The Daily Givens...

Everything is different this morning. I wake in a different bed, in a different house, breathing different air. It's a bit weird, disorienting.  Turns out the coffee-maker is the same, and I brought my own coffee beans, so there is a slight continuity in the brew.

The plague is raging outside. It is so strange, we have entered a "new phase" here in the heartland, but the news is all about how the virus is spiking across USA. So even as folks are relaxing, less guarded, the virus is multiplying faster than ever.

Strange. My fellow human beings. So surprising. So disappointing. Folks get tired, folks get bored. Folks want to get back to "normal." I am determined to stay healthy. I have an assortment of face coverings. I expect to "wearing a mask" for a long time. Oh yeah, staying physically-distant from my fellow humans, and frequently washing my hands are now just daily givens. The new normal.

The a.m. soundtrack - The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" (1965). I have a good friend, a music-obsessive, a bit older than me, who tells me that this is the greatest "pop album" ever recorded. He may be right. Although, it's possible this isn't even my favorite Beatles album. Maybe. Maybe not. If pressed I might say "Revolver" or the "White Album," or "Sgt. Peppers," but you know what, who cares, doesn't matter. This morning, "Rubber Soul" sounds fabulous on the BOSE, yes they have a BOSE music player here too. I am listening to the UK version of Rubber Soul, a stereo re-mix by George Martin. Smart. Catchy. Optimistic. Funny. Enthusiastic. Brimming over with positive energy. This is, no doubt, no argument, the greatest band, the band that set the table. They were the first big band to hit, they wrote all the best songs, every other band is in their debt and shadow. You can go there. Any time. The Beatles, they are smarter than you, they have a broader taste in music than you, they were there, they did it, they were always the coolest of the cool. All the girls wanted them, all the boys wanted to be them. These guys changed the world. No doubt. If you want to understand the Beatles be sure to read Ian McDonald's fantastic book about them, "Revolution in the Head." Definitive, enchanting. Head-opening. Makes me happy listening to these tracks. A different time and place. No doubt.