As I've mentioned on this site before, I've been in the process of moving for the past few weeks. I thought things were over when all the "stuff" was moved in but unbeknownst to my naive mind, that is just when the headaches begin. I was suffering for weeks without cable or internet, relying solely on my new Playstation 2 to ease my nervous tension with Guitar Hero and SingStar. Unfortunately, SingStar ended up being the last straw in an already strained roommate relationship and forced one of our address-sharing friends to flee before the month was even complete. Whether said friend will live up to his summer promises of cash and companionship is still up in the air at this current juncture. I am disappointed and feeling quite lonely.
The biggest challenge I've had to face so far - at least in the cerebral context - is the lack of writing time this move has afforded me. Like any hobby or job, when the vacation is over, you appreciate it ten times more than before, which is happening to me now, but I'm still saddened that I don't get that space in each part of my day to scour the internet looking for interesting blog ideas or rattling my brain to create posts about some of my favorite forgotten artists. That is the biggest release for me. In the past couple weeks I've been dying to write posts about my newfound interest in hard rock bands courtesy of the peculiar music they play on Guitar Hero and how interesting it is that SingStar has created an "amped" package to bring about the Audioslave-loving, alternative-grunge crowd that secretly loves a good old fashioned round of karaoke. Gloria Gaynor, Aretha Franklin, and Nirvana - all on one game! Geez.
I wish I didn't find it so difficult to listen to music during trying times. I know for some music lovers that is the key time to listen to their favorite songs and I envy that. I imagine hearing your favorite comforting voices during bouts of loneliness is incredibly soothing but I still can't grasp it.
When news officially spread that Michael Jackson passed away yesterday, I was rendered speechless by the only gratifying, genuinely appropriate tribute I found on television - and it was on MTV. While everyone else was interested in finding the doctors that shot him up with morphine and talking to his family lawyer to gather up the latest juicy details before any other network, MTV immediately went into their lair of drama and poppiness and came out with a lovely music video tribute that sent chills down my spine. On CNN it seemed wrong to watch the Thriller video but with the MTV logo on the lower right hand side of the screen, it seemed lovingly nostalgic. This was maybe one of the first times I could listen to powerful music within a sad context and not wince. It was finally fitting.
Today I'm sort of left with this emptiness and strange eeriness. I work for AEG Live, the company that was responsible for Mr. Jackson's final 50 date concert schedule and although I'm at the way, way end of the pipeline in terms of actually contributing anything to the promotion of these shows, that is the company that pays me and who I've dedicated a lot of my time to. Seeing AEG mentioned on Perez Hilton and discussed on CNN is surreal in some strange way - even though they are the second largest concert promoter in the world so it shouldn't be. It just makes it seem all the more personal. I knew he had to be given an extensive physical before they could get an insurance contract and that he had in fact passed it with no problem. This was heresay but that made it seem even more likely that medicines of some kind were involved.
I'm not really sure what else to add but I hope anyone reading this can mourn in a way that makes them feel comforted and satisfied with the amazing gifts we received from such a treasured man. I find that even if you've heard the same song a hundred times before, there are always new ways to explore it and re-discover it through the eyes of others. All the beautiful, funky pins in a Michael Jackson song make me think of one of those weird contraptions they used to sell at places like Spencer Gifts - they were boxes full of pokey pins where you could put your hand or face and it would leave an imprint in the needles so when you turned it around you could see the outline.. they were always so weird, fun, and constantly entertaining - just like Jackson himself.
And to tie it all in, I really hope I have internet at home soon and don't go bankrupt from my lousy move. How do you meet new people with similar interests? I'm completely at a loss and my boredom is moving up the Richter scale.
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