it all, little league, minor league. I think it's all great. Remember that scene in The Sandlot where the kids play the little leaguers? That's what baseball is about.



I know a lot of people aren't baseball fans because they think it's "boring". Nobody gets tackled, it's not particularly fast paced, there's rarely a fight (although bench-clearing brawls do break out every once in awhile). But I think the more you watch the more you like it. When you know the players and see the subtleties of the game it gets very exciting. Which is why I'm sitting on my couch in my PJs on a Saturday morning "watching" the game on MLB Gameday.  I know what these players can do and I hope to see them do it.  I think there is nothing more exciting a well timed double play, or a diving catch in the outfield, or seeing a guy whack a baseball  500 feet for a home run. Or what about the be-all and end-all of baseball? Stealing home. You can't tell me that's not exciting.




Keeping with the sports theme this week, the hot jam is none other than the Jock Jams Megamix. Chances are if you are a 20-something like I am, you owned Jock Jams vol. 3 or knew someone that did. There's no real reason to own it, you're probably not going to be cruising in your car blasting the megamix. More likely you were making up dance routines in your basement. Don't deny it, you know you did. A popular soundtrack to many a sleep over, Jock Jam Megamix is a hot jam because, well, it just is, so dust off those cheerleader moves and turn.it.up.