Flashback: My Son Wants to Go to Starbucks
My son will be a father this month. That’s still sinking in. Thought it might be a nice time to recall this post from April 30, 2007. You know, even though, he’s a full-grown man, I still want to protect my son and soon, my grandaughter too.
My son wants to go to Starbucks...
My son wants to go to Starbucks with all the other 11-year-old-boys and girls in the neighborhood, tearing up the street to the coffee castle four blocks from our home.
"Dad, all the kids go," he says.
I think, but don't say, "Yea, well, all their parents are too preoccupied with their cell phone trysts and BMW payments to consider the downside to having your child at a coffee bar on the busiest street in town, just a stroll from the commuter rail crossing. And besides, you don't even drink coffee."
But that's beside the point because all of the kids go.
My wife asks one of the neighborhood moms whose daughter, also 11, has had her own cell phone for three years: "What's the deal with Starbucks?"
“Oh, it's just the latest thing," the Mom responds.
Just the latest thing? And what will be the next thing? Defying curfew? Drinking before prom? Ditching school?
I remember when our son started to crawl. We spent a day placing safety plugs in all the outlets, putting the breakables, and storing the cleaning supplies up on high shelves.
How do we go about making our neighborhood safe?
I make no promises about tomorrow, but at least for today, my son is not going to Starbucks. His posture slumps, his gaze lowers, he answers in a whisper that he understands. But the cloud of disappointment hangs heavy around his shoulders.
Tonight, while my family sleeps, I'll stroll the neighborhood with our yellow dog, looking for outlets I can plug and poisons I can place out of reach.
Bandcamp Friday Purchases
What a fun Bandcamp Friday. I picked up these releases:
City Winery | Chicago, IL | 10.20.21 by Bob Schneider
Real You by Tre Burt
Move On by William The Conqueror
Electric Grass by Junegrass
Goodbye L.A. by Jeremy Pinnell
Live in Chicago 8-23-19 by The Hold Steady
Blind Date Party by Bill Callahan & Bonnie "Prince" Billy
And I added many more titles to my wishlist. Looking forward to the next Bandcamp Friday on March 4.
Bandcamp Friday Returns Tomorrow
Tomorrow, February 4, is the first Friday of the month, which means it’s Bandcamp Friday. I’ve already started building out my wishlist.
Purchasing music and merch on Bandcamp is one of my favorite ways to support artists. And during Bandcamp Fridays, the site waives its revenue fees so artists and labels earn more.
Bandcamp started Bandcamp Fridays to help artists during the pandemic. Even when it’s not Bandcamp Friday, artists benefit from purchases made on the site. According to Bandcamp, “fans have paid artists $874 million using Bandcamp, and $210 million in the last year.”
Bandcamp Fridays continue through May on the first Friday of each month. So, what’s on your Bandcamp Friday wishlist? I’ll post a playlist with some of my Bandcamp Friday purchases tomorrow.
Renewable Energies
Grace, compassion, and kindness are renewable energies. I’ve found the more that I give, the more I get back in return.
Don't Get Derailed as February Begins
My “don’t get derailed” watchdog.
I enter each year with fresh energy and enthusiasm. I'm not a resolution-maker, but I do set goals and I create what I call my "more list." These are things that I want more of in my life during the year.
As we start February, I consider what will keep me on track? Will I be able to stay focused and succeed without getting derailed?
Last year, I put a sticky note over my desk that featured a photo of a Labrador Retriever and a word balloon. Inside the word balloon, I wrote, "Don't get derailed." That simple bit of self-advice has helped me stay more focused on achieving my goals and getting that important "more" into my life.
But that doesn't mean I still don't get derailed. If it's for an hour or even a day, it may not be a big deal. I can recover and get back on the path toward my goals. But sometimes getting sidetracked picks up a momentum of its own. It may become more difficult to find my way back.
Lately, it's helped me to note what sidetracks me so that I'm aware if I'm straying from the path. I've also started to keep a list of those strategies and tactics that either help me stay on track or get me back if I've fallen off.
It's not perfect, but I'm learning that awareness is critical, followed by intention when it comes to moving forward with what matters most in my work and my life.
What gets you sidetracked? And how do you get back on track?
Mixtape 22-4
This fourth mixtape of 2022 is made with Bandcamp and includes these 11 songs:
P-Town, Lilly Hiatt
Let’s Work Together, The National Reserve
Real You, Tre Burt
Move On, William the Conqueror
I’m on Fire, soccer mommy
Jazz on the Autobahn, The Felice Brothers
Hard on Everyone, Kathleen Edwards
You Really Don’t Know Me, Tim Easton
I Love You, Asie Payton
Sister Golden Hair (alpha), Bobby Bare, Jr.
Mild Terror, Jack Sharp
Don't Get Sidetracked
Heading into my week with this reminder. How do you keep from getting sidetracked and stay focused on what matters most?
My New Favorite Band isn't on Spotify
Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash
My new favorite band isn’t on Spotify. Or on Bandcamp, Amazon Music, or Apple Music. They don’t have a Facebook page or an online merch store. But you can find them on Instagram.
My new favorite band is Banda Pipeliners or the Pipeliners Band, four guys from Brazil who play infectious surf music and 1980s cover songs with a tremendous amount of joy and energy.
I discovered Banda Pipeliners via an Instagram reel or story that popped up as a recommendation. I watched and I was hooked.
Like I do anytime I come across a new band, I went straight to Bandcamp to see if they had any music available. No luck. I searched the web and Facebook. Nothing. Finally, I sent a direct message to the band via Instagram. with this result:
I’ll take what I can get. I now follow of Banda Pipeliners on Instagram. I’ve been able to catch one of their live streams and I keep up on their posts and stories. I’m a sucker for surf music and a great guitar-driven cover song. Banda Pipeliners delivers both and they look like they’re having tremendous fun. That’s contagious.
While my new favorite band may not be on Spotify or Bandcamp yet, I’m hopeful for that merch site so I can get a Banda Pipeliner shirt to wear on these cold winter nights and properly represent Brazilan surf rock and roll in northern Illinois.
A Small Act of Refreshing Kindness
Today, my favorite tea spot let me down. Maybe the mix was wrong or the water was not fresh. Whatever the reason, the taste was so bad, I ended up dumping the 64 ounces I’d purchased.
Later, at the dining room table that’s served as my office since I’ve gone back to fully remote work during Omicron, I relayed the story to Susan.
“Why do you like the tea there?” Susan asked.
I thought for a moment. “When done right, it’s fresh. The water it’s made with tastes good. And, oh, I really like the crushed ice.” I said.
I went back to answering emails, reviewing reports, and coaxing projects along, vaguely aware of Susan’s busy kitchen activity. Minutes later, she presented me with a fresh, delicious, homemade glass of iced tea, poured over ice she’d crushed herself, from a full pitcher she’d brewed. Delicious.
It may seem like a small act of kindness, but it meant so much to me. A refreshing surprise. It was also a reminder of how we can make a difference in each other’s lives by the simplest, intentional actions.
Duke's Blues n BBQ at the Fox River Valley Library
Duke Seward from Duke’s Blues n BBQ
It was with great joy that Susan and I attended and helped record a #BBQ demonstration by Duke's Blues N BBQ last month at the Fox River Valley Public Library District in East Dundee. I admire and have learned so much from Duke Seward’s passion for food, art, family, and his community. So glad we got to be a part of this evening. Check out the video links below to learn more about Duke’s approach to BBQ, smoking, connecting with people through food, why simple is always the best, and much more.
Duke's BBQ at the Dundee Library, December 9, 2021
Duke's Blues n BBQ: Connecting with People through Food
Duke's Blues n BBQ: Simple is Always the Best
The Big Chill
Cold, yet beautiful. Five degrees when I took this photo, with a windchill of minus 10. Going down to minus 12 overnight. Still, these winter sunsets almost make it bearable.
Lean Into Your Week
New week! I’m trying to lean into it like Lucy. Hope your week has more “have dones” than “to dos.”
Mixtape 22-3
My third 2022 mixtape may rock just a little bit more than the previous two. A couple of tunes on here may even help melt the late-January snow. Here are the 11 songs of my week:
95 Percent, Split Single
Amplifier, The dBs
The Rager, Kyle Kraft
Wintersong, Blake Mills
The Hardest Cut, Spoon
Wake Me Up, Foals
Sunday, Joy Oladokun
Step In, Cedric Burnside
More Pressure, Kae Tempest, Kevin Abstract
Ode to a Butterfly, Nickel Creek
Mine Forever, Lord Huron
Find more of my 2022 mixtape playlists on this blog or here.
Thich Nhat Hanh, a Life Lived in Compassion and Peace
Mike Barzacchini Photo
Rest in Peace, Thich Nhat Hanh. I would do well to remember him by trying to live by his lessons and examples.
Celebrate Your Victories
We made it to Friday! For some of us it was a four-day week. But for some of us it may have felt like a six-day one. Remember to celebrate your victories this week. Even the small ones make a difference.
The Moon, Last Night and This Morning
This cold days are yielding great skies for taking moon photos.
“Even if You are, You’re Not.”
Today on Twitter, someone asked if anyone was working the same job now as they were at the start of the pandemic?
My response, ““Even if You are, You’re Not. Everything has changed. Nothing will ever be the same.
Welcome, Wolf Moon, First Full Moon of 2022
Wolf Moon over East Dundee, January 17, 2022. Mike Barzacchini photos.
