tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75862217706739531152024-03-04T20:54:58.771-08:00The N FormationThoughts, Writings, Jokes, and Turkey Sandwich Reviews from Nick HansenNick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.comBlogger534125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-55197760053631275462022-02-17T14:22:00.004-08:002022-02-17T14:28:42.870-08:00Ranking (most) of the Beatles Solo Albums <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmDf21Ivld8Hq_L2tIBrSIHkgt4nzW3KKKcM1WyeH0zwGHEY6-rJddnQwwX5VXWIryEXKXFwhixwHd-nt3jrYtlF8TK21yqYs5PFblv9I9Gn7CEXHu8MRpiC9FAHYNnyVKHdfyIKJCeD22RCOcu5h-Qhc7GXPaiMIhbDsOmHnNS6SpEMHpHh0bLYKK=s980" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="980" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmDf21Ivld8Hq_L2tIBrSIHkgt4nzW3KKKcM1WyeH0zwGHEY6-rJddnQwwX5VXWIryEXKXFwhixwHd-nt3jrYtlF8TK21yqYs5PFblv9I9Gn7CEXHu8MRpiC9FAHYNnyVKHdfyIKJCeD22RCOcu5h-Qhc7GXPaiMIhbDsOmHnNS6SpEMHpHh0bLYKK=w655-h436" width="655" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I found that the pandemic really hampered my ability to concentrate on music, but after watching Get Back, I wanted to explore the Beatles solo stuff more. I hadn’t listened to much of them outside of Greatest Hits collections and a couple of the well-known albums. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I gave myself some homework: listen to (most) all the albums in chronological order and rank them in order of how much I like them. I fully understand the limitations and flaws of a ranking, but this was fun for me and it gave me some structure to my free time. These are just like, my opinions, man. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I purposely skipped over the early John/Yoko stuff, George’s instrumentals, Paul’s classical and electronica, as well as Ringo’s Christmas album. (I just didn’t feel like listening to Christmas music in January.) Also, for some reason Ringo 2012 isn’t on Apple Music?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happy to hear polite suggestions and recommendations for things I may have overlooked! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">62. Bad Boy - Ringo Starr</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">61. Ringo the Fourth - Ringo Starr</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">60. Stop and Smell the Roses - Ringo Starr</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just going to write about all three of these at once. The late 70s and early 80s were not kind to Mr. Starkey. These ones just felt awkward and didn’t really fit him well. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">59. Press to Play - Paul McCartney: Nothing really here that’s spectacular. The 80s were a definite hit and miss decade for Paul. Favorite Tracks: However Absurd</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">58. Postcards from Paradise - Ringo Starr: A lot of schlocky stuff from Ringo in this one. Other albums in this era are much better from him. Favorite Tracks: Rory and The Hurricanes, Let Love Lead. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">57. Old Wave - Ringo Starr: A couple of good tracks to open the album but nothing else. Favorite Tracks: In My Car, Hopeless. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">56. Gone Troppo - George Harrison: George just phoning it in and ready to move on to some other projects. Favorite Tracks: None </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">55. Give My Regards to Broad Street - Paul McCartney: I just don’t get the point of redoing the material less than 20 years later. The only good track is the original. Favorite Tracks: No More Lonely Nights. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">54. Extra Texture - George Harrison: Something about the production just feels wonky on this one. Other reviews mentioned “This Guitar Can’t Keep from Crying”, but I wasn’t really feeling it. Favorite Tracks: You</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">53. Sometime in New York City - John Lennon: This record has not aged well. It might not be fair to judge it with a 2022 lens, but the political statements on the record just feel obtuse coming from John and Yoko. I wonder if this record would have aged better had he chosen a different name for the first track.. However, I like New York City. I feel like it doesn’t give enough credit for being a fun song. And We’re All Water is Yoko’s best contribution to John’s albums. Favorite Tracks: New York City. John Sinclair, We’re All Water</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">52. Liverpool 8 - Ringo Starr: I wish Ringo had kept his early 2000s streak going, but not a ton of meat on the bone here. The title track is the highlight. Favorite Tracks: Liverpool 8, RU Ready?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">51. What’s my name? - Ringo Starr: Overall an ok collection of songs that lean into the peace and love brand. John's Grow Old with Me is a highlight, opening track is kinda eye-rolly.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">50. Sentimental Journey - Ringo Starr: A spirited effort, but not really suited for Ringo’s voice. Favorite Tracks: Bye Bye Blackbird, Have I Told You Lately, Night and Day.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">49. Y Not - Ringo Starr: Not a masterpiece by any means, but the Walk With You track dueting with Paul is great. That makes the album. Favorite Tracks: Walk With You.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">48. Beaucoup of Blues - Ringo Starr: A totally fine country and western record from Ringo. Just gets overshadowed by all the other spectacular releases at the time. Favorite Tracks: $15 draw, I Wouldn’t Have You Any Other Way, Coochy Coochy</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">47. Off The Ground - Paul McCartney: Paul makes a 90s album. Honestly nothing really sticks out to me as a Paul song. He could have written this for the Wallflowers or a similar band. Favorite Tracks: Off the Ground, Winedark Open Sea, C’mon People.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">46. Give More Love - An ok outing from Ringo. He tackles a couple of country and reggae style tracks, with decent results. Favorite Tracks: Standing Still, King of Kings. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">45. Wild Life - Paul McCartney: I think I like this one more than most people, but it feels like Paul is still figuring out how to work in a band again. The Love is Strange cover is definitely the highlight. Favorite Tracks: Love is Strange, Dear Friend </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">44. Pipes of Peace - Paul McCartney: Paul makes an 80s album. The duets with Michael Jackson are good, as is the title track, but it just doesn’t feel like Paul. Favorite Tracks: Pipes of Peace, Say Say Say.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">43. Ringo’s Retrograve - Ringo Starr: A couple of really good tracks, but it falls off outside of those. The opener is one of my favorite openers to any solo Beatles project. Favorite Tracks: A Dose of Rock N’ Roll, Hey Baby, Pure Gold</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">42. Somewhere in England - George Harrison: This one just barely sneaks past the Mendoza line of albums I’d like to revisit. All Those Years Ago carries this album. A few other interesting tracks, but you can kind of feel he’s ready to be done with the music game for a while: Favorite Tracks: All Those Years Ago, Blood from a Clone, Teardrops.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">41. Rock N’ Roll - John Lennon: All three of the rock n’ roll covers albums kind of ended up by each other. I thought this was better than critics give it credit for. It’s kind of amazing it got recorded at all, given how wild the sessions and aftermath were. Favorite Tracks: Stand By Me, Be-Bop-A-Lula, Peggy Sue </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">40. CHOBA B CCCP - Paul McCartney: Good solid covers. Favorite Tracks: Kansas City, Twenty Flight Rock</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">39. Run Devil Run - Paul McCartney: The rawest of all Beatles cover albums. Favorite Tracks: All Shook Up, Run Devil Run</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">38. Kisses on the Bottom - Paul McCartney: Paul’s take on the standards. If you like this music, you’ll love it. Sorry, Ringo, Paul does the classic better: Favorite Tracks: My Valentine, Bye Bye Blackbird</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">37. Red Rose Speedway - Paul McCartney: Better than his previous outing of Wild Life, but I feel like this one doesn’t come together all the way. Am I the only person who doesn’t care for My Love? Favorite Tracks: Big Barn Bed, Hi Hi Hi</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">36. Memory Almost Full - Paul McCartney: All of Paul’s recent stuff is really good, but this one didn’t resonate as much with me. Favorite Tracks: Mr Bellamy, Ever Present Past.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">35. London Town - Paul McCartney: I can see why Wings bandmates got frustrated with Paul, but his stuff stands out on this one. Favorite Tracks: I’m Carrying, Name and Address</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">34. Milk & Honey - John Lennon: If they took all the John tracks from this and Double Fantasy, it would probably be my favorite John album. (Sorry Yoko.). I like hearing content and happy John, and I’m said we didn’t get to hear more of that. Favorite Tracks: Nobody Told Me, Grow Old with Me, I’m Stepping Out.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">33. Thirty Three & ⅓ - George Harrison: Both this one and the next show the softer side of George. The really good stuff is great, but I don’t think it has the same cohesiveness and some of this other stuff. Favorite Tracks: Crackerbox Palace, This Song, Beautiful Girl</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">32. George Harrison - George Harrison: You could convince me to switch this one and 33 ⅓. This one has sort of a James Taylor flavor to it. Favorite Tracks: Blow Away, Here Comes the Moon. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">31. Back to the Egg - Paul McCartney: I don’t think Paul gets enough credit for how much he can rock. Old Siam Sir was one of those absolute gems of a deep cut that I discovered doing this. Arrow Through Me is one of his best heartbreak songs. Favorite Songs: Old Siam Sir, Arrow Through Me, Getting Closer</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">30. Walls & Bridges - John Lennon: In the context of his two previous releases, this one has more gems. He can still put together a great bluesy jam. Favorite tracks: Whatever Gets You Through the Night, What You Got, #9 Dream </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">29. Time Takes Time - Ringo Starr: A good comeback album from Ringo after a messy decade for the drummer. Favorite Tracks: Don’t Go Where the Road Don’t Go, Golden Blunders</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">28. New - Paul McCartney: Paul worked with four different producers on this one, and it sounds great. They do a great job of finding a ‘Paul’ sound without him sounding dated. Favorite Tracks: Queenie Eye, New</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">27. Dark Horse - George Harrison: This is probably the album I went back and forth on the most on the entire list. It would be much higher if George’s voice would be 100 percent. The grovely style works well on the title track, but you kind of get sick of it midway through. I’d love to see this album covered by some modern bands. Favorite Tracks: Dark horse, Far East Man.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">26. Driving Rain - Paul McCartney: All of Paul’s stuff in the 2000s ranges from really good to great. This one is a bit more brooding. Favorite Tracks: Lonely Road, Driving Rain, She’s Given Up Talking </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">25. Tug of War - Paul McCartney: One of the better 80s albums, perhaps that’s because of George Martin’s production. I like it when Paul makes a Paul album with influences from the time, rather than trying to do what everyone else is doing. Favorite Tracks: Wanderlust, The Pound is Sinking, Take it Away</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">24. Vertical Man - Ringo Starr: Producer Mark Hudston gets the best sound out of Ringo. I really enjoyed this series of albumsFavorite Tracks: What in the World, King of Broken Hearts </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">23. Venus & Mars - Paul McCartney: A perfectly fun 70s rock album to showcase Paul’s versatility. Rock Show is Paul’s rock n’ roll chops at his best. Magneto and Titanium Man show his songwriting prowess. You Gave Me the Answer reminds me of Honey Pie. Favorite Tracks: Rock Show, Magneto & Titanium Man, You Gave Me the Answer</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">22. McCartney III - Paul McCartney: It’s great that Paul is still making relevant and popular music nearly 60 years after his career started. This one is more in line with the past McCartney albums- a little more sparse, a little weird, but still a lot of fun. It feels like an album to listen to in January, when all you can see outside is snow. Favorite Tracks: Find My Way, Women and Wives, Pretty Boys</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">21.Mind Games - John Lennon: At first I didn’t care for this album, but gave it another listen when I was paying more attention. This has got some more interesting stuff. Also, John is great at a lo-fi jam. Favorite Tracks: Bring on the Lucie, Out the Blue, Meat City</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">20. Wings at the Speed of Sound - Paul McCartney: I really liked the group effort on this album. It feels kind of like a Beatles album. Favorite Tracks: Silly Love Songs, Let ‘em In, She’s my Baby</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">19.Choose Love - Ringo Starr: Producer Mark Hudson knew how to get the best out of Ringo. It’s fun, but not campy. It rocks, but it doesn’t sound like he’s trying too hard. It’s just a lot of fun to listen to. Favorite Tracks: Give Me Back the Beat, Choose Love, Free Drinks </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">18. McCartney - Paul McCartney: This is lower than most people would have it. I like it, but I just like a lot of albums more! It’s hard to not judge this album in context of George and John’s post-Beatles releases. It feels kind of underwhelming compared to the others, however, even Paul just dinking around at home is brilliant. Favorite Tracks: Junk, Man We Was Lonely</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">17. Flowers in the Dirt - Paul McCartney: The 90s production doesn’t work all the time, but when Paul is on, he is on. This really good stuff on here is stuff you can put on all your post-Beatles playlists. Favorite Tracks: My Brave Face, Put it There, Figure of Eight</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">16. Chaos and Creation in the Backyard - Paul McCartney: I get the vibe of Paul and his friends just jamming in a small studio out in the middle of nowhere. I like that it doesn’t feel too heavy. Favorite Tracks: Fine Line, Jenny Wren, Friends to Go</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">15. Goodnight Vienna - Ringo Starr: I can picture Ringo just playing this in a pub somewhere and inviting his friends up to enjoy it. Makes for just a fun listen. Favorite Tracks: Goodnight Vienna, Snookeroo, No-No Song</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">14. Ringo Rama - Ringo Star: I didn’t know what to expect with Ringo’s music from the 2000s, but there is some really great stuff. This is one the Ringo formula at it’s best: all-star lineup, great rock riffs, and Ringo vibes. Favorite Tracks: I Think Therefore I Rock N’ Roll, Never Without You, Memphis in Your Mind</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">13. Egypt Station - Paul McCartney: My favorite Paul release since Flaming Pie. It has just got some fantastic tracks to kick it off. It’s inviting and a fun listen. I like it when Paul balances between accessible and weird. The explorers version has some really interesting stuff on it too. If you’re looking for a recent Paul release, start here. Favorite Tracks: Come on to me, Happy with You, Fuh You</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">12. Living in Material World - George Harrison: I’ll admit, it’s hard to listen to this album in the shadow of ATMP. It’s fantastic in its own right. Though I prefer R&B George with horns than acoustic George. Favorite Tracks: Give Me Love, Living in the Material World, Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">11. Double Fantasy - John Lennon: I’ll admit that I don’t care much for the Yoko contributions on here, but John’s stuff is great. It sounds like he’s made some peace in the world. I’m sad we didn’t get to see more of that John. “I can hardly wait to see you come of age” from Beautiful Boy has got to be one of the most heartbreaking lines in music history. Favorite Tracks: Just Like Starting Over, Watching the Wheels</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">10. Cloud 9 - George Harrison: After about a decade of more misses than hits, this was refreshing. I always like it when the guys are having fun. And Got My Mind Set On You is probably the most fun song released by a solo Beatle. Favorite Tracks: Got My Mind Set on You, Fish on the Sand, When We Was Fab</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">9. McCartney II - Paul McCartney: This is probably higher than some people would put it, but I love it because Paul just goes for it and makes a delightfully weird album. And after listening to some schlocky 70s Wings stuff, it was fun to just hear him tinkering around. Favorite Tracks: Coming Up, Temporary Secretary, Nobody Knows</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">8. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - John Lennon: This one gets at something primal, more than any other album. You can feel John is working through some stuff. Your mileage may vary. Though Favorite Tracks: Hold On, Isolation, Remember. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">7. Brainwashed - George Harrison: Ok, there might be some personal bias in this ranking, but I have an emotional connection to this album. I had just started getting into the Beatles a few months before George died, and I spent most of my disposable income on CDs. And in my moody phase, I wanted to be like George. It’s a mixture of fun and serious, and it’s a perfect coda to George’s life. I still love listening to this whole thing. Favorite Tracks: Any Road, Looking for My Life, Between the Devil and Deep Blue Sea. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">6. Flaming Pie - Paul McCartney: This was one in my blind spot. It grabbed me right away with the opening track. It feels fresh, even though it’s now 25 years old. After a meddling mid-80s through mid-90s or so for Paul, it feels like the Anthology project really inspired him. Favorite Tracks: The Song We Were Singing, Calico Skies, Young Boy</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. Ringo - Ringo: I listened to these albums in roughly chronological order. In the midst of the other three’s sniping, it was nice to hear that someone was having fun amidst the bad blood. The singles on this are definitely Ringo at his best, and credit him for getting the other three to play on this. His outro on You and Me makes me smile. Favorite Tracks: Photograph, Oh My My, It Don’t Come Easy. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. Imagine - John Lennon: The first two John albums are both excellent. I’ll admit that his work was probably my least favorite as a whole, but his best songs are timeless and carry a lot of his work. You could probably talk me into putting Plastic Ono Band ahead of this, but I think I like the non-single tracks just a little better. Even though it makes me sad to think about the context, “How Do You Sleep?” is a great diss track. Gimme Some Truth is one of my favorite underappreciated John songs. And even though it’s silly, I like hearing John happy on “Oh Yoko!” Favorite Tracks: Jealous Guy, Gimme Some Truth, Oh Yoko!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. Band on the Run - Paul McCartney: I feel like this is Paul’s best known solo work, and for good reason. It captures the fun and wildness of being back in a band again. Favorite Tracks: Band on the Run, Jet, Mrs. Vanderbilt, Nineteen-Hundred and Eighty-Five. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. Ram - Paul McCartney: This is one I didn’t really know before I started listening. I only had heard Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey. Every track on this album is a unique experience, filled with so many different textures. It’s simple, it’s goofy, it rocks, it’s just a fantastic listening experience. Favorite Tracks: Too Many People, Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, Monkberry Moon Delight. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. All Things Must Pass - George Harrison: No surprise here. George’s post-Beatle catharsis is a masterpiece. It’s amazing how many songs he had just ready to go after the band broke up. Fifty-plus years later, it holds up, and it’s still just such a joy to listen to. Favorite Tracks: What is Life, Wah Wah, All Things Must Pass</span></span></p><p><br /></p>Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-30438681685389354522022-01-22T07:59:00.000-08:002022-01-22T07:59:39.247-08:002022: The Dry Year<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwbzmU8gk5wW6NCy2rAWfnHMml85GgKcff8F-mG1sZEf3zVcknc9P2amKjACCXQeLeO4SpfRbpQsoLMBXw7nA7tVRNcMFpJzA9djnrgGX2d_bmxuZ0DjSAuGj4ccSLLtHn9MUIdSkxz4gFJ41xQovD6Y6tAWeUndveMROd16ReAjQASA1dP_uG6dA3=s1241" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1241" data-original-width="945" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwbzmU8gk5wW6NCy2rAWfnHMml85GgKcff8F-mG1sZEf3zVcknc9P2amKjACCXQeLeO4SpfRbpQsoLMBXw7nA7tVRNcMFpJzA9djnrgGX2d_bmxuZ0DjSAuGj4ccSLLtHn9MUIdSkxz4gFJ41xQovD6Y6tAWeUndveMROd16ReAjQASA1dP_uG6dA3=s320" width="244" /></a></div><br />Three weeks into 2022, I have not had an alcoholic beverage. I want to see if I can remain dry for the entire year. <p></p><p>24 year old me would have looked at me funny. Heck, even 30 year old me would have thought I was nuts. I would never consider myself a heavy drinker (save for a few regrettable weekends in college and a bachelor party or two), but I've always liked being the guy who's said, "Let's go get a beer."</p><p>I knew I had to make some sort of change a few months into COVID lockdown. I began drinking almost daily. It was a coping mechanism, and I wanted to support the local breweries. I think I gained close to 20 pounds. I wasn't sleeping well. I did the 30 Day Alcohol Free Challenge that summer. (I actually lasted about two months.) I began drinking again, less than I did before, but still 5-7 days out of every month. </p><p>I began tracking my mood in six different categories last year, and I noticed a correlation between when I drank and a worse mood. I didn't sleep as well. My resting heart rate was higher. I just generally didn't feel as good.</p><p>With COVID still raging, most of the drinking I did was at home. While Kelley would enjoy an occasional drink with me, she didn't enjoy it as much. So, it was usually me drinking two tall boys at home on a Friday night. And that just didn't appeal to me as much as time went on.</p><p>So, I decided to make 2022 a dry year for the following reasons:</p><p>- I've come to really value sleep. If I get anything less the a restful 7+ hours, I am a mess the following day. I hate waking up in the middle of the night to having to go to the bathroom. </p><p>-I just feel gross after a few beers. As I get older, I get diminishing marginal returns on the refreshment I get from a beer. </p><p>-We're not going out as much, and drinking by yourself at home is not as fun.</p><p>-I'm trying to get some healthier coping mechanisms. </p><p>-The non alcoholic options are much better! Heineken 00 has become my go-to beverage. I feel like I'm having a beer without having a beer. </p><p>Three weeks in, and I've already noticed some changes. I've been sleeping better, and my resting heart rate has fallen down a few notches. Looking forward to the challenges ahead. </p><p><br /></p>Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-90472320484320109992021-11-19T11:18:00.002-08:002021-11-19T11:18:29.755-08:00Who Gets the Benefit of the DoubtAfter the news of today of a trial in Wisconsin, I'm going to be thinking a lot about who gets the benefit of the doubt in our society. <div><br /></div><div>As a white kid growing up in the outer suburbs, a neighbor friend of ours had a lot of toy guns, rifles and pistols. A half-inch bright orange cap over the barrel was the only thing that stopped people thinking they were real. We played "cops and robbers" and had fake target practice off of the wooden tree house in his back yard. We had the benefit of the doubt that we were just two kids playing around </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Tamir_Rice" target="_blank">Tamir Rice</a> never got that benefit of the doubt. Even as an adult, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Philando_Castile" target="_blank">Philando Castile</a> didn't get that benefit of the doubt. Millions of other Black boys and men don't get the benefit of the doubt and get bestowed with the label "patriot" when they have guns. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't even want to mention that young man's name in Wisconsin. He's gotten far too much attention already. </div><div><br /></div><div>Instead, I want to raise up <a href="https://homeboyindustries.org/our-story/father-greg/" target="_blank">Father Greg Boyle</a>. A true peacemaker who went into basically warzones armed only with the love of Jesus and endless amount of compassion, where he's created real peace and calmness. I hope you are able to fill your heart and head today with his words and love, and not the empty words of men and women behind television cameras and computer keyboards who only want to sew discord and hate. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hope we can all find the courage to choose love, and not guns. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-1573341232794490202021-04-15T11:49:00.002-07:002021-04-15T11:49:51.230-07:00"We gave you strict orders not to teach his name!"<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqt9SgG9l9JNcGhJnXhbRqP7f89pmjz0R0d-ut8GYiZB0xe_6rNupNbo38xLo3Z5b5ueJS27QLtjTy0x1nnH8To2IVbygqdneSSY6aLUGDCWXs2nTFhMGEIYJ3CHcZfOVlVeoFpebyJcI/s1200/My+Post+%252811%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqt9SgG9l9JNcGhJnXhbRqP7f89pmjz0R0d-ut8GYiZB0xe_6rNupNbo38xLo3Z5b5ueJS27QLtjTy0x1nnH8To2IVbygqdneSSY6aLUGDCWXs2nTFhMGEIYJ3CHcZfOVlVeoFpebyJcI/s320/My+Post+%252811%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles, 5, 27-33 made me think about who we are listening to and who gets to speak. (Bolding is mine) </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i> When they had brought the apostles, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, "<b>We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name</b>, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and <b>you are determined to bring this man's blood on us</b>." But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. <b>God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.</b> And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." <b>When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them</b>.</i></p></blockquote><p>Reflecting on this a little bit, I thought about the council as a representation of white supremacy. Not necessarily the KKK or stereotypical version of that, but the quieter, less obvious white supremacy that I and so many other people who look like me benefit from. The white supremacy that whispers, "He should have just complied with the police" or says they're "just joking" when dabbling in racial stereotypes.</p><p>Recently, the <a href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/17/critical-race-theory-iowa-house-votes-end-divisive-diversity-training-legislature-2021/4717023001/" target="_blank">Iowa statehouse</a> voted to end "divisive" training on issues like implicit bias or diversity training. Former President Trump signed a similar executive order during his term. I've attended a number of diversity training sessions, seminars, and discussions. Are they all of the same quality? No. But did I regret going to them? Not at all. Even though the Apostles were spreading the good news, the council got so angry that they wanted to kill them! And sadly, this is still happening 2000+ years later: <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/08/vehicle-ramming-attacks-66-us-since-may-27/5397700002/" target="_blank">People still literally want to kill the messengers</a>. </p><p>What will it take for us to let our guard down and repent? How do we listen to the Holy Spirit and not the <i>human</i> council? </p><p>May we allow the flowers of grace and forgiveness to flourish, instead of the bitter fruits of defensiveness and anger. </p><p><br /></p>Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-50389956694888276592021-04-14T14:55:00.002-07:002021-04-15T06:33:53.718-07:00Vanity Legislation, Baseball, and John 3:16 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfmGMCGOZcL8rEnFoWb4dKhyWm1UAHsRsx-GpLIJfgw2NPWasNS5GGLADmxtmUqdo6d0zfP3GJ0s8glNy5LaFV43PVHXWiqvegh1e3VDy6SQK9lxZTz412QCtOQ9nKSBWTOMOo6guQ-U/s1200/My+Post.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfmGMCGOZcL8rEnFoWb4dKhyWm1UAHsRsx-GpLIJfgw2NPWasNS5GGLADmxtmUqdo6d0zfP3GJ0s8glNy5LaFV43PVHXWiqvegh1e3VDy6SQK9lxZTz412QCtOQ9nKSBWTOMOo6guQ-U/s320/My+Post.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>We're in the middle of the most high-profile trial over a police killing ever, Minnesota just saw another black man killed "mistakenly" by another policeman, all the while COVID-19 is still a thing, and Josh Hawley, Mike Lee, and Ted Cruz want to retaliate against baseball? The three of them held a press conference today about removing their anti-trust legislation.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is all in response to Major League Baseball—a corporation acting in the free market— moving the All-Star game out of Georgia due to voting laws that would disenfranchise minorities.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not going to examine the ins and outs of the law or the baseball trust exemption, but the Gospel readings today, John 3:16-21 (Coincidentally, a sign held up at many baseball games) stood out to me, specifically, verse 19. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>And this is the verdict,</i></div><div><i>that the light came into the world,</i></div><div><i>but people preferred darkness to light,</i></div><div><i>because their works were evil.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>That third line stuck with me "but people preferred darkness to light." In the midst of so much trauma and turmoil in our country, these three men chose vanity, attention, and retaliation over actually helping people. This trait isn't unique to these three men or their party. And I know at times I have preferred vanity to all these other good qualities of the Holy Spirit. </div><div><br /></div><div>These three are wealthy, privileged, well-educated men who have the ability and power to change the world, and yet they made this decision. Our politics, faith, and communal life are worse off because of it. </div><div><br /></div><div>George Floyd had no money, no privilege, and not much of an education. He had his struggles and I'm not going to pretend he was an angel, but this anecdote from a <a href="https://www.startribune.com/george-floyd-hoped-moving-to-minnesota-would-save-him-what-he-faced-here-killed-him/573417181/" target="_blank">special section of the Star Tribune</a> on him stuck out with me. (The whole thing is worth a read.) </div><div><br /></div><div><i>When Smith and other volunteers arranged for homeless people to have their blood pressure checked, get haircuts or go out to eat, Floyd was usually there to help out.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Even though his life was full of darkness, I think Floyd strived to find those glimmers of light. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,</i></div><div><i>so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.</i></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #363936;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #363936;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"> </span></span></div></div>Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-78649165843352519682021-04-12T12:47:00.005-07:002021-04-13T06:48:02.728-07:00Doubting Thomas's and Racism<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve been thinking a lot about pain this past week, especially
after this week’s Gospel reading.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After yet another shooting of a black man in the Twin Cities compounds
the trauma already at high levels due to the Derek Chauvin trial, I thought about the Gospel
reading this week which described “Doubting” Thomas and how he reacted to rumors that Jesus was actually alive.<br /><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Unless I see the nail
marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into
his side, I will not believe. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve seen too many takes - and so many of them from white people -
who treated George Floyd’s killing, and now Daunte Wright, and the news so many
other deaths of black men, women, and children like Thomas did to a resurrected
Jesus. They did not believe. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They did not believe in the existence of racism. They did not believe that there could have been an alternate situation where a person did not have to end up dead. They did not believe in the secondary trauma affecting people with different colored skin. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A few years ago during a discussion about something current events
related, a former teacher told me, “We have <i>your pain is not valid because
it’s not my pain</i> crisis" in this country. When I was growing up, I thought my
pain was unique. As I grew older, I learned it wasn’t. We all have issues and
pain. Friends who I thought had ‘normal’ childhoods talked to me about the pain
and challenges they faced growing up. We are all broken in places. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I don’t know a ton of Black people, but I feel like I know enough
to say that being Black in America comes with a certain number of
challenges, painfulness, and trauma just due to skin color. Much of which is invisible to white
people. We didn’t grow up with being on guard when we see a cop car. We didn’t
grow up being followed in stores for being suspicious. We didn’t grow up with the
racism of low expectations. And since so many of us didn’t see it growing up,
we “will not believe.” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">This isn’t to say that one person’s pain is more important or others. This isn’t a diatribe against policing. I’m not trying to be ‘woke.’ I am stating what my faith is calling me to do. And for those of you whose first reaction is “What about…” I will preemptively respond with the first words Jesus told Thomas, “Peace be with you.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In a recent marriage enrichment class I took with my wife, we
learned about three responses to when our spouse brings up something up, turn
against, turn away, and turn towards. Turn against is where we become defensive, which leads to conflict. Turn away is when we become
apathetic or ignore the problem. And turn towards is when we put in our full
selves towards the issue and we approach it with a full heart and willingness
to engage. We, white people especially, need to turn towards the problem of racism. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I believe this needs to be stated clearly: there are systems in
place that are causing significant trauma and fatal harm to black and brown
citizens of this country. And so many of us need to quit acting like Thomas and
believe it.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-21157707354046591582020-07-26T11:22:00.001-07:002020-07-26T15:06:40.614-07:00Nick's Notes: It Can Happen Here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I felt a lot of things after seeing the video of a couple wearing homemade face coverings with swastikas into the Marshall Wal-Mart on Saturday: anger, disgust, sadness to name a few. But my mind drifted to two people I knew well during my year and a half in town.<br />
<br />
One young man, who is African-American, came to Southwest Minnesota State University to play football. He worked for the YMCA and volunteered for the Special Olympics. When I wrote a profile of him for the Marshall Independent, his coach told me, “He’s so invested in the community of Marshall. From his teammates to where he works at the Y, he seems to touch everybody’s life he comes across.” After graduating, he stuck around Marshall to get his master’s degree and raise his two kids. In other words, he’s the type of guy you want in your community.<br />
<br />
Hitler forcibly sterilized hundreds of black Germans. They were also kicked out of schools, refused jobs, and incarcerated (Unfortunately, much like what happened under the U.S.’s Jim Crow laws.) I ask you, Marshall, which types of people do you want in your town?<br />
<br />
I also thought about a colleague at the newspaper. We spent many late nights taking phone calls to get football and basketball scores late into the evening. He works hard and cares about the community. He also was born without the lower half of his left arm. That never stopped him from working hard and building a great life in town.<br />
<br />
In 1940, the Nazis implemented “Operation T4” in which 70,000 Germans and Austrians with disabilities were killed. According to the United States Holocaust Museum, over 275,000 people with disabilities were killed by the Nazis throughout the war.<br />
<br />
Can you look my former colleague in the eye and say, “I am all right allowing symbolism in this community that is fundamentally at odds with your right to life.”?<br />
<br />
In the video, the woman wearing the Swastika said, “If you vote for Biden, you’re going to be in Nazi Germany. That’s what it’s going to be like.” I find that ironic seeing that her partner thought it was all right to accessorize his shirt featuring the current president of the United States with the literal symbol of Nazi Germany. Call me crazy, but I think when someone takes the time to sew a face covering with a swastika on it, the burden of proof is on them to prove they are not a Nazi.<br />
<br />
An aside to Trump voters in the Republican party, are you ok with this man wearing a Trump shirt? Would you be ok with him wearing a Regan or an Eisenhower shirt? And if you called out Congresswoman Ilhan Omar for her anti-Semitic tweets, I hope to God you are forcibly denouncing the literal representation of the worst anti-Semitic actions history has ever seen.<br />
<br />
I know Marshall a little bit and I know there are those of you who will speak up and speak out against stuff like this. Please keep talking, posting, and protesting that this is not OK.<br />
<br />
Then there are those of you who might disagree with the method of this couple, but you agree that masks are anti-American and an insult to our freedom, or that this couple should be allowed free speech.<br />
<br />
You’d better be the loudest denouncing this. If you think the extermination of 11 million people is equivalent to a request to wear masks to protect the vulnerable in our society, you’d better do some soul searching. I hope you also thought about the cashier-a young man, who is a person of color- and what he was thinking while just trying to do his job.<br />
<br />
Future generations will wonder what the hell was going on in 2020, and my hunch is that those wearing Swastikas will not be treated kindly.<br />
<br />
Will you be able to tell your grandchildren that you were on the right side of history?<br />
Here’s your chance to prove it.<br />
<br />Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-34529817385348797512020-01-15T18:25:00.000-08:002020-01-15T18:28:02.062-08:00This I Believe: 32<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I believe in the power of home cooking. Even though we live in the most connected time in history, we’re lonely and anxious. Cooking became a way for me to fight those things. It allows my brain to rest after a day of monitoring social media for work. It allows me to experience the beginning and end of something in a world where things never feel like they stop. And it gives me a chance to connect with coworkers, friends, and family.<br />
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My new year’s resolution for 2019 was to cook 100 new recipes. It was originally an excuse to buy fancy ingredients and purchase some new kitchen supplies, but by the end, it didn’t feel like a resolution at all. It was something I needed to do on a regular basis.<br />
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More than once I chose to stay at home and cook over going out to a movie or binge-watching something while drinking beers. Free moments at work were often devoted to scrolling the New York Times cooking app looking for dinner ideas. There were days where as soon as I took my shoes off from work, I immediately threw on my apron and began chopping vegetables.<br />
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One of my favorite things over the past year was bringing in baked goods to my work. At first, I put them on a counter on the other side of my cubicle. However about midway through the year I put them on the counter I shared with my cubicle neighbor. We’d usually get about half-dozen people to come over to sample things, and there were always a few people who I rarely talked to outside of a cursory “Good morning."<br />
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Cooking gave me the opportunity to learn something again. It’s not that I haven’t learned anything since grad school, but I don’t think I consumed as much knowledge on a subject as I did around food this past year. Just about every trip to the library had me leave with an armful of cookbooks or food-related memoirs. I watched tons of YouTube videos to learn new techniques and I could feel my palate beginning to recognize different flavor profiles. I can definitively say I am a better cook than I was a year ago. It feels great to read a recipe and say, “Yeah, I can do that.”<br />
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Eating dinner with my wife (who also was a great cooking partner many days) has become a highlight of my day. The 10 to 15 minutes we get after finishing our meals has become my favorite time of the day. We’re full, we’re content, and we don’t have to do anything except for let our stomachs settle. I wouldn’t trade that feeling for anything.<br />
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Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-38594350738894318412019-06-01T07:19:00.000-07:002019-06-01T07:19:11.187-07:006.1 - Connections Our mailman retired last week. His name was Kermit and he loved Manchester City Football Club. Kermit was about 5'8 with grey hair and he often wore shorts on his indoor delivery route in the skyway. He sounded like a guy who didn't yell or get angry very much. He's probably a fantastic grandfather if he has grandkids. If I'd catch him making a delivery to our bar association office, we'd chat for a few minutes about our respective English Premier League teams, and it was often a highlight of my day. We got a gift card for him and his wife to go out to a restaurant, and a thank-you note was hanging in our office last week. I'll miss him.<br />
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Our going-away gift for Kermit wasn't the same as what this neighborhood did, but the thought it is all the same. The whole thing is worth a read. (Bring tissues.)<br />
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THREAD: Floyd Martin retires after nearly 35 years as a mailman tomorrow. I went with him on his route today. <a href="https://t.co/qZhUVY7Sz8">pic.twitter.com/qZhUVY7Sz8</a></div>
— Jennifer Brett (@Jennifer__Brett) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jennifer__Brett/status/1131298044010483712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2019</a></blockquote>
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I worry we'll lose things like this: moments of geniune gratitude and thankfulness for the people who do seemingly minor things in your life. We're obsessed with specialization, efficiency, and removing any sort of friction between you and an end product. Self-checkout lines remove the need for eye contact between you and a cashier. Restaurant delivery removes you from talking to a human being until the last second of exchange. Hell, even self-serve tap walls remove you from talking to a bartender about what beer is good.
I'd be a hypocrite if I said these things are all bad. I'll use a self-checkout line if I only have two things and everyone else seems to be stocking up for the apocalypse. And we'll use Amazon Prime when we need toilet paper and we just don't feel like going to the store. Sometimes you just don't want to talk to people, I get it.<br />
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However, I'm worried that that's become the norm, rather than the exception to the rule. And removing those small relationships in our day has real consequences. We need a "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/06/smarter-living/why-you-need-a-network-of-low-stakes-casual-friendships.html" target="_blank">network of low-stakes, casual friendships</a>." And I don't have to remind you that loneliness is a public health epidemic. Seriously, just google "millennials lonely."<br />
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So what can we do about this? If you have something nice to say, say it. Compliment your cashier's glasses. Say how wonderful you love the produce at a farmer's market stand. Ask about the janitor's day. The place we're spending more and more of our time, online, is still mostly awful, so we should combat that offline.<br />
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Be polite. Be kind. Listen. And when you can, chat with your mailman.Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-38849517712729035632019-01-13T19:21:00.000-08:002019-01-13T19:21:05.049-08:00This I Believe: 31Today, I got choked up over four popcorn bowls. The bowls were empty. They had been sitting on the top shelf of my kitchen cabinet for over a year. I hadn’t ever used them. And yet, there I was with my wife, crying when she handed me light brown, wooden popcorn bowls as we cleaned out my cabinets for things to take to Goodwill.<br />
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I cried because these bowls are one of the last links I have to my maternal grandparents. At some point during every trip to their house, those bowls were filled with popcorn. It was the best popcorn. It was air-popped and smothered with real butter and salt. Conversations had to stop when they made it because the popper was so loud. I eagerly watched my grandpa doll out the popcorn, in order to make sure my brother didn’t get more than me. I remember digging my way through the bowl to find those few kernels that were absolutely drenched with oil and salt. My brother and I would lie on our stomachs in front of the television and eat popcorn out of those bowls as we watched a movie. Since then, I’ve never had a popcorn experience as good as those.<br />
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In the year 2019, I believe in popcorn bowls. More specifically, I believe in those items that are so full of memories, they make you cry.<br />
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Being emotionally manipulated by powerful entities is nothing new, but I believe in my popcorn bowls this year because everything is vying for some of your emotional spare change. Whether it’s social media, the day’s news, or trying to keep up with the inane all-day group chats, they all chip away at your emotional well-being.<br />
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Sometimes I get emotionally paralyzed by the cascade of things I’m supposed to care about. I hate that feeling. I felt that way as we cleaned out my kitchen cabinets.<br />
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There are going to be things in life you’ll use once and then forget about, like the Noodelizer. There are going to be things in your life that you probably should have thrown out a long time ago, like that loaf of Johnnie bread in your freezer from December 2017. There are going to be things you shouldn’t have brought to your life in the first place, like that bottle of mint-infused Captain Morgan. There are going to be things in your life that you think you absolutely need, but they only end up cutting your hand, like the mandolin slicer I bought at Marshall’s for five bucks. And there are going to be things you’ll have such an abundance of, that you’ll wonder why you had so many in the first place, like my many, many take-out tupperware containers.<br />
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But then you’ll have your popcorn bowls. And you’ll remember how great your grandma and grandpa’s popcorn was.<br />
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And everything will be just fine.<br />
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Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-17410587283669833512018-09-27T19:33:00.002-07:002018-09-28T05:30:14.232-07:009.27 - Finding God; Today on the Bus I felt disgusting after work today. I had spent most of the day with my ears glued to the Dr. Christine Blasy Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh hearings. Regardless of who you voted for, it was impossible to turn away from those hearings in a pleasant mood. Hearing the witness recount her experience of sexual assault through tears, the political grandstanding from both sides, and the barrage of opinions/takes/rants on social media made you want to curl up in the fetal position. There was a woman telling millions of people the worst experience of her life, couldn’t we just listen? Is this what the shining example of Democracy has come to?<br />
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When I’m overwhelmed with these sorts of political things, I try to step back and look where I can find God in my day. This time, it was on the No. 9 bus. About 20 people got on at the corner of 7th and Nicollet. The bus was running late and people were cranky. I ended up sitting near the back next to a kid who looked to be in his early 20s. He was carrying a big red orchestral instrument case.<br />
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I got that feeling in me knowing I needed to do something. I’ve come to realize that’s God nudging me, so I started a conversation with the kid. I asked what instrument he played. “Cello,” he responded. I joked with him about having to carry such a big instrument on a crowded bus. He laughed. I asked him about school and future plans. He said he was a sophomore at the University of Minnesota and he eventually wanted to play professionally. And then his stop came. I wished him luck as he exited the bus.<br />
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And that was it. It was remarkable how much better I felt after a 10-minute conversation with a person I’ve never met, and who I’ll likely never see again. (Unless he rides that bus again.)<br />
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Today was dominated by painful recollections, senators looking to score political points, and a spewing of social media reactions - some cathartic, some insightful, but some just noise.<br />
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I’ll be thinking and praying for that kid with the cello. I want to put stock in something hopeful and beautiful today.<br />
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Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-24541756196057594672018-06-23T08:19:00.000-07:002018-06-23T08:19:49.595-07:006.1 - How to be Happy in a Dumpster Fire<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
A lot has happened since I last posted here. To be specific, a lot of good things have happened, to me. I ran a half-marathon in a half-decent time. The World Cup has started. And, most importantly, I got engaged. It’s not a stretch to say that this has been one of the biggest weeks of my life.<br />
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It’s also felt like one of the most disgusting news cycles in recent weeks. There are kids being kept in cages along our border. Trump’s seems hellbent on destroying alliances with allies and making friends with dictators. And people seem more intent on defending their “team” rather than doing anything.<br />
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If there was one person I didn’t want to hear from the weekend I proposed to Kelley, it was Trump. I didn’t look at news, I only checked my notifications to see who liked our engagement photo, and we soaked up the moments when we shared the news with our family and friends. Hearing my aunts choke up over the phone, seeing the reaction of Kelley’s brother and sister-in-law, and seeing messages from friends who I haven’t heard from in years was fantastic and life giving.<br />
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Yet, Trump wasn’t going anywhere. I knew my Facebook feed would still have articles documenting the wanton cruelty, corruption, and recklessness of his administration. These things would still be happening. The reality of the world would eventually pop my bubble of warm fuzzies.<br />
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Social media doesn’t help any of this either. If you’re silent, you look apathetic. If you’re posting about stuff like #MPRraccoon, you’re accused on trivial and inconsequential things. If you’re angry, be prepared to spend half your day moderating comments on a post. It just doesn’t seem like a productive use of time, even if it’s your only outlet.<br />
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A tweet from one of my favorite movie critics, Tim Grierson, summed up how I feel. He said, “Being angry all the time is exhausting and corrosive. Not being angry feels morally irresponsible.” A reply to the tweet stated, “None of this seems particularly complex.<br />
Anyway, I use my anger as fuel. Looking away is a privilege I refuse to indulge in.”<br />
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Something about that response made me angry. I don’t doubt that the woman who wrote it is a good person whose intentions are in the right place (and I don’t want to judge the person based on one tweet.) However, it dismissed the complex, beautiful, and subtle things that make us human beings. We weren’t born with two emotions: anger and not anger. Anger is not my main fuel. And yeah, you can look away, because if you’re shocked by everything, pretty soon you’re shocked by nothing.<br />
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I don’t think it’s healthy to feel one emotion all the time. I don’t think we should strive to feel one emotion all the time either. Sometimes you embrace your anger. Sometimes you embrace your sadness, and sometimes you embrace your joy (and you shouldn’t feel guilty about any of these things.)<br />
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Yes, I’m going to continue to be angry by the inhumane treatment on our borders and make my small voice heard how it can. But I’m also going to be watching a lot of World Cup games and sharing my enthusiasm with my friends and family. I’m also going to be working hard planning a wedding. And I’m going to revel in the journey I’m taking with my fiance.<br />
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The world is so much more complex than we think it is. Embrace it. <br />
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Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-35676735476827929722018-03-28T19:50:00.002-07:002018-03-28T19:50:28.669-07:003.1 - Two Americas in MinneapolisThere were two Americas on display at the Minneapolis Convention Center today. One, called “ Tax Cuts To Put America First Event” featured the Vice President of the United States of America talking about how tax cuts have improved the economy. He was up on stage with two congressmen who are afraid of their constituents and a businessman who’s taken part in some sleazy advertising practices.<br />
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About eight hours later, one floor up, at the “Step Up” event, one of the convention halls was filled with 400 teenagers getting critiqued on their job interview skills by about 100 working professionals. The kids ranged from ages 14-21. Most all of them were kids of color, many of them were kids of immigrants, and about 25 percent of them were Muslim girls.<br />
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I interviewed four kids. One kid, named Johnny was a bright kid with an enthusiastic spirit and a good heart. He wanted to do well in school for his parents, who were from Mexico. I found out he was a soccer player. I asked him about a time he was challenged while playing soccer and he spoke about the time his club team was down 5-1 in a state championship game at halftime, but they came back to win. I was impressed. He also played center-midfielder, which is one of the toughest positions on the field because you have to direct the game, but also keep an eye on everyone.<br />
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I talked to another kid who was quiet, but he wanted to help other teenagers with mental health issues. There was a young Somali girl who didn’t speak a lot of English, but her eyes lit up when she talked about a school project she did about Nina Simone. My last interview was with a Somali boy who went through the program last year, but was looking for “an indoor job” because it was hard for him to build playground stairs in the summer while he was fasting for Ramadan. Kudos to him because I could barely keep my Lenten promise for this year.<br />
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While I’m not going to wade into the weeds of tax cuts and job growth numbers, I did see that Pence did not mention anything about equality in hiring, or giving opportunities to people like those kids. While Pence touted how many jobs his tax cuts have saved Minnesotans, he didn’t mention that the state is second worst for racial inequality.<br />
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I wonder what Vice President Pence would have said if he had just been able to stay a little bit longer and talk to those kids. I wonder how those kids factor in to his and Trump’s “America First” plans. After all, they are American, too.<br />
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Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-55425684843551465502018-02-26T18:51:00.003-08:002018-02-26T18:51:18.465-08:002.6 - One BeerI had a beer on Sunday. It was one of my Lenten resolutions to give up alcohol for 40 days. I did it last year, and while it was difficult, I lost a few pounds and felt great after Easter. I took a little bit different tack this year. I decided to do it because Kelley and I were celebrating two months together. It was a wonderful day out. And we had a heckuva time talking about home repairs to my water-damaged apartment. I really wanted to have that beer as a culmination to the day.<br />
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I used the excuse of “Oh yeah, you’re able to break your Lent promise on Sundays.” (Which, for the record, I’m not sure is an actual thing.) We went to Steeltoe Brewing in St. Louis Park and we each enjoyed one beer together. It was a wonderful way to end the day.<br />
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I justified this beer because my real goal this Lent is to have a more mindful relationship with my food. I’m don’t think my habits with food are unhealthy, but they could definitely be improved. I sometimes eat a second lunch if there is extra food leftover from a work meeting. I have a donut even if I feel full, and I tend to eat way too close to my bedtime. The pleasure of eating has dulled due to my mindlessness.<br />
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I’ve started a Google Doc of all the food I’ve consumed since Lent. It helps me examine all the times when I could have refused something. I’m not removing myself from pleasure, heck, I had a donut and coffee on Friday, I think I’m just pinpointing the times that really make me happy (like one donut on Friday, as opposed to donuts three times a week.)<br />
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I think the expectation to be “full” all the time is one of the leading causes of unhappiness in our society. Whether that’s with our food, our entertainment, or just how we get through everyday life, it’s damaging. I think the more things we count and take note of, the happier we’ll be.<br />
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And I took note of that beer.<br />
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People who know how to do home projects: A pipe burst in my apartment this weekend. It damaged a good portion of the floor in my roommates room. Now I have to think about new flooring, and a bunch of other projects that I want to get done. It’s all very stressful. Luckily, my girlfriend Kelley is very good at organizing and planning, two things I could use some help with. I’m thankful for that because otherwise my only home furnishings might still be a secondhand card table and three mismatched folding chairs. Also, half of my floor would probably still be torn up.<br />
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The Como Conservatory: It was a very sunny day on Sunday. After two snowstorms in the previous 48 hours, I was ready to go outside. I had been worrying about my floor all weekend and I didn’t want to listen to the hum of fans and a dehumidier anymore, so Kelley and I decided to go to the gardens (which she had never been to.) I don’t think I appreciated being in tropical heat when there is over a foot of snow on the ground. There’s something great about the freedom to just be outside without worrying about getting your feet soaked or your nose freezing. Also, I can’t wait for spring.<br />
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The Black Panther: I saw the Black Panther last weekend. I’m not going to go into the cultural significance of the film, there is plenty of that and you’d be better off reading about the deeper meanings of the film with other writers. I will say that it’s nice that we have a cultural event that’s come close to achieving a shared experience to a wide swath of people. The film is probably going to break the $1 billion dollar mark and people of all ages and races have enjoyed it. Critics have given it almost universally positive reviews. So, in an age when the biggest unifying event seems to be gawking in awe at the U.S. President, it’s nice to have something more meaningful to take in. <br />
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Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-34094099314310114822018-02-18T18:27:00.002-08:002018-02-18T18:27:51.278-08:002.5 LentI’m behind on my music review writing. Maybe that’s a sign that I’m not going to go through with it. Who knows? Oh well, I’ve had a few other things on my mind recently anway. I thought about. I’ve been thinking a lot about Lent recently and what I should be doing.<br />
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First, I’m giving up alcohol again. It was difficult last year, but I’m glad I did it. I lost some weight. I felt pretty good about myself, and I think it was good discipline for future things. I’m not as intimidated by the challenge this year. It also helps that Kelley is giving up alcohol as well.<br />
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Second, I started writing down everything I eat. I’ve been pretty mindless about my eating recently. That’s been an especially problematic at work. We always have leftovers from one meeting or another. I sometimes have eaten more than one lunch, or more than a few snacks. I’ve also started not to feel as well about everything. I’ve gained some weight and I’ve just not felt as energetic. I suppose that’s partly due to the weather, but I like the thought of thinking more about my food. I think I’ve tended to just throw food down my gullet at times. I think it’s good to stop and reflect about what your putting in your body.<br />
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I’ve also noticed that not a lot of people say hi here near me. I’ve decided to become more proactive about saying hi to people. Most of the time in my apartment, people just tend to walk by and not even make eye contact. I figure if I start to say hi, and maybe even introduce myself, things could probably change. It’s just a weird and uncomfortable feeling when you walk by someone, you know they know that you’re there, and they don’t even make an effort to say hi. I kind of want that to change.<br />
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I’ve got a good feeling about being able to grow a little bit more during this time of Lent. It’s odd how I think it’s become one of my favorite times of the year, when I used to really hate it. I think I like the idea of the challenge and being able to force yourself to grow a little bit more. We’re rarely challenged at a deep level on our own. I think that’s a good time to try and change that. Day five in the books.<br />
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Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-8409783097833934682018-02-13T18:25:00.001-08:002018-02-13T18:25:11.976-08:002.4 - ThanksI’ve had a hard time getting things together this week. So, we’re just going to reflect a little bit on three things that I am thankful for.<br />
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New Things - I went to the National Women’s Hockey League All Star game this weekend. It was at the new Wild practice rink in downtown St. Paul. I had heard about the NWHL before, but all of the team’s are located in the northeast, so I haven’t been to a game. There were about 1,000 people there to watch the game. I’m happy to see people support a league that isn’t in the mainstream of popularity. I saw a lot of families and friends of the players. So, kudos to the NWL, hope to see it gets more popular as time goes by.<br />
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Lent - I really enjoy Lent much more than I used to. In an age of excess, it’s always good to be reminded of our mortality. This year I’m going to be giving up alcohol again and keeping a food journal of everything I eat. I want to become more mindful of what I’m putting in my body. I feel like I’ve become a notorious snacker and I want to rein it in a little bit. I think it’s always better to have a healthy relationship with food. Giving up alcohol was a little tough last year, but this year my girlfriend is doing it as well. I wouldn’t mind losing a few pounds either.<br />
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Basketball - It’s good to have some basketball to care about in February. For all of my adult life the Wolves have been pretty much a laughing stock. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2004, when I was 16. The Timberwolves are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference. It’s nice to actually care about games again. I get upset when they lose, and I definitely feel calmer when they win. I just don’t want them to screw this up again. It would be nice to end the futility of being the team with the longest playoff drought in professional sports. I’m going another game on Thursday.<br />
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Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-39251298714918771322018-02-10T14:02:00.001-08:002018-02-10T14:02:15.447-08:002.3 - What I'm listening to...Here’s what has caught my ear this week. These aren’t really reviews, but just things that I’ve listened to repeatedly this week.<br />
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“Be My Baby” - The Ronettes. For some reason, I really wanted to hear this song this week. I keep thinking about that Phil Spector sound. It’s not quite R&B. It’s more complex than a pop song. I keep hearing it described as a “haunting” sound. There’s something about the background horns and harmonies in the background of the song. It also not exactly a happy song. It’s feels like a girl begging to have her guy take her back. “So won't you, please, be my be my baby.” I wonder what the guy who she’s singing this to is thinking. What happened that she wants to get back with him so bad?<br />
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Drive By Truckers - “Brighter Than Creation’s Dark” It was the 10th anniversary of this album being released this week. That made me feel kind of old. It was one of the first albums I bought on iTunes. I got into this record because they were on the bill with the Hold Steady at First Ave, which I’m pretty sure was my first concert there. I’ve grown to love DBT because they provide a narrative about the south that cuts against what most of us in the north think. There’s depression, self-loathing, but also pride and partying. It’s got touches of magical realism, and deep sadness. I feel like I’m hanging out in Muscle Shoals, Alabama every time I listen to the record.<br />
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Ezra Furman - This has probably been my favorite musical discovery of the last few months. Furman has got a voice that’s got a scratchy foreboding. If the Turf Club in St. Paul had a voice, it’d sound like this. It’s dogged, but not a caricature of Tom Waits. I think the thing I like about him is that he identifies as gender fluid and he dresses however he wants. When I first heard him, I could picture some sort of Dylan disciple, but that’s not the case at all. Ever since the Beatles, bands have embraced a gimmick, a lot of the time for show biz purposes, but Furman does whatever he wants. I respect that.<br />
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Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-60789111346340260092018-02-05T19:30:00.002-08:002018-02-05T19:30:31.242-08:002.2 - BussesI was prepared to not talk with anyone on my bus ride back home. I was looking forward to just finishing out the most recent episode of This American Life. I sat near the back of the bus. It was crowded at first, but then it thinned out to just me and one other guy about two-thirds of the way of my ride. And then the gentleman, who looked to be about my age, asked me a question.<br />
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He was wearing decent headphones and was wearing decent clothes. He asked, “Where does this bus end up?” I told him that I didn’t know, but I knew that it went as far as the Louisiana Avenue Transit Center. I asked him where he was going, just in case, I knew a route to get there.<br />
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“Detox,” he said. I wasn’t expecting that. I took out my headphones and put them in my coat pocket. We were sitting across from each other. I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded and gave him my attention. I couldn’t hear everything he said, but I got most of it. He was talking about how he just needed to get away from alcohol. I nodded and told him he was in the right place. He kept talking about how much he needed to get away from some people in his life. He had been on the phone for most of the route with I’m assuming someone from the phone company. He was trying to change his number because he was so sick of the negative people in his life trying to contact him. He thanked me for just listening and said that he just needed to get that off his chest.<br />
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I kept trying to encourage him. I told him that I had dealt with shitty people before and the best thing you can do is to just cut them out. I made a motion for the cord to request a stop. He asked me one last question, “How do you change?” I had about 15 seconds to think about that before I got off. The first thing that came to my mind was, “Turn off your phone.” He nodded and smiled, satisfied with that answer.<br />
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I got off the bus and waved at him as the bus pulled away. Immediately I felt regret. I should have stayed on longer. I should have got his name. I should have given him my card. But then I remembered that saving the world doesn’t require superhuman gestures. Sometimes all it takes is just the willingness to listen.<br />
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My mind keeps coming back to the thought that every interaction you have is an invitation to encounter Jesus. I don’t think God works through big events. It’s really just the small things. I hope the gentlemen found a safe place for the evening. I’ll be praying for him.<br />
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Three things.<br />
Kids books. I never knew that kids books have actually gotten good. I went to dinner with Kelley on Saturday night. I was still feeling a bit antsy from the day because I had been pretty lazy. I wanted to walk around a little bit more, so we went to a Barnes and Noble. We ended up in the kids’ section, and I naturally started reading some of the books. They’ve got some really good ones! Who would have thought that children’s literature has gotten so funny? Also, my bedtime story reading talents are pretty good, in case anyone needs some bedtime stories read to them.<br />
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Schedules. I’m a much more organized person that I thought I was, or maybe that I give myself credit for. I mapped out my entire Sunday, right down to the hour. Surprisingly, I pretty much stayed on schedule down to the hour. I’ve come to the realization that things go a lot smoother, and the day doesn’t feel like a drag if you have a schedule to work off. I don’t think you have to schedule the whole day out, but it sometimes helps if you feel like you need to refocus your life. I don’t know if this is going to be a regular thing, but sometimes it just really helps.<br />
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Grace and Frankie. I’m surprised I haven’t written about this show yet. It’s been the best show I’ve picked up in quite a while. It’s about two women in their 70s (played by Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda) whose husbands (played by Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston) leave them for each other. It’s hilarious and heartfelt, much more than so many other shows out there today. I love that it doesn’t project stereotypes of so many different people out there. Fonda and Tomlin are lively as two 20-somethings rooming together. Sheen and Waterston don’t fall into the flamboyantly gay stereotypes that Hollywood has put out there for so long. It’s got a lot going on, and I’ve really enjoyed it as my go-to tv show recently.<br />
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Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-44870604873524500832018-02-04T13:24:00.000-08:002018-02-04T13:24:23.936-08:002.1 - SZA "Ctrl" I didn’t care too much for SZA when I first heard her song “Drew Barrymore.” The song never really came together for me. At least according to her Wikipedia page, SZA’s genre has been described as “alternative R&B.” I never really cared for it. It always made me sleepy.<br />
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But then I saw that SZA was nominated for five Grammy awards. While one can debate the cultural significance of those awards, I think getting nominated for five still carries some weight. And there’s the whole point of this whole music writing thing. I could write about why I love Bruce Springsteen for the rest of the year, but that wouldn’t challenge me or force me to grow in my listening/writing. And being a white dude, there are obviously things I’m not going to get just by judging an artist I heard one time on my favorite radio station.<br />
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I delved into SZA and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. While the two most popular black female artists out there, Beyonce and Rihanna, are fantastic in their own ways, the fact that they are people with real problems gets lost underneath their superstardom. I did not feel that way with SZA. She’s a 20-something with her own set of problems and a voice that should be heard.<br />
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She’s got clever lyrics that require you to listen with a more active ear than if you just treated it as background chill music. I liked the lyrics, “All I got is these broken clocks/I ain't got no time/<br />
Just burning daylight.”<br />
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I watched a couple interviews to find out a little bit more about her. The first question in the interview was, when was the first time you found the love for music? She answered that it was this album. That sort of surprised me because it feels like you find your passion first, and you make it into a career. “I couldn’t figure out how to be the artist I wanted to be,” she said to the question. Music fans tend to forget that there’s a lot of work that goes into crafting a sound. What we hear from singers and bands is rarely what they started off sounding like.<br />
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On the album “Ctrl”, she also had recordings of phone calls with her mother and grandmother. I’ve never really enjoyed the chatter that goes on between songs on some albums, but I enjoyed this one.<br />
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I don’t know how much more I’ll listen to SZA, but I appreciate her a little bit more. At the very least, I’ll be sure to dig a little bit more into an artists discography before I make a judgement on them.<br />
<br />Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-557592593384574502018-01-29T17:53:00.002-08:002018-01-29T17:53:26.103-08:001.9 - OnlineI haven’t tweeted from my personal account for almost a month now. I did log in on my birthday, and in order to search for James Taylor presale tickets, but both times I didn’t stick around for long. I have used my work account to log in to Twitter. It isn’t the same, though.<br />
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I feel a lot better about the world around me. I’ve learned to moderate my anger towards most things in the world. I still get angry. (Trump is still president, after all.) But I no longer feel like I need to weigh in on everything. For example, I just couldn’t muster the energy to be #madonline about the Grammy’s. I don’t really care who got awarded something and who got snubbed. Most of the music I like isn’t really featured anyway. My Sunday night was spent at a dinner party with friends. I felt like I didn’t need much of anything else.<br />
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I just don’t think having instant access to an endless variety of opinions is healthy for anyone. I also don’t feel as much of a need to contribute my own two cents to the online conversation either. (Although I’ll admit that I still occasionally do post takes on my Facebook page.) Just because we have access to a microphone, it doesn’t mean we should use it.<br />
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Take for example an article I saw in the Star Tribune the other day. The article was about a lawyer who was opening a grilled cheese restaurant, which will be hiring ex-convicts in order to help get their lives back in order. I don’t know the woman who’s running it personally, but I know some people who do know her and everything I’ve heard about her has been amazing. Yet, people seemed eager to disparage the woman or tell her that they couldn’t wait to read about the closing of the restaurant in six months.<br />
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Why are people so quick to put out an opinion on someone they don’t know? And I’m presuming that most of those people had no experience in the restaurant industry. I think it’s fair to criticize lawmakers, but why do that to a private citizen who’s trying to make the world a better place? Just read the article and get on with your day.<br />
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I’ve also been slower to announce news via social media. I’ve wanted to tell more people things in person instead of just posting it and waiting for a reaction. For example, I didn’t really announce via social media that I’m going to Europe in the spring. I’ve either texted, called, or just talked to people directly. I’m an expressive person and that excitement showed in my announcements.<br />
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I’ll probably keep my twitter account around. I still won’t go on it very often though. I changed my password to something difficult so I won’t be tempted to go on every five minutes. Bits and pieces is probably best.<br />
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Art Shanty Projects - I’m a big fan of things that are weird, but an inviting way. Kelley and I went to the art shanty projects on Lake Harriet. They consist of a few dozen art installations. Some are purely for art, others talk about scientific things, or have an art component to them. My personal favorite was the notary public shed. I got a decleration notarized. It said, “Nicholas Anthony Hansen and Kelley Lee Hemken are awesome.” And it was made official! It was also fun to see a bunch of people of all ages out enjoying the day. It’s always good to see lots of people having fun, together.<br />
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Grace and Frankie - This is my new favorite show. I spent a good chunk of my snow day last week binge watching this Netflix Comedy. It centers around two married couples in their 70s, played by Jane Fonda and Martin Sheen and Lily Tomlin and Sam Waterston. Sheen and Waterston’s characters leave Fonda and Tomlin for each other. The two women end up moving in together. It’s a modern twist on the Odd Couple along with a much more heartfelt and dramatic undertone to it. I love it because it tackles the frailties of human emotion while being absolutely hilarious.<br />
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Dinner Parties - My friend Ashleigh and her boyfriend invited Kelley and I over for dinner on Sunday night. We ate and talked for about three hours about every subject from music to politics to the #MeToo movement. We rarely checked our phones, and we just seemed to keep the conversation going throughout the night. I’m sure the bottles of wine we consumed didn’t hurt, but it was nice to just be in the presence of good people while consuming good food. It’s nice to be a grown up sometimes. Even in our interconnected world, it felt reassuring to just be in an apartment and enjoying a nice evening together.<br />
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Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-39975985770697118242018-01-26T04:54:00.003-08:002018-01-26T04:54:30.634-08:001.8 - Alex Lahey "I Love You Like a Brother" So I love Bruce Springsteen. I love his songs. I love that he’s always writing for the working guy. However, I don’t see myself in a Bruce Springsteen song. I’m not in a union. I’m not going to down to the river. I’m not sweating it down the street in a runaway American dream. I sometimes like to think I’m a Springsteen song, but it’s sometimes like a movie. You think you could be like the characters in a movie, and theoretically, you could, but in your heart, you know that it’s a movie.<br />
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So who would have thought that a twenty-something female pop-punk rocker from Melbourne could write songs that made me say, “Yeah, I know what that feels like.”?<br />
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Alex Lahey’s debut album, “I Love You Like a Brother” was one of my favorite albums of this past year. I first heard her single “Every Day is the Weekend” on the Current. I dubbed it as my song of the summer of 2017. It’s a song about lovers getting that first taste of a relationship, but still realizing that there are other things in the world that you have to pay attention to, like your job and your family. But in the end, they’re all ok, and you just “ride the wave to shore.”<br />
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My favorite song on the album is the title track. It’s got that surf-rock guitar that makes you want to get out of your chair. And how many pop-music songs are about brothers? The two that come to mind are, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” and “Brothers in Arms” neither of which capture the intricacies of a sibling relationship like Lahey does. Siblings have a unique bond, especially adult siblings. You over your youthful growing pains and you can focus on, you know, being friends. “Clashed like the band, but now we're back stronger/While we're both young yet still a bit older.” The chorus “I love you like a brother, just like I oughta” feels like Lahey’s singing it with a smile to her brother in the crowd.<br />
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The song “Backpack” talks about a lover who’s close, but there’s that little bit of distance in the relationship in there that prevents it from becoming something more. Hence the chorus, “It's hard for me to put my arms around you/When your backpack's on.” I also loved the line “Your disorganized perfection is ok with me.” There’s something beautiful about acknowledging your partner’s flaws and still accepting them.<br />
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The best art makes you feel many things at once. Lahey made me dance, think, reflect and even be a little bit sad while listening to this album. And I love you Bruce, but Lahey knows me a little bit better than you.<br />
<br />Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-77921901111584580832018-01-22T19:36:00.002-08:002018-01-22T19:37:07.670-08:001.7 You Know My NameMy least favorite colleague didn’t ever make an effort to get to know me. The first thing he said to a group of us when we were fresh faces at our state park was, “I’m not even going to try and learn your names.” That has stuck with me for the last eight years. What kind of asshole doesn’t even make an effort to get to know people he’s going to be working with over the next year? (There is a piece of bitter irony in that I still remember his name, but he never learned mine.)<br />
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I like to contrast that with an experience I had working at summer camp a few years prior to that interaction. A coworker, David Lovett, who spent the summer in character as the founder of Scouting, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, led overnight trips for scouts and taught merit badges in honor of the centennial anniversary of the Boy Scouts.<br />
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I accompanied him with a group of scouts for an overnight canoe trip. I don’t remember everything about the program he put on that evening, but I do remember one thing about it. He, in character as Baden-Powell, talked about the importance of learning people’s names. And he mentioned that when you don’t know people’s names, you introduce yourself with a firm handshake. That one moment provided one of the most valuable lessons in professionalism I’ve ever learned. Get to know people’s names.<br />
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I’ve started attending a yoga class with a new instructor. I went to a few of her classes a while back. She’s a bit eccentric, and some of her classes involve chanting, which I don’t always get into during class. However, she remembered my name. She even was the first person to wish me a happy birthday (which I’m not exactly sure how she found out about.) I even asked her for help doing a headstand. She obliged and has been consistent in helping me achieve my goal.<br />
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A few months back I told myself that I wanted to get better at learning people’s names. So, I decided to introduce myself to my bus driver. Most days, I’m the first person on and it’s a good five or 10 minutes before the next person gets on. I started chatting with my driver, John. It was usually small talk, but I came to appreciate bus drivers a lot more. They deal with lots of unruly people and don’t get the credit they deserve. I haven’t developed the same rapport with the new bus drivers (drivers switch about every three months), but I’ve learned to give drivers a break and the benefit of the doubt.<br />
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It still kind of amazes me that people don’t make an effort to remember names. It’s one of the easiest things you can do to make the world a little bit friendlier. And I think we need that more than ever right now.<br />
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Three things:<br />
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Openers- There’s a school of thought in concert going that you don’t really need to go to the opener. I really don’t agree with that. Case in point from this last weekend. Kelley and I went to the 13th birthday party for my favorite radio station, The Current. While there were four acts on the bill, I bought tickets due to the headliner J.D. McPherson. I also knew the third act of the night, Ron Gallo. I had heard of the first two acts, Reina Del Cid and Lady Lark, but I didn’t know any of their songs. I ended up enjoying the first two acts a lot more. Reina Del Cid was a breezy, but rocking blues-inspired band with a dynamite lead guitarist and singer. Lady Lark was one of the funkiest bands I’ve ever seen live, and we ended up dancing through the whole set. While Gallo and McPherson were fine, I enjoyed the first two sets a lot more.<br />
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Seizing the day- On Saturday morning, I went out for breakfast with Kelley and one of her brothers. She and I had a lot of time before that evening’s concert, and we didn’t have a plan for the day. I’ve been in a lot of situations where “I don’t know” ends up with just two people sitting on the couch and scrolling through Netflix. We ended up going downtown St. Paul and check out the state capitol, a few new breweries, and the Italian grocery store downtown. Sometimes you just have to throw a suggestion out there and go with it. Quit being so indecisive and do something.<br />
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Simple pasta- I made the best pasta of my life on Friday night. It was a recipe from a new cookbook that I bought, “Salt Fat Acid Heat.” It was for Cacio y Pepe (cheese and pepper.) All I needed was pasta, cheese, pepper, and olive oil. Fun fact, I ‘ve learned that the key to making good pasta is salting the cooking water. I also used an emulsion technique! I literally had no idea what that was prior to Friday. That, along with a nice bottle of wine, made my Friday all that much better. Sometimes it’s good to try out new things even if you think that something that simple couldn’t possibly be that big an improvement over what you know.<br />
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Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-730440125881513882018-01-18T20:18:00.001-08:002018-01-18T20:18:05.088-08:001.6 - Margo Price "All American Made"Liberals like their country music much like the way my dad likes his vegetables, “cleverly disguised.” We call it “Americana” or “roots music.” We make sure there’s some association with Johnny Cash. We’ll accept it, if it comes out of Nashville. We just don’t want to directly be associated with “country music.”<br />
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Now it’s a shame that country music from that side of the geographical or political spectrum doesn’t get the love it deserves because Margo Price deserves more credit than she’s getting.<br />
Her latest album, “All-American Made” taps into that disaffected midwestern voice better than any one of those New York Times profiles of “real America.”<br />
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The album starts of in a place that I don’t associate with country music: vulnerability. The first few tracks are named, “Weakness”, “A Little Pain”, “Learning to Lose”, and “Pay Gap.” I’ve always found country songs to be as disingenuous as regular pop songs when wading into this territory. Price avoids falling into honky-tonk heartbreak or Toby Keith-Fox news anger at the system through deft songwriting. The choruses are much smarter than your typical country song, but they’re just as fun to sing out loud. And Price steers away from typical country tropes and instead relies name drops like Levon Helm, Virginia Woolf, James Dean, and Tom Petty.<br />
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The album’s first single, “A Little Pain” is a declaration of self-care that Price wrote while on the road. I found myself humming the chorus, “A little pain never hurt anyone” numerous times throughout the week. I’m guessing that more than a few millennial women who have slogged through dates with guys they met on Coffee Meets Bagel could identify with the line, “I like you the best when I’m all alone.”<br />
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The other standout track from the album, “Pay Gap” goes after what the title implies, pay inequality. Price isn’t afraid to stick it to the “rich, white men” who still play king and queen makers in traditional country radio. She also addresses the fears of what I’m guessing many white, suburban women who probably don’t fall into the Bernie Sanders camp. They don’t want to litigate the same battles that were fought with the Equal Rights Amendment, they just want to get paid what they deserve, “It’s not that I’m asking for more than I’m owed; And I don’t think I’m better than you.”<br />
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Price addresses other all-American issues like depression, working mothers, drug use, and the rotting of rural America. The title track begins with an overlay of speeches from Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, Martin Luther King, among others. But in one of the final lines of the album, Price asks recently-deceased Tom Petty what he makes of all this, “So tell me, Mr Petty, what do you think happens next.”<br />
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I don’t think anyone knows, I’m just glad Margo Price has the courage to admit it.<br />
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Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-83483074902991347642018-01-15T09:40:00.002-08:002018-01-15T09:42:48.657-08:001.5. - This I Believe: 30 <div>
I believe in trusting your gut. For the last few years, I’ve lost track of what my “gut” is. On some days, my gut was the trending topic on Twitter. On other days, it was what my friends and/or family were wanting me to do. Or it was what coworkers or colleagues wanted. While I’ve gained some wisdom or insight from those places (some more than others), they are not my gut.</div>
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My gut is like the bass guitar in a rock and roll song. It often gets overshadowed by other instruments in the band, and you often have to really listen to the song before you hear it. But it’s there and it often drives the whole song. It’s a steady beat that keeps everything on track. </div>
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I’ve tried to cut things out of my life that are not conducive to listening to my own gut: Twitter, my phone, my tendency for people-pleasing. I’ve tried to take more walks without my phone and allow time for silence and peace. Our society’s tendency to fill every moment of every day with some sort of stimulation is toxic. That’s why I’m hesitant to get one of the AI machines. I feel like I would eventually defer to it for everything. I am going to hold on to some of those spaces for myself. Those quiet spaces allow me to hear my gut much more clearly. </div>
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That’s also changed my relationship with my faith life. Growing up, I thought of praying like asking Santa for things. I don’t think that’s how it’s supposed to work. Praying centers you, which allows you to listen to your gut, which is probably one of the ways God speaks to you. </div>
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I believe our gut is a conglomeration of all our collective experiences in life. I know my gut has a certain privilege. As a white male with a comfortable middle-class upbringing, I was fortunate enough to have opportunities that others may not have. And while some people may think that their gut is well-seasoned and in tune with the issues of modern life, I know that mine still has room to grow. </div>
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As I enter my 30s, I’m going to spend more time listening and developing my gut. </div>
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Three things</div>
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Jon Klarfeld: A friend of mine sent me a Facebook message that a journalism professor of mine at Boston University had passed away. Klarfeld was my columns professor and probably did more to develop my love for that form of writing than anyone else. He was a tough professor to love, but those were always my favorite ones. I have two distinct memories of him. After I shared my Veterans Day column with my class, he said that he thought it was better than Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen’s column. I loved reading Kevin Cullen and wanted to be just like him as a writer. It’s still the best compliment I ever received about my writing. Second, I gave him a bottle of Jameson as a thank you gift after graduating. His eyes lit up after receiving it. Cheers to you, Klarfeld. </div>
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The Vikings. I’ll admit that I’ve been down on the Vikings the last few years. They’ve been knocked down a few rungs on my sports team fandom due to their ineptitude, and the general awfulness of the NFL. That game last night against the Saints changed all of that. I watched the game with my girlfriend (a Packers fan, mind you) and I was going through all seven stages of grief as the Vikings frittered away a lead. But that all literally changed in an instant as Stefon Diggs crossed the end-zone for a last-second touchdown. Two decades of anxiety and self-loathing was vaporized in that instant. Kelley and I yelled and screamed with joy. If everything else goes wrong with the Vikings season next weekend, I’ll at least still have that. </div>
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The Post- Kelley and I went and saw “The Post” on Friday night. The movie was about the decision on whether or not to publish the Pentagon Papers. For a movie that mainly showed people talking, it was excellent. There is a piece of me that regrets not staying in a journalism career, but I know I made the right choice. There’s a moment in the movie where (spoiler alert) Katharine Graham, played by Meryl Streep, gives the approval to publish. You could tell she arrived at the decision after some wrestling. It was one of those gut moments that changed the course of history. </div>
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Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7586221770673953115.post-65642049500890820942018-01-11T19:23:00.001-08:002018-01-11T19:29:11.757-08:001.4 - Francis and the Lights "Just for Us" <div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Do you ever meet someone and you immediately want to become friends with them? That’s what I felt like when I first heard Francis and the Lights. They’ve got cool friends like Chance the Rapper and Justin Vernon. They covered “Dear Theodosia” for the Hamilton Mixtape. And they’re name makes me think that they don’t take themselves all that seriously, in a good way.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Their single “May I Have This Dance?” was one of my most listened to Spotify tracks of 2017. It’s an airy song with a synthesizer hook that has made me dance in my cubicle on more than one occasion. It’s a song that feels like it could be on the soundtrack to an indie film about an awkward teenage couple.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">So Francis’s latest album, “Just for Us” felt like that all-important friend date where you take that friend-of-a-friend status to the next level. I was hoping they brought that same energy as when they were hanging out with people like Chance and Bon Iver. However, this felt like a coffee friend date where you realize that you don’t have that much in common at all.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The album starts off with a peppy sunshine-laced piano hook in “Morning.” I’m normally a big fan of tracks that lead with a simple piano hook (See Atmosphere’s “Sunshine”), but this 90 second track is over before I can let the vitamin D soak into my pores.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Justin Vernon lends his auto-tuned harmonies to the title track, “Just for Us.” And while it’s got a catchy chorus, it doesn’t have the same effervescence as Francis’s previous singles. The lyrics sound like a lecture from a father to a teenage daughter. While that could be the case, I’d hope he would have stuck that message into an album that was longer than the 26 minutes. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The rest of the songs are lost in a blur of synthesizers and electronic harmonies, and it goes by quick - the first seven tracks are all under three minutes long, and the longest is 3:26. There’s no killer single that I want to put on repeat and dance to, nor is the album deep enough to make me want to get lost in. It’s the coffee with friend of a friend that doesn’t really work out. Overall it was a good experience, you’re just not sure you want to do it again.</span><br />
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<span class="s1">In the end, I like Francis and the Lights. I just like them a little bit more when they bring their friends.</span></div>
Nick Hansenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02755110035770617399noreply@blogger.com0