Truth #10: I’d like to listen to more music than I do. But when??
Here’s the situation:
During the day, if I listen to anything, it’s CBC Radio One. In the car I either talk to myself, working out some irritating plot point, or it’s CBC again. Sometimes at night I’ll put on the jazz station if Peter and I are chatting, or we’ll listen to CDs while we make dinner, but if I’m reading I don’t want music. Also not if I’m writing. And if I’m ironing it’s probably a rainy Sunday afternoon, which means I’m listening to Eleanor Wachtel. If I have a project, say painting, I like to listen to a book on tape (I once did a whole fake brick motif wall—I know, I know, but it was cute at the time—while listening to a documentary on Bob Dylan). I sometimes listen to music in the bath, but mostly prefer silence in watery environments. Which of course rules out Mozart while swimming. I’ve often thought of hauling out a CD player when I work in the garden but I mutter too much and there’s all that moving around from one end to the other and I hate it when I can hear the neighbour’s Achy Breaky Hearty stuff so wouldn’t want to be like them, aka: one of those people who inflicts their idea of a good time on others. I suppose I could listen to an iPod or something, if I had one, while sitting on the patio on a summer evening—but I’m usually writing or reading again, or listening to birds, or rattling away on the phone. Or sometimes a train goes by, it’s a very nice sound…
Hmmmm. Spelling it all out like this I see it’s worse than I thought. Could be I need a serious action plan: finding ways to inject more music into my days…
Okay. I’m on it.
Matilda Magtree 
There’s something about music in the air these days – I wrote a whole post about the same thing! I guess it depends what kind of suggestions you want. I listened to a lot of Rufus Wainwright this winter, and the National, and Joanna Newsom (although, her voice + harp aren’t always everyone’s cup of tea.)
A train whistle is nice, though.
Happy listening…
Just read your post, Teri. Lovely stuff. I’ve replied — essentially saying that I think it was you in the first place that got me thinking more about music and its place in the greater scheme of things. Funny old world, eh?
Ah, train whistles. Come to Fernie this summer for the Writers’ Conference. The train goes right past the Arts Station where the public readings are done.
The whistle (they actually blow three times on their way through town) are one of my favourite things about Fernie.
Come. It will be fun.
You have trains at the conference?? Well that’s a selling point no one’s ever mentioned! :-)
Seriously, it sounds great for many, many reasons. And I’d love to hear ‘that whistle blowing’…
I’ll definitely think about it.
Well, a train did go by right in the middle of MY reading…huge blast. I have that kind of luck.
Do come. It’s quite the experience. Great instructors this year.
And if it’s hot you can raft down the river…hmmm what else can I say to entice you?
Oh no! What timing. What were you reading from?
BTW, I appreciate all the tempting details! ;)
I’m afraid I have no suggestions for you. I am exactly the same way. I’m so busy with other things that I never think about listening to music, and the odd occasions when I do it is usually while cooking (Abba, Royal Wood & anything classical do just fine there)
Ahh, thank you. I feel less weird… :))