A Long December

One of my students had to leave class early tonight because she had tickets to see The Counting Crows, another of my favorite bands from my college days.

Although this tune wasn't on the album that I had on repeat in the early 90s, it is one that I heard recently and contemplated, in particular, these lyrics:

I guess the winter makes us smile a little slower

Yes, I guess it does. I guess it makes just about everything a little slower, and requires me to be a little braver than when it's warm outside...

Here's the rest of the lyrics:

A long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember the last thing that you said as you were leavin'
Now the days go by so fast
And it's one more day up in the canyons
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think that I could be forgiven I wish you would
The smell of hospitals in winter
And the feeling that it's all a lot of oysters, but no pearls
All at once you look across a crowded room
To see the way that light attaches to a girl
And it's one more day up in the canyons
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think you might come to California I think you should
Drove up to Hillside Manor sometime after two a.m.
And talked a little while about the year
I guess the winter makes you laugh a little slower,
Makes you talk a little lower about the things you could not show her
And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass
And it's one more day up in the canyon
And it's one more night in Hollywood
It's been so long since I've seen the ocean I guess I should
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

The Mother We Share

When I saw the forecast last night I decided that this morning would be a good time for a long run. Temps were in the 30s and the sun was shining brightly as I headed out the door accompanied by Slacker, which was playing the 50 best Alt/Indie songs of the year. What a great way to discover new music!

The last time I'd done this 8 mile route to picnic point and back was in the summer, and it was definitely a different experience running on the snow-covered path out to the point. Usually that's the easiest part of the run since the ground is soft -- today it was the hardest because of the snow.

This song came on while I was on the snow-covered path, contemplating the stark changes of the seasons:

Never took your side, never cursed your name

I keep my lips shut tight, until you go-o-oh

We've come as far as we're ever gonna get

Until you realize, that you should go-o-oh

I'm in misery where you can seem as old as your omens

And the mother we share will never keep your proud head from falling

The way is long but you can make it easy on me

And the mother we share will never keep our cold hearts from calling

I don't know what the song is really about, but I heard the mother we share as Earth:

In the dead of night, I'm the only one here

And I will cover you, until you go-o-oh

And if I told the truth, I will always be free

And keep a prize with me, until you go-o-oh

I'm in misery where you can seem as old as your omens

And the mother we share will never keep your proud head from falling

The way is long but you can make it easy on me

And the mother we share will never keep our cold hearts from calling

Until the night falls, we're the only ones left

I bet you even know, where we could go-o-oh

And when it all fucks up, you put your head in my hands

It's a souvenir for when you go-o-oh

I'm in misery where you can seem as old as your omens

And the mother we share will never keep your proud head from falling

The way is long but you can make it easy on me

And the mother we share will never keep our cold hearts from calling