Until recently, I have never really been a Beatles fan. I always associated The Beatles with the bee bop music they did in the late 50s, and I disliked it. Then recently we got Rock Band: The Beatles and that all changed. I realized that I knew dozens of good songs from the 60s (mostly from movies and the like) that were Beatles songs and I just never knew it.

As a consequence of my not being a fan of the Beatles, and my wife not listening to them very much, AJ was also never really exposed to The Beatles until Rock Band came along. Instantly, he was hooked. He bee bopped along with the music and shook his groove thang all night long while we played. Eventually, he asked something he’s never asked about a band before: “Dad, can we go see the Beatles play?” The following conversation then ensued:

Me: “No, buddy, they’re not making music anymore.”
AJ: “Why not?”
Me: “Well, two of them are dead now, but before that, they broke up.”
AJ: “How did they die?”
Me: (Not exactly remembering at that moment how George Harrison died) “Well, one of them got shot.”
AJ: (in horror) “WHY WOULD SOMEONE SHOOT ONE OF BEATLES?! THEY’RE SO NICE!!”
Me: :blank stare: “Honestly, I have no idea.”

I will tell you that since that conversation, I have had to learn about the history of The Beatles, because there has been a neverending blitz of questions from AJ about The Beatles: which ones are alive, which ones are dead, how they died, whether the ones who are still alive are still singing, and most importantly whehter we will ever get to meet any of The Beatles. I’ve had to repeat most of this information four or five times; AJ wanted to learn it well enough so that he could tell other people all about The Beatles as well, and I have caught him more than once telling other people “did you know” facts about the Beatles.

Now here is how I know AJ will have good musical taste for the rest of his life: on Saturday, we went out trick-or-treating on a street here in town where all the houses were decked out in Halloween garb. One of them had a KISS cover band, complete with costumes and make-up. We stopped to watch them for a couple minutes, then proceeded down the street. As we were walking away, AJ turned to me in disgust and said, “Why do people dress up like KISS?? They’re not popular.” Then he shrugged and said dismissively, “They’re dead anyway.” I informed him that they were not dead, and he shrugged again and walked off. I haven’t heard a question about KISS since.

That’s my boy.

And when you are done, vote for me. But listen to this first. I am in heaven. Beautiful. Just beautiful.

While there, I saw something that made Baby Jesus cry. And now I’m going to make you cry. This is my amused face. The 1980s was 20 years ago for a reason.

I blame you, Kanye West. Don’t you bring back long dead trends without good reason. And there is no good reasons for wannabe sunglasses. Especially not in nasty plain plastic colors. You should be ashamed of yourself. I want you to stick your nose in the corner and take a time-out. Bad Kanye. It’s the least of your transgressions, but TIME. OUT.

I have a pretty stellar work ethic (thanks, mom!), so I worked through the migraine on Monday and was going to attempt class Monday night. Nope, it wasn’t happening. Besides being dizzy and afraid of driving, the thought of throwing up in front of my classmates (ala 1st grade fears) didn’t appeal to me. Mmmm nothing says loving like your classmate hurling chinese at ya.

So, I came home and slept for the better part of two days. My family is pretty empathetic, though, all the way down to the dogs. Ever since we got Molly, this is her reaction to my migraines. It’s almost an “I’m so sorry you are dying like a dead cow” face. I think she’d shoot me to put me out of my misery if she could. Thank God she can’t. Who does she think she is to make my choices for me? Living will my white pillsbury biscuits.

A..J. is also sensitive, since he suffers from migraines as well. It almost killed me the first time I realized he was having one. There is nothing like the feeling and realization that you have passed something harmful on to your child through your genetics. As he screamed, I cried silently next to him and held his hand. So, when I have them, he gets the ice packs and checks on me frequently.

To celebrate the end of this “2 day bender” as we shall call it, A.J. decided to take a shower, which is one of his favorite things to do. Not only did he take a shower, but he was busting out the tunes. None of which I can identify. When I was a child, I made up my own tunes, and he does too. They often revolve around how incredibly awesome he is or how no one understands him or how they didn’t understand him until after the meteorite hit him and he was dead and it was too late and how they were all very, very sorry for not listening to him and giving him candy and letting him stay up as late as he wanted. That’s my sweet little self-absorbed baby.

Sometimes, it’s just good to have things back to normal.

I am choosing to focus on raw talent and the way that his music and lyrics connect with me, which is what I always do here. I’m an energy type person and the energy that I feel when I hear the music is something pervasive. I have found a particularly touching version of Man in the Mirror, which is one of the first songs that I can remember.

I know that you are saturated with this material. You are tired of hearing about Michael Jackson. You are looking for relief from the news and his pictures. I want to ask you to give Jay Brannan a chance because this is a truly beautiful cover of this song. While I was listening to it, my 8-year old son, A.J., came up to me and said, “Mama, that man has a beautiful voice.”

He sure does.

The music and how it makes you feel is what matters. Let everything else go because it’s done now. Please forgive me for adding to the noise. This is too beautiful NOT to share. I hope that you enjoy it the way I did. It’s not my favorite MJ song (Smooth Criminal, anyone?), but Jay nails this one. Please enjoy. And then let go, and be at peace and with happiness, and focus on the things that matter in your life. Thanks to each one of you for being a part of mine.

I’m one of those people that can succeed at lots of things, but I’m not the best at any one thing. I work hard and am generally the person that comes out with the “most improved” status on the team. Not the star player, but a sound player who does what she should when she should. As such, I loved music, but it wasn’t my life, which meant it wasn’t my career.

While music isn’t my thing, I admire those who could make it their own. So, when I stumbled upon this little gem, I thought it might be worth your time and mine, to listen to this project. There are infinite timing combinations. It’s beautiful. Enjoy your day of rest, or a day of work. Enjoy your day no matter where you may be. It’s the only one like it you will get.