Three and a half hours inland

For someone such as myself that feels such a strong pull to the sea, I can't understand why I live a good 3 and a half to 4 hour drive from the coast.  It's all because of circumstance I suppose.  This is where I'm from and where my wife moved to a little over four years ago.  This is now where our son was born and where we have jobs and a home.  Me and my wife share an equal love for the ocean and water in general.  Our  dream is to end up at the coast.  I guess we both feel that responsibility is holding us back from ending up there sooner rather then later.  I don't know what the future holds but for me and my family I hope it ends up with flip flops and boat shoes being worn at the beach instead of in Forsyth county.  Nothing against it here, it's just not where my heart lives.  On the worst day I can be having I think of the ocean, the life it brings.  The ease with which the waves crash brings some sort of comforting feeling.  I found my soul-mate in my wife, someone that shares the same dreams as me.  Now begins a lifetime of trying to make those dreams come true.  One day I know it won't be a dream anymore, it'll be a reality. Until then I'll keep the songs of Jimmy Buffett playing in my head and picturing us on a relaxing piece of shoreline.

Blues music is an interesting genre.  It's typically sung with despair, yet I can't think of another genre that offers more hope.  Now of course these days "blues" refers more to the musical style of a song more so then the lyrics.  As I'm writing this blog I'm listening to Bob Dylan and you can hear the blues influence in his music, words and phrasing.  I think the main purpose of music is to transport you to a place where there's no worries.  Some days for me it might be Ben Harper and some days it might be George Strait.  Today it happens to be the blues, which got me thinking about what a huge influence the blues has had on music today.  Everyone from Stevie Ray Vaughn to John Mayer and G. Love owes a lot to the delta bluesman of the mid 20th century.  If it wasn't for John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and others I wonder what music today would sound like.  Blues musicians are going to tell you their story, no matter what it is, and they're going to have some fun doing, and you're going to have some fun listening.  Don't underestimate the blues, sometimes it may seem like the forgotten genre but it's influence pops up on. The radio daily.

Myth of winter

I believe the biggest myth of winter is that it's necessary.  Yeah yeah I know it's techinically necessary, plus it makes you appreciate spring that much more, blah blah blah.  I can say with certainty I would appreciate spring and summer just as much without winter.  I'll use my "seasonal depression" as evidence.  Today in central North Carolina it is in the mid 60's and my mood is definitely better then what it was on a cloudy 40 degree day last week, but still in the back of my mind I know we still have to make it through Febuary and early March. I know I'm not the only one that struggles with the cold weather and the challenges it brings. I wonder what people do to cope?  I prefer to play Jimmy Buffett and Jack Johnson loudly and brave the outdoors in flip flops any time I see sun.  It keeps me looking forward to the days in July when I'm sitting on a beach with not a care in the world.

Who's "the captain"?

I like to call myself the captain.  I am pretty sure I'm the only person that refers to me as such.  I've tried for quite some time to get my lovely wife of three years to refer to me as the captain and she looks at me as if I've just asked her to assist me in robbing a bank.  I do have hope that our three month old son will one day call me the captain with affection in his voice but I'm not holding my breath.  In all honesty I look at the captain as a persona, a state of mind.  I'm not trying to rip off the whole margaritaville mantra (I consider myself a parrothead too) I just happen to have my own terminology.  Maybe one day my wife will take to being the first mate and our children will be sailors or deckhands, well you get the point. Anyways the captain resides on a beautiful beach, an aquarium with his family, a Jack Johnson concert or in Key West, if only in his mind.  The captain tries to view life away from the working world and the worries that hold us back.  That's what I'm hoping to bring to the blog world, with bits of reality thrown in of course.  Welcome to Captain Zach's world.