Hit by a Pitch

One thing my midwife taught me about being in labor is that you save the “big guns” until as late in the process as possible. The big guns, when you’re having a homebirth, are things like counter pressure (where someone presses really hard on your lower back) and the inflatable kiddie pool set up in your dining room. You don’t want to avail yourself of these things too soon, because you want them to be effective when you really need them. Early in labor, before things get hard, you’re supposed to distract yourself from the fact that you’re in labor. I had a to-do list — paint my toenails, take the dogs for a walk, bake a cheesecake. (Full disclosure: I ended up sitting on the couch watching college football all day and then when things got hard all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and scream my fool head off all night.)

The same things that work for labor work for making your running playlist. That sounds weird, but I swear it makes sense. Early in a run, it’s not that you want to distract yourself from the fact that you’re running, but you want to take it easy. You don’t want to bust out the big guns on your running playlist too early. You don’t want it to be all high-energy all the time. Well, maybe you do, but I usually don’t.¹ I don’t want a running playlist that has all super-intense, heart-pounding stuff. I usually find that some slower, less-intense music can make me feel like I’m working out at a less-intense level. This can be pleasant in moderation. I like a nice mix of that and high-energy stuff.

A running playlist should start out a little slow, maybe with something that doesn’t really make sense. Then you build up. Then you take it back down. Then you build up again.

It’s kind of like a good DJ set, which is kind of like sex. You know what I mean?

Anyway, after much deliberation and a little trial and error, I’ve developed a template to use for making a running playlist (or a general cardio workout playlist if that’s your thing). It goes something like this (and of course, all people and all runs are different, so tweak this to suit yourself):

• one intro song: slowish, maybe rock, okay or good if it doesn’t make sense in the context of the whole playlist
• one song that builds up a little
• one song that takes it back down a little
• one or two songs that build up a little
• several high-energy songs that go together — I’m partial to hip hop here, but other options include girl power (Heart and Soul by T’Pau, Gold Guns Girls by Metric, Fire in Your New Shoes by Kaskade feat. Dragonette, Fantasy by Mariah Carey feat. ODB); reggaeton (Siente el Boom by Tito El Bambino, Impacto by Daddy Yankee, The Anthem by Pitbull, El Trago by 2 in a Room); and industrial (Headhunter by Front 242, And This is What the Devil Does by My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Juke Joint Jezebel by KMFDM, Jesus Built My Hot Rod by Ministry)
• one or two songs that bring it back down a little — something different, okay if it’s totally cheesy (More than a Feeling by Boston, Your Love by The Outfield, Sister Golden Hair by America, Wake and Be Fine by Okkervil River)
• and then bring your high-energy shit, several songs — I like stuff you’d hear at a Chicago house party in the summer, windows open, sweltering hot, all the furniture pushed against the walls so everybody can hold up their drinks and shake their asses; also MSTRKRFT
• one or two songs that take it back down a little
• one cool-down song.

And that’s how to create your own running playlist!

Any workout playlist should always be longer than you’ll need. If you’re going to run for an hour, make your playlist at least 1:20 long. This allows for skipping songs you’re not feeling that day and alternate endings. You might want to end on a super-high-energy song (I usually do this because I run my fastest in the last few minutes). But you might want to end coming down, so allow for that, too. You might not need the cool-down song at the end, but it’s nice to have one there in case you want it.

I made a new running playlist based on this template, and you can get it here (for a limited time). Here’s what’s on it:

• Ceremony – New Order
• Away Frm U – Oberhofer
• Lost in the World – Kanye West feat. Bon Iver
• Id Engager – Of Montreal
• That’s Not My Name – The Ting Tings
• Live Life to the Fullest – Charles Hamilton feat. Yung Nate
• One Mic – Nas
• Get By – Talib Kweli
• Bombs Over Baghdad – Outkast
• Bad Girls Club – Wale feat. J. Cole
• Full Moon – Armand Van Helden feat. Common
• The Boys of Summer – The Ataris
• U Don’t Know Me – Armand Van Helden
• It’s Love (Joshua’s Mo Luv Vocal) – Naked Music NYC
• Let’s Go Disco – Southern Comfort
• Can I Get Some – The People Movers
• Bounce – MSTRKRFT feat. N.O.R.E.
• Prisoner of Love – Jessica 6
• Believe in Magic – Jim Jones feat. Lloyd (prod. Girl Talk)
• Don’t Fear the Reaper – Van She

Enjoy, and happy running!

_______
Note
1. The times I do want all high-energy all the time, I listen to Girl Talk. I know I’ve said it before, but it’s the best workout music of all time. Go here to download All Day for free.

Because I can’t listen to local sports radio these days (you turn it on and it’s all blah blah Tebow blah blah, still, nine years after they were eliminated from the playoffs), I’ve been listening to music in the car. Also, Soren likes music in the car. Usually, before we even get down the block, he’s asking for “Dew song?” (dew = more in Sorenspeak). He likes music in the car as much as he hates when you pull down the sun visor and look at yourself in the mirror, thereby besmirching his view with your hideous visage.

The best musical entertainment my car has to offer is a CD player and a random selection of CDs from many years ago when I still bothered putting anything on CDs, plus one I got from the face-tattooed artist himself outside the liquor store by the Unsafeway  (which, for the record, is no longer unsafe). I’ve discovered that it is in fact possible, after many years, to get tired of Wale remixes, as well as pretty much everything else.

The one CD I haven’t been tired of lately is labeled, in Ben’s handwriting, “TRACY THINKS SHE’S THE SHIT.” If I recall correctly, it features songs I picked out from his music library in the early 2000s. It’s a lot of deep, housey stuff — Mark Grant, Maxwell, Naked Music NYC — I seriously can’t get enough of It’s Love (Joshua’s Mo Luv Vocal).

Because this is what I’ve been digging, this is what I wanted to put on my January 2012 playlist. But I can’t make a whole playlist of old stuff. So I took a little disco and mixed it with some Crisco and brought it back — no wait, that’s not what I did. I took a little early 2000s housey stuff, mixed it with some space disco, and threw in a few new things I just discovered today. Playlists (the exception being very meaningful playlists) are always better when you include new stuff you just found and think will fit but aren’t totally sure. I also advocate including at least one song that really doesn’t belong at all. (I was thinking about this today while pondering the anatomy of a good running playlist, which I’ll share with you as soon as I get it all figured out.)

Sidenote: How do you discover new music these days? My two favorite sources are Ben and Hype Machine. Hype Machine can be a little like looking for the perfect dress in a thrift store full of dubstep, but I always end up finding some good stuff.

Anyway, for a limited time, get the whole thing here. Here’s the tracklist. Enjoy!

Update: I forgot a song! Duh! Here is the updated playlist with the song (Stuck by Peven Everett). The tracklist should be amended to add that song at #25, then change Polish Girl to 26 and Contact High to 27. Sorry about that! Attention to detail = not my strong suit.

The last wedding-related things I want to share with you are the vows and the playlist.

Vows

Although I fancy myself some sort of writer, I’m not the type of writer who composes wedding vows. We wanted something more than, “Yo dude, we’re married!” (Sorry about the “yo”; I recognize that I’m a dorky white woman who has no business saying “yo,” well, pretty much ever, but sometimes it happens.) So we turned to the internet, where we found something we liked at Friendly Atheist that was used in an atheist/spiritual Buddhist wedding. Being an editor type, I made a few little changes, plus we adapted it to work for solemnizing our own marriage (we took turns reading paragraphs). Behold the finished product. (They’re a bit long but that was the extent of our ceremony.)

On the journey of life, we as individuals evolve, transform, and change, developing our potential, and finding out more than we ever thought we could know about ourselves. As we travel down this path, we meet many people — some good, some bad, some for only a little while, and some whose path converges with ours for the rest of our lives.

The impact those people have on our lives and the impact we have on theirs is profound and creates a bond, steadfast and lasting, that shapes our path together, and even has an impact on those around us. Now our paths have converged, and we are happy today, not only because of our unity and the unity of our path, but also because we can share that unity with everyone in our lives.

We pledge to help each other to develop our hearts and minds, cultivating compassion, generosity, ethics, patience, enthusiasm, concentration, and wisdom as we age and undergo the various ups and downs of life and to transform them into the path of love, compassion, joy, and awesomeness.

We pledge to help each other develop loving kindness, allowing our love to be our example of the love we should share with everyone around us, and move each other to have more love and patience for all in the world.

We pledge to help each other be mindful of our thoughts and emotions, and to support and guide each other on our path, even when our path is rocky and unsteady, and especially when the path is obscured from our sight and we aren’t sure where to go.

We pledge to help each other when thoughts and emotions may turn to negativity, and help each other see the opportunity for emotional growth in challenging times and help each other take full advantage of that emotional growth so our hearts can be fully open to each other.

We pledge to preserve and enrich the love between us, and to share it with all those around us, generating compassion and empathy for all living beings and striving to never turn a deaf ear to each other’s suffering or the suffering ever present in the world.

When it comes time to part, due to the impermanence of this world, we pledge to look back on our time with joy, a joy we have built and shared together, and shared with the world around us, and remember our happiness and the kindness we showed the world and the kindness we were showed in return.

We pledge to remember the pain caused by ignorance and anger, and to apply an antidote whenever these are present, and to help each other avoid this pain and work toward the welfare of others with all our wisdom, compassion, and skill.

We pledge to continually develop the patience in ourselves that we may better understand each other, knowing that lasting change is slow and requires work and understanding, and to continually seek inspiration from those around us and in our everyday lives.

Understanding that because we are a mystery to ourselves, we are also a mystery to each other, we pledge to continually seek understanding of ourselves, each other, and all living beings, to continually examine our own minds, and regard all the mysteries of life with curiosity and joy that comes with being able to share those mysteries with each other.

We pledge to dedicate ourselves to each other in this life, with body, spirit, and mind, in health or sickness, wealth or poverty, happiness or difficulty, as long as we both shall live.

[Exchange rings.]

The wedding ring is an outward symbol of the emotional and spiritual commitment that we are making, which unites two loyal hearts in partnership.

By the power vested in us by the state of Colorado, we now pronounce ourselves husband and wife!

Playlist

Ben and I both contributed songs to the playlist, then hit shuffle. Some of these are meaningful (Welcome to Atlanta, for example, from the early days) and some are just songs we’re digging now that have no deeper significance.

Playlist: 11.11.11
Heart Shaped Box – Nirvana
Happiness – Mark Farina
Welcome to Atlanta – Ludacris
Simple Kind of Life – No Doubt
H to the Izzo – Jay-Z
Change of Heart – Azari & III
The Bay (Erol Alkan Re-Edit) – Metronomy
You Found a Way – Tortured Soul
Let’s Make Love (Hot Chip Remix) – CSS
Fix My Sink – DJ Sneak
In the Grace of Your Love – The Rapture
Electric Feel – MGMT
Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder) – Maxwell
Flowerz – Armand Van Helden
Electric Feel (acoustic) – Katy Perry
Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
The Way I Feel – Solu Music
Two Can Win – J Dilla
Take ‘Em Up – Shit Robot feat. Nancy Whang
The Cure & The Cause – Dennis Ferrer
Shades of Jae – Moodymann
Love Like a Sunset (Pts. I & II) – Phoenix
You’ve Got the Love (XX Remix) – Florence + the Machine
Pumped Up Kicks – Foster the People
Anitina (First Time I See She Dance) – MAARS
I Can Get Love – Toro Y Moi
Excuse Me Miss – Jay-Z
Yours (Original Mix) – Steffi feat. Virginia
I Want Your Soul – Armand Van Helden
There 4 Me (Soul Bounce (Vocal)) – Mark Grant
I Can’t Tell You Why (DJ-KiCKS) – Chromeo
45:33 (Prince Language Remix) – LCD Soundsystem
Flashback – Jazzanova
I Wanted to Tell Her – Holy Ghost! feat. Nancy Whang & Juan Maclean
Do It Now (Extended Disco Version) – Dubtribe Sound System
Givin’ Into Love – Buckner Funken Jazz
He Is – Heather Headley
Dance Yrself Clean – LCD Soundsystem
Love Make’s – Mark Farina
Is This Love – Bob Marley
The Light – Common
A Long Walk – Jill Scott
Darko – Booka Shade
Thing Called Love (Legowelt Remix) – Wolfram feat. Haddaway
Your Love – Bon Iver
You Make Me Feel Like (Peace & Love & Happiness) – A:Xus
Lights, Camera, Action – Mr. Cheeks
Falling Into (Swell Sessions Boy Wonder Mix) – Stateless
Better Things – Passion Pit
Looking for Love (Kevin Yost’s Fate Calling Mix) – Karen Ramirez
Brian Eno – MGMT
Prisoner of Love – Jessica 6
Changes (Vemixed) – Van She

The whole thing (plus a pdf track list) is available for a limited time here. Enjoy!

This is a day late for being an October playlist, but it might be worth it because I just discovered a few new songs I think you might enjoy. This is a playlist to listen to in the following situation:

It’s a weeknight. You worked all day and maybe went to the gym. You’re kind of tired and grumpy and you’ve been looking forward to the end of the day but now that it’s here, you’re kind of disappointed by what it’s presenting to you. What’s next, making dinner? That’s not exactly exciting, at least not today. (If you’re one of those people who has an orgasm over making cornbread, I don’t think you have anything to gain by listening to this playlist.) Open a beer. Make something easy, maybe salad with homemade ranch dressing and those Quorn fake chicken things. Listen to music. Maybe go online and order some clogs (not Dansko for the love of all that’s holy you want to have sex again one day). Forget about what’s going to happen tomorrow.

As you can see, it’s not exactly groundbreaking stuff. This isn’t a workout or Saturday night playlist. It’s for a weeknight. That said, as with all my playlists, which by the way are made with love, I hope there’s at least one song you know, one song you don’t know but as it turns out really like, and one song that makes you go “WTF why in the hell is that in here?!” And for me, at least a few songs that make Soren bust out his new dance moves, which are a cross between raising the roof and playing air guitar. In this day and age, I know how hard it is to discover new music, so I hope I can help you do that at least once in a while. (P.S. some of this is stuff you don’t want to listen to around kids who are old enough to know what lyrics mean. My life is going to drastically change the day I can no longer blast music that involves oral sex and cocaine at home.) (Also I’m sorry it’s a bit heavy on MGMT. I seriously believe that MGMT’s Congratulations is one of the greatest musical accomplishments of my lifetime. I also wish it was 1977. I understand this puts me in the minority.)

As always, the whole thing (in the right order!) with a PDF tracklist is available (free!) for a limited time here. You have nothing to lose by downloading and listening to this stuff. You might even like it! (Seriously, it’s worth it for “In the Grace of Your Love” alone. I’m about to start a Facebook fan page for that song.)

You guys. I’m not sure what to do about music this month. You might have noticed that I haven’t even been including songs with my posts for a while now. It’s because I’m feeling a little uninspired. It probably shows in this playlist, which is unexcitingly titled “August 2011.” It’s a playlist you might want to listen to while working, cleaning the house, or eating a decent meal (it’s not for high-stakes music situations, such as working out or Saturday night drinking).

HBP Playlist: August 2011

Cameras (Gucci Vump Remix) – Matt & Kim
I Be On That – Childish Gambino
Lonely Star – The Weeknd
Bad Girls Club – Wale feat. J. Cole
This Time (Rivera Rotation Mix) – Lisa Shaw / Q-Burns Abstract Message
Im Nin’ Alu – Ofra Haza
That’s My Bitch – Kanye West & Jay Z
Pumped Up Kicks – Foster the People
I Need You – Roger Sanchez
Rock With You (Frankie Knuckles Classis Mix) – Michael Jackson
Heaven or Las Vegas – Cocteau Twins
Manic – Azari & III
Just Leave Me (Roger Sanchez Mix??) – Box Office
Stereo’s Flava – Hi Fi Mike
Your Past Life as a Blast – Okkervil River
Hungry for the Power – Azari & III
Gene Ciampi – Twin Sister
Blind (Frankie Knuckles Remix) – Hercules & Love Affair
Rock Da Mic – Beanie Sigel & Freeway
Momma’s Place – Roisin Murphy
I’m a Goner – Matt & Kim feat. Soulja Boy and Andrew W.K.
Girls Girls $ – Theophilus London
The Spell (Ron Hardy Mix) – Marcus Mixx

Get it here (for a limited time). The songs won’t be in order, but there’s a pdf songlist in there so you can put them in order if you’d like, although truth be told, order isn’t super important for this one.