Nothing Says Winter in Wisconsin like the Song "Margaritaville"

Now that January is here, a Wisconsinite like myself will recognize the chill and taste of the weather.  I have a lot of fond memories of starting the car early in the morning with ice frozen to the windows or running orders without a jacket on to drivers in their warm cars while working at Culver's.  Yet, nothing strikes me more of the feeling of cold weather than the song "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffet.

Why? It was playing on a radio station as I was leaving work today and it got me thinking, why on earth would you play this in the middle of winter?

While I can't say the reason behind Lake 96.1's song choice, I have my own thoughts behind why Margaritaville is a great winter song.  It has to do with the dichotomy of one's feelings towards the season of winter.  When it's summer, it is too hot. When it's winter, it is way too cold. "Margaritaville" acts on this emotion of wanting summer to come back as it transports you to an island beach where the tropical percussion seeps into your mind as you waste away in a Margaritaville.  

This song also brings back personal memories of me working at Alpine Valley while Jimmy Buffet was playing there.  It was hot for an August evening, but all I can remember were drunk baby boomers complaining about being unable to use the bathroom because I wouldn't let them use the VIP section's porta potty (management made it clear that only people with wristbands were allowed in that section).

Margaritaville's strange magical trip to summer blues allows for the dreams of summer to protrude from the memories of season's past.  While Bob Dylan is the catalyst for the fall season, Phillies ensemble of musicians (including the Ronettes and the Crystals) is the catalyst for the winter season, Jimmy Buffet is the oncoming storm of late spring and early summer.  

Movies I Have Seen Since Last Post:

• The Lobster
• Bone Tomahawk 
• I'm Still Here

- Kristen Johnson: a person who used to hate Bob Dylan but has grown to appreciate him for introducing the Beatles to drugs

Making a Scene Out of Misunderstandings

To begin my journey of an amateur filmmaker, I thought of an exercise.  There are many little quirks that come from everyday life.  Noticing the daredevil trapeze acts squirrels proceed to do as you approach them with just a little curiosity or the annoyed smile of a customer as an employee at a restaurant asks "how the food is" while the customer has food stuffed in his face.  I am trying to take notice of these little things, capture them in the moment, recreate them through writing and then in video.

So my little notable scenes, that could show up in a short of mine in the future, would be of misunderstanding.

Your Change Is...

Working drive thru at my local Culver's, I come across a lot of people.  A lot of emotions come through the sliding doors, but one that I wasn't ready for was misunderstanding.  An older gentleman of an age that crosses between 60's to early 70's,  drove up to the window to get cashed out.  I asked for $ 12.57 and he gave me $20.35.  I felt bad to give him all that change back and so I went back and told him he gave me three nickles and two dimes.  He looked embarrassed and said he thought he gave me quarters instead of nickles. Chuckling he gave me another nickle.  Looking down at my hand, I was at the point of becoming flustered for having to tell the man he is wrong again.  Looking at him and telling him he goofed again, he searched his coin crevice in his van, and pulled out a dime. At this point, this was going nowhere and I plugged in the now $ 20.50 and gave him the chunk of change.  He smiled as I handed him his cash, and he noted that we just couldn't get it right.  Was it ill on my part for not waiting for him to hand me the right change or his for not understanding that he was coming up short through every exchange.  No matter who's at fault.  I thought it was hilarious after the fact.

Her Roommate's Dead!

I was making breakfast in the morning and my mother was watching a film, Time After Time starring Malcolm McDowell.  Suddenly, the phone rings and she picks it up, it's grandma.  As I stir away on my scrambled eggs, I hear my mom jab politics with her mom and then move onto talking about the state of where all the family members are. Of course, I am away from Madison and right when she gets to my story of how my first half of my freshman year went, she screams "Oh my god, her roommate was murdered!" Note, I could hear my grandma scream "what happened?" from in the kitchen. My mom laughed as she realized she said that out loud while reacting to the movie.  I wonder what my Grandma must have thought happened to my poor roommate. In any such case, it came straight out of a bad timed joke from a lower status sitcom (King of Queens territory), but I loved it.

Movies I Have Recently Seen:

• Anomalisa 
• Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
• Electric Boogaloo: The Wild Untold Story of Cannon Films
• Time After Time

- Kristen Johnson: a person who likes little quirky items