Rest - Mets - Yee Haw

No run. No hike -- just a day of rest. After yesterday's monumental 80 minutes on the trail, I'm a little freakin' achy! But wasn't it just a simple hike? My first in 10 weeks... not exactly in shape, I am, and used to being out there so my body's gotta adjust. I truly could've gone out today but eh, I'm goin' with the belief that this day of rest will do more good than two days in a row so soon.

Mets were on TV again this afternoon (3 o'clock on ESPN... normal 7 p.m. NY time.) Gotta watch my Mets every time I can! I'm definitely not a nutty fanatic, I don't check league stats daily or collect memorabilia, couldn't tell ya what David Wright's batting average is or how many home runs Delgado has, but I love the Mets. No longer living in the NY area and unable to see every game kinda sucks. I could pay for the cable tv Major League Baseball Extra Innings to see every game, or pay to watch 'em on the internet, but nah, with access to nearly every game from every team, that would be overkill! But since the Mets are the only team I positively give a darn about (vs. negatively giving a darn about the Atlanta Braves who I hope lose every game ever) it's cool that I get to see 'em on national TV quite often. A lot of teams don't get national coverage like the Mets so I'm glad I'm not an Orioles fan, or a fan of so many teams that only a handful of national games while the Mets get dozens! But unfortunately tonight they lost. A valiant effort was made in the bottom of the 9th but it fell short. At least Atlanta & Philly lost too. And as disappointing as every loss is, only 1 team in the National League is hotter over the past 10 games... and the Mets are still the best N.L. team percentage-wise.

And they're on ESPN again Sunday night (well, 4 p.m. in Alaska.)



Donna Fargo

The Happiest Girl
In The Whole U.S.A.

1972, debut album


The Happiest Girl In The Whole U.S.A.
You Can't Be A Beacon (If Your Light Don't Shine)
Superman
U.S. of A.
Funny Face
I'll Try A Little Bit Harder
You Were Always There
Whatever I Say
Little Girl Gone
Don't Be Angry

This is by far not a usual selection for me. I'm not even sure how the heck I even found out this woman existed. She might been named on the Allmusic entry for Lynn Anderson who I listened to earlier this year. (And I'm not even sure how I found her name! Maybe one of the times I've spent a few minutes on Music Choice's Classic Country channel.)

From the same hometown as Andy Griffith, Mount Airy, North Carolina, Donna Fargo was the 1972 and 1973 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year. Hey, not bad. She also won some Grammy Awards but everyone should know those don't really mean anything. Ms. Fargo didn't have a huge career but this album (and her sophomore effort as well) made it to #1 on the country music charts. I guess back in this era she was pretty big. Maybe not a Tammy Wynette and most definitely not a Loretta Lynn... but this kind of success puts her up there.

One thing that stands out about this music is it really is not timeless at all. There's no way Martina McBride, or whoever else is hot in country right now, could sound like this in the 21st century. The fact that it's not like today is possibly what appeals most to me. Not that today's country music is bad, a lot of it's pretty good, but it's often not close to pure country as much of this is. Hearing a lot of these songs really makes my urge to move to Texas kick in, and not in the suburbs of a big city. Country livin' -- cowboy boots and country bars with country bands, jukeboxes with Strait, Willie & George Jones, and men crying in their beer... not that this Donna Fargo album is crying in beer music, per say, but you'd see that in the bars I envision. Texas away from the city where men drive pickups and have dogs and go huntin'.

Of course right after moving to live in such a place, I'd still be me, the one time hippie, mountain climbing, backpacking, outsider from New Jersey in his VW bus. So maybe Texas ain't for me but sometimes, when listening tunes like this, it feels like it.

192 kbps dload found over at DeaconBlues's place