Why I love Live Music

I went to a concert recently and saw three bands I'm quite fond of. Of the three, the headliners were mediocre, the second opener was spectacular as always, and the first band to perform, the youngest and most inexperienced of the three, was the one that reminded me why I love live music.

This is a band that has only one CD and whom, pre-concert, I would have described simply as "Vampire Weekend-esque." Their performance was nothing out of the ordinary, they were fairly casual and being the first band to perform didn't have the audience's full attention. No matter though, there were other things that made them stand out. The first was group cohesion. They were from Syracuse, and while I don't know much about Syrcause, I can say with certainty that the sockless loafers, boots with skinny jeans, and all-around bohemian hipster look is the one popular there right now.

The lead singer was in his own bubble, as lead singers tend to be. When he sang, he grasped the mike firmly with both hands as if clutching it were like squeezing a stress ball, and tilted his head to sing to the blue sky above. Like most indie performers, he couldn't dance, but instead moved back and forth in a rhythmic pace, following the cadence of his own voice. To his left (my right) was the violinist, who played eyes closed and with the seeming love for her instrument only violinists have. To his right (my left) were the guitarist and cellist, who played to each other as if in a world apart from the stage, as if unwatched. (The drummer drummed as drummers drum).

The actual set sounded identical to the CD, which is usually disappointing, but I gleaned something from seeing them perform. Now when I listen to the CD, I don't just think of Vampire Weekend. Instead, I see them perform in my mind and I think, when the violin solo comes on, about the shut eyes of the violinist. When I hear the cello and guitar working in harmony I think of them facing each other instead of the audience, playing for themselves in a private symphony. And the lead singer's sweet cords take me to a mild beach day in Syracuse with sockless loafers.

How to Run for lazy people

1. Ipod. Get one.

2. Don't think in terms of miles. I find a mile to be a daunting distance, so instead I listen to music while I run and think in terms of songs. How long can I run without stopping? One song? Two? If I can run three songs without stopping, I've run approximately one mile (3 minutes/song-->9 minute mile).

3. Run when you really don't want to. That way, when you do want to it will be even more fun.

4. Buy a new CD and then don't let yourself listen to it until you go running.

5. If you're having a hard time setting a pace, find someone else who's running and run behind them, using them as a pacesetter. (Helpful hint: don't run too close or they might get creeped out). Try to stay a certain number of seconds behind them, or if they're running too fast, try to keep them in your line of sight. If they slow down or stop, run past them and keep running as long as you can, while telling yourself that you just beat them in the marathon. Or something like that.

6. Don't worry if you're slow or can't run far, I can't either. As my old track coach used to say, "As long as you're out there..."

The gift that keeps on giving

I think the summer heat is melting my brain:

Seen in a campus building: "This lobby space given as a gift by Mr. and Mrs. Phil Ann Thropist.

Wondered silently: "How does one give a lobby?"

"Happy birthday, I got you....a lobby!"
"Thanks...uh...I don't have anywhere to put it."
"How 'bout here?"
"Hmm, I was hoping to get a living room for Christmas, and I was gonna put that here."