Top 10 Tuesday

Hello and welcome. Here I am at the beginning of the year thinking that I should embark on better habits. No resolutions, per se, but beginnings are always enticing. Surely, the beginnings are in essence just continuations with fresh mindsets, but so be it. If a human wants to start fresh, wants to make better choices, or wants to learn something new, there really isn't any fault in that. But anyway, I am always in the habit of enjoying myself as well as learning and trying new things. I'm also in the habit of loving what I have always loved. I would like to start up my Top 10 again and settle into the habit of creating time to share things that of course interest me, but may also interest you. Enjoy.

Winterizing myself--I am an out-of-sight, out-of-mind kind of person. If my art supplies are packed away in the garage, I won't create art. If my crocheting supplies are stagnant in the din of my basement, so is my desire to create something soft with my hands. Considering that winter will eventually arrive after an unusually mild start, I will be inside maybe a little bit more. So last week I heaved-and-hoed all my supplies into the warmth of my home so that they're there, beckoning me. (I had to pitch a lot of my art supplies because mice got to them). I'm looking forward to working on what I call my Micromiscellanea Project as well as crocheting some ugly hats.

Christmas, etc.--I prefer Christmas Season to Christmas Day. I enjoy the little traditions I have with my husband during the days that lead up to Christmas. I like bringing cheer to people even though I'm often cynical and sarcastic. I like participating in events that help people during the holidays, well aware that my help only does so much and that people are still quite alone and miserable. Despite the holiday, something plagues them. I'm grateful to have worked on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to lend an ear to people who struggle at that time. I did get to eventually celebrate with my family and Brian's family.

The Tipton Wetlands--I live close by to wetlands and am grateful to know people who are intelligent and thoughtful about the conservation of those wetlands. Last year, I participated in efforts when I could. I was thrilled, though, when I exited the interstate and saw the newly-installed sign for "Friends of Tipton Wetlands" not long ago. People have done a lot of work there and I'm glad that such ambitious efforts and opportunities are in my community, literally a walk or bike-ride away.

Bucket List--I make a bucket list every year so that I keep fun ideas within view for when I have free time. Over the years, my annual bucket list consisted primarily of traveling and exploring new-to-me places. It still does but this year, I have other things I'd like to keep in my peripherals so that I can learn and try new things. Or quite the opposite, NOT do something, like get poison ivy.

E.O. Wilson--Revolutionary biologist Edward O. Wilson (often called the modern-day Darwin) passed away recently. I had the pleasure of meeting him and listening to him talk about ants. I'm currently reading a book of his that I might discuss next week. He was brilliant and privileged enough to learn at a very young age how to be a scientist. There's not a lot of "how-to" about it--it's more ingrained in the right people. I see it in my husband, who is a meteorologist, and how from a very young age he had a fascination with weather and space. The way presented itself and he followed. By no means is he the E.O. Wilson of meteorology, but wow, scientists--good scientists--deserve so much respect, especially these days when ignoring science is a hobby and a rite-of-passage for, well...idiots. Remember, science isn't about facts. It's about establishing credible information that will hopefully always be credible.

The Lobster--It's not a new film by any means but I found it frustrating and fascinating. It has a very Wes Anderson feel to it. It's about a dystopian society where if for whatever reason a person becomes single, they are whisked away to a retreat where they have a diminishing amount of time to find a partner. If they run out of time and don't find a partner, they're turned into an animal of their choosing, all scientific reasoning be damned. The frustrating thing is what defines a relationship--having something bland and stupid in common--is what pairs a person with their person. They both get nosebleeds? Soul mates! The relationships themselves are stale and one-dimensional, and I understand where that pokes. The idea is that as a couple, you're safe. If you're alone, it's simply uncalled for and however might you survive? You can view this film on Showtime.

The Lost Daughter--Maggie Gyllenhaal directed this film about a woman who struggles with her past because she chose academia over raising her daughters, unable to find solace doing both. It is a film about abandoning, be it of one's self, one's calling, or of loved ones. You can view this film on Netflix and I'll admit, this film is great birth control.

"I Lied" by Lord Huron--Shit. This is not a song about break-up, but about divorce. Let me bare my bones for a moment. Nearly all my music-listening life, I've had an (annoying to other people) tendency to listen to a song over and over again...for months. Months! And sometimes, when it's really (annoying), I will listen to just part of a song over and over and over, ad nauseam. But hey, that's me. It really helps with learning to play piano by ear, by the way. I don't force this on anyone and can control it. So, of course while my husband was gone for most of last week, a new song came into my life. Lord Huron's song about divorce. Now, I am a very sensitive woman so this song with its beautiful sounds and simple, devastating yet liberating lyrics destroyed me. I only listened to it for about six days and then stopped once I realized that I was heading into a depressive state. Of course, my relationship with my husband is perfectly fine. The problem is that my husband has a wife whose mind is not perfectly fine. But it's all okay. Friends, I can go on about how the syntax and conjunction choices of this song affect the overall intent of the "characters" in this song but I won't. Music is never just music. It builds and destroys. Here, enjoy this list of songs I have obsessed with over the years:

• Josh Ritter's "Another New World" (especially the ending--I nearly had a stroke when I saw him perform it live)

• Agnes Obel's "The Curse"

• Barna Howard's "I'll Let You Pick A Window"

• Radiohead's "I Will"

• Rising Appalachia's "Spirit's Cradle"

• Lumineer's "Patience" (walked down the aisle to this one)

• The Civil War's "Barton Hollow"

• Sixteen Horsepower's "Hutterite Mile"

• The Head and The Heart's "Josh McBride"

• River Whyless' "Life Crisis"

• The climax of Rachmaninoff's "Concerto No. 3"

• Josh Carrels' "Words Remain"

• Beirut's "Scenic View" and "Elephant Gun"

Joan Didion Died--For years I have owned many of her books with every intention to read them. I will sometime. She passed away in December. I want to share this essay written by a former professor of mine who took his students to a Didion reading.

Compost!--I built my own compost bin today! Exciting.