natural sounds

Yesterday … anticipation.

Today … the beginning of the beginning.

Tomorrow … everything started.

Never has a year seemed simultaneously so long and so short. Happy birthday, Gabriel Ash.

I’ve just posted my New Year’s 2009 mix tape to the podcast page. Please do take a moment to check it out!

You can subscribe to the podcast here.

And while my 2009 has already been pretty darn crazy, I wish you all the best — love, growth, renewal and rewards.

PS: if you’d like a CD, please send me your address through the about page.

I’m going to try very hard not to be one of those new parents who fixates only on how cute his new little one is, how everything infant- and child-related is suddenly the most important thing in the world, and how the over-abundance of beauty in my house must mean there’s a new well-spring of hope against all we’ve been seeing and doing and reading about.

But please. Forgive me if my heart does well up just a bit. Or if my vision gets slightly blurred. Or if my voice cracks anywhere from a small to a fair amount.

Please, be patient if I’m a bit slow on the uptake … or the update. I’ve got a new kid on my lap. And he’s gorgeous.

The list is finally complete. One hundred firsts that will become the first season of the natural sounds podcast. Thanks to all those who helped contribute, including those found in the comments under different blog entries and Laurie Selik and Shoshanna Scholar.

I’ve devised a method of questioning that leaves selection up to the interviewee, sort of, so it’s not entirely up to me. I’m also requiring a fairly rigorous format to responses, so the answers won’t be entirely up to you. We’ll see where this experiment gets us. So far, I’ve heard about a lonely first date stuck on the side of a road, an accidental smoking of crack and the day a mysterious, mythological fantasy came true.

If you’d like to be interviewed, drop me a line and we’ll set something up. benjaminadair-at-gmail.com, or fill in the form over here.

Also, if you do happen to think of other firsts, please leave them in the comments here. Thanks.

PS: meanwhile, the pre-season podcast is rolling along. Click the links on the side to subscribe!

Your first day of work
The first time you were fired
The first time you broke up with someone
The first time you picked someone up from rehab
The first time you stood up for something or someone you believed in
The frist time you sacrificed something
The first time you died
Your first encounter with death
The first time you lost someone you loved
The first time you panicked
The first time you quit

What else is there? Leave a comment.

The first thing you remember
The first time you were in love
Your first kiss
The first time you kissed a boy
The first time you kissed a girl
The first time you hurt someone
The first time you killed someone
The first time you knew you were an adult
The first time you knew you weren’t a kid anymore
The first time your heart was broken
The first time you broke someone’s heart
The first time you drank
The first time you got drunk
The first time you got high
The first time you took ecstasy
The first time you took LSD
The first time you took cocaine
The first time you smoked crack
The first time you took heroin
The first time you got pregnant
The first time you got someone pregnant
The first time you gave birth
The first time you shaved
The first time you were arrested
The first time you burned something down
The first time you traveled abroad
The first time you were naked in front of another person
The first time you were naked in public
The first time you wore makeup
Your first sexual experience
The first time you had sex
The first time you masturbated
The first time you had an orgasm
Your first one-night-stand
The first time you had sex with more than one person
The first time you swore
The first time you cooked for someone special
Your first crush
The first time you disobeyed your parents
The first time you felt fully yourself
Your first scar
Your first tattoo
Your first broken bone
The first time you lost someone you love
The first time you felt God’s presence
The first time you turned your back on something you believed in
The first time you did something unforgivable
The first time you someone did something unforgivable to you
The first time you betrayed someone
The first time you were betrayed
The first time you betrayed yourself
The first time you cheated
The first time you performed or spoke in front of an audience
The first thing you were scared of
The first person you hated
The first person you loved