Read an op-ed by Maureen Dowd this morning, which got me thinking (god forbid):
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/13/opinion/13dowd.html
I’ll excerpt a bit of it here, as it will be archived into the paid archive shortly:
“Still, my ears perked up when I recently heard the tale of a New York journalist who gave his wife an unusual birthday present: a list of books from A to Z that would help her better understand him.
I decided to adapt the idea for Valentine’s Day, and get some lucky guy the books from A to Z that would help him better understand me….”
She goes on to explain that the more she thought about the task, the more daunting it became, as books she picked may send the wrong (albeit damn funny) message, or even worse, might send the whole the relationship into a tailspin. She also brings up a point that, I admit, popped into my head as I read the piece:
“The more I thought about it, the more it seemed not only risky, but the height of presumption to expect someone to devote that many hours to fathoming someone else’s psyche. What guy would drag himself away from ESPN’s “SportsCenter” to read “Sense and Sensibility” or from beer and pizza to devour “Cakes and Ale”?
It strikes me that there must be a gender difference here. From my own unscientific sampling, I think it’s far rarer for women to ask men to read their stuff than it is for men to ask women to read their stuff.”
Being the music fiend that I am, an ideal solution popped into my addled little brain — what if one was to try this with records instead of books?
Not only are records easier/quicker to digest for the average warp-speed lifestyle, but it’s certainly simpler to download those records onto the portable device of your lovebug’s choosing and have them listen at their convenience, than it is to force them to carry around a bulky copy of “War and Peace” or a Hornby-signed copy of “High Fidelity” (though I’d argue that carrying the second one at all times is never a bad idea).
That, and music seems to avoid those gender issues Dowd mentions — a girl likes receiving and hearing new music (yes, boys, it’s true) just as much as guy.
I’m pondering putting together a list of my own, a record for each letter of the alphabet (using either the artist or the record’s title, doesn’t matter), and it strikes me as a most excellent way to while away few minutes of otherwise useless daylight.
Who’s with me?
Tell me: A-Z, what 26 records would you choose to reveal your true self to your true love?
Real Low Vibe 