a formula of sorts

Taylor Swift just released her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl. That was not the reason I stayed up late the other night but certainly could have been why my little girl did. 8/12 songs have the E! But on my daughter's devices, she says that the explicit versions are grayed out and she can find clean versions. Hmmm... Love her or hate her (is she polarizing?), Taylor Swift is a force in music and pop culture and she is here to stay. I think she said this album is basically a snapshot of where her life is today.

What is my life today and what does the day look like? Weekdays start with school drop off, then a few hours, sometimes the entire morning spent writing. I grab a coffee and some breakfast somewhere along the way. I'll practice. Maybe I'll work on an arrangement, record and see how it sounds. I stick a walk break somewhere in there, maybe get some laundry started if I know I won't be recording for the next hour or two. Then it's time for school pick up. I typically kind of just hang out with my daughter after she comes home from school. We might have a snack together. She does homework, I make dinner. I watch the evening news, Jeopardy, sometimes get in an evening stroll. Remove school drop off and pick up on weekends and Yom Kippur (no school). Add an hour for hair and makeup if I have to go out not in my sweats. Doesn't sound too bad, right? With ample time to make connections and listen to music. There's always music somewhere, even if it's just in my head.

For writing, I sometimes feel like I had unintentionally started adhering to a formula of sorts. One visual cue (a picture to include with the post), an anecdote or two, insert random thoughts, connect with something for the project. I didn't want that to become a crutch for the daily writing. The structure is necessary and makes me look less scatterbrained but I have to admit, sometimes the ideas come racing at me and it takes a hot minute to organize them all into little essays. I might start several different drafts with subjects I want to develop but when they come to me and I'm not near my computer, I jot them down as notes on my phone. I've basically composed at least one entire post on my phone that just needs a clean up before publishing. 

I love the equipment show and tell. It's not everyday and I probably should limit it to once a week? Yeah, but then that's formula again. This is the age of not adhering to formula! The star of the show isn't immune to being sacrificed, the guy doesn't always get the girl and sometimes, the aliens win. So, I'm going to go with the flow and show when there is something to show. Tell when there is something to tell. Today, I'm going to show you my brand new mouse! 

This is a bluetooth mouse, Oooooh. It's pink (blush?) and matches my mouse pad. Oooooh. My daughter saw it and was like, can I touch it? One day it will be hers, if she needed it. Did I actually need it? I have so many of these things but this one is different because it's not usb. No dongle necessary. I had actually inquired about a mouse that had a usb-c connector because the MacBook doesn't have regular usb and I had been using an adapter and it looks like my computer has a tail. No more tail! We have evolved.

Playlist Recommendation: The Life of a Showgirl (E), Taylor Swift featuring Sabrina Carpenter