Start Me Up - Do you have as much energy as Mick?

Start Me Up - Rolling Stones



I was chatting with my mom yesterday. She's been calling a lot to check on my "condition." This has to do with a herniated disc I am dealing with at the moment. During the conversation we got to talking about the amount of energy it takes to live life...and how some people have an abundance of it, while others need periodic (daily, or vacation-y) rejuvenation periods. And yet others have an abundance of energy even in the face of adversity and, let's face it, age.

I was reminded of this conversation this morning when my alarm went off at 6:30 am and the thought crossed my mind that maybe I wouldn't get up, shower and get on the metro. But I was determined to go root on my Women's Foundation friends who were running the Marine Corps 10k. (I was supposed to be running too, but did I mention I have a ruptured disc? )

Granted Lisa and Julie are 14 and 22 years younger than I am, but it still is impressive for anyone to get up before dawn on a weekend and plod the 6.3 or 26 miles that 20,000 people ran, jogged, walked, and cranked today. Cranked? Yep, cranked. The most amazing thing about going to a race like this is seeing all the people who not only have the energy, but the fight, to get up before the crack of dawn, strap on their prosthetic leg or have their buddies lower them into their wheelchair or "hand-crank" bike, and go for it.

As I stood waiting to wave my little sign for Lisa and Julie I watched the winner of the wheelchair category power by...

And then a guy with a titanium leg, from the knee down, cruised by - ahead of both my friends.

Those guys have energy. And fight. Here's to them.

Gimme Some Truth - Jakob Dylan (for John McCain)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZbzRyd3Q3o

I do not profess to be a hero, and I do respect the men and women who choose to serve our country and put themselves in harms way.

BUT my frustration over John McCain's abuse of his military record is boiling over into downright anger. How many times did we hear during the Republican Convention that he was a "war hero?" How many times did we hear the story of his capture, torture, bravery, etc? How many times will Sarah Palin say, "he's the only person running for president who truly knows what it means to sacrifice for our country?" And how many GD times have we heard - and will we hear - "Country First."

What a load of crap. Please, read this Rolling Stone story that sheds light on the true military record and experience of John McCain. It's more the story of a mean, bratty Seth Rogen in a uniform than Tom Cruise in TopGun.

Who's Your Partridge Family? - "I Think I Love You"

Press Play and enjoy:


On Friday night my friend Lisa went to see New Kids on the Block. I can't even tell you one song by "New Kids" but Lisa, I'm sure, sang along to every song as if it were 1992...16 years ago. Lisa is 30 years old. When I asked her who was at the concert she said, "pretty much a bunch of 30 year old women."

So it got me thinking about my early musical immersion and what inspired the same level of enthusiasm for me when I was coming of age. And while there were a lot of choices from my early teens, it was definitely at an earlier age that I first became obsessed with a band. It was The Partridge Family, whose TV show I never missed, that filled that role for me when I was 8-12 years old.

I wanted desperately to be Laurie Partridge. OK, let's be honest. I had a wicked crush on Susan Dey, who played Laurie Partridge...but I didn't know that then. I played the back of the couch (aka piano) while my friends air-banded their roles as Keith, Danny, Shirley and the rest of the gang.

The Partridge Family is broadly mocked these days, but the truth is that they had some very highly regarded songwriters and musicians working with them. Shirley Jones, for god's sake, is an icon. And now we all know that Danny Bonaduce was destined for infamy.

To this day, I believe I could sing every song they recorded. Just like Lisa can sing all those New Kid songs.

What's your Partridge Family?

ps: have you noticed how the GlobalGiving birds are like the PF ones?