Two Songs

I'm often caught off guard by music's ability to draw out raw emotion within me, whether it's the dancing in the rain kind of joy, or the fighting back tears kind of sadness, or that soothing kind of reassurance we all need occasionally. A few days ago, the song "So Far Away" came on and the lyrics resonated within me. "So far away, Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore. It would be so fine to see your face at my door..." I thought, "Damn Carole King, you got that right!"

But a few songs later, a moment of inspiration. "Ooh child things are gonna get easier, Ooh child things'll get brighter. Someday yeah, we'll put it together and we'll get it undone, Someday when your head is much lighter." I took a deep breath and slowly let it out...thing are gonna get easier. Things are gonna get brighter.

Can you tell I'm an avid Magic 105.7 listener?

Unemployment Perk #2 - CIFF

Thankfully, my schedule easily filled up last week. Happy hour on Monday, a lunch date, hot yoga one evening, Lost night, a late night dance party/push up contest, a dentist appointment, etc. I also happily took advantage of the great timing of The Cleveland International Film Festival and the VIP passes I had access to.

Monday I caught two films - North and Van Diemen's Land. North was a Norwegian film about a pill popping, boozing loser (my kind of guy) who had no other option than to hit the frigid wilderness to find his long-lost love and child. Van Diemen's Land was set in the 1800s and was about eight convicts struggling to survive the Tasmanian wilderness after escaping from a work-til-your-death camp. Cannibalism ensued. The theme for Monday night's movies: depression.

Upbeat films was the theme for Tuesday afternoon. I saw The Happiest Girl in the World (she wasn't) and Hipsters. The latter was a beautifully shot, big production musical from Russia. Hipsters, like today, didn't exactly carry a positive connotation. They were young adults who loved everything American during dreary 1950's Russia, but being pro-western was a strike against Communism. Colorful costumes, a love story and a cheeky surprise made me nod wholeheartedly when my friend said, "Loved it."

I saw two more films on Friday that lifted my spirit and reminded me that positive energy can come from adversity...in due time. Spending the past week with wonderful friends and watching stories of great pain and great joy really helped me fully grasp the message of this year's CIFF intro; the ability of film to transport you to a different place, a different time, a different culture, even if for only 90 minutes. And that was exactly what I needed.

Unemployment Perk #1 - Day Drinking

A little over a week ago, I was laid off from my job. I had a great job at a small, liberal ad agency where I could wear jeans and drink wine on Fridays. And aside from being under stimulated and underutilized at the end, it was an ideal situation. Add my new found unemployment with ending a relationship earlier in the week, and well...my week was pretty terrible.

That Friday was one of those rare March days when it didn't snow 6". It was sunny and 65 degrees...a freaking heatwave in Cleveland. I wanted sunshine on my tear streaked face and a cocktail in my hand. Two friends joined me at Southside but the sun was behind the building, and as most of us Clevelanders know, spring shade anywhere near the lake is pretty chilly. My friend was wearing parka as we sat next to the fireplace on the patio. One cold cocktail in and we decided to call it a bust.

I did sit on my porch and drink a Stella, but the excitement of being able to day drink was lost. I'm going to work on it. I'm not known to be a quitter and I'm not going to start now.