more normal than not

So….after 20 or so years of living in our house….the septic system failed.

Wherever the ….um….”contents” of that big tank downhill from our potty went.…doesn’t anymore.

The “went” part is no longer part of the equation.

That makes me sad.

It’s expensive to keep having the tank pumped.

It’s nerve-wracking trying to figure out what to do.

I wish the poo would just go away on its own.

GO AWAY, POO!!!!

That being said, we watched this video on Netflix the other night and for a moment I was transported away from all the “troubles” we were having. ( I put quotation marks around it because, in the big scheme of things, not being able to ignore the septic tank and all its mystery is not really a trouble. In the big scheme, no one is sick and no bombs are dropping, no storm carried our house away, no floods or earthquakes or pestilence of any kind came to torment us….it’s not a real trouble. It’s a pressing issue. We have to use the potty…but it’s not a real “trouble”. It’s an irritation that needs to be quickly addressed, though.  Hence….the quotations.)

This is an amazing film….a fun film.

These people rode thousands of miles….multiple thousands of miles….in less than 20 days….on bicycles.

Camping out….eating what they could get at restaurants along the way…..repairing their bikes where they could.

This made me want to get on my bike and ride somewhere.

And….Jenny said that she’d want to do something like this, too.

She even wondered if our littlest one would ride in her little trailer for thousands of miles.

I don’t think that she could ride her Radio Flyer.

It would be a slow trip.

I love riding my bike.

I don’t like thinking about a septic system.

I’d rather spend 10,000 dollars on a good trip.

But…..mannnnnnnnn!!! This movie is a good one!! See if you can watch it without getting itchy feet!

Riding out west looks kind of cool!!

Riding around here IS pretty cool!!

We’ve got to get on our bikes again.

PRETTY COOL!!

(Happy Friday, y’all….)

 

Another tiny desk concert….this time by a performer name Genevieve.

Nate and I listen to a show called “Kid’s Place LIve” sometimes on the way to work….and Jenny likes to play it in her van for the kids while she’s driving around….and….and…one of the songs that they play is Genevieve’s song “Colors”.

I don’t think that I was completely able to hear the lyrics until this performance….

“Your life is your design, so go ahead design it. Your star is in the sky, so go ahead align it. Cause you’re forever lost until you go and find it.”

What a great message to have floating around on a “kid’s show”.

Nice when a pop song has a good and positive message.

Still dry here….no rain for a while.

Man, it’s a problem, I suppose….we need the rain….but it sure is easier when it’s dry.

All that paper that I haul around and stick into all those black boxes likes it when it’s not raining.

Maybe it will rain today?

NPR has a series called tiny desk concerts where they have people come in and do small concerts in a very….very….intimate setting.

This one features a band led by the husband/wife team of Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.

These guys are so good.

I’ve used a couple of these tiny desk concert recordings on the blog before (check out this one with Ben Sollee) and they are consistently excellent.

It’s warming up in the mornings here…. getting easy.

I need to go make some coffee….

Before I go, though….here’s another tiny desk concert.

This guy’s pretty good….I wonder where he’s been all my life?

 

Some “f-bombs” in this first one…..courtesy of Leonard DiCaprio in “Wolf of Wall Street”…so cover your ears for that part.

A short talk from Casey Neistat about motivations and dreams….typically good for him.

Got up late, stayed busy all day….and…almost….forgot to post anything for a blog post.

What better to shoot for when you need a quick post than a Casey Neistat video?

OH, Mannnnnnnnn!! I just figured out another “secret of success” ala Casey:  pick a career that allows you to use toys in your vocation.

Fly the drone, see the concerts, play the guitar, do the artwork….be creative!!

He talks about happiness being a measure of success….why not have this much fun in your business?

What would make you happier than thinking that you could make a living playing with toys like a drone?

How cool is that?

Maybe just find the thing that you can do IN YOUR CURRENT SITUATION that adds happiness to the mix?!

There’s got to be little tweaks that can push any situation over into the “happy zone”.

Find the tweaks.

Find….the….tweaks.

This is one of my favorite Rufus songs…..and it’s fun to see how the bass line goes.

Pretty funky.

Nik West cover….good stuff.

I’ve commented on how it’s almost too easy to find music these days….that the “payoff” isn’t as big a deal as it was when you couldn’t research things and it was all a matter of digging up something interesting in the record bins…but…it’s fun to find this stuff on YouTube.

It’s easy….and there’s really nothing wrong with easy.

Easy is different…..but good, too.

Funky bass!! Give me more funky bass!!