And now the song that you’ve all been waiting for since I began the “Plague Songs” series in March of 2020 – a song that, despite your eagerness to hear my rendition, you have not requested. Not even once! With thanks for your patience, here’s the song made famous by Maurice Chevalier, back in 1930 –…
Category: Hope
“a nest of trying”: the pandemic at 500 days
If your plague began (as mine did) on March 14 2020, then today is day 500 of our plague era. (If it didn’t, then adjust your count accordingly.) As I noted at plague day 250, very early on I decided that day 500 would be the end of the plague. I know that the plague…
Get back up again. #PlagueSongs, no. 34
The plague is, alas, not yet over. So, I’ve recorded another Plague Song. Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping,” a massive pop hit in 1997. I chose this song because of the lyric’s central contribution to our collective human wisdom: when one gets knocked down, it is generally advisable to get back up again. Or, as Chumbawamba’s lyricist more…
That’s what storms were made for. #PlagueSongs, no. 32
Another of the great happy-sad songs, though – on balance – happier than sad. Introduced by Bing Crosby in 1936, it has music by Arthur Johnston and the lyrics by Johnny Burke (who also wrote the lyrics to “Swinging on a Star,” another hit for Crosby). You likely know the chorus, but not the prologue. I…
What’s Your COVID-19 Routine? Part 5
Back by (not especially) popular demand! It’s the fifth and final episode, in which I share five things keeping me going during the pandemic. As noted previously, what works for me may not work for you, and indeed may not be available to you. If you feel so moved, do share what’s keeping you going!…
What’s Your COVID-19 Routine? Part 4
At long last, here is Part 4 of “What Is Your COVID-19 Routine?” (Links to Parts 1 through 3 are at the end of this post.) I did the first three every other week, but… that was not sustainable. So, I have switched to roughly once a month. Since the U.S. has no plan to…
What’s Your COVID-19 Routine? Part 3
Here’s the third –Â and possibly final –Â video in my “What Is Your COVID-19 Routine?” video series. These have been fun to make! I hope you’ve found them helpful and/or entertaining, as we all navigate this new world together (separately). Here are links to the charitable organizations named in the video: Second Harvest Camp Read-A-Rama World…
What’s Your COVID-19 Routine? Part 2
I’m back with 5 more things I am doing to keep myself going during the pandemic. (If you haven’t watched “What’s Your COVID-19 Routine?” before, may I recommend starting with Part 1?) How are you keeping yourself going? Anything working really well for you? How has your routine changed? Let me know in the comments…
The Bright Side. #PlagueSongs, no. 3
This week’s #PlagueSong is dedicated to my mother, Gloria Hardman. This is her favorite song, her motto, and very good advice. The song is funnier when sung as Eric Idle’s “Mr. Cheeky” character (as it is in The Life of Brian). I suspect the song’s mixture of irony and sincerity is one reason it resonates…
Do Not Touch Your Face. #PlagueSongs, no. 2
Welcome to the second in my series of #PlagueSongs! As I say in my inaugural #PlagueSongs post, Each Tuesday, I will post a video of me performing a “plague-themed” song, very broadly defined. It is my way of standing on my balcony and singing to you…. I am also inviting you to sing and post…
