All of us are going through something. This is for us.

From Emilymcdowellstudio.com

I went to Barnes and Noble today and walked past this:

Y’all. MAPS. I felt like Jesse in Breaking Bad, “yo, Mr. White! It’s geography!”

There were maps of almost each state. Apparently someone with flip phone from 2002 is planning a road trip to some of the states beginning with A.

I remember taking trips with my husband over twenty years ago and trying to navigate with four different state’s maps AND an atlas (because my husband wasn’t playin’) was miserable because A) I am a horrible navigator and B) I don’t know where East, West, North, and South are and it hurts my feelings when I have to figure those out.

Most every time I open Waze, I thank the Sweet Mother of Global Positioning Systems that I am guided to my destination.

Then I noticed something:

Call me crazy (happens often), but Europe, Africa, and South and Central America tend to not fall within the borders of the United States.

Then I stood in front of the next section of maps. I was equally disappointed.

THE WORLD?

That’s it? That’s the map of the whole world? It folds up into a 3×8 rectangle? It’s as big as the Beijing map above it and Beijing is only one city. Our maps at Disney World were bigger.

Then there was this:

NEW ENGLAND.

In the “Maps International” section. Yes, I checked to make sure it wasn’t some new section of London, because what do I know? No, it’s our New England. Tom Brady’s New England. Clam chowder New England. New England tends not to be International.

That was my trip to Barnes and Noble. I got home and this is what I found.

Fitz the cat being all Rose from Titanic, “draw me like one of your French girls.”

Man, this day.

Everyday, honey.

Yet another find from Suits.

But first, a conversation when Louis’ secretary found out he was sleeping with someone’s fiancé, “you been stickin’ yo puddin’ pop in somebody else’s candy cane.” Luis, “well yeah, but that doesn’t even make sense.”

The show is a dramedy. I laugh.

Back to the song. “Love & Hate” by Michael Kiwanuka played toward the end of a season 7 episode when characters were considering cheating. It’s a great song. Just great. It’s long, put it on while you’re making breakfast or doing your makeup. Or power walking. Jazzercise. Whatever.

Standing now/Calling all the people here to see the show/Calling for my demons now to let me go/I need something, give me something wonderful

I believe/She won’t take me somewhere I’m not supposed to be/You can’t steal the things that god has given me/No more pain and no more shame and misery

You can’t take me down

Love and hate/How much more are we supposed to tolerate/Can’t you see there’s more to me than my mistakes:Sometimes I get this feeling makes me hesitate

You can’t break me down

I can see a place of trouble/And I’m on the verge/For the love of everybody/I did something wrong

Now I feel some days of trouble (I would stay way)

In the hospital (I would stay way)

For the love of everybody (I would stay way)

But behind a wall (I would stay way)

Standing now/Calling all the people here to see the show/Calling for my demons now to let me go/I need something, give me something wonderful

I noted in my birthday post how much I love the show Suits. I love it.

But you need to hear the theme song by Ima Robot, “The Greenback Boogie.” It’s very different. I can’t think of anything to compare it to.

Suits — it’s all about the money. The Greenback Boogie.

Read a Lang Leav poem that matches a John Mayer song in theme, so here you go.

Good Old War is a band I can put on fit hours while I’m doing stuff around the house or painting or working on whatever and I just love it. There are no surprises — no screeching vocals or crazy loud guitar riffs or anything that takes you out of YOUR moment. This is very different than funky driving playlists. I don’t know of any band doing what Good Old War is doing right now.

Here’s “Not Quite Happiness.” I love this song.