The snow is melting! The snow is melting! I feel like I should be galloping down the highway on a horse spreading the news. Kind of like Paul Revere shouting, "The redcoats are coming! The redcoats are coming!" Notice that he did not actually say, "The British are coming." At that point in the Revolutionary War, most colonists still considered themselves to be British, so why would you shout that your own people are coming? For this and other interesting historical tidbits, I highly recommend reading anything by David Hackett Fischer. He is as objective and unbiased as any historian I have ever read. And it's interesting! It really is! If you ever wondered what rogering is, for example, Fischer is your guy.

Well, it's 5Pm, and I have just finished the meat of what has been an extremely stressful day. Talking to insurance agents, bankers, and tricky customer service agents is not exactly my idea of a well-spent morning and afternoon. I try to pack as much as possible of these tasks into one day a month. No use letting them ruin more than 1/30th of your time.

Actually, though, there was one redeeming, very charming moment. I was sitting in Wendy's space cadeting through the contours of my mind, when I saw this lovely old couple. He was wearing a World War II Veteran's hat, which, if he was eighteen in 1945, would have put him at 82 years young, minimum. I can only speculate, but she looked to be about ten years his younger. They looked healthy and normal, and of course I noticed he wore white socks with black shoes. I do this from time to time, so I had to chortle at that a bit. For awhile, they were quietly going about the business of eating while looking at their food, which some folks are wont to do. but then, they started quietly talking and smiling, and next thing you know she's feeding him a bite of her sandwich. The strange thing is, it wasn't anything forced or uncomfortable. Very casually, almost without looking up, she just reached across the table and he took a bite. A bit later, I noticed that her foot, the one extended as she sat like a lady with one leg crossed over the other, rested comfortably against his leg. It was such a private moment, publicly displayed, I couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy inside. I can't help but think that all the stress in life isn't so bad if you have some body's leg to rest your foot against. Very nice.

On the agenda yet tonight is making my agenda for my front desk meeting on Wednesday. I always want these things to be interesting. There's nothing more horrifying than looking across the table and seeing a wall of glazed looks staring back at you. And this is the hotel business. It shouldn't be that boring. Sure there's operational stuff, procedural crap to go over, but mostly it's just for team spirit and motivation (no The Office jokes..... oh, okay, go ahead, I would too).

Thus, I do try my level best to create a loose, off-the-wall atmosphere. I think a lot of people think I'm odd and silly and maybe a bit beyond the pale. I don't mind. I use many historical quotes and strange anecdotes to try to get my points across. I'd rather you figure it yourself than have me explain it to you. It's great, though it does not happen often, when someone infers what they should now just based on my endless stories. I do use some Tony Robbins type motivation. I am definitely not against it. No matter how corny it is, the message will come across if you repeat it often enough. So even though most people might think I'm ridiculous, and even if nobody understands my methods, they usually do work. And as long as I can see the intended effect, I'm okay with it. And if there has to be pressure and stress, I want it. Bring it on. My work is my second family, sometimes my first, and I need in my soul for things to go smooth. I try with all my might, though I often fail, to bring my mantra of live, love, laugh, labor with me everyday. So wish me luck putting together this meeting.

On the music front, I am almost certainly now going to the Killers concert in Cleveland on May 6. I am ridiculously excited, but it seems soooooooo far away!! I am going with a concert veteran, and he assures me that we will be leaning against the rail in the front row. He has asked me several times if I'm sure I am ready for this adventure. There will be long hours of waiting around, long hours of standing, running, and perhaps even holding your place at the rail. And this is supposed to deter me? Do you know who you're talking to?

The Killers are indeed my favorite band at the moment. Have you ever thought of music as a soundtrack to your life? It seems as though everything I see, and everything I perceive, could fit well in a video for a Killers song. This is an amazing phenomenon. It's not just what you see, but how you see it. The way the leaves blow in the trees, the thoughts that cross your mind as you drive by a gas station or a supermarket, the process that takes you down one road and not another. They are different for each of us. A great band is almost like a best friend. There is a feeling of sameness, that you are not alone in the world, almost a feeling of justification.

I also found an interesting tidbit of unconfirmed information that you are not likely to find on fan club pages for the Killers. I find brilliance and I seem to have a need to try to figure out how the writer came to the use of whatever particular words came about. And so, Brandon Flowers happens to mention Moon River in Dustland Fairytale (Moon River, what you do to me). So what did it do to you, Mr. Flowers, you genius, you? So here are the lyrics for Moon River, which I found out, is from the Audrey Hepburn (my favorite old-time actress) film Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend,
my huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.

Wow!!! Humbling, really. Now, the cool and unusual thing that I discovered is that Dustland Fairytale is not the only song on Day and Age with a reference to that film and this song. Spaceman, as well, seems to have been influenced in some way by her words.

Song maker says it ain't so bad
Dream maker's gonna make you mad
Space man says, "Everybody look down, it's all in your mind."

How 'bout that? I'll be interested to see if I can find more good stuff. This is like discovering a treasure chest for me! I am not sure how much you needed to know that, but consider yourself informed. And at least not you have an idea of the odd affliction I am subject to living with a mind such as mine!

Cheers!