Anyway, I had to replace my computer and my turntable. Adjusting to a new computer is a difficult experience. It's just not the same! It doesn't have any of my stuff. How can I use a computer that doesn't even remember me beating Grand Theft Auto? I can now relate to all of the hurricane victims in Louisiana. You see, they lost their homes and I lost my Denture/Doorknob MP3s. I didn't have it on CD! Every time I try to remember how "Happiness and Loveliness" goes, I think of my Creole brethren and our shared loss.
The turntable, on the other hand, is, as the French say, "wikd swt." Not letting my great misfortune consume my life, I bravely returned to the business of listening to early John Prine albums.
I knew a girl who was almost a lady
She had a way with all the men in her life
Every inch of her blossomed in beauty
And she was born on the fourth of July
Well she lived in an aluminum house trailer
And she worked in a juke box saloon
And she spent all the money I give her
Just to see the old man in the moon
I used to sleep at the foot of Old Glory
And awake in the dawn's early light
But much to my surprise
When I opened my eyes
I was a victim of the great compromise
-John Prine "The Great Compromise"
That song is about a faithless lover who shared my birthday, and it bothers me a bit. You see, most astrology books really hate cancers. They say we're weepy and clingy and obnoxious. Even when they try to say something nice, it's usually backhanded, like when they say we're "sensitive." In my experience, sensitivity is a trait that people think is admirable, unless they actually know someone who really is sensitive. The one genuine positive they say for cancers is that we're very loyal. Granted it's a mixed blessing (we're depressing, desperate emotional wrecks, but at least you can't get rid of us) but it's better than nothing. It's like the song is trying to take that away from us.
Last night, I fell asleep listening to the Velvet Underground's eponymous album. The song "Pale Blue Eyes" always reminds me of Joanna. In my half-consciousness, I could see her eyes in my mind. As I gently sighed, I reminded myself that I'm not in love with her. It's something I have to remind myself of often, because it's very easy to forget.
Please do not extract your heart and stomp upon it at show and tell. I would cry.