Happy country

Taking a short break from my data entry task today, to make note of some recent splashing I did in the familiar puddle of country music.

I watched the CMA awards last night, hoping to cheer for "my friends" in Sugarland as they won the Horizon award and several others for which they were nominated. But they didn't win. Instead, I cheered them in their stellar performance, and just in the fact that they were there. They have arrived. They had so much fun on stage, as they always do, and I am so happy for them. It's a strange pride to see someone on national TV that I've heard play so many times, in such small bars, where I was *this close* and could swear they were singing right to me and looking in my eyes. :)

Actually, the whole show was kind-of a "hello, old friends" episode for me. From about '96 to '99, my radio dial was all about country. Somehow I stopped listening to it, though, right about the time I met my husband. He was introducing me to a lot of great new, alternative music, for which I'm eternally grateful. That's how my musical tastes go, really -- always rotating around. Seems to me today's country music is a lot about hanging in there, about good lovin', long-time marriages, simpler times, and embracing, with a slightly embarrased laugh, the rednecks among us. At least those are the songs that speak to me lately.

Anyway, Keith Urban, CMA's Entertainer of the Year, was one of my favorites for a long time. I pulled out his first album and listened to it on my drive in today. (Who needs NPR anyway?) It's a fantastic album -- lots of love songs, some of which triggered my tear ducts. I miss having love songs in my head. Too many daily details pushing them off the edges, I guess.

That, and the Sesame Street songs. I think AJ asked for "C is for Cookie" about eighteen times yesterday.... 'Course, that one IS a love song, if you want to get technical. :)