Saturday night music

Maybe it's the oven cleaner fumes I've been exposed to this evening while doing things around my place, but I really am enjoying Rod Stewart's Blondes Have More Fun album, which I found on Amazon Prime and is apparently one of his less received albums from the late 70s.

 

I like a lot of it though, so far. "The Best Days Of My Life" reminds me of what I like most about his craggy, sincere, classic rock-ready voice. "Blondes [Have More Fun]" is really lots of fun...you kind of want to be dancing on a wooden floor with your best dancing boots on and a pool table in the corner of the room.

 

There are some favorable reviews on Amazon (see Mr. Vengeance's review), but most critics didn't seem to like that much:

 

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3TFCRTJ4W2GQC/ref=cm_cr_dp_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00004Y6O4&nodeID=163856011&store=dmusic#wasThisHelpful

 

The below review is right on target (I mean, come on, that cover?), but I got to say I still like this album. It's kind of mindless, which I definitely need right now, though I'd rather skip the fourth grade flashbacks I'm getting from "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy."...some of the kids in class singing it out loud during recess like they knew what it was all about. I remember how taboo it seemed back then...how funny that sounds now.

 

In its simplest terms, Blondes Have More Fun is Rod Stewart's disco album, filled with pulsating rhythms and slick, synthesized textures. It's also his trashiest, most disposable album, filled with cheap come-ons and bad double entendres. Of course, that makes Blondes Have More Fun one of his most enjoyable records, even if all the pleasures are guilty. With its swirling strings and nagging chorus, "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" was the reason the record hit number one, and decades later, the song stands as one of the best rock-disco fusions. The rest of the record isn't as engaging, but he throws out a handful of winning tracks in the same mold, including "Ain't Love a Bitch," "Attractive Female Wanted," and the title track. --Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The new issue of Washingtonian has a lot of neat stuff in it this month, including some of the D.C. spots that you must put on your bucket list. Well...you don't have to, but a lot of them really do seem worth it. :)

Two that I want to add to my list:

Plus this is intriguing as well, You can read it all here:

http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/eleanor-roosevelts-worst-enemy-was-her-cousin/

from the Sunday Times (UK), February 22, 2015

I think I'm having a more peaceful weekend than usual because I got a lot done at work yesterday and was able to concentrate better than I have been lately. And getting some sleep and resolving something that has been plaguing you a lot can also help. I woke up this morning with a cold (or cold-like symptoms) but I have my heater, my laptop, lots of blankets and old movies to watch so it's almost actually nice.

I'm trying harder with meditation** Ongoing stressors (my relationship with my parents, the feelings and affection for someone I've mentioned before that I shouldn't be experiencing, worrying about the people I care about) aren't going to necessarily improve so I have to improve how I think about them.

Really, it's only the middle thing I can do anything about...tuck away those feelings deep down somewhere in my heart...because they will always be there, I'm starting to fear...but (as if this needs saying) obviously I can't do anything with them. Of course, it's a little easier to be certain and confident you can do this on the days that person is not around.

One of the things I did yesterday, during a quieter part of the afternoon, was work on an online course through a company our workplace uses for training. There's obvious (but still nice) information like this:

Everyone has positive qualities that you admire. Even if it is the type of shirt a man wears or the sound of a woman's laughter, everyone has at least one thing you can compliment them on. Many studies show that when people are given compliments instead of criticisms, they are happier and more productive. Every time you praise or give recognition to another person for a specific behavior, you reinforce that behavior. You encourage the person to repeat the same behavior again.
Giving compliments to others helps them feel good about themselves and raises their self-esteem. When you compliment others, you communicate to them that they are competent, smart, effective, or lovable. You give appreciation, recognition, and admiration by sharing compliments. These are gifts you give to others that have a long-term positive effect on your relationship.

And then there is the below, which I hate to say, I am guilty of even if I mean well. You can kind of get carried away when you really like someone:

Don't Overpraise
Don't overpraise another person or you will make her uncomfortable. Don't tell her that she is "the smartest person you know" or is "the most valuable employee in the company." Keep the praise realistic and don't do it every day.

You can look into taking the courses here or check your local library to see if they offer them directly through their website:

http://solutions.cengage.com/GaleCourses/




**
written by Jonathan Leake:

YOGA lovers and mystics have known it for centuries but scientists have now confirmed that chanting “Om” really does soothe the brain.

The finding emerged from a study in which 21 men listened to the mantra while lying in a scanner that monitors brain activity.

Researchers found that, as the chanting progressed, the parts of the brain used in day-to-day activity slowed while those involved in emotional awareness took over.

“Listening to the ‘Om’ sound . . . activates areas of the bilateral cerebellum, left middle frontal gyrus and right precuneus,” said Uttam Kumar of the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow, India. The research was published in the journal Cognition and Emotion.
“Listening to ‘Om’ recruits neural systems implicated in emotional empathy,” Kumar said.

source: http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/Health/article1522437.ece

Friday odds and ends...

I actually slept last night and had this amazing dream that I was in San Francisco, somewhere I've never been before. At some point in the dream I realized I was dreaming and "woke up" in the dream like you can when you're lucid dreaming. I was underneath the Golden Gate Bridge looking up and it was so incredibly detailed I was blown away.

I've only lucid dreamed (dreamt?) a few times in my life, one of which I loved because I got to have a really neat talk with my long-departed and beloved grandmother. Lucid dreaming (for me) is incredibly hard, but when it does happen it's like no other rush I know...except for musically-inspired ones.

This article examines the power and benefits of lucid dreaming:

http://www.fastcompany.com/3042659/how-lucid-dreaming-can-improve-your-waking-life


Also kind of related, this article on being a morning person versus a night owl...from a recent New Yorker:
http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/moral-mornings?mbid=social_facebook


Other things today:

Below is a great tribute for Leonard Nimoy from the Verge website. I loved In Search Of as a child. For me it was always about that voice of his, whether he was narrating something or appearing on Fringe:

Nimoy was there too, when I sat down cross-legged on our living room carpet to watch episodes of In Search Of. The show was a kind of Cosmos for crazy murders and conspiracy theories, and with Nimoy narrating, I loved it. It was his voice: Calm. Commanding. Instant gravitas, but never off-putting. It was the kind of warm, almost paternal presence that invited you into a story, telling you This is important, and you will want to see what happens.

You can read more here:

 http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/27/8121021/leonard-nimoy-spock-live-long-and-prosper

Between not sleeping last night and being worried about a few different things, my nerves are shot. It doesn't help that I drank lots of coffee to stay awake for today, nor that I am trying to keep my game face intact. That last is the hardest because it's very trying to keep your mask on when even your face feels like it's shaking.

The following are just some ideas for keeping as calm as possible. Chamomile and ginger often help me a lot as does writing my worries down.

• Don’t be frustrated or angry at yourself for being nervous. It’s a very normal fear reaction and focusing on its negative effects will make them seem larger than life.>>>>http://www.nativeremedies.com/ailment/signs-of-nervousness-info.html

 http://www.wikihow.com/Calm-Down

 http://www.everydayhealth.com/pain-management/natural-pain-remedies.aspx