Let's Begin


Pollen covered car

In the spring and fall, I tend to get a little itchy.  Part of it is a mental itch to move into the next season - or to get out of one and into another.  In early spring, I want winter to be OVER.  In fall I want it to cool the hell off.

But that's just part of it - I am somewhat affected by pollen.  And living here in the South as I do, we get a lot of pollen.  Some of it is innocuous - in fact, the stuff you see, the thick dust that covers everything is from pine trees, and is apparently non-allergenic. 

It's the stuff you can't see that's a problem.  It makes my head feel like it's full of feathers, live bees and rubber cement - sometimes separately, sometimes all at once.

But then, too - there's my skin.  Yesterday, my skin all felt too tight.  Which, you know - happens, I think.  I noticed last night that some of the skin on my hands is peeling off.  So, I'm molting.  Ecdysis, they call it with snakes.  


I'm shedding my skin.  Which is good - it's sign of growth and renewal, which is in line with me itching for spring.  

Related, both directly, and tangentially is the idea of a song that gets you pumped up.  One of my co-workers was sharing her "get pumped" - a throaty growl of a piece called "Good As Hell" by Lizzo.    It is, as the title indicates, good (as hell).  

I have a handful of get pumped songs.  They tend toward pop hits of the 70s and 80s.  

- Tubthumpers by Chumbawamba

- Bang a Gong by T Rex

- Eye of the Tiger by Survivor

- Mickey by Toni Basil

- Walkin' on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves

and specific to the topic at hand (and of molting hands)

 - Sell My Soul by Midnight Oil

Both Tubthumpers and Sell My Soul are both kind of "stick it to the man" anthems - sort of.  I adopted both in reaction to some frustration both general and specific to my life at the time.  

Bang a Gong, Walkin' on Sunshine and Mickey are all "pre-party, I want to feel upbeat" songs.

Eye of the Tiger is kind of more the former category than the latter.  There is a scene in the animated film Persepolis where the protagonist has an epiphany and her reaction is set to that song.  I highly recommend the film - here's a taste:



So, I'm shedding my skin, and getting pumped for a new season, both literally, and I believe emotionally.  I like where I've been, and I like where I'm going - which, as these things go, is a good, good thing.

ae

PS - Since you may not want Eye of the Tiger as your earworm, here's a little audio palate cleanser:





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