shuffle

i've never been a playlist craftsperson. i usually keep the tunes on shuffle with each song becoming a surprise for the soundtrack of life. i find that the appropriate songs usually attach to certain experiences to complete these moments and memories.

with that said, cheers to a weekend on shuffle (& video documentation)...

1. "black or white" - michael jackson

as we wait for our carne asada fries, i decide to slide a dollar into the jukebox. we can't seem to get the first song we want to play so i impatiently start punching semi-random numbers. the result was this song. one of the better mistakes i've made. =)

2. "i'm on a boat" - the lonely island


3. "drift away" - dobie gray

mary of the elephant odyssey exhibit at the sd zoo sways to a nicky classic.

4. "circle of life" - the lion king

this needs a bit more explaining: i had a somewhat similar experience as L did a few weeks ago. for some unknown reason, this song just kept reemerging throughout the weekend.

- thurs: watched "the lion king" as the 2nd film during a movie night in
- fri: richelle blogged about it
- sat: we played it first thing in the morning before leaving for the zoo
- sun: came back home to see this vid under my youtube subscriptions

5. "knock you down" - keri hilson
this song had been in our heads all weekend. in the last few hours of my stay in sd, it inspired a one take session that we completed within the hour before i had to head to the airport.
(check fbook for this vid)
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p.s. the blogosphere feels alive this month! lots of folks making it a point to blog more...i think i will too.

songs in the key of life

if it's magic
then why can't it be everlasting?
like the sun that always shines
like the poets in this rhyme
like the galaxies in time

if it's pleasing
then why can't it be never leaving?
like the day that never fails
like on seashores there are shells
like the time that always tells

bookend encounters

a drizzly february morning.
1st task of the day: purchase snacks for a meeting in sf.
i'm early, and trader joe's is still closed.

alone, i wait, earbuds in, somewhat dazed,
not fully recovered from the spell of sickness
that kept me in bed for half the day before.

8:50am
a man rides up on his bicycle and waits too.
we begin with pleasant small talk,
but the conversation quickly turns
and he starts to vent his
frustrations and anger with
unemployment, hunger, homelessness, authority, life...

our discussion never actually ends.
i don't quite have the right words to say in response.
he trails off and shuffles among the crowd
that is making their way through the store's open doors.

ash wednesday mass that night
i say a little prayer for him.
for better days.
for his peace of mind.
i forget about all this until...


last night.
it's almost 10 o'clock
and i'm just leaving good friday service.

the next bus is in 27 min
so i opt for a less direct route home.

sneaks, jeans, backpack with
hood up over my head
to thwart an unexpected chilly breeze.
i feel like a student again
walking past people's park
reminded of this campus's strange coexistence of
privilege and poverty.

hello. you were sitting next to me at church, right?

yes, i was.

in half a block we exchange niceties & names:
the typical
how do you do?
where are you from?
where are you headed?

then the inevitable
(and these days often touchy)
what do you do?

i give my standard answer
then hesitantly ask him in return.

i'm not into anything at the moment,
but things are just starting to come together for me.
i was homeless for a few years,
but now i have a roof over my head.

we come to the corner of telegraph & dwight
where we are to part ways.

i'm headed in this direction now.
i'm glad to hear that things
are starting to look up for you.

thank you.
what was your name again?

camille.
in case i don't see you,
happy easter.

i extend my arm out for a handshake
and receive
a hug.