words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup

Yesterday, I wrote about a sweet anniversary. Today, (although because I was way too busy to think about blogging today it will be yesterday by the time you read this.) millions of people around the world celebrated a very sad one.

Where were you when you heard John Lennon was shot?

I was 13 years old, and in the 8th grade. I must have gone to bed early that night, because I awoke to my clock radio, and even in my fog I knew something wasn't quite right. It was the tone and the voice I heard before I hit the snooze bar. There was no music or morning banter, it was just grim discussion. It nagged at me, so I didn't fall back asleep. I put the radio back on.

NBC really pissed me off when they ran that Dateline special about Chapman. It was a new low in whoring for ratings. What genius decided that celebrating the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death by giving the man who shot him for attention and notoriety a two hour television special would be cool? I hope he got a good parking spot out of it.

Anyway, that's my rant. I loved the Beatles as a kid, despite the fact that they had all but broken up before I was out of a diaper. My older sister had all their LPs. I listened to them all the time. I had tons of books on them. The first song I learned to play on the guitar was "All My Lovin'." John Lennon sketched and wrote poetry, and I read every one. I took them out of the library. There was this one, "I had a little budgie, he is my very pal, I take him walks in Britain, I hope I always shall." Granted, not Shakespeare, but special to a thirteen year-old G. Maybe in some way John is partly responsible for my love of words and music.

Tonight at work, with my ipod on shuffle, "Across the Universe" covered by Rufus Wainwright came on. It's a much better example of his gift for words.

"Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letterbox
they tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe"

Anyway... A nor'easter is brewing, and my little town is in the highest accumulation path. I hope they cancel school and don't make them go just to dismiss them 3 hours later. It would be nice to just veg out all day while winter does its thing. Maybe I'll bake with the kids.