The disintegration of my schedule, and particularly my sleep schedule, over the last few years is probably age-related. You're bound to start losing things as you get older, and you don't get to pick which things you lose. If I had a choice I think I'd rather have had my hair fall out than to have lost my ability to control my sleep schedule. As it is, I still have to go to the trouble of shampooing my hair every time I take a shower, but because I never know when I'll be awake or how tired I'll be, my showers are also difficult to schedule, and when I can't fit one in then my head can get itchy. Annoying.
Speaking of old, one of the things that has made me feel old lately is the appearance of old geezer Bob Dylan on the second-to-last episode of old duffer David Letterman's show last week. After Dave gave him an introduction praising him as the greatest songwriter of his generation, Dylan launched into a rendition not of a new song, nor of one of his own old compositions, but of the 1941 ballad "The Night We Called It a Day," with music by Matt Dennis and lyrics by Tom Adair, both of whom would be centenarians if they were still living. When one of your icons of musical rebellion starts singing pop standards written before you were born, well, you feel old.
Thank goodness Dave had Foo Fighters to close his last show— and thank goodness they didn't do anything by Victor Herbert or George M. Cohan, or I might have tried to bash my head in with my big screen TV right then, but because at my age I no longer have the strength or coordination to do a good job of it I'd probably have lain on the floor unconscious for several days before dying of dehydration. I like Dave Grohl and I'm glad he won't have to have that on his conscience. Good call, Daves.
To my surprise, though, Dylan's rendition of "The Night We Called It a Day" was not bad, though I doubt it will ever be my favorite. I've always been fond of the song, and there are more than a few good versions of it, but my favorite is the one recorded in 1957 by Carmen McRae, which can be heard right here on YouTube. Oh, and it's YouTube's tenth anniversary. I have been on the Internets longer than YouTube. Not only am I old, but having been on the Internets longer than YouTube makes me Internet old as well. I think I need a nap.
