Like most kids, high school was a very tumultuous time for me. There was the hormones, the awkwardness, the painful social cliques, the screwed up boyfriend, the stalker psycho-dad who went around to all my friends houses and told anybody who was home that I was probably HIV-positive and they could do so much much better than me for a friend…stuff like that. I had a little walkman that provided much solace during this time, usually playing Fleetwood Mac or a mix tape of songs I recorded off the radio (no Napster yet–the horror!). I was plugged into it pretty much 24/7. On the walk to school, at every break, the walk home, in my room, at bedtime, in the car…I think I went through two or three of them as a result. I actually bought the D.A.R.E. bullshit that had been drummed into our brains at school, so music was my escape drug. Maybe that’s just as well.

One of the songs that I remember listening to a lot was “Owner of a Lonely Heart” by Yes. I found a lot of comfort in music from the early eighties, probably because that was the last time in my life I could still remember mostly good times before it all turned into the screenplays for War of the Roses and Falling Down. I loved that song to bits. I still do. So when I heard that Jon Anderson was playing a concert right down the street this week, I considered going to hear that song alone. But $25 to hear one song I really loved (that might not even get played) is kind of silly.

I was about nine when “Owner of a Lonely Heart” became a big hit, and in between my mother’s intermittent lockouts of the MTV channel (thanks to one viewing of Madonna’s Like a Virgin), I managed to catch a glimpse of the video and loved that as well. I have never forgotten the simple but very evocative images in it–in particular, the scene of the man escaping during an especially beautiful guitar riff. Besides just being amazingly well done, I loved it because it paralleled my own escape fantasies about my predicament.

I had a great time this evening researching everything I never knew about Jon and Yes. For one thing, he lives right here, almost in my neighborhood. I had no idea. He said it reminds him of England, only the weather is better. That is one of the biggest reasons I like it here too; it’s one of the few places in California that hasn’t gotten too messed up yet and indeed the weather is wonderful. It sounds like he also likes soccer. (If I ever run into him I’ll tell him about Bruce’s old man soccer league). He has a MySpace page, and so do his daughters, Jade and Deborah. To be perfectly honest I have a lot of trouble listening to progressive rock and most 70s music in general. It’s nothing personal, it’s just not what I grew up with. But I love his new age music, and man, his daughters have made some amazing stuff. The Max Graham remix of Lonely Heart is nice too. I think it works well. (I wonder what Jon thinks of the video…?).

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My (newish) neighbor drove us up to San Francisco for an overnight trip to the Flickr birthday bash last weekend. It was okay. It was nice to see Lomokev in person. But I only recognized a few people besides him, mostly the Flickr Superstars (people–why did you not also put your Flickr nickname on your tags?), and I am not much of a social butterfly anyway. I was glad to hear the event raised a good amount of cash for Kids With Cameras. In any case it was a good mini-break and it was very nice of Kathy to drive us all the way up there and get dragged to this event for this website she’s never heard of. (I am the blurry antisocial on the verrrrry far right there, with hand lifting a glass of white wine because Ha! I wasn’t driving! Wheee!).

Most of my photos of the event came out terrible. But this cute one of the Flickr Yip Yips came out okay. My girls would diiiieeed to see those things.

And I loved this shot (not mine). Cute.

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After I finish the next couple of websites I am shuttering Built By Mom–yes, again. For health and sanity reasons. Yes, I know I said that last time. I got sucked into it again because A) I’m stupid and B) I rather kind of like not having to beg the husband for $5 every time I need it. But this time I am really getting it: it’s absolutely insane to try and pretend you can run a business with six crummy hours of childcare a week. I always think I can cheat somehow…that maybe I can just stay up stupid late and it will all just work…but it’s not. Plus my health isn’t in the greatest of shape lately.

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* My dad…he was…uh, not well. He had some real issues (some invented and some not) and became an alcoholic after the divorce. He died of cancer at 50.

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Links!
Clip from Pulp Fiction animated in Typography (really, really great) - via Digg
Why Work? - well, there is that whole needing to eat thing
Sketchr - fantastic and fun time-waster
Frosty The Snowman Melted By Global Warming