Golden Heart

If I shared all that I've done in the past 24 hours and what's to come in the next 24--your head would probably explode. Just reviewing it, mine is about to. In brief:

During my time at the lake from (Tuesday night till this morning) I finished my writing goal, completing a crucial chapter and coming ever closer to an even more important milestone.

Today I had meetings legislative and diocesan.

Tomorrow I have engagements social and political.

I'm having a joyful reunion with the spouse and the beasts. Ruth is trying to crawl into my lap, and Jewel is barking her displeasure with comments being made by the individual occupying the podium at the convention from St. Paul.

I'm struggling with an issue that cannot be easily resolved, about which I have great ambivalence. It's nothing dire or dreadful. Because both possible outcomes are totally out of my control, I'm trying a) not to think about it (much), and b) when I can't helping thinking about it, I won't let myself get stressed. Easier said than done, I admit. Whatever happens, I'm cool with it. It's probably just the uncertainty, rather than the result, that's making me feel weird.

And when I'm feeling weird, music is always therapeutic. Whether it's practising my mandolin, or listening to cd when driving from place to place.

For a long time--long than I care to admit--the disc that's played in my car has been the same one: Golden Heart. It's Mark Knopfler's first solo album after disbanding Dire Straits, and I've re-discovered it. I was working my way backwards through all the Knopfler oeuvre, with and without DS, and ended up stuck on this disc. There are echoes--or rather, foreshadowings, of the styles featured on the latest album, Kill to Get Crimson.

Golden Heart offers up tunes that are are influenced by and evocative of Celtic, rock and roll, blues, jazz, Cajun, Breton, troubadors, and more. In other words, it's eclectic. I have so many favourite songs on this album, it's crazy.

You can read a substantial and detailed interview with Knopfler here. There are audio clips, and a rather good album-by-album guide, solo material and DS. And soundtracks--which I also recommend.

Oh, how I "heart" Golden Heart. Can't wait to get back in the car tomorrow so I can do more listening.

With regard to Amy's comment to my previous blogspot, I can safely predict that a photo of yours truly in The Ballgown will eventually pop up in this space. And I further predict that the Chap will look incredible in his tux...he always does! But this blog is a Chap-free zone, visually, and I don't expect that to change.