If I want to be 100% correct about this, I need to state that my Sunday actually started pretty early: Shortly after midnight. When I finished listening to an interview Frank Turner had done with a radio station in New Zealand some time ago. The occasion was him playing a few gigs there this week. Via the Frank Turner Army Facebook group fans could contribute questions and two of mine made it into the interview, which you can listen to here.
Three Chord Revolution with Frank Turner (22/11/2018)
Part 1 of the interview starts around 0:35 and the 2nd part around 1:23. The first question of mine was a sort of random one (top bunk or bottom bunk on the tour bus?), but another one of mine was actually picked to end the interview (around 1:33) Yay! It was about Frank’s favourite lyrics on “Be More Kind”; he had to think about that for a moment and then he chose to answer with
When you’re out there floundering, like a lighthouse I will shine
and my heart exploded a little bit. This Instagram post from early August 2017 after I had heard the song for the first time might explain why.
So, yes I was a happy hyper fangirl around 0:30 in the morning and it took me quite some time to fall asleep. I was a bit annoyed then that I woke up early than planned, but overall it was ok, because I needed to get some things done around my flat. Before I got out of bed I did spend about an hour online on my phone though. Typical Sunday, right?
Put the first load of laundry in before breakfast… Go Me! And then had my coffee in a mug with lighthouses on it, just because :-), while I was eating breakfast with vintage “The West Wing” on my TV. I mentioned yesterday that at the moment I can’t really focus on current shows. I’ll catch up over Christmas at the latest, I hope. And I really need my weekends to unwind by not doing anything in particular. Unfortunately this often enough borders into mindlessly dawdling away my time. Checking and re-checking social media. Daydreaming. Worrying about stuff. Checking social media again. Spending too much time ruminating about the past or the future. Not being present.
Woah, this took a detour into something more serious now, didn’t it? Recently I’ve started listening to Dan Harris “Meditation For Fidgety Sceptics” after I remembered how much I enjoyed reading his first book “10% Happier”. And he and his co-author address an issue I’m often enough struggling with. For as long as I can remember to be honest. That I spend too much time either worrying about things that happened or how I remembered / imagined they happened in the past. And also too much time imagining how or what things will happen in the future. Sometimes in a positive, hopeful, daydreaming way. But often enough in a “Oh no, this is / I am going to fail doing this or that and…” I’m sure you get the gist. I know mindfulness meditation and being more mindful in my everyday life does help with that. And 10% happier is a good achievable goal to strive for, isn’t it? I just haven’t quite figured out how to do this with more consistency.
One of the things I needed to do this weekend was the monthly (November) cleaning of the basement floors. Each of the six tenants in our building has to do that on a rotation, so it’s my job twice a year. And it doesn’t really take a lot of time to sweep and mop that area. 20 minutes tops. I still postponed it till the first days of December *headdesk*. I don’t call myself a procrastinator in my Twitter profile for no reason.
Anyway, I cleaned the basement, had some more coffee, ate a late lunch, with some more vintage West Wing, before I started reading the latest contemporary romance novel I got on my Kindle, the Redwood Ridge series. I like it so far, easy going, easy to read story and likeable characters. Even though I’m wondering how on earth they thought getting puppy with Avery working full time and Hailey being in school and after school care all day was a good idea. But that’s just me. I’m afraid poor Seraph might have just been a plot device. But I’m only in chapter 7, so maybe I’m being unfair…
I also finally got around (or made myself do it) to dealing with our local Greens finances. I’m in charge of that even though I’m not really a finance person. I’m reliable and all, but it’s not really my thing. Someone has to do it though. At least I had some incentive to get it done, because I had promised myself to listen to the aforementioned interview once more. We fans did ask some good questions. Well done, Frank Turner Army.
And finally I’ve bought all the Grace Petrie music on bandcamp, which I couldn’t get through iTunes a few weeks ago. I admit I hadn’t heard of her before Frank announced that she’ll be opening for him on the UK Tour early next year. But I’m so happy and grateful that Frank introduced me to her music and I can’t wait to sing along to some of the songs in Manchester and Leeds. As a straight / cis female I might not be able to identify with all what she’s singing about. But I care about society and people and issues and that’s what I can definitely identify with. And that’s why I’m looking forward to singing along to some of the songs from the top of my lungs and with all my heart.
Dinner – in the West Wing again (I really do watch a lot of TV on my days off) – and now I’ll finish this post. Meditate a bit. Read a bit. And hopefully have the lights out before 11. It would be nice to start a week moderately well rested.