Random Notes Volume XIV

I’ve taken to doing speed work in the mornings. Basically, I sprint a quarter mile, then recover for a half mile, then do it all again. It’s supposed to make me faster, and thinner; alternating intensity helps one lose weight faster than a steady pace.

This morning, as I rounded the top of The Reservoir, The Fray’s “Over My Head” blaring in my ears, I looked down on the hazy skyline, and felt a huge sweep of emotion. If I hadn’t been in a full-on sprin, I might have started crying.

In a good way.

Walking back from H&H and Starbuck’s, I thought to myself, “It’s all about the anthemic rock these days.” If I’ve listened to The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” once in the last few weeks, I’ve listened to it a thousand times. Songs like these are key. They’re broad, sweeping, and mid-tempo — like my life. Anyway, here’s an excerpt of this morning’s playlist:

Begin The Begin – REM
Over My Head – The Fray
Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
This Is Your Life – Switchfoot
Lady With The Spinning Head – U2

Truth is — the practical specifics of wedding planning, the merge and move notwithstanding — everything is copasetic… as soon as I get home from work. Here at The Network Of Fun, we’re stradling a paradigm shift (as evidenced by yesterday’s big Viacom/YouTube news). To that end, I find my packet of take-home reading getting thicker and thicker. Here’s last night’s:

The Web 2.0 Bubble (Atlantic Monthly)
Media’s Focus Narrowing, Report Warns (LA Times)
Has Success Spoiled NPR? (The Washingtonian)
At Google, The Search Is On For A New Approach to Old Media
Hip-Hop Is Rock ‘n’ Roll, And Hall Of Fame Likes It (NY Times)
YouTube’s Fate Rests On Decade-Old Copyright Law (ZDNet)
The White-Castle Ceiling (NY Magazine)

I’m not complaining. It’s all good. I keep having these moments where I’m rushing through the city, and the light’s just right, and the music’s just right, and I look around a think, “Huh, look at you. Who’d have guessed? You’ve kinda’ turned out allright.”