My next installment of music appreciation is finally here - I know you all have been on the edge of your seats.
Some years ago I started what I felt was a “guilty pleasures” playlist. Music from the 80s/90s/early 2000s that I absolutely love but judged myself for liking. A mix of rock, alt, r&b, pop, country, and sad songs. I added to it over the years and now it’s 10 hours of pure enjoyment. I named it “Crushed Velvet” - one of my favorite outfits of the 90s was a baby blue crushed velvet dress that I of course paired with shimmery baby blue eye shadow and blue mascara. It was a look, as the kids say. I recently realized I don’t believe in guilty pleasures anymore, I just like what I like. These are songs I would bop to in the back yard with my pals as we went through elementary and middle school, sometimes there were dance moves involved. Songs that were a regular feature of school dances (pineapple apart!), skate night at the roller or ice skating rink. Songs that most preteens and teens either loved or loathed in our south central KS bubble. Songs attached to memories of social blunders and crushes I never thought I’d survive. Songs that remind me of the freedom of Summer. Hope you enjoy!!
And an update about other goings on - I had another mild seizure a few weeks ago that unfortunately came with quite the hangover (in the seizure world they call that the post ictal phase). I think it was caused by doing too much yard work in the heat, so now I try to get out and water in the early morning. I usually get tired and foggy after seizures, and that happened but I also experienced being unable to speak well and my words were garbled for about four days (aka aphasia). It was pretty sobering but thankfully! went away and I can talk just fine now. Phew. We added a second seizure med and I learned that this happens to a lot of people.
So far no more seizures and I’ve been feeling good, minus the typical chemo side effects that started after treatment last week. I really don’t like that one out of every three weeks is spent recovering - I sleep a lot, get intense nausea (the meds help but add to the fatigue), have neurological side effects as the treatment mingles with my brain cells, and deal with a pretty intense “blah.” That’s 1/3 of my life! I’m almost back to my usual baseline and up for being more active. I’ll have another brain MRI in August to see how the radiation worked, fingers crossed!!
Here are some recent photo of our Bee Balm plant and our tree line:
Spending time on the patio with Dan and the cats is one of my favorite things to do these days. It’s peaceful to watch lightning bugs at dusk and to hear the chorus of frogs and insects. There was a strange bug on one of the plants that I learned is a predator bug that protects pollinators, so that’s pretty cool too. We’ve had a lot of butterflies and hummingbirds visit, too.
As always, thanks for reading.
-Cass
I love your musings about guilty pleasures. I honestly don’t have patience for a term like that, either. There’s some “merit” (whatever that even means) in every song, even the dumb little pop songs…maybe ESPECIALLY in the dumb little pop songs that fueled our youth which in turn fuels us yet.
I’ve been all but living in our screened in deck with the cats, and it is perfectly therapeutic. I’ll think of you next time we’re out! Cheers.
Omg, playlist open with "Kiss Me"= PERFECT.
That song always fills my heart with pre-teen butterflies.
I'm sorry about your seizures, that and the recovery sounds so endlessly exhausting.
Love the watching the fireflies in the backyard with Dan (+ chorus of frogs and insects).
I'm honestly so endlessly thirsty for nature sounds like that. Moments like that are so deeply precious and beautiful.
I agree with the "guilty pleasures" thing btw. I'm sure you've also noticed that it's almost always female-coded media that gets labeled such, which just makes me want to lean in that much harder nowadays.
I started making a childhood 90's playlist recently too btw! Also I downloaded yours and am listening rn, <3 I love your playlists.