You Give Me Fever

Siriusly Sinatra on Sirius and XM Radio has become the newest soundtrack of my life. I'm going through a phase, I suppose. Something about the music they play is so glamorous and kitchy and really, it's hard not to like it. Not only are many of the songs classics, but they are so simple and easily understood; the rhythms are fun and uplifting, the lyrics, generally romantic, are touching, sometimes cute, sometimes emotional. Always fun. Makes me want to get up and dance.

Something about the 40's and 50's in the US has always had an allure for me. I jest that I was born in the wrong time, preferring the fantasy of white picket fences and neighbors with apple pies in the windows of Suburbia, USA to the modern ideal of the business woman with her hair done up and her heels and her guts and her determination. I've always preferred the simpler ideals of the 50's. Family, friends, home, connections.

Perhaps it is the lack of connections we have in our current time that makes it such a draw for me. Lost are the days of potlucks and town picnics, housewarming parties and cocktail parties among friends, family values are much more skewed these days. The "net-worth" of many things has decreased, while other things have become more valuable to the 21st century family. People used to be delighted with a night out at a restaurant, a new appliance, a family achievement, a good grade in school, a smile from a friend. These days, those things are commonplace and taken much for granted. Instead, we sing praises over designer brands, expensive jewelry, the latest gadget, the hottest car, the swankiest restaurants and the poshest friends. America has shifted it's focus from the family values, turning instead to concentrate on status symbols and upward movement.

Perhaps I am too simple, perhaps I am too easily sated, but I for one am tired of climbing ladders. I yearn for a family, a picket fence and a roof to call my own. Beyond that, my goals are simple and basic. They are wholesome. They put a smile on my fancy. Just like ole Frankie boy and his dashingly romantic ballads of love and delight. Fly me to the moon, and let me sing among the stars!