Tag Archives: Memoir

Rock On!

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I have five alarms set on my phone. They’re not for waking me up in the morning, since I have an established sleep cycle where I’m in and out of bed at the same time every day (a routine I’ve had for as long as I remember). Rather, the alarms inadvertently do the opposite: they keep me awake by building excitement. Whenever I watch the seconds tick by, I know it shortens the time until the alarms will eventually erupt on five different days scattered throughout the year, proclaiming that it’s finally time to rock and roll at a concert. Given my blatant enthusiasm, it’s unsurprising that this will be a post dedicated to headbanging-worthy music.

Image of a concert from the crowd.
Photo by Nainoa Shizuru on Unsplash

It may sound paradoxical, but I tend to find comfort in cranking up rock and metal music to thunderous levels. While some people likely believe that rattling my eardrums to those genres, particularly the latter, only provokes an agonizing atmosphere, I find that it eases whatever’s unpleasant — such as the sniffles and sneezes brought by the impending allergy season — by way of catharsis. Concerts especially amplify that buoyancy, typically cultivating a bond that’s shared among the people you’re cavorting shoulder to shoulder with.

The recommendations below, some of which are not-so-subtle hints at the concerts I’ll be attending, are written by/about artists or bands that my ears find pleasant. If you’re looking for some adrenaline to get through these final weeks of winter, perhaps these titles will pump you up with a hefty dose of ebullience.

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One Library Gal’s Obsession with Jeopardy

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Cover-image-for-Alex-Trebek's-autobiography-The-Answer-Is

It’s hard to say exactly when I became a die-hard fan of Jeopardy. Growing up, I dabbled here and there. Catching an episode with my parents, flexing my general knowledge skills for the family (there’s a reason why my specialty here at VPL is general services). It turns out there are some benefits to a liberal arts degree after all. In all seriousness, I love the approach the show takes to trivia, which mirrors the general trivia ethos, if you will. The questions can be about almost anything, covering wide swathes of subjects, time periods, historical movements, cultures, and geographies. The value is in knowing a bit about many things, versus doing a deep dive into one limited area. Somewhere along the way (and I think COVID had something to do with this), we started recording every single episode. Now, there is a cache of riches just waiting for us in our PVR all the time. The goal is to watch an episode every day, but sometimes things get in the way: illness, vacations, plans, etc. Most days, I like to turn it on just as we’re sitting down to supper. It’s a lovely accompaniment to a nice piece of salmon or a tofu stir fry. During the lockdown, we watched daily. I remember tracing the trajectory of Alex Trebek’s illness. From the moment he disclosed his diagnosis and the fact that he would be undergoing aggressive treatment, to the minuscule changes in his appearance that would appear from one episode to the next. It was heartbreaking, of course, but there he was hosting the show nonetheless. Such an impressive individual in so many ways. My dream is to be on the show as a contestant. That would be everything to me, but who knows? There’s a test you have to take online called the “Anytime test.” One of these days, I’ll get that call from the Jeopardy producers, and they’ll fly me to New York or some place glamorous for the final interview. I will wow them with my dazzling intellect, and the rest will be history. It turns out, we have a fair number of items related to Jeopardy in our catalogue. A couple of autobiographies from key figures, a non-fiction book about Jeopardy history, and of course trivia for you to brush up before the big test. I hope there’s something here that tickles your Jeopardy fancy!

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A Couple Comedians to Spread Some Post-Holiday Cheer

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Cover-image-for-Mike-Birbiglia's-film-Sleepwalk-with-Me
Credit: amazon.ca

Mike Birbiglia’s latest comedy special on Netflix is entitled The Old Man and the Pool. The Hemmingway reference did not go unnoticed by this library worker, that’s for sure. I was drawn to see this latest offering based on a vaguely pleasant recollection of his film, Sleepwalk with Me, which was released in 2012. The film was based on his one-man show of the same name and a corresponding book. All three tell the true story of Birbiglia’s troubles with somnambulism (otherwise known as sleepwalking). Apologies, somnambulism is one of my favourite words — rarely do I find an opportunity to use it. I’ve always seen Birbiglia as someone on the forefront of what is possible in the medium. He seemed to be one of the first to incorporate extended, personal narratives in his comedy. In doing so, he creates an impression of extreme honesty and self-deprecation. Since his specials have often originated as one-man shows, they have a hybrid tone. He combines the earnestness and gravity of drama, with the rhythms of traditional stand-up. The set-ups and punchlines are all there — the pauses that indicate the audience should react to something that was said. All the artifice of the artform is present, but it’s balanced by the perilous reality of movement while unconscious.

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