Mixes Exclusively For Mornings.

This is not a morning.

Sleep. Winter reminds me of good, old-fashioned sleep (which then reminds me of hair-curlers and silk night-gowns, obviously in black & white infomercial  perspective).  I’m not a morning person.

Taken right from my post reader/evaluation:
“11. Which cultural difference between Asia and the U.S. has been most difficult for you to adjust to?
I CANNOT consistently wake up early.  It’s insane.  Sometimes I can wake up at 7, other days I wake up at 10:40, right before lunch (and then feel really shameful.)  I blame it on my teaching schedule and the weather (haha, it definitely has nothing to do with me, duh…).  I teach every evening, so sometimes if I’m up for it, I lesson plan until the wee hours of the night.  But, I also have the option of lesson planning all day, and it’s easy to put that off until afternoon since I’m free during the daytime.  In that case, it’s amazing how late I can stay in bed (in fetal position under my blankets) when it’s freezing, monsooning outside, and I have pleasant music.”

Yeah I know, I know, poor me… sleeping late is just such a bummer.  But, I’m trying to get my 8 hours of sleep every night just in case my growing hormones decide to stop being dormant.  WHUT? YOU WANNA SAY SUMMIN’?

And maybe you’re wondering why this has anything to do with adjusting to Vietnam…
Well, let’s see… everyone wakes up 4-5 hours before me? They actually go through a little part of their lives while I’m asleep.  Who knows, maybe I’m missing award ceremonies or like free car giveaways.  I’ll just never know.

It’s also by far the #1 topic that my kids and staff love to tease me about.  Maybe I’ll make up some fairytale about the boy who didn’t sleep enough and got eaten by hallucinatory monsters…

Anyway, as abovementioned, I made a few morning playlists.  I’ve combined them into two mixes:

The first mix will get you up nice and slowly (It’ll crescendo in chipper-ness, if you’re a sensitive morning person like me.), and it’s pleasant background music for getting ready for the day.  There’s some strange element about crooning and old jazz that always possesses me to feel as old as the music.  I always feel like I have to smirk and shake my head a little- oh, and put on fancy clothes.  So, if you have to put a tie on in the morning, try to put it on while someone’s crooning for you. This mix is dedicated to Christof, since we were supposed to start a crooner band together.  I forgot about this until now.

Good Mornin’! Now, Let’s Croon. <—that’s a link…

1.  They Say It’s Wonderful – Perry Como
2.  Memories Are Made Of This – Dean Martin
3.  Moments To Remember – Four Lads
4.  Magic Moments – Perry Como
5.  Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive – Johnny Mercer
6.  Good Morning, Life – Dean Martin
7.  As I Recall It – Donovan
8.  My Time Is Your Time – Rudy Vallee
9.  Cry – Johnnie Ray
10.  I Wanna Be Evil – Eartha Kitt
11.  My Kind Of Town – Frank Sinatra
12.  Love Is A Many Splendored Thing – The Four Aces
13.  Mister Meadowlark – Bing Crosby & Johnny Mercer
14.  Save The Bones For Henry Jones – Johnny Mercer & the Nat King Cole Trio
15.  If I Had A Talking Picture Of You – Martha Tilton & Johnny Mercer
16.  Mr. Five By Five – Freddie Slach Orchestra & Johnny Mercer
17.  My Sugar Is So Refined – Johnny Mercer & The Pied Pipers
18.  My Baby Just Cares For Me – Nina Simone
19. You’re From Texas – Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys
21.  It Don’t Mean A Thing – Duke Ellington & Orchestra
22.  Powder Your Face With Sunshinne – Dean Martin
23.  They Can’t Take That Away From Me – Frank Sinatra
24.  San Fernando Valley – Johnny Mercer
25.  Them There Eyes – Billy Holiday
26.  Matilda – Harry Belafonte
27.  Papa Loves Mambo – Perry Como

The second mix is for when your 8:30 gerontology class or smelly doctor’s appointment is “conveniently canceled” in the U.S.  Isn’t it weird how that kind of sleep is always the best?
Or if I wanted to put it in Hue terms, the mix is for when it’s “conveniently monsooning or flooding” outside.  (Hmm, that’s not as funny as I thought it would be. JOKE FAIL.)
It’ll let you sleep in, but only for about an hour… I tried to put some louder songs in the end to act as several snooze buttons.  I dedicate this mix to Mary, since she was always the super queen of sleeping in on her super queen-sized bed.

Good Mornin’! Now, Sleep In.

1.  Whatever (Folk Sing In C) – Elliott Smith
2.  Coney Island Baby – Lou Reed
3.  When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog – Jens Lekman
4.  recent bedroom again – Atlas Sound
5.  Something So Right – Paul Simon
6.  Trois Gymnopedies No. 1 – Erik Satie
7.  Blue Moon – Elvis Presley
8.  Each Coming Night – Iron & Wine
9.  When They Come – Devendra Banhart
10.  Lighting Bolt Of Compassion – Akron/Family
11.  Lover Man – Billie Holiday
12.  We Could Walk Together – The Clientele
13.  Neon Bible – The Arcade Fire
14.  Single File – Elliott Smith
15.  This Night Has Opened My Eyes – The Smiths
16.  Loch Raven – Animal Collective
17.  Where Do The Children Play – Cat Stevens
18.  Lady’s Bridge – Richard Hawley
19.  From Stardust To Sentience – High Places
20.  Sailing Bells – The High Llamas
21.  Another Try – America

Enjoy!
Love,
The smiley December sky.

~ by Hy Huynh on December 10, 2008.