Life Experiences Add Up

Is Fleetwood Mac as Good as I Think They Are?

For my birthday, my family bought me tickets to see Fleetwood Mac. They know how much I love the album “Rumors” judging by the number of times I have played it during their lifetime. My husband is on board and a huge Fleetwood Mac fan, but I am intrigued as to what my daughter’s reactions will be. No doubt they are impressed with the 70’s rock ‘n roll concert era – they grew up watching us watching concert DVD’s of every rock band imaginable. Concert DVD’s do a great job of capturing the concert arena experience, which is massive throngs of fans, beach balls bouncing around, and girls on top of their boyfriends shoulders. As an attendee of numerous concerts as a “youngster” (back when I didn’t know any better), I recall security being at a minimum, joints were easy to bring and cigarette smoking was acceptable. – I mean after all, it was so much work to just get there, we had to be rewarded for standing in line for hours just to get tickets. We were just a bunch of crazed fans out to have a really good time – any way we could get it.

Aside from the experience and the iconic symbolism of attending a no holds barred rock concert – is the music better from the 70’s compared to now or just different? Is it the experience of music that makes the music? We had Rock ‘n Roll in the 1970’s – a genre of music that has fallen by the wayside in this new millennium. We would not be comparing apples to apples by looking at rock now – I mean, how do you compare Led Zepplen, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Queen, The Who, Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Van Halen, with what is out there now?

Bands back in the day were almost like a family – cohesive, emotionally close and yet to a fan, somewhat elusive. There was no social media, no E channel, no twitter to post pictures of their every move, their every sound recording. We had to wait months in anticipation for the next album – there were no “teaser” tracks being played. This elusiveness made them special and exciting.

I think the difference that makes older music seem better was that you had to work at being a serious music fan. In the 70’s and earlier, the only place to actually hear any new music was on the radio, so the chance of discovering something new and exciting was limited. Unless you were turned onto college radio or low-powered community stations, you ended up buying what the major rock stations sold you – and back then, you were sold not only the superbands, but their personalities as well. And those personalities were the key to hooking you into their music.

And because we have the means to listen to so many different genres of music today, We don’t make rock superstars anymore. The superstars of today, the ones who are sold as personalities, are in pop or country music. This sense of detachment makes older music seem more appealing, more alluring and therefore, well, better.

The future is now and this future does not favor longevity. Because we tend to buy singles rather albums, perhaps we don’t become attached to bands the way it happened in Zeppelin’s day.

Says Timothy Rosenberg, Course Director of Critical Listening for Music Professionals at Full Sail University in Orlando…

“The vast majority of the public has become detached from artists because they no longer buy albums and instead buy single tracks. If the public won’t be fans for twelve tracks in a row, it’s not surprising that they won’t coalesce around a band, such as Led Zeppelin.”

Beginning in the 1980s, remixes and longer versions of songs allowed for people to become attached to singular songs rather than albums, right up through today, where technology dictates how we find music, so we have moved past the days when a radio station was the only means of discovering new bands. In this day and age, with the myriad of sources in front of us, we no longer just listen to music, we consume it.

The jury is still out on the Fleetwood Mac concert. I have no doubt the music will be awesome, but the experience won’t quite rival the first time I saw them in 1978. There is something about Stevie Nicks’ voice that attracted my oldest daughter to the band – that and the concert played on Paladia awhile back.

Says James Lachno of the Telegraph…”right now the hippest bands around all want to sound like Fleetwood Mac. What started in the late-2000s with US folk-rock revivalists such as Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver has built up a head of steam. Last year saw the release of fine albums from trendy US acts such as Best Coast and Sharon Von Etten that bore the unmistakable influence of Fleetwood Mac’s classic Seventies period, as did work from blockbuster pop artists Mumford and Sons and Taylor Swift.

If I could plan my Fleetwood Mac dream play list, it would run just like this:

Go Your Own Way
Hypnotized
Rhiannon
Dreams
World Turning
Tusk
Songbird
You Make Loving Fun
Landslide
The Chain
Over My Head
Gypsy

One can only hope…..I will keep you posted.

Everything I needed to Know I Learned on RAGBRAI

So I biked 473 miles across the state of Iowa in July on RAGBRAI (the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa). So did approximately 10,000 other people. Yes, it was challenging and yes it was fun. As I reflect on that wonderful week in July, the pedaling was no surprise – I knew what I was in for mileage wise, but it was the takeaways from the ride that were the surprise, the icing on the cake, the Coup de Gras of completing RAGBRAI. It has definitely taken me a few weeks for all of this to sink in but as I look back, here is what I see.

IT’S TEAM A SPIRIT

Our team was “The Moving Tassles” and we were just one of hundreds of teams. Each team had their own unique flair. Throughout the course of the week, I enjoyed discovering all the nuances each team had to offer – The Pink Flamingos, The Lizard Kings, The Aristocats, The Loons, Team Spin, and my personal favorite – Team “Biking Bad” featuring Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. Every team had their defining accouterments and themes. Some teams were costume based; tu-tu’s, boa’s, thongs, (yes, thongs), horns on helmets and feathers (to name just a few). Bikers rode with their dogs in tow, and even their Cockatoo’s. Charitable teams and worthy causes showed up; the Livestrong Foundation Group, and the Ed Thomas Foundation Team, whose riders supported Aplington Parkersburg former football coach Ed Thomas, who was shot and killed by a former player in the school’s weight room in 2009. There was the girl who rode the entire ride in combat boots to raise money for veterans and their families through the nonprofit Boot Campaign and there was Team Gourmet, whose team members carried wooden spoons with catchphrases on them, honoring Wayne Santi, the team’s founder, who died of heart failure at the age of 65 in October. Wayne will be remembered for his role as food manager and planner for the team by inscribing his inside jokes on the spoons, “more butter” or “another grape please” to name a few. An entire day was dedicated to Carter LeBeau, a Davenport Iowa biking guru who died in August 2013 at the age of 87. LeBeau was one of only eight people to participate in RAGBRAI for 40 years straight since its start in 1973. Every mile he sported vintage soccer socks so those who honored him on Friday of the ride had an entire ensemble of mixed match socks.

NO MAN LEFT BEHIND

I rode my first century plus on Tuesday of the week. For me, there was something about riding at the 100-mile mark that I was not sure of. Could I do it? I thought so, but I did not want to be alone in the midst of it and somehow cross that line physically where there is no turning back and your muscles betray you. My “cycle-mates” stayed with me for the whole ride and it felt wonderful. There also was another rider in our group who was having knee issues, so we hung with him too. It was wonderful to have a small crew with you and of course, there was someone to high-five at the end of the ride which made all the difference for me. There is some indescribable about seeing “109 miles” on your Garmin.

DO A GOOD DEED

So I am tooling along and I notice a woman biker with a crown strapped to the back of her bike. I took it as another RAGBRAI oddity – probably someone belonging to a “Queen’s Court” team or a Renaissance Faire enthusiast. I could not let it go at that, so of course I had to ask her. It turns out she was appointed the “RAGBRAI Queen for a Day”. Get out – really? Apparently there is a RAGBRAI “court” and beginning with the first day of the ride, they appoint someone “Queen” who they witness “doing a good deed”. So this lovely woman photographed left, handed someone a roll of toilet paper when they entered the porta potty because the toilet paper roll was empty, and a court representative came up to her and pronounced her “Queen”. She had to attend the nightly crowning ceremony, where the then Queen for the Day abdicated her day-old reign to crown someone else the “Queen”. Precious.

FOOD IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

I really did not comprehend how food is such an integral part of the ride until day three. That’s right – day three. That’s when I rode with a seasoned RAGBRAI veteran who, at every stop, had me try all the various goodies that were available and I normally would not have thought of. Quite honestly, the first two days I was a little bit overwhelmed – trying to get in the swing of it and figuring out the ebb and flow of the ride. After encouragement and introduction, I got my groove on and dipped the waters into a food frenzy, a smorgasbord of butter, sugar, pork, chocolate and ice cream. I had my fair share of “scotch-a-roos”, a delicious combination of peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch – an exciting version of a rice krispie treat wrapped in cellophane…delicious. The corn on the cob, dipped in butter, was to die for, and then there is the pork. Pulled pork sandwiches, pork tenderloins, Jim’s BLT’s, bacon dipped in chocolate and served on a stick (the town that premiered this food item made 850 such delicacies and sold out in under two hours.) There was Beekman’s Ice Cream, smoothies, and of course, Pie. Cherry, Apple, Strawberry, Blueberry, Mixed Berry, Triple Berry, Rhubarb – the list goes on and on. Every community hosted spaghetti dinners, lasagna dinners, and all you can eat buffets. Along the route I saw food vendors like Mr. Pork Chop, FreezeYourNoggin, the Lemonade people, the home-made ice cream people, the Dove Barn, and a dozen others. You had traditional Iowa foodstuffs; pork tenderloin sandwiches, maid rites and of course, Sterzing potato chips. As you can see, my husband is so in love with them he had to insert his nose into the bag just to have the scent waft over him. Vendors set up their tents, chow wagons, etc. in strategic places along the route. There were pancake breakfasts in the morning put on by Kiwanis Clubs and at night, buffets at local churches where the masses were fed.

ALWAYS REMEMBER TO BE HOSPITABLE

Upon being selected for the lottery in RAGBRAI, you become eligible to apply for housing in the host communities. Many people camped and stayed in hotels, and many, like us, slept in hospitable Iowan’s houses, basements, yards, bedrooms and schools. Our first night in Rock Valley, we were welcomed by the school principal, Don Ortman, to sleep in the Kindergarten Classroom and in turn, we volunteered to serve at their spaghetti dinner for the riders. The classroom was very comfortable and we had our own welcome sign – lovely. They couldn’t have been nicer. We slept in the basement of a house in Emmetsburg with about 20 other people, and we all managed to have a hot shower and wi-fi access, along with great beer, food and company. It was great getting to know our newly found friends as we lingered over beers sitting in lawn chairs during the hot summer evenings. Longtime family friends were our hosts, along with people we just met.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.

Witness the father who pedaled his son across the state of Iowa. His son, crippled with cerebral palsy, had a grand time on the back of his father’s bike, shouting “go faster” as they descended down a hill and asking “what’s up around the bend” with every turn. I pedaled most of an afternoon near this rider and his son and it was truly inspirational.

Last, I close with a heartfelt story, one that encapsulates the Iowa mentality of small town life, the trusting, caring environment where people truly depend on one another. My husband, a sports enthusiast, collects T-shirts from every college and school throughout the country. It is hard to know which team he supports, as he is always wearing a different mascot. While in Waverly Iowa on our Thursday night stop, Jim really wanted the local school Waverly-Shell Rock wrestling team T-shirt. The team won the Iowa State High School Championship in this Iowa revered sport. Jim was not able to find the shirt and mentioned his frustration to a local at the beer tent during the evenings festivities. The woman he was speaking with asked for Jim’s contact information in case she found the shirt. A few days later we finished RAGBRAI, and had not given it another thought until last week when a package arrived in the mail. This package contained the T-shirt, along with a note from “Colleen Miller”, the owner of the Miller True Value Hardware Store in Waverly, and the woman Jim chatted with that night in the beer garden. She enclosed the free shirt, along with a thank you note to Jim for “taking interest” in their wrestling program and encouraging us to stop by and say hi next time we are passing through town. It doesn’t get any better than that.

To close, as a “RAGBRAI Virgin” – I was “de-flowered” by food, fun, excitement, camaraderie, physical feats, endurance, mental toughness, love and happiness. All in all – a great week and a great experience!

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

What is the deal with “Happy”? Pharrell and Bobby McFerrin sing about it, creators of the “100 Happy Days Challenge” invite people to post pictures of moments of happiness daily for 100 days, and students at Harvard flock to its most popular course “Positive Psychology” to gain insight, as the course description says:

“The course focuses on the psychological aspects of a fulfilling and flourishing life. Topics include happiness, self-esteem, empathy, friendship, love, achievement, creativity, music, spirituality, and humor.”

Why all this focus on happiness? Could it be because “happy” is elusive, not easily definable and a challenging level for a great number of people to reach psychologically? For me personally, I have moments in my life when I have felt truly happy but that is not a constant. Could I force myself to be happy merely by practicing it? I first latched on to this idea when I took the “Can You be Happy for 100 Days?” challenge. You might be seeing this all over social media, with participants hashtagging photos with #100daysofhappy. Started by 27-year-old Dmitry Golubnichy, the worldwide initiative’s goal is to find joy in little things and feature the small moments of happiness in photos over the course of 100 days. I jumped on the bandwagon, reached my 100 days, and yet I still feel like the same person as before. I cannot say that I am happier, but I am more in tune with recognizing and acknowledging within myself the things which make me happy during my daily life. In looking back over my 100 days of posts, it was the simple things that made me happy; a glass of wine and socializing, nature, new bike socks, family and friends. It was the things I take for granted.

As I continued on with this “happy” quest, I came across a documentary on Public Television called “Happy”. Directed and written by Roko Belic, this is a film about happiness and trying to figure out what the word truly means. As students learn in the course at Harvard “Positive Psychology”, there are many components in the brain that contribute to being happy. I was really surprised to learn that

50% of what makes happiness is genetic
10% is ‘situational’
The remaining 40% is up for grabs

This really got me thinking. 50% genetic – really? It seems the underlying determinant in being genetically disposed towards happiness are possessing traits such as “being sociable, active, stable, hardworking and conscientious,”. These happiness traits generally come as a package, so that if you have one you’re likely to have them all. It appears that biology plays a huge role in happiness, through an untold number of genes involved in forming personality. This can be somewhat terrifying, especially if your genes are stacked against you, but not to fear – 40% is up for grabs.

The 10% ‘situational’ is really interesting. The film “Happy” reveals that through various scientific research, things that most people equate with happiness (success, money, riches) do not end up making you happy. Wealth levels have a limited impact on happiness. This is no surprise to biologists, because money is a relatively recent development in the history of human evolution. Of course human being are not built to track wealth.

This 10 % is what prompted Roko Belic to make the film “Happy”. According to Belic, once he became successful, moved to Los Angeles and lived near ultra wealthy successful people , he noticed that a great many of them were not happy. He began wondering – if all of this fame, wealth and success does not make people who on the outside look like they have it all happy – what does? Random people interviewed and sampled when asked “What would make you happy?” generally said wealth, fame and financial success. WRONG . It seems as if we are all barking up the wrong tree.

Scientists say material objects such as iPhones, being wealthy and owning a sports car cannot fit the bill for happiness. Clues to our behaviors can be found in the brain chemical dopamine, which is the key to the body’s reward system. Strangely, in chimpanzees, dopamine levels peak not when they are going to get an award but when they realize the award is coming. That’s very similar to our response to money. Once we get it, the temporary happiness factor fades and disappears. So if 10% of the happiness factor is situational, just exactly what “situation” should you put yourself in – in other words – how can you make that 10% bleed over into the 40% that is “up for grabs” and enjoy the fruits of being totally happy?

What does make someone happy? Scientists say a close circle of friends and family is the most important ingredient for happiness. You gain more happiness from experiences, rather than acquisitions. This got me reflecting on my posts for 100 Happy Days. It was not my paycheck, shopping, and acquiring that I posted pictures of but my interactions with family and friends – the simple things. To me, happiness is what you have in your daily life that you cannot measure by wealth. It is not something you chase, rather it is something that is already there – you just have to notice it. The “100 Days of Happy” got me to notice it and it is something that we can “choose”. Just be happy – sound ridiculous?