LIVE - How do you pronounce it?

If you read a past post or listened to five minutes of my radio world, you know that Wordsmithing is one of my favorite pastimes. The English language is maddening with synonyms and multiple meanings to words (not unique to English, but you get the point), so there’s a sizable playground at hand. 

I’ve referenced Colin Hay in past entries in this space. Big fan of his storytelling and rich lyrics, to be sure. I recall a Men at Work classic as I ponder yesterday’s outing. “People just love to play with words.”

The word of the day is —- LIVE

In context, you know how it’s being used and how to pronounce it. However, I think both in stand-alone should become part of your everyday mantras. Stick with me a second.

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Live - “Show me how to live!” - Soundgarden lyrics. 

Live - “You are looking LIVE!” - classic Brent Musberger intro to calling a sporting event and setting the scene. 

Living -  Actions, words, interactions with others, and processing day-to-day events and activities and the emotional responses. Getting out and about and experiencing people, places and things. 

Live - Being in the moment, that sensation that accompanies stimuli and loud noises (well, in my business, anyway), power chords, choruses, ensembles and front men/women. That feeling that resonates in your soul - singalongs or a big bass line (see the previous entry on “It’s So Easy”). 

We got out on Sunday night and watched Hamilton, a return to LIVE theater in Hollywood. It was like seeing it again for the first time, the electricity flowing through the audience and that response to the opening number and specific phrases and songs. Full nerd out —- Peggy Schuyler, Hercules Mulligan, Thomas Jefferson and King George are family favorites, and subtle turns of phrase and gestures b added levity and texture. 

Thanks to Taylor Iman Jones, Wallace Smith, Simon Longnight and Rory O’Malley and the rest of the cast. I could 

And here’s Men at Work —- sing along: 

Hamilton - Look Around

"Why do you write like you're running out of time?" 

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That line from "Hamilton" resonates.

At one point, I was a columnist/analyst for Yahoo! Sports while working a full-time job there ... and working on my MBA. I was burning the candle at both ends, and probably doing my best to set the middle aflame as well.

When I first heard “Hamilton” years ago, that voracious appetite to spill prose and experience EVERYTHING was very real. And it’s still very much part of the existence. How much (you can insert your own benchmarks) can you fit into your waking hours?

Hell, that's the challenge even now with my radio life. Even in this Covid-19 world with American team sports sidelined, we still leave piles of material and stories on the floor. Sometimes in sports cycles, we have to read a ton of material to become junior lawyers. Other times, like now, we're doing what we can to be moderately knowledgeable about the medical field. This past month, we've turned attention back to the history books and sociological studies. And there's the spidering effect, as I call it, for all of the other disciplines that make the sports world hum along. Be nimble.

We get to tell about our days, our triumphs and struggles, our families and adventures, and any glimpses of insight into how we're "coping." 

Sure, there's a bit of cabin fever going on (not like the movie that the kid from "Boy Meets World" was in -- made ya laugh), so we work to include more walks and cards/board games. And laughs. And we work to enjoy those extra minutes together. 

It's not easy to keep the focus where it should be. There are still show notes to prepare, news to watch, read and process. Bills need to be paid and meals prepped and the clock runs against you. 

But be grateful for those extra minutes. Take a picture. Make a memory. And hold tight like you're running out of time.