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by PAM
You know, we're supposed to have begun our vacation last weekend but, for some reason, I'm still stuck in a hill of many work-related stuff. This is killing me especially that Christmas is just around the corner... and it's my favorite family occasion of the year, and one that I don't (and never) plan to ditch - 'party ditcher' that I am - until I get to party with the Christmas birthday celebrator Himself in the clouds someday. But, hey, I don't ditch parties 'just because'... I usually do it 'cause I can't 'change gear' fast enough from work mode to party mode. And, if I force myself, I end up being a party pooper, and it's worse! Yeah, too much work. I know it sounds like an excuse but, man, I wish I was just making excuses, too! Oh, boy... the so-called (boring) life of an academic - I'm living it. What have I done to deserve this?? Oh, well....
But back to Christmas and other beautiful things.... my shopping list is still... uhm, that - a list... with very minimal ticks on it. Yaikks!
Alright, we need to soothe some nerves, get on the 'vacation track'... and try to 'fly' tomorrow, get things done, and CELEBRATE! To do that, let me listen to what 'kids' these days listen to. Feel free to listen in... let me know if you need me to pump up the volume...
"...now, I need a miracle.
...I need you right now, so don't let me down."
Wow, I have to say, that sounds good. It's 'straightforward', just-fun sort of good... but it works. Maybe that's the secret of capturing kids' attention these days: 'straightforward', no drama, embellished with all that tech stuff but with a simple message that sticks. They have a very "noisy" world as it is, and they're constantly moving from one frame of mind to the next... if we want to populate one frame with our message, we need to do it fast and catchy, and solid! With luck, they'd give us a double take... I think they call that "hit".
Here's another one - from that Canadian 'boy wonder', Shawn Mendes - that I kept listening on the radio for the past how many months...
...I need you right now, so don't let me down."
Didn't that sound great? So, is it easier for us, '80s people, now to understand why kids these days love the Chainsmokers? But, nah, I'm not going to go through the lyrics and the meaning of the song, and all that - a very '80s person thing to do, too. Right now, let me say just that I like the sound of this song.... and this, too...
"So, baby, pull me closer
in the backseat of your Rover that I know you can't afford...
...we ain't ever getting older."
Wow, I have to say, that sounds good. It's 'straightforward', just-fun sort of good... but it works. Maybe that's the secret of capturing kids' attention these days: 'straightforward', no drama, embellished with all that tech stuff but with a simple message that sticks. They have a very "noisy" world as it is, and they're constantly moving from one frame of mind to the next... if we want to populate one frame with our message, we need to do it fast and catchy, and solid! With luck, they'd give us a double take... I think they call that "hit".
Here's another one - from that Canadian 'boy wonder', Shawn Mendes - that I kept listening on the radio for the past how many months...
"...and you're spending all your time in this wrong situation...
...I know I can treat you better than he can."
Hmmm... now, that sounds good, and the message of the song is quite deep, too, considering it was sang by a 17-year-old boy. Mendes, of course, turned 18 years old recently, but that is still terribly young to be making the kind of music he makes, and the way he makes it. Not bad at all!
Didn't I say I'd like to relax? Alright then, I'll stop 'analyzing' these songs, and just enjoy... and, from now on, I'll start recalling what it's like to have real fun... and really enjoy the holidays - academic person I may be and all that! Dang, I give my fellow academic people a very bad name!
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Video credit: Thanks, YouTube, for the video links.
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