superb owl

another in the Sunday Seven series

My phone was blowing up last Sunday as I was driving from Logan to the hotel I stay at near my office in Lexington. Everyone I know wanted me to be aware that Dawes was opening the Grammys. I very much appreciated that, and I was aware of it, thank you, but there was no way I was going to get checked in and to my room on time. I knew I’d be able to catch it later.¹ It’s more than a bit bittersweet that my favorite working band is finally starting to get some wider attention. I’m sure they’d happily go back to their previous level of obscurity if it meant they could get their homes and studio back. They’ve kind of become the unofficial face of the artists impacted by the Altadena fire. Anyway, if you’re curious and want to check them out, I have an Essential Dawes playlist.²

That Grammy performance featured Dawes with some all-star help covering Randy Newman’s “I Love LA.” It was fantastic, even if Taylor should have taken the solo instead of Brad Paisley. That’s one of Newman’s many brilliant songs, though I have to wonder if people have really listened to the lyrics. It’s not exactly a flattering portrayal of Los Angeles or its culture. “The Santa Ana winds blowing hot from the north” is not a pleasant experience. “Look at these women–ain’t nothing like ’em nowhere” seems to be an observation on artificiality. The thoroughfares he shouts out—Century, Victory, and Santa Monica Boulevards, and Sixth Street—are nobody’s idea of scenic drives. The bum on his knees is not posing in gratitude. Randy has a whole catalog of songs from the point of view of an obnoxious narrator (“Sail Away,” “Short People,” “Rednecks,” and so many more) who’s there to be mocked, not celebrated. So, sure, it’s fun to shout “We love it!” after the Dodgers win or whatever, but I think it’s overall a bit like Springsteen’s “Born In The USA.” A deeper listen past the anthemic chorus is in order.

There is no news to report on The Neck Issue, though I do have a second surgical opinion scheduled next week. I’m grateful to some friends for pulling strings to get me in to see someone soon, since coming in off the street would probably entail a three-month wait at a typical neurosurgery practice. Again, this is a subject I’ll probably go deep on in a separate post once the plan coalesces. For now, I’m grateful that the medical profession is taking this as seriously as I do.

One thing my surgeon did say was that I’m clear to run between now and whenever the operation ends up happening, which is likely some time in April. So this gives me time to get back into shape and run the Shamrock Shuffle in March. I have run a total of maybe five miles since the marathon, first recuperating from my hip injury, then Covid, then the flu, then two different respiratory illnesses, one of which I’m dealing with right now. 2025 really was a seamless transition from 2024, gotta hand it to the writers for that kind of inter-season continuity. I’ll be happy to get back on the road before I have to be off of it again for a bit.

)Speaking of races, I’m getting a tattoo to commemorate finishing the marathon. I’ve been working with the artist since not long after the marathon. We have some cool ideas for a design. We’re going to actually get ink on skin this coming week. Not sure if this is a one- or two-session project yet. He may have bigger ideas than I do, which is fine. I trust him. What’s money? And it’s not like it’s permanent or anything. This is my second tat, the first one only taking about an hour. This is a bigger project that should take up a fair amount of real estate on my lower left leg, and the better part of a day to complete. Looking forward to it.

It’s funny, when I first scheduled this session back in October, the world was a pretty different place. I remember being aware of a possible state change between then and now, but was optimistic at the time it’d be OK. The thing is, if you just watch normie news, you might believe everything actually is still OK. One morning last week I put on Good Morning America just to have some noise while I was getting dressed for work, and if you get your news from sources like that, you’d have no idea anything unusual was happening in Washington. Vague, antiseptic mentions of change. Business-as-usual, really. Some people are already finding themselves directly impacted, and many, many more will soon. How will they make sense of it? Where will they learn about it? And who will they blame?

I wonder how politicized the Super Bowl broadcast will be tonight. I’m sure there will be at least a couple of stomach-churning moments. The ghost of Leni Riefenstahl is alive and well, and she works for the network that’s carrying it. I don’t really have a dog in the fight, football-wise, though I do have a slight rooting interest in the Chiefs. Winning three in a row would be an unprecedented feat, and (probable) once in a lifetime greatness like that deserves celebration. I’m getting some grief about how there are terrible people on that team, and how some have terrible spouses, and how the owners are terrible, etc. All I can say in response is if that’s your criteria for choosing a team to root for, you’ll have no teams in men’s professional American sports to get behind. If you want a clean conscience on that front, come watch the NWSL, WNBA, and LPGA with me.