Hold Steady w/Drink

On the strength of one song, it became one of my favorite albums of the year. And even that is misleading, because I hardly ever listen to the other songs on the album. I just play "Chips Ahoy" over and over again.

It's one of those things that comes out of nowhere, a punch to the gut that reminds you that you aren't a kid anymore. This song evokes memories of sofas that smell like bongwater. When every payday was a windfall. That post-college season of slack, smack dab in the middle of an otherwise industrious life. God, I miss it.

I'm reading the actual lyrics to the song right now, and I don't know how or why I read all that into it. Or why this song sometimes makes me want to cry. And I hesitate to link to the YouTube of the song, because the video sooooo does not match what's in my head when I hear it (even though it cleverly references a certain Monty Python skit, and I'm probably the only person in the world who remembers that particular skit...). But here it is:

Anyway, I got comp tickets to the Hold Steady show tonight, and braved a snowstorm to get up to the lake to see them. VIP comp tickets come with one free drink each, hence... Hold Steady w/Drink. Cute. The lead singer is intense and a complete anti-rockstar. He looks like a geeky Silicon Valley coder doing karaoke on a Tuesday night at Black Angus. In other words, adorable.



So yeah, kids. Hey!

You came home to me yesterday. Wavy took a running leap from the front door, across the room and into my arms, and that made me feel warm and fuzzy. Jakob told me over and over how he loved me and missed me. I can't help but think that you rehearsed this with Grandma before you came home.

You look bigger and older and wiser than the last time I saw you. How do you do that?

Love you, sleep tight, and stick around awhile, why dont'cha.