Amy Lu's View

…What I was thinking when I titled this blog post. Or more precisely, this blog post draft.

Well, calling it a “draft” may be rather aspirational. When I just opened my blog and went to drafts, I was totally mystified with this draft, that actually consisted only of the phrase “God Only Knows…”

Having saved just a title for a potential blog post isn’t actually that surprising. As I’m not that organized, I often save post ideas as drafts, and sometimes I try to capure the idea with nothing more than a title. (Post ideas that have yet to see the light of a computer screen include “Being an Alcohol Snob,” “”How My Family Lacked Holiday Traditions,” and “Musings on my 30th Class Reunion”–yeah, that one’s been sitting around for almost two years…).

But I was, and am still, surprised that I have no idea what I intended to write about based on the title “God Only Knows.” God Only Knows WHAT? When our cats will stop living in the basement? When I will finally go to the dentist? When I will stop injuring myself because I run when I shouldn’t? When I will learn how to set-up my keyboard and plug it into the Pigeons From Hell sound system? When I will stop getting annoyed because Chad leaves his coat on the back of a chair (instead of hanging it in the closet?) When I will stop dyeing my hair and accept my natural color? When I will stop being annoyed if people say “you can’t eat that because you’re a vegetarian”? When I will stop getting excited by my birthday? When I will ever write my friend Pat? When I will stop opening bags of food (chips, cereal, etc.) in a manner Chad finds aggressive and weird (and aggravating)?

So many possibilities, but I still don’t know what I thought my blog post could be about. But, after staring at the line “God Only Knows” for several minutes (maybe only seconds) I at least know what it refers to: The Beach Boys song “God Only Knows.”

Now seems as good as time as any to divulge that for most of my life, I have not liked the Beach Boys. In fact, I have actively disliked them.

I’m not going to apologize for that (hey, we like what we like and I don’t support the concept of “Guilty Pleasures” or, in this case, “Guilty Displeasures.”) I don’t think we should pretend to be who we’re not or embarassed for our preferences, but I also think we can change our mind and our tastes and our interests as we learn and experience new things. I think getting older can mean being more open-minded. I think as a youth I disliked the Beach Boys because they were “dumb” beach music. I also disliked beaches–I was a self-conscious Midwesterner who liked environments that facilitated covering one’s body as much as possible.

The passage of time has not lead me to becoming an expert on the Beach Boys, but I have learned that Brian Wilson is widely regarded as a musical genius and that his life story is incredible. I have more appreciation for their skill and musicality, and I was even moved by “God Only Knows” when I heard it played during a Guthrie theater production a few years ago. It’s haunting and aching and lovely.

So when we heard the song performed this past Saturday by two of our favorite performers (Dan Chouinard and Prudence Johnson) at one of our absolute most favorite places in the world (Crooner’s) it definitely affected me. That’s one of the things I love about going to Crooner’s–I learn about “classic” music that’s new to me and learn to hear and appreciate familiar music in a new way. Plus, Crooner’s creates such a sense of community through shared music experiences, that I even look forward to talking to strangers at dinner (like the delightful couple that we shared a table with on Saturday).

Maybe my mysterious blog title should be taken at face value, and I was going to ponder the question posed in the song: “Where would I be without my beloved (i.e. Chad)?” (Definitely shouldn’t tackle that tonight, especially in a post that is already too long when I’m tempted to pontificate about the potential of the multiverse).