Thursday, September 16, 2010

am I an idiot?

Fleetwood Mac, Greatest Hits:
a sort of green cover on the little booklet that comes in the CD.
I love to do two things, when I play this on my stereo:
1. There are five small levers, or switches, on the front of the receiver -- you start playing the CD and you move the little levers up to the top or all the way down to the bottom of the space available to move them in, and each of the five levers changes the sound, some. Different CDs sound better with different settings of each of the five levers. Bass, and -- the other one. You move it one way and you get a fuller sound, move it the other direction, you get thinner, sharper, clearer sound.

Adjusting the sound takes five steps, five different ones to set.

And then,
2. My stereo allows me to program a line-up of songs --I don't have to just press "play" and let them play in order -- I can go,
"Gypsy"
"Over My Head"
"Sara"
"Tusk"
"Say You Love Me"
"Dreams"
"You Make Loving Fun"
"Everywhere"
"Go Your Own Way"
"Don't Stop"
"Rhiannon"
"Gypsy"
OR
"Gypsy"
"Dreams"
"Say You Love Me"
"Over My Head"
"Sara"
"Tusk"
"Rhiannon"
"Go your Own Way"
"You Make Loving Fun"
"Everywhere"
"Don't Stop"
"Gypsy"
------------------------------------
The first sequence is -- start & end with "Gypsy" and in between start at end of album and play each song I particularly like, working end to beginning.
The second sequence is -- start & end with "Gypsy" and in between program each song I like in order according to flow of sound and attitude.
I am amazed -- dazzled at the technology that allows me to
adjust the sound so it's as good as possible
and
to arrange my own line-up of songs.
(This is why, maybe, so much New Technology crashing onto us provokes mixed feelings, to me -- I'm still dazzled by the old technology, and I feel privileged and so lucky to be able to have it and enjoy it.)
And -- (I've had this stereo for 20 years)
!
I should be blasé and detached. I should be used to it.
But I'm amazed.
Am I a person who's just easily amused?
Am I a person who has the ability to enjoy life with enthusiasm?
Am I an idiot?
I don't know.
-30-

2 comments:

  1. Unfortunately for me I'm the rabbit in the headlights - so many choices I'm rooted to the spot!

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  2. I'm afraid I'm like Phil. Right now instead of using my itunes or pandora or any one of the hundreds of cds sitting next to me on a shelf, I'm listening to Cops coming from upstairs because that's what my son is watching.

    I just couldn't choose.

    ReplyDelete