De-Gerbilized -- Day One

Day One of Not Being a Gerbil: Success!

Yesterday, I wrote that I’ve been in a slump lately – of coming home from work, crawling under a blanket like a gerbil and doing nothing but watching TV. So, I’ve decided to go an entire week with no television which would, hopefully, entice me into more productive endeavors.

It has. I loved it.

Last night, I came home from work, downloaded some really cool music onto my iPod and really enjoyed twenty minutes on the treadmill. As a matter of fact, I was rockin’ out so well to my groovy music that I didn’t want to stop, so I did another 20 minutes – 40 minutes total.

One song that was totally kick-ass was Alanis Morissette’s You Oughta Know. Wow – I wanted to leap off the treadmill and just dance when I heard that.

I had sort of an aversion to Alanis Morissette after having lived in Toronto. Canadians seem to go way overboard with any of their celebrities (probably because there are so few of them – Canadians, that is.) I got so tired of hearing Morissette blaring non-stop out of every night club on Yonge Street, so I guess it took about ten years to get de-Alanisized enough to enjoy her stuff.

I also have Somebody Told Me and Jenny Was a Friend of Mine by The Killers on my exercise playlist. Really groovy stuff! Has anyone else been tipped off on how great this music is or am I the only that knows about it?

After my workout, I made a tofu curry with barley-lentil pilaf for dinner, worked on choir music for an hour, talked to Miss Healthypants, and cleaned the kitchen.

Yesterday, I mentioned that not watching TV would free me up to do a lot of other things, like going to an art museum or a zoo.

Well, a friend of mine called last night to say he had an extra ticket to the Chicago Symphony and would I want to go? (The Brahms 1st Piano Concerto is being featured.)

Isn’t that better than watching stupid people being held accountable by Judge Judy?

And you have to admit, that’s pretty auspicious. 'The Universe' picked up on the fact that I wanted to heighten the level of my leisure activities and, boom, I get a free ticket to the Chicago Symphony.

And after exercising for 40 minutes last night, I have to admit –
I really feel like crap today.

Feelin' Groovy

At the gym where I’ve been faithfully working out, (periodically) there’s always rather loud music playing over the sound system. I don’t mind it so much, for it’s usually a good mix of anything that’s energetic sounding. Disco, techno-pop, lots of Madonna, lots of rap; they all get played.

The thing is, even though I’m a musician myself, I very rarely listen to music. I’ve got a small sound system in my apartment and probably not over 30 CDs which seldom, if ever, get played. I don’t listen to the radio in the car except for NPR.

So, the music that Crunch Fitness plays over their sound system is the only pop music I’ve been exposed to since. . . . hmmm. . . . well, Culture Club, really.

Yes, my name is Buck and I’m a snob, especially when it comes to music.

So, I didn’t think I’d ever find anything remotely appealing while being exposed to anything at Crunch, but I was surprised recently.

I was doing a solid thirty minutes of jogging on the treadmill the other night when this song came on. (The corresponding video plays on the screen on the treadmill which is pretty cool). I thought, “Hey, that song’s pretty neat.”

Then, last night I was on the treadmill when it came on again. This time, I really liked it. When I returned to my apartment, I downloaded it onto my iPod.

I’m not making this up when I way that the last pop music I ever bought was Culture Club’s Colour By Numbers album. So, it was pretty remarkable that I found myself to be pretty jazzed over a new pop group.

I feel so “with it.”

The song, you ask?

It’s Somebody Told Me by The Killers. The lead singer sounds a lot like a young Ozzy Osbourne.
Click here for the video.

Like I said, I feel pretty hip and all, downloading a song that was produced after 1983. I feel pretty cool blogging about it, too.

Am I hip, or what?

Oh, god.

I just had a horrible thought. . . . Please please please don’t let this song be something that only 13 year-old girls like. That would be just my luck.

Whatever. I don’t care.

I think Somebody Told Me is pretty darn groovy.