iPod Essentials #16: "Layla"--Derek and the Dominoes

Classic, classic rock. "Layla" is a complicated song to play on the guitar. The lyrical piano part is also difficult. Still, this is a song of unbridled passion and lust (not that horrible acoustic version from 1994 or thereabouts). The guitars in the song scream with passion almost as ferociously as Eric Clapton's vocals.

Ahhh, love you can't have. Perfect for Valentine's Day.

The War for What?

Yesterday Thousand Oaks, California, where I live, buried its first casualty of the Iraq War: Lance Corporal Anthony Mejia. He was twenty, a graduate of my alma matter (Thousand Oaks High), and a seemingly great kid.

And now he's gone.

As I drove along Moorpark Road, looking at the flag-holding residents, I couldn't help but wonder what Anthony's life might have been if he hadn't enlisted in the Marines. He'd be in college, gaining knowledge from classes and from life's experiences.

This somber scene has played itself out in too many cities for too many families, nearly three thousand times. It will continue to hurt each time. So many lives wasted in a war for what.

iPod Essentials #15: "These Eyes"--The Guess Who

An oldie but definitely a goodie. This song reminds me of someone I loved a long time ago, but he chose another woman over me. I keep this song on my Pod as a way of remembering him. With Burton Cummings' passionate vocals, the hurt still materializes, but I can deal with it now.