So, today’s my last day of work in 2021. The last couple of weeks have been busy with lining everything up for a two week break, but yesterday afternoon I successfully pushed the last bit of virtual paper off my virtual desk that needed pushed, and I’m looking forward to today largely being an exercise organizing the remaining bits and carefully composing my out-of-office email responder.

As for what’s on my schedule for the next couple of weeks? Honestly, not a hell of a lot. As usual, I’m going to do my best to unplug, spend time time some people I am fond of, eat and drink a little too much, relax with some interesting media, maybe make a little music and try to put the bureaucratic stuff what I does for money out of my mind for a little bit.

We’ll see how that goes.

Related to the second-to-last item on that list, I got a bit of an early start on things last night, as I shook off a little dust and played the open mic over at Art & Coffee, both solo and with my eldest kid, who did one song with me, and then belted her way through a tune from Hamilton that brought the house down. Also, I didn’t completely suck, and got to see a few folks (including my friend Schickie who runs the thing) I haven’t seen in a while, as I haven’t been to this one since late summer. It was fun.

As for what this space’ll look like over the next couple of weeks? I don’t know, really. I know I sort of have a couple of year-end wrap up things I usually do, and probably will, but since I spend at least eight hours a day staring at a computer screen, when I’m off, I do my best to spend time *not* doing that. Also, at least for the near term, the weather’s on track to be unseasonably beautiful in these parts (seriously, it broke 70° yesterday, and looks to do the same today), so I’m going to try to get out on the trails a bit, and unlike earlier this week, not nearly collide with a startled great blue heron (seriously).

So yeah; happy holidays and all that, whichever of them you celebrate. See you on the other side.

…but not before tossing out the usual Friday system-generated playlist. Surprisingly prog rock this week; featuring multiple 10+ minute epic symphonies created by the Yes-adjacent. Not sure why; as I’ve largely been listening to Japanese Breakfast and Lake Street Dive so you’d expect breathy female-fronted bluesey retro pop, but…who knows what strangeness drives the Deities of Data*:

1. “American Music” – Violent Femmes
2. “Mrs. Robinson” – The Lemonheads
3. “North Star” – Robert Fripp
4. “Gone, Gone, Gone” – The Everly Brothers
5. “Quadrant 4” – Billy Cobham
6. “Mr. Skin” – Spirit
7. “Brother of Mine” – Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe
8. “The Big Medley…(live)” – Dream Theater
9. “La Villa Strangiato” – Steve Morse, Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan, James Murphy
10. “Sometime World” – Wishbone Ash
11. “Devil’s Door” – Nektar
12. “Is This The Life?” – Cardiacs
13. “Shutout” – The Walker Brothers

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*-…which is totally the name of the boots’n’pants electronica band I’m starting one of these years…