While it is possible, in theory, to spread a Melrose cheese wedge on a cracker using a fork, in practice it’s not such a good idea. Or maybe I just need more practice. ( 1 )
Part 1 - All Good Things…
I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was a Saturday. He had just packed the last of his things on the truck and we had reached the point of the awkward goodbye. I tried not to cry but could not help myself. He held me tight. We promised to stay friends and to keep in touch.
But of course we didn’t. I only ever saw him once after that day and then it was only because I stayed later then I had planned in a place he had never expected to see me. I was polite, cracking the odd joke. He could not bring himself to look directly at me.
As I drove away from that meeting I remember thinking that I had been right, right to end things, right to move on, right to not have him be a part of my life; that he had betrayed me and abused my trust and that friendship really wasn’t an option. Yet I had meant it when I said lets be friends. He had been a major part of my life for so long that it was impossible to imagine it without him.
Yet on another Saturday, not even three months later, there I was standing in my driveway telling someone else that we could still be friends. Because I wanted to let him down easy.
I managed to never have to break up with anyone ever for a whole 28 years then I go do it twice in the same year and I spew the same silly sentiment on both occasions.
Breaking up is hard to do but sometimes it’s necessary. It’s not the end of the world and it is possible to walk away remembering only the good things and to genuinely wish the other person well even though you might never see them again, maybe don’t want to see them ever again. But how old are we when we finally figure this out? Five, twenty, thirty-five, ninety-seven? Never?
I’m thirty-two and I think I’ve got it but I haven’t had to break up with anyone in years and years so I’m not sure. I’m hoping I never have to find out either.
Part 2 - Do It …
It’s a catchy song, Nelly Furtado’s “Maneater”. One of those songs where I turn up the volume if I can and bop my head along to the beat. But like most catchy songs one hears on the radio it just never seems worth it to buy the CD because chances are good that the rest of the album is, at best, okay but probably completely crap. I thought “Promiscuous” (the second single) was going a bit too raunchy for the “I’m like a bird” singer and I didn’t think that a good thing.
Yet yesterday I purchased “Loose” because I got my hair cut. I was feeling pretty fabulous with my new ‘do when “Maneater” blasted over the mall sound system. I had visions of being the chick in the song; I had to have it.
And all would have been alright if the only song I did like was “Maneater”. Instead I’ve had the whole album on repeat on iTunes and have listened to nothing else. It’s playing while I type this, while I wait for my Geek to get the new modem up and running so I can go back to killing trolls to the tune of “Afraid”. This is an album I can sing along too, dance along to, and cry along to (”In God’s Hands” being the sad tune).
Seemingly every tune is a stand out tune. “Maneater” as mentioned is catchy and danceable. The intro to “All Good Things” reminds me of the Moody Blues (not a bad thing) while “Say It Right” has an updated 80’s feel*. “All Good Things” inspire me to invest in a red dress and a pair of castanets. The lyrics of “Afraid” make me think of a younger me “You’re so afraid of what people might say, But that’s okay cuz you’re only human”. It’s hard to choose a favourite.
As much as I am loving this album it’s only succeeded in moving my Geek to indifference. It’s probably too pop for his taste, Gary Moore and Roger Waters being more his thing. You can decide for yourself by visiting Nelly’s official website where you can give the whole album a listen.
* It reminds me of a particular 80’s song, one that is just hovering on the outside of my memory, one I doubt I have in my CD collection, one that I know wasn’t popular or played to death on the radio but is from that era. I suspect it’s a mystery that might not be solved.