Category: Tunes

Highlights from the soundtrack of my life.

ALMOST Forgotten Tune #100 OR “Those Were the Days!”

A couple days ago, my mom and I were listening to music just before I was getting ready for bed. My Mom is NOT a big fan of my music but she WILL listen to some U2 songs with me sometimes. We put on a playlist in Apple Music. My Mom tells me that it was the 60s playlist. I was okay with listening to the songs with her and just before my Mom went to turn her phone off, the beginning bars of this song came on and my eyes got really wide!

I never have paid attention to who sings this song but once they started singing the words, I sing along with them! I was immediately taken back to my childhood and this song specifically reminds me of going to the Apple Orchard with my friend Shannon. She has two brothers just my brothers’ ages and I remember us all sitting in the back of their van and singing this song at the top of our lungs! This memory is over 30 years old but it was clear in my mind and warmed my heart and reminded me of simpler times! Retrospectively, those REALLY were the days!!!

ALMOST Forgotten Tune #99

I checked the weather as I opened my eyes this morning.:

Oh! 0°. No wonder! Before my Mom came to help me out of bed, I thought of this song and remembered putting together Sean’s storage for his toys when we still lived with my Parents. We kept the storage shelf in both of our apartments. I don’t know where it is now.

My 18-year-old memory is of me playing this song on loop as I put the shelf together. I sat on the floor in our bedroom and put it together. Today, it’s pretty “hard.” #MSsucks!!!

February 2021 Faves

I’m posting this a day late and it’s not faves, but rather just one song. I don’t know that I would even categorize this as a, “Fave” but I am currently immersed in this song:

Since I heard this song a few days ago, I can’t seem to listen to it without crying. It starts off as ugly cries and then just tears. The first three lines ABSOLUTELY tear my heart out!!!:

I wonder how long it will take for me to stop crying when I hear this song…

But Then…

This morning, this video randomly showed up in my Facebook feed and this song reminds me of my first night at Western and driving down E. Pond Dr.:

I had written a blog post about this song a few days ago and this was more spring time at Western after I was diagnosed and I was pretty sure I wasn’t coming back to go to school there…:

So, I was lost in my memories of being a carefree student at Western and being able to drive. I was just going to write this blog about that.

But then…

I got a notification from my MS support group that specifically focuses on music. I absolutely love this group because it’s pretty large and I can see and hear random songs that I have forgotten about. I had never heard this song before but when I did, I listen to it three separate times before I stopped ugly crying. So many lyrics spoke directly to me and I just allowed myself to cry:


Retrospectively

This song showed up randomly in my Facebook feed and I saw it once I woke up. I had to listen to it as my Mom helped me out of bed. I was taken back 20 years as I drove on E. Pond Dr. on Western’s campus. Retrospectively, I think we needed a little more and then patience. But this is a great song!:

I am quiet today.

Big Brother Does NOT Disappoint!!!

I am so grateful that Big Brother knows my soul and today he did not disappoint! I remember Bono playing a green guitar when when my brother, Steve, and I saw them in 2006. I watched the whole video when it showed up in my YouTube feed and I’m not even ashamed to say that I cried! This song is definitely one of my top five faves!!!:

Black

Yesterday morning, (well, actually it was almost afternoon) when my Mom came into my room to get me out of bed, I was still kind of still sleeping. My face was away from the doorway and I was laying on my left cheek with my hair spread out behind me on my pillow. My Mom pulled my covers off and told me that, “You’re hair is really black!” Normally, I do not talk in the morning (even if it was almost afternoon) but as I rolled over for her to put my shoes on, I told her that I had noticed that and asked if it was because I have not been in the sun for months.

I noticed that my hair was darker the last time my Mom took a picture of its length now that I have been sheltering in place with her for so long. I usually get subtle light brown highlights from being in the sun. Don’t pay attention to the split ends but I kind of want to see how long it will get! Just so you know, moments after this picture was taken, I put my hair in a fold/over (or is it fold-under) ponytail and put a hat on.

Once my Mom took the picture, I noticed that my hair was a lot darker than it normally is. What do you think?

Also, looking at all of the pictures (which may or may not be out of order) I guess it looks the same. I don’t know. But the fact that my Mom said that my hair looked black, gives me a perfect segue to post this video because I ABSOLUTELY love this song!:

And by the way, I will NEVER show you my one eyebrow or my furry face until it is gone!

High-Five

In the 38 years I have been living, I don’t normally high-five my Mom. However, now that she is my full-time caregiver and we have been sheltered in place together since March 2020, we pray, listen to music, laugh, and talk about a lot of things every single day as she is assisting me to get ready for the day.

We laughed a lot today after we prayed and before we listened to music and it reminded me of our conversation from a couple weeks ago. I have heard this story numerous times but I really like to hear it. My Mom will tell the story and it always makes me laugh because this was back in March of 1982. My birthday. My Mom went into labor with me and she and my Dad were in the hospital room. She has told me that the intake nurse was gathering her information about how many children my Mom had. She asked my Mom my oldest brother’s name and his father. My Mom told her and then she asked my second oldest brother’s name and his father. My Mom listed all four of my brothers and my Dad is also their Dad.

The intake nurse was in disbelief and she called three or four other floor nurses to hear what my Mom had just said and asked her again. They all could not believe it and this was back in 1982.

A couple weeks ago, she was telling me that story again and I told her that in 1982, it was common place to have just one, “Baby daddy.” After she was finished telling the story and we talked about it. I told her that I had just one, “Baby daddy” because I only have one child.

Uncharacteristically, she told me that she also has just one “Baby daddy.” I began to laugh and put my hand up not really thinking that she would high-five me but she high-fived me. We both laughed a lot.

I remember when this song came out so many years ago and I think it’s kind of funny still:

Me and Bobby McGee

Janice Joplin videos have been showing up in my Facebook feed and I don’t mind it at all! The first one to show up was yesterday and it was, “Piece of my Heart” and today, I saw, “Me and Bobby McGee.”

I immediately was reminded of a conversation a had with a former colleague that had to be about 10 years ago now. Somehow, we were talking about music and I think I mentioned this song to her. My memory of this occasion is a bit hazy but she gave me a burned CD to listen to while I drove to my acupuncture appointment. She didn’t even tell me who was singing but I took it and loved this version of this song.

When I reviewed this song the next morning to her, she told me it was sung by Jennifer Love Hewitt. I have since misplaced this CD but I can always search it on YouTube which I did! I REALLY dig this cover!!!:

ALMOST Forgotten Tune #98 OR My MS Support Groups

I belong to 15 MS support groups on Facebook. A lot of my Twitter followers are neurologists, advocates, and follow MSers. Most of the groups on Facebook are private and I can discuss things going on in my body and know that they are experts because these things are going through their bodies as well!

I feel that I have developed somewhat personal relationships with a number of them even though they live thousands of miles away from me. They really get me at my most basic level!

I feel most grateful that I have just been invited to a group that focuses on music and MS. Music is kind of my thing and how I deal with what’s going on in my body. This is an extremely large group where we can just post songs. I am LOVING it! I can’t scroll through for sometimes hours and see random songs that I love! It is an extremely eclectic group whose members span many decades!

I saw this song just a few days ago and when I tried looking for it again, I couldn’t even find it because so many songs are posted throughout the day. I saw this song and I clicked on it to listen to it. It was a song that I have not heard or thought about for 20 years! Hearing it, made me cry and I remembered having to correct the person singing to me that I am only 5’0 and NOT 5’1.