The Accessibility of Music

I was listening to a podcast of a radio program interview with a singer/songwriter on the way to work this morning.  They played a track of hers where she covered a Russian folk song and she also described how growing up in the Soviet Union her dad would trade tapes with friends of famous western music groups including The Beatles and Queen.  This got me thinking about the world that the Noodle (aka the little guy aka the Froggy aka the Turtle) will grow up in.  This is shaping up to be a "when I was young" type post.  However, today if someone wants to hear samples of music from any point in history they can probably find the recording on YouTube.  A few minutes on Google, Wikipedia, and YouTube and one can find any musical genre or genre.  Previously we would be lucky to figure out the name of a song we were looking for much less find a sample of it.  The amount of research that was required to just find a name was probably an hour or two in a well stocked library.  The accessibility of different types of music is greater than it has ever been.  The Noodle will be growing up in a world where it is entirely conceivable that people will not only have heard of Bollywood, but will even recognize famous songs.  Music along with many other things is far more accessible than anytime in history.  

Are you a real fan?

I read this article on ESPN about what makes a true fan.  The article was interesting enough, but the comments were very interesting.  The argument is a common one that can be applied to anything.  Support your local farmer/musician/business first and then support larger multinational institutions.  The idea that American fans of a team aren't 'enough', because we don't go to the games regularly, travel with the team, or have grown up loving the team is absurd.  I agree I'm not a diehard fan, but to be honest I don't care whether diehard fans respect my fanhood.  I support the teams I support as best I can and for my own enjoyment.  I wish I could fly to Barcelona or Atlanta for every match, but that's not practical.  It's barely practical for me to catch matches on TV, but I follow them when I can.  The idea of supporting one's own local side was interesting, because it made me realize beyond the MLS there are a lot of smaller local teams in the US.  Apparently in Atlanta I can get front row tickets to a pro match for 25 bucks.  This raises another interesting question about how I would like our little guy to grow up going to sporting events, but they are increasingly becoming cost prohibitive.  I read somewhere that in Canada regional hockey and in the US minor league baseball is picking up followers, because the tickets are cheaper and the atmosphere is more family friendly.  I don't know about any sporting event being family friendly, but I do imagine a smaller attendance makes for a more personal experience and that will help establish the foundation on which a lifetime of fanhood is based.  I hope to raise our little guy going to local soccer matches wherever we are.

On fatherhood - lessons learned

Some lessons that I have learned in my first month of being a father

-No black ops, covert assassin, SEAL team member, or ninja is anywhere near as stealthy as a father who has just put his child to sleep.  After our little guy goes to sleep I could step on a cactus without making a sound.  I would jump on top of a ringing cell phone to shield it the way one shields their crew mates from a grenade.  I didn't realize the fragility of the situation until I was in it.  

-The only way to get through a 3am poop filled diaper is to remember third grade.  Remember when you would make fart jokes and laugh at a dog pooping.  Reconnect with your own childhood to get through theirs.

-Hearing a baby cry isn't nearly as heart breaking as seeing the tears.  During the first few weeks our guy didn't have any tears and I thought to myself it's not too bad.  Once those ducts developed it was all over and I melted like an ice cream cone on a hot afternoon.

On growing up

Last night we met some friends of ours who brought their little guy over and they met our little guy.  Their little guy is about 5 months older than ours and it was an interesting window into where our life will be near the end of the year.  Their little guy is absolutely adorable, inquisitive, and happy as can be (at least when we saw him).  It did make me think though about what a brief fleeting moment we are spending in this phase of our little guy's life.  This is when he is so fragile he just turns into a little ball and nuzzles into your arm.  This is when his skin hasn't gained all of it's color and is so soft it feels like a cotton ball.  This is when moving for him is a stretch after he wakes up and he just gazes curiously at you.  This is when he can't support his own weight and bobs precariously from side to side in your hands.  I want to hold onto these moments so tightly to remember this feeling for the rest of my life, but like sand it just slips out of my fingers.  Each moment is precious in it's own way and when our little guy is 6 months I will want to do the same before he turns one year.  This is the dilemma of parenting and I can't believe how much it has changed me in less than a month.  As hard as it is I wouldn't trade it for anything and it's worth every single sleepless night.