Desert Island Playlist

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Ok, just for fun, here’s my 50 song desert island playlist. Understanding this would probably change everytime I created it, here are my top 50 songs I’d take to my desert island. Today. There are several of my favorite artists that aren’t even on the list, but I figure they’d show up better under artists then songs, as I love their catalog, not just one song. I tried to leave off songs that have a special place in my life, or songs I’d want to make a statement with, and stick to songs I seriously want to listen to forever. If you think 50 songs is a lot, I have 6500+ individually rates songs in my itunes, 935 of which at four stars or more… sooo, not really. I dig pop music.

So fifty songs is just a sample, but maybe if you haven’t heard some of these you can check them out.

50: Garbage, Stroke of Luck
I love Garbage – I almost went with Androgyny.

49: Gladys Knight & The Pips, I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Classic.

48: Marvin Gaye, Inner City Blues
Make me wanna holler, the way they do my life.

47: David Ruffin, My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)
Wonderful emotion.

46: Björk, Náttúra
I bet Mother Earth has this on five star.

45: Mary J. Blige, No More Drama
So tired of all this drama.

44: The Beatles, You Never Give Me Your Money
A long time favorite.

43: Jesus Christ Superstar, Heaven On Their Minds
Because my mind is clearer now.

42: ELO, Mr. Blue Sky
Never mind; I’ll remember you this way.

41: James Taylor, Your Smiling Face
I sing it to myself when work gets me down. No one can tell me that I’m doing wrong today…

40: Giorgia, Arriva Il Temporale
Sono solo una donna.

39: Lady Gaga, Judas
It’s also among the best music videos I’ve ever seen.

38: Björk, Pluto
Not for the faint of heart. But brilliant.

37: Fiona Apple, The Way Things Are
I wouldn’t know what to do with another chance, if you gave it to me.

36: The Isley Brothers, Voyage To Atlantis
Because I do want some cheese with that wine.

35: Lisa Loeb, Garden of Delights
You are my Jesus, boy, you’re laying on a bedley cross. I’ve got you taped up to the wall.

34: Elton John, Rocket Man
None of us are the men they think we are.

33: Kelly Clarkson, If No One Will Listen
Always moves me.

32: Fiona Apple, Left Alone
‘Cause I’m hard. Too hard to know.

31: Lady Gaga, The Edge Of Glory
Did you know it’s about death?

30: Lisa Loeb, This
Like my blog, this is where I can tell you everything.

29: Alanis Morissette, Your Congratulations
I’ll never forget seeing her perform this as a live, a cappella, encore.

28: Wham!, Careless Whisper
Funny, George writes this off. But George is wrong.

27: Madonna, Frozen
If I could melt your heart.

26: Gwen Stefani, Early Winter
Over and over and over.

25: No Doubt, New Friend
Never made it onto the album, but it’s amazing.

24: Diana Ross, Missing You
Raw.

23: The Temptations, Cloud Nine
Up, up and away.

22: Michael Jackson, Unbreakable
And you – can’t touch me. Cause I’m untouchable.

21: George Michael, Freedom 90
That’s what you get for changing your mind.

20: The Isley Brothers, Love The One You’re With
Good advice, if you take it the right way. If you’re used to the other recording, this one is better.

19: Björk, Hyperballad
I’m back at my cliff, still throwing things off.

18: Michael Jackson, Man In The Mirror
One of the most moving vocals in recorded pop.

17: The Beatles, While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Check out the “Love” version too. Stunning.

16: Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, You’re All I Need To Get By
Love you, Ashford and Simpson.

15: Fiona Apple, To Your Love
Another chain of thought too hard to follow. Trust me, I know.

14: Michael Jackson, Human Nature
Irresistible.

13: Bobby Brown, My Prerogative
Equally happy with Britney version. Hey. They say I’m nasty, but I don’t give a damn.

12: The Cure, Lovesong
This song could describe my feelings about this song.

11: Gordon Lightfoot, If You Could Read My Mind
Poetry as legitimate as any. Always moves me.

10: Fiona Apple, Criminal
If I’m on a desert island, I must have done something.

09: The Lion King, Endless Night
Medicine for my spirits.

08: Sarah McLaughlin, Dirty Little Secret
I gave up the fight years ago.

07: Madonna, What It Feels Like For A Girl (Remix)
Good that I’m on a desert island; this song is dangerous while driving.

06: Cyndi Lauper, True Colors
That’s why I love you.

05: Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine
I still only travel by foot and by foot it’s a slow climb.

04: Madonna, Human Nature
Oops, I didn’t know I couldn’t speak my mind.

03: The Beatles, In My Life
Danced with my dad to this at my wedding. DJ told me it was inappropriate to dance with my dad first. I said no it’s not.

02: The Jackson Five, I Want You Back
Magic. Just magic.

01: The Temptations, I Can’t Get Next To You
Didn’t know this was my favorite song? See, that’s sort of the point.

Still on the island with me? Excellent! Thanks for listening, and don’t worry; it’s on repeat.

Stage

Touching Björk’s Stage.

Drawing the Line

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By now, most people have realized that I’m a vegetarian.  The reason they have to realize it at all is that even though I’m proud of my choices, I’ve spent the last fifteen years downplaying them.  (The last time I ate meat, the Spice Girls’ debut album was hot.)  I don’t think people should be overzealous in pushing their beliefs (it can be quite rude), but to have to constantly downplay them is really sort of a bummer.  (Sadly, this is not even the belief I downplay the most but we’ll leave that for the moment.)

I just have a real lack of desire to deal with the overenthusiastic, sarcastic comments.  Whether someone immediately declares they want to eat a, “big juicy steak,” makes a joke about eating vegetarians, or raves about bacon in a “pig voice,” I just don’t want to hear it.  I don’t react to other people’s values that way, and I’m guessing most people haven’t thought about what it would be like to have their own beliefs mocked.

The bottom line is, I’m never going to try to convince you.  There are people, and organizations out there that make the case much more comprehensively than I could, and if you aren’t listening to them, you won’t listen to me.

I will try, though, to put the whole thing in perspective.  Vegetarianism isn’t really so out there.  I’ve never met a person who would eat anything, because I’ve never met a cannibal.  And even they likely have limits.  So everyone draws their line somewhere.  Mine is perhaps different than yours, and I wish people would respect that.

I don’t know anyone that would eat human meat.  (And if you think that’s disgusting, then you’ve taken your first step toward understanding vegetarians.)  Most people I know won’t eat primates, dogs, or cats.  Some of the most enthusiastic omnivores I know are enraged by the ethics of eating a dog.  At least half of the people I know won’t eat organ meat.  Many people, including my husband, won’t eat veal, foie gras, or other meat products produced by particularly cruel practices.  I know several people who won’t eat red meat.  I worked with a guy once who would only eat meat that he personally hunted, because he knew how the animal was treated.

And this is where I’ll probably start to lose you.  Pescetarians only eat meat from seafood.  Vegetarians, by definition, won’t eat animal flesh or derivative (like gelatin).  Vegans won’t eat eggs, dairy, animal byproduct, or foods produced using captive animals (like honey).  I’ve met people who don’t eat fungus.  Raw foodists including raw vegans don’t cook their food; I used to volunteer with one and he taught me a lot about it.  Strict Jains won’t eat root vegetables, and many fruitarians only eat fruits and only after they have fallen from the plant.

It is a known and oft discussed fact that for humans to sustain themselves, they are required to eat either something that was alive or could become life (like a seed).  But that doesn’t preclude people from having intelligent, reasonable debates about what practices they are willing to support, and the types of foods they are willing to put into their body.

I don’t really care about pop stars, but just for fun did you know that Natalie Portman, Alanis Morissette, Robin Gibb, Fiona Apple, Prince, Carrie Underwood, Weird Al, Eddie Vedder, Shania Twain, Michael Bolton, and Michael Dorn are vegetarian (or vegan)?  That’s right – Worf is a vegan.  Bob Barker, Fred Rogers, Johnny Appleseed, John Kellogg, and half of the Beatles were vegetarians.  Yep, Mr. Rogers and the guy who headlined the last Olympics.  What about athletes?  Carl Lewis, Tony Gonzales, and Bode Miller to name a few.  Even one of our former presidents is now vegan, though driven by health concerns.

So maybe you don’t care about celebrities either, well except Mr. Rogers of course.  But the roster of vegetarians also includes Gautama Buddha, Mohandas Gandhi, Pythagoras, Confucius, Leonardo DaVinci, and Albert Einstein.  If I’m a fool, I’m at least in some good company.

If you still hate it, I don’t actually care.  But it would be nice if you’d keep those thoughts to yourself.  For each her own, you know.  And if you’re interested in hearing more, do the research and draw your own conclusions.  I’m always happy to answer sincere respectful questions.  Drop me a line anytime.

Cheers,
Emily.

http://www.ivu.org/
http://www.aspca.org/
http://www.humanesociety.org/

TG2012

Thanksgiving 2012

Why Blog?

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Why Blog?

So the obvious first question is… why write a blog?  I could say something about self expression, free speech, and the like – and there would be truth to it.  However the real reason is: I like to read your blogs.  Many friends and family over the years have had blogs, and I genuinely enjoy them.  I’d rather read about your life, your experiences, or something that’s on your mind than I would read about political spin or celebrity arrests.  And truth be told, I’d rather read your blog than watch you take pictures of yourself in your bathroom.  So maybe, I thought, if I create a blog someone will like it too.

Most people don’t know that I’ve been writing for a long time.  I’m not a trained writer, and my grammar and punctuation probably offends, but I enjoy it so I keep doing it.  Some day when I’m gone, some grandchild will look through my computer and find folders of written works from over the years ranging from stories, poems, and even a bit of sports writing.  I finally decided to write a full-length book earlier this year, and I’ve been working on it since.

As for the blog title I recognize it could imply drunken ramblings, but in the end my other options were all either too indulgent or too self-deprecating.  This one is too silly to be taken seriously.  And I do really enjoy a good Carménère.  It’s good for the heart, you know.

My window for bloggable topics is very small.  I can’t blog about my job because I’d like to keep it.  I can’t blog about family for much of the same reason.  I can’t blog about my more controversial ideas – and believe me I have them – without potentially alienating people I care about.  I’m not going to rant – it’s tacky.  And I’m not going to whine – things just aren’t that bad.  I’m also not going to share my more personal thoughts and experiences.  All of this being said, I do not believe I have excluded everything I have to say.  There are still a few topics left, and I’d like to share them with you.  If you’re interested.

I probably won’t post often, and it probably won’t be revolutionary.  Here’s my perspective on it.  If my blog isn’t interesting to read or it annoys you, please don’t read it.  But if you occasionally enjoy hearing what I have to say, please stop back in.

Thanks for your time, and here’s to the journey -

Emily.