This Morning's Playlist

It's darker out at 5:45 a.m. than I remember.  When did I officially become a night runner? (That should NOT be confused with Knight Rider, though I would love a car that could drive me places while I took a nap.)  Thankfully I didn't have a night like Carrie Underwood in Last Name.

Yes car, I see you and hear you honking, even with Pump It (Black Eyed Peas) in the background.  If three cars can fit on this street, I'm pretty sure there's room for you and me, especially since I am now running on the grass next to the actual road.

Not Afraid (Eminem) might have to become an opening song if it's going to stay on my iPod.  I love Eminem, and he pumps me up mentally, but my legs just aren't feeling it.  Running in the morning without eating is a whole different animal than running after a full day's worth of fueling and pent-up frustrations.

Why hello there legs!  Footloose (Kenny Loggins) does it every time.

Having Like a G6 (Far East Movement) play immediately after Footloose either shows that I'm not quite as old as I feel some days or that I am exactly that old and need to stop watching Gossip Girl.

Unlike the last two songs, Gold Digger (Kanye West, featuring Jaime Foxx) slows me down, which isn't a good thing when facing that annoying hill three-quarters into my run.

Thank goodness I'm Shipping Up to Boston (Dropkick Murphys) -  is short.  I'm getting tired.

When I mentally tell myself I have one more song to get home, is it cheating when that song is a behemouth like The Rockafeller Skank (Fatboy Slim)?  Thankfully, it only took about a quarter of the song to make it back to my house or it would have been the slowest three blocks ever recorded.

I had a planned post in my head, and this wasn't it.  But last night, Ryan and I celebrated my birthday by lazing on the couch and watching Valentine's Day instead of studying (him) or writing (me).  There's nothing like a movie with Jennifer Garner, Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Alba to motivate me to get out of bed to run.  (No offense intended to Shirley MacLaine).

he was sleeping when I got home 

she was not

(though she did go back to sleep for about fifteen minutes)

Denim Jackets and Pretend Microphones

My friends and I would pretend to be part of their group, imagining ourselves on episodes of the show just like we were playing school or house.

In our minds, our hair was longer, more permed, and much bigger than our own locks when we looked in the mirror.

Our imaginary clothes were fashion-perfect, slouchy socks and oversized tunics and colored Reebok high-tops, perfectly styled by someone other than our mothers.

We would chat casually about the boys in our group, though none of the boys we knew in real life would have been caught dead playing our game, nor would we have ever had the nerve to ask them.

Finally, but crucially, we could all sing and dance better than anyone but Madonna herself. 

We, of course, were the girls from Kids Incorporated.

Like so many kids' shows in the eighties, Kids Incorporated addressed serious issues, like bullying and child abuse, but the hook was the "incorporation" of pop music into each episode.  The music was our focus.  The music and the effortless cool that the group members exuded as they burst into song in the middle of an after school hangout/entertainment mecca.

Playing our game didn't involve much preparation.  Most of it took place in our imaginations, requiring only some item that could stand in for a microphone during our painful performances.  I might not been able to pull my short hair into much of a ponytail, but I could pretend to fling it around while singing and swaying to the music.

We would take turns playing the different parts, switching back and forth between Stacy and Renee, sisters who looked nothing alike. 

We would push up the sleeves of our denim jackets and morph into older, more worldly versions of ourselves, dreaming that our dance lessons were preparation for what was surely a destiny of stardom and success.

Slowly, the game lost its charm.  The cast changed, the actresses outgrowing the parts, the seed planted for the eventual explosion of Stacy Ferguson into Fergie, other stars from the show reaching lesser heights.

As innocent as it seemed at the time, I wonder a little about the show's hesitation to follow its characters past their preteen days.  If the producers were willing to tackle seemingly tough issues head-on, why not tackle the toughest obstacle of all for so many kids - growing up?

Still, I remember my time as an imaginary child singing sensation fondly.

Even if the closest I can get to that reality is turning up the Black Eyed Peas just a little louder on my runs.

the Kids Incorporated girls would have rocked the tutu pajamas

I just know it

This is a response to the RemembeRED prompt:

This week, we want you to think about tv show from your past.

What feelings does the show evoke? What memories does it trigger?

 

Abbey's Lyrical Analysis

After I scoop Dylan out of the bathtub into his waiting towel, Abbey makes the most of having the bathtub to herself.  She splashes and pours water from her shampoo cup and pretends she's swimming.  Of course, she stretches out and pretends to be a mermaid, "like Ariel".


The other night, she was splayed out, mermaid style, and flipping over and over in the water.  Having never seen those particular bathing moves before, I had to ask her about it.


"Rolling, Mommy," she responded, as though I was blind, because it was pretty obvious what she was doing.


"Like a mermaid?" I probed.


"No Mommy, I'm rolling in the deep.  See..." (more rolling) "...Rolling in the deep!"


In case you've somehow missed Adele's musical smash "Rolling in the Deep", some of the lyrics are at the end of this post.  You can gauge for yourself whether or not Abbey's interpretation is accurate.


She might look like Ryan, but the appetite for analyzing what she hears and reads?  That's all me.


Partial Lyrics to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep"
The scars of your love remind me of us
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless
I can't help feeling
We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside of your hand
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
And you played it to the beat
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside of your hand
But you played it with a beating

Aunt Carolyn's condo 

it seems that the bathtub isn't the only place to roll in the deep 

more rolling

silly girl

Hear Greta Run

This week's Red Writing Hood prompt: Take a character from one of your stories and examine his or her iPod playlist. What 10 songs best describe the character? 

If you haven't met Greta yet, you can read about her here and here.  When you're ready, come with her on her (almost) daily five-mile run!

Losing My Religion (REM) - Greta's been to church a handful of times since Elizabeth's baptism, but she is still struggling to find comfort in her faith, something that had been so clear for most of her life.

Bleeding Love (Leona Lewis) - Being divorced is something that still surprises her.  She'll smell his aftershave on someone in an elevator and suddenly healing wounds are open and raw again.

Breathe (2 AM) (Anna Nalick) - Often overwhelmed, Greta forces herself to take a few deep breaths.  This last year of her life brought undeniable pain, but it also brought out strength she never even dreamed about. 

Survivor (Destiny's Child) - A year ago she had been a newlywed, a daughter, a friend.  Now?  She is a divorced miscarriage survivor, learning to find pride and power in those words. 

Since U Been Gone (Kelly Clarkson) - Broken marriage vows had devastated her, but her smile was beginning to feel less forced, her laughter doesn't sound so dissonant to her own ears.

F(orget) You (Cee Lo Green) - The lyrics might not fit Greta's situation literally, but the sentiment is perfect for someone slowly finding her self confidence again, even if she doesn't know it yet.

White Wedding (Billy Idol) - It's loud; it's a throwback to her younger self; it's a glimpse of hope that there could be another wedding, another beginning for her, sometime, somewhere.

SexyBack (Justin Timberlake) - Her friends are coaxing her back into civilization, into shiny pink lipgloss, into pedicure chairs to pamper her battered feet and soul, into sky-high heels that hurt her feet but find their way onto the dance floor again.

Just Dance (Lady Gaga) - Because some days, the only thing that helps is music and running or dancing or jumping around the room until her muscles burn more than the memories, and she is reminded that her body is whole and living and can do amazing things.

Not Afraid (Eminem) - Greta might be wounded, and she might be guarded, but she is not afraid.  Not anymore.