I had hoped to make a walk-about on Boston today, but decided to relax and get things done that I wanted done before I got home.  Last night I tried to plan out how I could visit New York City--visit Time Square, see the Statue of Liberty, etc.  I decided to save New York for another trip, and then just add another day here in Boston.  I went down to the front desk to ask if I could extend my stay another day.

When I got there, the short and squat woman, probably eastern European or something, was sucking on her lip so that the whole right side of her bottom lip was hiding inside her mouth.  At first I figured that's exactly what she was doing, sucking on her lip.  But then after I spoke to her, she started to click at the keys on her computer and didn't stop.  Then I thought, "Maybe that's just how her lip is."  And then I thought it was funny because I suddenly felt the need to not look at her...like I was being rude for looking at her funny lip.  She finally said something and her face got all normal again.

So, it looks like that's the plan.  Tomorrow I'm in Boston proper and then on Thursday I'll start trekking home.

I've mostly been sitting in a quiet room all day.  For awhile I had the television on as background noise and whenver I needed a pep I'd listen to Lindsey Buckingham.  Anybody who knows me knows that I've been a huge Fleetwood Mac fan since I was seven or eight and pretty much stole my dad's 8-track of Rumours.  Stevie Nicks was pretty to look at, the songs were interesting, the sound of Lindsey/Stevie/Christine harmonizing sounds like something God intended to happen, and the music did something to me--even as an 8 year old--that no other music had ever done for me before.  It made me think.

There's just something about their music that resonates with me.  Always makes me happy and gives me something to think about.  I think most folks listen to music for pure entertainment value, which is fine...but it you listen closely--real close--to Fleetwood Mac, you can tell they approach their music like how a writer approaches their stories.  Everything is polished and crafted so that the subtleties of the music, lyrics and voices play on one another.  The next time you hear GO YOUR OWN WAY, for example, listen carefully to how the drum beat is irregular, and how the drums and guitar play with one another to resonate with the story being told.  It's very subtle, and clever in the context of the story.

The song that I've been listening to is actually not a Fleetwood Mac song, but a solo from Lindsey Buckingham.  It's a good sum of where I'm at these days.  The lyrics are kind of dark and brooding, but optimistic.  And when you add the bouncy bass and quick guitar you can get a sense of his motivation.  It's sort of like the whole picture he puts together says, "Yeah, I'm bummy, but I'm okay, and tomorrow's another day."  Sort of like the lyrics are WHAT he feels, and the music is HOW he feels.  For me, I guess, lately how I've been is that I've lost the music part of it all...and when I listen to the song it's a good reminder that tomorrow is another day and that's what this walk-about is for...finding the music of another day.  I've always been the kind of person who sometimes needs to get as far away from himself so he can find himself again.  I'm not quite there yet, but I do feel unwound.  Like in the song, I'm bummy, but I'm okay...I'm somewhat optimistic and motivated.  Heck, I've even been really, really nice to people this week...and that's a welcome change.

If you click on the image, you should be able to hear it...it's a good few minutes of your time.

For the rest of tonight, I've got some chapters to write for my novel.  I've been working on it for a few months.  Every chapter is told by one of the characters--from their point of view and in their voice.  Up until now, all the chapters have been told by the women of the story...and tonight the men start talking.  So, I'm going to crack open the Ron Bacardi and get to work.