And you wonder why we never got involved?

November 24, 2007 - Saturday

I went to see an Ani concert a few months ago and got shushed by a woman in front of me. Eric Clapton encored with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" when I saw him. (If you're from my hometown, "The Wizard of Oz" is not your favorite movie.) I got roofied at a They Might Be Giants show. I was on the list to get into a Cake show but First Avenue was at capacity so I wasn't allowed in. Somehow I don't think concerts are my thing. This isn't the point though. There is no substitute for live music.

What I am wondering is if you can outgrow something you've spent about a decade with. I have been going through a lot of the old music I haven't listened to in years. Predictably a lot of it is terrible -- Shakespeare's Sister for example, who buys that CD? -- but it does hold some good memories. Others I can't believe I ever stopped listening to -- Nine Inch Nails and Smashing Pumpkins are two that come to mind.

In all of this I have been blown away by the number of Ani CDs I have. The woman is a machine. She has put out at least one disc every year since 1991. Some are double discs. And I own almost every one of them. For years I have identified with her music and writing. I used to be able to listen to her albums exclusively for weeks. I feel almost blasphemous for saying this, but could it be that we are going in two different directions at last? I am contemplating taking a lot of her music off my iPod (which is full--annoying!). I soothe myself by saying I'm taking a lot off because she has a lot, but is this the end of an era? Or is it a phase I'll get past?

Anyone else heard of the quarter-life crisis? If you haven't, there is this article:http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Careers/Story?id=688240&page=1
or this website:http://www.quarterlifecrisis.com/

I'm not sure if it's exactly what I'm going through because I don't give a rat's ass about whether I have to go to the same job everyday and I have achieved many adult "benchmarks" as they like to call them. For me, I'm suddenly very afraid of becoming typical. Let's understand each other: I know I am an odd duck and I'll never be typical per se, but I'm working the 9 to 5, married, own a house (in the suburbs--ack! it's almost the city, I swear!) and everyone is starting to ask about kids. Please people! I'd like to believe I'm happier than most people with their lives so why is this fear poisoning my mind? Am I completely crazy?