Monday, January 20, 2014

2013







“Cmon Dad! Being in a flash mob is on my bucket list,” says Becca, 11.

“Maybe," I say (‘yay!’ she screams since ‘maybe’ = ‘yes’ to her)....

Freeze this conversation for moment. 

As I look back on the year, I realize even more that the days are long but the years are short. Becca is 11 so hopefully her list-de-bucket is pretty long. Soon enough I’ll have to figure out if I've crossed everything off mine

In exciting news, starting this New Years I just crossed one off 

I grew a beard.

Yes.

I am a simple, simple man. 


The 2013 Year in Lipshultz: World Domination

The top 5 things I dislike about my kids becoming teenagers

5) Sloth is not something Wendy nor I have much patience for
4) Even when both teenager and I don't know something, somehow I know it less
3) EDM: There are some exceptions but overall, not the biggest fan
2) My voice has has a new inaudible quality to it
1) Ok I actually hate EDM. I was just being diplomatic


Four apps I just invented* for us 40-sum'ins I wish really existed




*PS These were inspired by a post on Don Mills' elderly rant "The Problem With Young People Today" blog which I could see doing something similar 30 years from now. F-ing hilarious. Another favorite post was an advertisement he placed for a roommate starting with "Do you in enjoy shutting the hell up, staying out of other people's business, being respectful of your elders and keeping a civil tongue in your head?"

The Top 10 things I listened to this year....with 'ties' so I could keep it to 10

Listen to highlights here

10 tie) Kanye West  - Yeezus – His ugliest album still has its moments

10 tie) Great Covers I discovered this year

  • AC/DC Tribute Band - Bluegrass, Rock-A-Billy and other versions of classics
  • Otis Redding "Satisfaction"
  • Easy Dub All Stars "A Little Help From My Friends"
  • Scott Bradley  "We Can't Stop" doo wop cover turns it into a good song. Check it

9) Kings of Leon – Mechanical Bull. Best line from "Comeback Story" - "I walked a mile in your shoes. Now I'm a mile away/and I've got your shoes"

8) Laura Marling – I Was an Eagle. Joni Mitchell-ish without the warble.

7 tie) Childish Gambino – Because The Internet. The album Drake should have made

7 tie) OK Go “All is Lost – An NPR Tiny Desk Concert in 223 Takes" - Always Inventive




7 tie) Cold War Kids “Miracle Mile” – “I was supposed to do great things/I know the road was long/But I wasn't raised to shoot for fame/I had the safety on......I cut my ties, I sold my rings/I wanted none of this.”

6) Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP 2. I can’t make apologies for some of what he says but Rick Rubin production definitely has that Paul’s Boutique feel.

5) Alt J – An Awesome Wave. If you quote Where The Wild Things Are (“Breezeblocks”) and sound like Soul Coughing, you can pretty much write your own ticket in this world.

4 tie) Lorde – Pure Heroine and “Million Dollar Bills”  Her hit is actually one of her weaker songs...and I happen to like that one too.

4 tie) Idle Warship -  “Laser Beams”  -  Would have been on last year’s list but Rhapsody lost the license to it and it temporarily disappeared off the list I use to remind myself what I liked. Annoy-ying!

3) Justin Timberlake – “The 20/20 Experience Part 1” – Don’t Hate.

2) Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – The Heist – Don’t Hate. The Sequel.

1) My family’s music

Part 1 - Becca's original songs.  Here's one that she wrote for the 5th grade talent show - taught herself guitar with a little help from Zack just so she could perform it. Holy shit.





Another song Becca wrote on the piano for a Reflections contest - very low fi recording but you can hear the maturity in the songwriting and her voice. I just can't believe an 11-year-old is doing this.

 


Part 2 – The Tape
While helping my grandmother move apartments in her retirement home, I found a cassette labeled “My Life” with various chapters of stories I've heard her tell as line item titles. Weeks later, I popped it in to her antiqued Walkman to check it out. It started with some beautiful classical music which went on for a couple minutes so I thought she had accidentally taped over herself. I then heard her low voice on the tape say “Pop is practicing a new song,” and realized it was my grandfather. The same grandfather who, despite playing all the time from his accounts, I heard play only once. He died several years ago. This was such a gift I still well up thinking about it.

Part 3 – Zack DJing

Zack has increasingly become better and better at DJing with the equipment he bought himself. His mashups are really interesting. One of his more inventive ones was combining “Somebody that I Used to Know” and “867-5309”






Honorable mention
  • New Politics – “Harlem”
  • Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did Last Summer”
  • Catching Fire Soundtrack – Sia, Elie Goulding, Of Monsters and Men included
  • Cloud Nothings – “Stay Useless”
  • Frightened Rabbit – “State Hospital” and “Set You Free”
  • Vampire Weekend - “Diane Young”
  • Brad Paisley – “Death of Married Man/Harvey Bodine”
  • MarchForth Marching Band – “Gospel”
  • The Ravonnettes – “Bang!” and "Last Dance"
  • PS Eliot – Introverted Romance in our Troubled Minds
  • Eric Church “Springsteen”
  • Blackalicious "Chemical Calisthenics"
  • Mac Miller – Live From Space. May have gone higher if I had more time to listen to it
  • Postal Service - Give Up (reissue) - I didn't get it the first time around

The worst parts of the year
This year also saw some hardships. Middle School transitions were difficult. Wendy’s Dad lost his fight with Pulmonary Fibrosis and fought to the end. My 95-year-old grandmother has quickly deteriorated and I think only intermittently remembers us. She was much more 'with it' earlier this year but still had her moments. Not paying attention to how much she was drinking when 20 of us got together to celebrate her 95th, she got so loaded that she basically got up in the middle and demanded to be taken home.



Ok, that part was pretty awesome.


Equally as surprising but less awesome is my memory actually seems to be going a bit too…and I’m only almost 43(ish). People kid about memory going around this age, but it is a real thing and sucks eggs. Being 95, my grandmother has a better excuse – both about memory and occasionally getting loaded. 


Favorite Books I read this year

Blankets – a really unique, very real graphic novel (comic book pictures, but don’t that deter you) about first love, first heartbreak and religion.

Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore – I don’t want to ruin it except to say ‘Ancient Mystery’ and ‘Google'.

Gone Girl – Blown away. I don’t want to ruin it…so I won’t.

Mmmbop Guilty Pleasure of the year

Miley Cyrus "Wrecking Ball"

Best Moment in Sports
Although the Ravens/Steelers game my Dad and I went to was a classic with the wrong ending, the disappointing Steelers season had the happiest ending it was going to have. That said, Pete's season(s) have been amazing. Last year's serial casting and all the PT has paid off as his tiptoing is 100% gone. He has finally regained leg strength...so much so that he actually ran 90% of his 5k this year vs. last year's 5 minutes of running and 40 plus minutes of walk-bitching. He had a great soccer season (for him) with the highlight of stopping a penalty kick. He kept jumping up and down afterwards - still in goal - saying "I can't believe I stopped it." The sidelines erupted with applause and laughter.



Great travel/vacations this year
  • NYC with friends - saw Book of Mormon again
  • With Wendy to Amsterdam (bucket list, check) and all it has to offer
  • Guys weekend at the Greenbriar – beer die, casino, Risk, golf. Inspired me to hold the First Annual Lipshultz Beer Die/Risk tournament at the house in December. There are now many calls for it to be more than annual
  • Alaska cruise – I’m purposely ignoring what glaciers melting into the sea actually means cause it looked so damn cool
  • Becca Odyssey of the Mind World Finals at Michigan State University – Becca’s team that I (sort-of) co-coached won regionals, then states and went to 'Worlds', which I thought equaled the US and Canada. Actually it’s kids from over 50 countries with a Triwizard Tournament-like opening ceremony in a packed 7000-seat arena. They came in 7th out of 50 other state/country winners in their bracket. 

  • Goshen – Like with Zack, I spent time with Pete at a cub scout sleep away camp. He loved the boating, swimming in the lake, fire-making, archery, etc. It was one of the best weeks together we’ve spent together so far.  Note: I do love the experiences the scouts give the kids and do a lot for Pete's pack. BUT I do not love that they didn't man up and go all out with recent decisions they have made. I have given them a new tag line that will hopefully help with next year's recruitment - "Cub Scouts: Now 50% less bigoted!"


And now we finish out with Andy and Becca who have been patiently waiting to complete their convo

"So, yes you can be in the flash mob," ('yay' again) "…..but Bec, you’re 11. What else is on your bucket list?”

“World Domination,” she answers without a pause and without irony.

Look out world, she’s all yours soon.

Definitely feels like too soon.

Too soon.