Sunday, January 25, 2009

I was surprised and mawkishly heartbroken




I've relaxed these last few days by playing Rock Band 2 with my wife, in preparation for a Rock Band Party next weekend. This is a portentous occasion, and must be treated with deadly seriousness. Far be it from me to let the beat.. umm.. drop?

(Though it's perfectly acceptable to turn the beat around. Go figure.)

In the face of such crippling responsibility, only one thing will do: I have to get my groove back.

And in the middle of brushing up on my drums, with Colleen rocking vox, I was struck by a THOUGHT of striking resonance and clarity. After a moment, I realized it wasn't one of mine - that, in fact, it was a QUOTE. From a BOOK.

The book is Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, and the quote is thus:


"Dr. Breed was interrupted by whispers in his outer office, whispers loud and portentous. They were the sounds of the Girl Pool.

The girls were preparing to sing in the outer office.

And they did sing, as Dr. Breed and I appeared in the doorway. Each of about a hundred girls had made herself into a choirgirl by putting on a collar of white bond paper, secured by a paper clip. They sang beautifully.

I was surprised and mawkishly heartbroken. I am always moved by that seldom-used treasure, the sweetness with which most girls can sing."

- Rook

2 comments:

  1. It's my terrible fetish - that I love to hear my wife sing. It's perfectly normal, I suppose, but it's something that sounds weird when you come right out and say it.

    Right after I posted, my wife asked me: "What did you blog about?"

    I was non-committal. "Oh.. Rock Band"

    "What about Rock Band?"

    I had to think fast.

    "Um... about how I am a big rock star and everyone loves me and how I am going to play wicked cool solos on an electric guitar and get FIVE STARS on every SONG."

    Phew. That was a close one. My secret's safe for another day!

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