2010 Surrender Mix (so far)*

I'm dubbing 2010 my "Surrender" year. Not to say that I'm giving up or throwing in the towel, but rather that I'm yielding, submitting myself to whatever God wants to do with me and my life.

A few things that I had hoped for did not come to fruition, a few extra burdens climbed onto my back. While the ensuing period of disappointment sucked, it eventually led me to an upward climb towards realization that I was trying to make everything fit into a nice perfect landscape that I had imagined my life to be.

So that's the backstory for my 2010 Surrender Mix. 'Tho I'm not a musician - (whatever happened to those 8 years of piano lessons?) - music has always had an immense influence on me. It's been awhile since I posted my last annual playlist. Here's what I've got so far for 2010, songs that have made me pause or given me a boost when needed.

• Slow Your Breath Down (Future of Forestry)
• Waiting (Norah Jones)
• 32 Flavors (Ani Difranco)
• Fireflies (Owl City)
• God of this City (Chris Tomlin)
• Mad World (Gary Jules)
• Did You Lose Yourself (FOF)

Let's see how the rest of this year goes.

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*Note: Title inspired by NPR's Listeners Pick list, which has several good ones, too.

Photo credit: Google image

A Personal Touch

We had a blackout this morning that prompted an “uh…hello??” call to PG&E. Although the entity on the other end of the Power Outage Reporting Line was a computer with an automated woman’s voice, I was impressed by the personal touch that she tried to convey.

Those people impersonators always make me chuckle when their programmed vocal inflexions over-emphasize inserted words, like, “Your power will be restored at…ELEVEN!...O’CLOCK!!” She then offered to notify me by phone if there was a change in status, or when power was restored, or both. “BOTH!” I bellowed into the receiver, imitating her earlier dramatic voice.

Then she proceeded to tell me that notifications would not be provided between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m., so as not to disturb sleeping customers; and that if I was concerned about oversleeping, she could give me a wake-up call. Pleasantly unexpected. I was intrigued about this extra personal touch – from my gas and electric company? – but since it was the middle of the day, I declined the offer. Maybe next time.

Photo credit: Google image