Mugs

A good mug as the vessel for coffee is grossly under appreciated.  A good mug will trap the heat of the coffee and will radiate heat to your hands on a cool morning.  More than that, a mug can tell a story.

I have a shelf full of mugs, and each has a story to tell.  They provide insight to my mind, to my values, to my history.  I don't have a single mug that's just a plain mug, part of some set of dishes from the department store.  Each was chosen with care because of it's design and point in history.  A few have been gifts, given by those that know of the pleasure I derive from them and the significance I attach to them.  If you're at my house and I get you a cup of coffee (or tea, or hot cocoa),  I will select a mug for you, based on who you are, and I what I know about you, because you deserve that.

My current go-to is my blue Duluth Pack mug.  I chose it on my birthday trip to Duluth.  It stands as a fine representation of that city, a reminder of the value of a Duluth Pack on a canoe trip. It's blue, my favorite color (though I'm more of a deeper, darker loyal blue than this shade).  It's hand thrown, the logo cut by hand and carefully joined to the main body of the vessel.   It's weighty, but not burdensome.

We have junk mugs at the office.  Plastic-ish type of material, and thin.  They tell no story, and heat dissipates from the coffee so quickly it would almost be better to drink iced coffee.  A paper cup from Starbucks does a better job than these do.  The paper cup from Starbucks has your order on it, telling a story.  It's paper, but sturdy. 

Celebration Day

It's been a long time…

The Zeptember project was fun, but writing every day became less of a joy at some point; it became a stressor, because it became something I had to do.  There's a lot of things do  in my life; being a dad, work responsibilities and some other things.  But I had made a commitment to write, and needed to follow through.  That's the type of person I am.

I ended up at the end wanting to take a break of a few days at the beginning of October, and then life started happening. The blog became less of a priority, then nothing.  

I do still feel a need to write, and I know I don't have to write every day.  So, I resolve to write more frequently than the most recent gap, and I'm not just going to focus on Led Zeppelin and their music. There will be all manner of twists and turns.   I think I can make this work in a more measured way than an everyday project.  I have a lot of stuff I think about, and this might be the venue to write it all down.

But first: some music!

In addition to being a Led Zeppelin song, Celebration Day is title of the recording of 2007's Led Zeppelin concert at the O2 Arena in London.  Drummer John Bonham's son, Jason, sat in on drums and did a wonderful job.  This concert commemorated the legacy of Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records, who had passed away a year earlier.  Demand for tickets was unheard of; requests came from every imaginable place on Earth, and only a lucky few thousand attended. 

Hours after the after the concert, the first bootleg recordings (video and audio) began making their way around the world.  5 years after the concert, the official  concert video was released as a theatrical film titled "Celebration Day," which I attended on opening night with a couple friends.  The theater was packed, and we enjoyed seeing the concert in its full digital glory on a large screen. The only issue I had was that the volume wasn't loud enough.  This was a concert video! My ears should have been bleeding when I left.

In November 2012, weeks after the theater release, audio tracks and the concert video were released for purchase. Just in time for Christmas, right?  For many people, yes; but not for me.  However, on my birthday, I was visiting with my friends Sara & Troy and watching the Superbowl.  Troy received two copies for of Celebration Day for Christmas, and gifted one to me.  A generous gift, and one that I appreciate having.

Earlier in the evening, Troy asked me earlier if I liked the show.  After all, these guys were playing a concert many years after their most recent performance; Plant's voice can't hit the dynamics it used to.  I said that yeah, I did like it, even this far down the road.  One of the principal reasons is the advancement in technology; here was a high-definition audio and video track of the greatest band ever, preserved for eternity. Preserved for future fans, including, I hope, my own kids.  My youngest daughter, K, is 5; she loves watching the show (and it warm's her Daddy's heart to hear "Dad, can we watch Led Zeppelin?"

So, if you haven't seen the show, or even heard the audio, take some time and find it. These guys still were really able to rock an arena.

I look forward to visiting you more in the coming days.

Ten Years Gone

If someone asked me what contemplation sounds like, I would play Led Zeppelin's "Ten Years Gone."   The opening bars of the song cause me to stop what I'm doing and reflect.  That theme resonates through the song.

There is beautiful music, and with it some emotional lyrics.  This song again is about relationships; this one, of love lost, and love powerful enough to remind bring to mind ten years later the bonds that existed.

This song is layers deep with guitar. There are different voices; acoustic played alone, which  to me represents the first thoughts that the singer has; the first train of thought that starts a flood of thoughts about his lost love.  As additional voices join in, it's the other thoughts and tracks that branch out from the first.  Each voice with it's own independence, and when joined together form a beautiful harmony.  The thoughts don't ever stop; they keep going. There's not a natural break or stop of a chorus and return to a verse section in this song. It continues to flow.

The  money line comes in the middle  of the song.  These lines cause my chest to tighten up; my breathing stops; I can feel my heart drumming it's beat against my sternum.

Did you ever really need somebody, and really need 'em bad?

Did you ever really want somebody, the best love you ever had?

Have you? Have you felt that?  Have you felt a love so intense that your very existence seems to be in the balance?   This is a love that is beyond the Ward & June Cleaver type of love.  This is a type where you see a look across a room from your lover you know is meant only for you.  The look of devotion, respect, trust.  Love. The smile that forms not because of something someone else said, but because You Just Know that you are loved in a way that nobody has loved you Before, or Ever Will Again.  A touch on your arm as Love passes by that electrifies your entire body. 

I have written this month about listening to Led Zeppelin, and the happy thoughts and sad thoughts, or other memories and feelings that particular songs raise in me.    "Ten Years Gone" evokes all manner of emotions - happyness, sadness, love, fun times, passion - in one song. 

Of all the songs in the catalog, this one is my favorite.  It is perfection.

Thank You

Love is that beautiful of all things.  True love, built on mutual respect, trust, admiration and sacrifice can go on forever. It can withstand the tests of time that naturally occur.  This is the love that Led Zeppelin speak of in "Thank  You."

If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.

If mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.

These lines are so powerful, they are used to open the song, and again to close it.    In this song, they stop in the midst of the pure power the second album projects to slow down the pace, turn down the volume and send across a simple message: I Love You.

The love he speaks of is simple, pure love. Pure devotion.  Simple, unconditional love.  How love can be; the ideal.  Love that is not complicated by financial or parenting or work issues.  It's not a false feeling, or taken for granted.  Love transcends the wrongs, the rough spots, and endures forever. 

The Rain Song

I have a degree in teaching mathematics.  To earn the degree, I had to take a bunch of education classes, but also earn the equivalent of a math degree, which meant learning all number of mathematical terms.  One term is in the title of the blog: quotient.

A quotient is the result of a division problem.  The quotient is determined by seeing how many times a number, the divisor, can divide into the other number, which is called the dividend.   So, in the example 8 divided by 2, 8 is the dividend, 2 is the divisor, and the quotient is 4.

The title of this blog derives (another math term!) itself from a line in Led Zeppelin's "The Rain Song." 

This is the mystery of the quotient

Upon us all, a little rain must fall

"The Rain Song" is a beautiful song, and one of my favorites by Led Zeppelin.  The beautiful music, accompanied by beautiful words, describing that of different seasons or phases of a relationship.  Spring: new love; Summer: hot, fiery love; Coldness of the winter: hurt and rejection.  

Tis song is filled with emotion.  When he speaks at the end of the song of the mystery of the quotient, he speaks to me of the results revealed by division, or separation.   

When I was going through the separation with my then wife, I had a realization one morning that this may not be as bad as I was making it out to be.  I was at church and my pastor was speaking about the creation view presented in the Bible, where God formed the earth.  The first things that he did was separate the light from the darkness. Then he separated the water from the land; then separated the land from the sea. 

If the first things he did was separate, then for me, I realized, being in a separation may not be such a bad thing. I was learning about myself; how I tick, the things that were most important to me, what could be considered trivial and not as important as I thought they were.  I realized what a jerk I was being, being selfish and critical and rude and inconsiderate towards others, especially those I knew were most important to me.  I had taken them for granted.

While my division with my then wife was brought the rain fall:  sorrow and sadness,  a lot of good has come from it.  I'm still learning about me; I haven't stopped.  But the rain times, with hindsight, aren't always bad. The rain brings water, which also cleanses, erodes, erases and smooths things out, and  fosters growth. 

Bring It On Home

I met some outstanding people at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.  Some of these guys became my closest friends. One thing we shared was a love for good music.  Dave was a big Stevie Ray Vaughn guy. Jeff loved MetallicA.  I had the Zeppelin thing going.  The other guys liked Zeppelin, just as I like MetallicA and SRV; we just each had our favorites.

Friday and Saturday nights were nights to sit back and relax and party. Parties for us meant beer, wop, friends,  and music.

I don't remember when it exactly it was, but we fell in love listening to "Bring It On Home" for a while. This song starts out with a great harmonica part by Robert Plant and bass by Jones, as a tribute to Sonny Boy Williamson; slow, heavy blues. Plant dropped his voice down and muddies it up a bit with the microphone he used and some effects.

At about the 1:45 point, the harmonica trails off and the Jimmy Page's electric guitar kicks this song into gear.  This is the point we guys went from sitting around with our heads hanging down and listening to stomping our feet and air guitaring. 

This song is always a reminder of those days, those guys, the time we had and how simple life was.  Friday and Saturday night parties.  I'm glad to still have these guys as my friends.

Whole Lotta Love

There's no innuendo in Zeppelin's song "Whole Lotta Love."

You need coolin', baby, I'm not foolin',

I'm gonna send you back to schoolin',

Way down inside honey, you need it,

I'm gonna give you my love,

I'm gonna give you my love.

It has one of the most famous opening guitar riffs ever; a supreme bass line; stellar drumming; and the famous mid-song orgasm.  That last part is because that is all this song is about.

The narrator intends to give his lover his love. A whole lot of it. And it's because it's what he needs, and also what he believes she needs.  A primal desire on the part of both parties.

I believe men and women were put here on the earth to work, have fun, learn, grow, teach, share, and also to love and have sex; after all, it's what makes more children.  It's basic self-preservation. That sex feels great is a side effect. Or, are the kids the side effect?  (That's a great "chicken and egg" debate.)  

Couples date, hold hands, kiss, fool around, and have sex.  Maybe they marry. They have more sex. Maybe have kids.  Some people step outside their marriage for sex because the other partner is not engaging in it at an emotional level or regularity that the other wants.  In countries outside of the United States, this behavior is even accepted as normal.

Sexual intercourse is the ultimate expression of trust, intimacy, and love.  It's a way to comfort a partner. It's a way to ease out frustration.  It's the supreme gift; the gift of one's self to the partner in the most private way. Bare. Exposed.  Sex should not be used to control, coerce, or punish someone.  Nor should the withholding of sex be used to control, coerce, or punish someone. One shouldn't be forced to beg for it; it should be done out of love, respect, and trust with the partner.

Here in "Whole Lotta Love," it's that primal desire to sleep with this woman, be with her, that creates the meaning behind the song. The synergy of the band brings the passion, transforming this song from just words to a spate of emotion that recreates the experience in an auditory way that is only unmatched by the physical act.