music to rush by to

after our trip to texas, i lost a post (computer glitch, grrr) and couldn’t remember what it had been about and have been a bit distracted ever since to think that i lost a happy thought. i know, i know, i should adopt a more zen-like approach and let things go (like when mom and i worked on a puzzle that weekend until 2 a.m. one morning. we weren’t even halfway done yet, but because we were in a borrowed gathering room, we couldn’t just leave it and finish the next day. so, we tore it up and put it back in the box. futile? yes. unproductive? yes. but, like raking patterns in sand around rocks, mesmerizing and relaxing.).

that being said, i think i remembered my lost happy thought, so here it is! enjoy!

upon arrival at the chicago airport on the way home, there was a man playing a flute in one of the underground tunnels that we had to pass through to get to the shuttle center. he was playing “if i were a rich man” which i thought was wonderfully ironic. as we passed by and down the hall, he segued into the sesame street theme song. i wondered if a kid had walked by to inspire the tune switch. it was very cheerful.

he reminded me of the subway musicians we saw in paris and london. there were quite a variety of instruments and musical styles and it was interesting to me that some of them seemed to have regular spots that they played in. in the short time that we used the public transportation systems while visiting those countries, i could still sometimes recognize that we’d been in certain stations because i recognized the musician or the music. sort of like aural landmarks. i specifically remember one guy in paris who played some sort of synthesizer instrument (looked like a stripped out violin) that added in accompaniment background bits while he played “i did it my way.” is it muzak if it’s live?