Singing my way to work

This means nothing other than me thinking about what I already know I like.  Every once in a while, I play a fun game while driving with the “random” music that plays through my iPhone.  I try to see if I can deal with what it thinks I deserve hearing.  To be fair, it wouldn’t be on my iPhone if it were unlistenable (to me) in the first place.  That said, I’m sure, if you play the same game; that there are times when the wrong song comes on and you just need to forward out of it…which then results in “nexting” for 5 minutes until you land on something you really feel like listening to.  As my commute is over 45 minutes, I thought I’d share the list of songs that turned up on this morning’s drive as a case-study of what I consider worthy to bless my iPhone.

Sultans of Swing, Dire Straits

I’m a huge fan of Mark Knopfler ever since, when hearing that Weird “Al” was going to parody “Money for Nothing” he insisted in reprising his guitar work along with Straits synthesizer master Guy Fletcher.  Plus, this song references creole music.  It’s a fun listen and a good story from great lyrics, and it makes my brother-in-law Jesse giggle.  As I’ll be seeing him soon, this will certainly get a re-listen.

Battle for Endor II, John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra

Uh, yeah, so we do Star Wars in my house.  It’s an illness that I have that I can pretty much recreate the scene based on the background music playing.  It’s a telling statement that Williams’ music is as much a character in movies he scores as any of the actors by the fact that when Jude isn’t humming Star Wars, he’s humming Harry Potter or Superman.  In this track, we find our heroes on the far moon of Endor trying to disable the shield generator complete with speeder bike chase in Return of the Jedi.  Duh. 

Stand, REM

Is there a song that Weird “Al” can’t parody?  With a catchy beat and uplifting lyrics this song was extremely popular back in the day…almost to the point of overplaying by the local radio stations.  OK, it was definitely overplayed which is why “Al” was able to jump on the music and bring us “Spam.”  REM, you lob them up, and he’ll hit them down.

A Go Go, Medeski, Scofield, Martin and Wood

I always liked MMW.  Maybe I’m oversimplifying, but they bridge the gap between the instrumental jam-band scene, prog rock and avant garde jazz.  Sometimes they are way out there.  When you add John Scofield to the mix, the music becomes more beholden to the melody.  Scofield has an unmistakable sound as the pedals he uses borders on a “toy piano” vibe for his guitar.  This is the title track of their live album of the same name that was released in 1998.  

Silver Lining, Rilo Kiley

I was originally drawn to Rilo Kiley by their lead vocalist, Jenny Lewis.  I don’t remember where I first heard her, but I bought her solo album “Rabbit Fur Coat” before I realized that she was part of a larger ensemble.  This track is from the band’s 2007 release “Under the Blacklight,” and due to the more collaborative effort, is less wordy than her solo albums.  Also, she’s a really hot red-head.  I guess I have a type.  (Yes, the same Jenny Lewis as the child actress from Silver Spoons.)

Delirious, Prince

I think many of us posthumously loaded up heavily on the Prince when he passed.  I knew I had the album, but hadn’t moved it to my phone until the man was gone.  That said, the lyrics and music hold up.  However, like many of his hits from the 1980s, I don’t think the instrumentation holds up well.  Far too many silly synthesizers squealing on this track…which I, for the most part, like, but feel it needs to be updated.  Dude held on to his music rights with an iron grip.  Now that he’s dead, maybe someone will record a tribute album.

Death of a Clown, The Kinks

Ironically, what spurred my interest in the Kinks was the fact that “Picture Book” was used in a very smart HP Printer commercial, back in the day.  This track comes from their album “Something Else” which is probably their album I listen to most.  For 1968, it’s fairly progressive in lyrics and mood of the traditionally inspired rock music.  That said, the rest of the album is fun and has some of my favorite Kink’s songs including “Harry Rag,” “Lazy Old Sun,” and “Afternoon Tea.”  Silly, and simply effective.

Star Man, David Bowie

Similar to Prince, Bowie has seen a resurgence on my iPhone due to his early departure from this Earth.  However, unlike Prince, I’ve been a huge Bowie fan for a while now.  A true musical chameleon, Bowie was able to actively produce relevant music from 1967-2016.  Me, I’m partial to the 1970’s Bowie which includes everything from “Heroes” to “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” where this track is obviously from.  Consistent through the entire album, “Star Man” talks mostly about an alien bringing salvation to Earth’s youth, told from the perspective of Ziggy.  The music is a slow-paced “pop” song with a strong mix of acoustic guitar and string arrangements.  All in all, it works.  If you want to get more into Bowie, this is a fine place to start.

And then I got to work.  Strangely absent from this mix were works by either the Grateful Dead or Phish, which I’m sure take up almost half of the space on my phone.  As I’m scheduled to see iterations of both groups, I’m sure this trip was my phone telling me that “it’s time to take a break of things we know you love, and remind you of the things you may have forgotten.”  Well played, phone…well played. 

The Jewish Mango

Few of you know that, when it comes to food, I’m an Asiaphile.  This is to say, when I eat out, I go Asian…whether it’s Indian, Southeast Asian, Japanese, Korean or Chinese, I’m happy no matter what.  A few years ago, in my casual review of the New York Times, an article ran about a fruit I’d never heard of, but immediately became obsessed with. 

Most people know about the lychee, possibly know about the rambutan, and maybe have heard about the durian, the king of fruit…one so fragrant that it’s banned from air-travel.  But you haven’t eaten fruit until you’ve tasted fresh Mangosteen!

What is it?  Found primarily in Southeast Asia, it's a tree fruit with a hard, almost woody outside skin which protects a juicy white pulp fruit that has a tangy ambrosia taste...almost like a citrus marshmallow.  It's super sweet and delicate and, until recently, illegal to sell in the US.  Why?  Not because the United States was worried that the tree would kill off our lovely indigenous palms (it's tropical), but because of a specific fruit fly which natively lives in and around the fruit tree in that part of the world.  We don't need more pests here.  

However, the States, recognizing that their might be demand for this ridiculously tasty fruit, allowed for specimens to be irradiated as to eradicate any remaining flies and then sold, albeit sparsely.  Also, crops of the slow-growing tree were started in both Florida and Puerto Rico years ago, and, pardon the pun, the fruits are their labor are finally...uh...ripening.  You can even get them on Amazon for a ridiculous price.

That said, on Mother's day, our family was walking around Chinatown and, lo!  What was in the street fruit-stand?  A box of unmistakable mangosteens!  There wasn't a sign, and the box was slightly behind the other fruit such as oranges and durian.  How much, I asked.  The answer was $9 per pound.  Sold.  I'll take a pound.  My take resulted in 7 mangosteens...but now what.  I've never had fresh.  My only experience, to date, was the canned mangosteens purchased from the Asian food market.  Only one way to find out.

As I suggested in my description, the outer hull was almost woody in nature.  After creating the initial cut, I pried the shell open until it broke naturally, revealing the almost surreal white fruit held within.  Like an orange, the mangosteen is lobed...but without the fibrous strings that an orange might have. 

Each lobe was juicy and extremely delicate.  Using a spoon, I carefully extracted the fruit which gave off a slightly sweet smell.  Separated a lobe and popped it into my mouth.  Delicious.  The flavor is light and delicate.  And, due to the fragility of the fruit, it almost melts in your mouth.  There's a slight tangy flavor, but the overwhelming taste is like the combination of a very light peach flavor combined with a hint of orange or pineapple and almond.  Each one I opened was ripe and as sweet as the last.  Unlike oranges, the flavor and degree of sweetness was fairly consistent between fruits.  

The true test was the 3 and a half year old...who loves fruit, but is extremely hesitant to try new things.  Getting her to put some in her mouth was a challenge as both my wife and I struggled to come up with a familiar description that Johanna was comfortable with.  "It's a new kind of orange."  However, as soon as the first bite was down, her hand came immediately out and asked for the rest.  Success. 

I don't know where the government is right now in allowing these to come into the US or how successful US farms are at getting a crop.  What I do know is that they're not in ShopRite yet.  So, if you find yourself in Chinatown, make sure you sniff these out.  I promise, you won't regret it.

Auto Issues

There are certain tasks I am just outright not qualified for.  Many of them are in the realm of auto repair.  Admittedly, if I was forced at gunpoint (and had YouTube available) I could probably change the oil on my 2010 Subaru Outback.  Yes, I drive an outback…which my “out” friend said that either I’m a staunch environmentalist or a lesbian.  I like to think that I’m a little bit of both…but I digress. 

On Monday, I noticed on my lunchbreak that the low-pressure tire indicator was on the dashboard.  OK.  I did a quick survey of my vehicle and all tires looked inflated/semi-inflated so I drove it from the office to a local mechanic shop I use because it’s convenient to have that kind of stuff done during the work day.  Upon pulling up, the mechanic and I noticed a hex-bolt sticking out of the tread of the tire…the obvious culprit.  We come up with a plan: they would quickly swap the tire for my doughnut and I’d be able to drive away until they repaired the tire…or recommend that I replace it.  At 3:30pm, the call came in that it would be done by 4 and when I got there, it only took another 15 minutes to get it completed.  While waiting, I let them know that I’d be back on Thursday to get my clutch replaced.  It seems that I’ve been driving the last two weeks in a manual transmission car with severely slipping gears, and it was time to get that rectified.  They said no problem, but it’s usually a 2 day thing because they have to send it out to be machined and that takes time…yadda yadda yadda.

None of this fazed me.  I got back to the office the next day, set up a rental car to meet me at the shop on Thursday with the understanding that I’d need the car for at least two days.  And then I got the phone call from the shop indicating that there was one mechanic who is in charge of this type of operation…and he was out.  When is the dead-end time that you need the car, Mr. August?  I said by 3:30, Friday…as I had originally planned.  They said no problem.

And, sure enough, at 2:15pm today, I got the phone call that it was all done.  But, now I’m on my way back to the rental place who will then drive me and my two car-seats back to the shop, where I will have to fork over a pound of flesh in order to get the keys back of my now-repaired vehicle.  Is this the right time to say that I’d really like a new Mini Cooper Clubman?  Looks like I’ll be driving this one for the foreseeable future.  At least it’ll drive like a car and not some fragile non-accelerating hunk of crap…well, that’s how I hope it drives.  Fingers are crossed that they fixed what they needed to fix.