Do You Feel Me?

I can't tell if it's because I'm getting older or if it's the creeping onset of winter rains, but I've been thinking a lot more than I'm used to these days, and it's really starting to bother me. And when I say thinking, I really mean reflecting on life, work, and relationships, and expectations of where I thought I'd be versus where I am now. Not to say that I'm not happy with where I am now, but I still haven't gotten over how my life hasn't quite unfurled so neatly as I expected.

When you feel like you do everything as you should've and things still haven't worked out, it really makes you question yourself and the logic of life. Lately, it seems like this is how 80% of my conversations have been with friends - I mean, nowadays talking about girls and music are secondary to bitching about life and getting older, and that's just wrong on too many levels. The weird thing is that I knowww that this is how life is supposed to be - I tell my kids everyday that you can't expect life to be fair or to turn out as you expected, but I can't help getting stuck on this myself.

Somehow, this post was supposed to wind itself to the point that all this thinking requires good music to accompany it, but since I guess nothing ever goes as planned, let me just end the confusion here and present the music:

[MP3] Nina Simone :: Wild is the Wind
No doubt, my favorite artist of all time. Her virtuoso piano playing, impassioned singing, social consciousness, and the depth and breadth of her catalog are truly unsurpassed in my mind. Though this one clocks in at 7+ minutes, each line and note is delivered with a searing intensity that won't let you go.

[MP3] Anthony Hamilton :: Do You Feel Me
Definitely my favorite song by Anthony Hamilton, I love the warmth in his voice and organs on this one, and I'll admit, this one speaks personally to me.

[MP3] Cunninlynguists :: What'll You Do
As always, Cunninlynguists come with thoughtful flows and lyrics that every backpacker can appreciate over jazzy guitar licks and warm southern beats. I had to include hip hop somewhere in this post - who says hip hop is about nothing but drugs, pimpin' and violence?

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I can't wait to visit Hippo in Hawaii and make all this thinking melt away under a gentle sun, blue skies, and a plate of loco moco drowned in gravy...17 days to go!