Songs to be cold to: December Playlist

“I know simply that the sky will last longer than I.” – Albert Camus (Watch: Albert Camus: The Madness of Sincerity)

      Eero Järnefelt (1863-1937)

Don’t Think About How This Works

It’s strange to write this since it’s raining. The last time it rained was Halloween night. For the most part, I can remember that night well. As we ran to the bars dressed like cats, Joe tripped and fell just outside of a CVS. That’s correct, just a couple of drunk boys dressed like cats running in the rain. I used the cheap piece of cardboard the cat ears were attached to in order to protect my whiskers and vanity. Like a real cat, I don’t like to be wet.

Now, from the comfort of my apartment, I welcome the consistent rain. Lord knows we need it, which I assume is why he’s giving it to us. On a different note, I got in from Detroit at about ten p.m. Pacific time last night. My flight was free of any jarring turbulence, but my company wasn’t too pleasant. I must be flagged in the realm of online ticket purchasing as, “man who sits patiently next to babies and shitty people” because I was seated next to two babies and a shitty guy who really wanted a double vodka and soda.

At first I found the ceaseless, almost violent screaming of the children to be a bit frustrating. That was until the man seated in front of me decided to make a scene. First off, getting loaded on a plane makes no sense to me. If you’re really that nervous, get a prescription for Xanax. To explain, if the only reason you booze is to calm your nerves, then why use something that will make you get up and pee? Personally, I find going to the bathroom on a plane the most terrifying thing of all. So why rifle a couple of ten dollar Heineken Lights into ya if it’s gonna make you get up and go at least six times.

Well, the man wasn’t nervous at all. In fact, he frequents this exact flight quite often. How do I know? It was his first rebuttal after the stewardess kindly told him he couldn’t order a double. In blinding frustration, he removed his hideous noise-cancelling headphones from his fat neck. He was serious.

“I’ve taken this flight numerous times. I fly all over the country and this has never happened to me. So pour me a double, please.” Said the indignant flyer.

“It’s for your own safety, sir. We had an incident last night with a man drinking doubles. If you want, you can read our manual of protocols.” Said the stewardess.

Now, as most of you would assume, she meant this only sarcastically. What kind of an asshole would actually make them go get the manual?

“Bring it. Go get me the policy book and I’ll gladly read it.” Said the asshole.

The reason I bring this story up is that I was already feeling strange about the flight and took this as a bad omen. I find it’s kind of an unwritten rule that you’re not supposed to think, “how does this actually work? How are we so sure this plane is going to be able to fly and everything we do on board won’t stop it from doing so?” Sometimes I worry that someone on the plane will have this brief thought and the bird will drop like a fur coat on an old wire hanger.

Vodka boy reminded me of how stupid people can be, which worried me. What if someone as incompetent as him was in charge of checking the plane for holes? They check the plane for holes, right?

Here’s my playlist for December:

Irving Fields Trio – “Oifin Pripitchik ”

Daniel Rossen – “Saint Nothing”

Giovanni Fusco and George Delerue – “Hiroshima Mon Amour”

The Dirty Projectors – “Temecula Sunrise”

Fats Domino – “My Blue Heaven”

Roger Miller – “Dang Me”

Muddy Waters – “Hoochie Coochie Man”

The Rolling Stones – “So Divine”

Department of Eagles – “Golden Apple”

Georges Delerue – “Brouillard From Jules et Jim”

Philip Glass – “Facades”

Al Green – “Funny How Time Slips Away”

If you were looking for festive songs, try my post from last year: “Ten Christmas Songs You Won’t Hear on the Radio“