A Quarterback Needs a Short Memory

What I’m Learning by Watching Football

While watching a recent Pittsburgh Steelers game on TV, the commentator said that a quarterback has to have a short memory. I asked my husband what that meant because I’d never heard this concept before. I don’t watch much football, but he’s a big Steelers fan so when you marry the man, you inherit the team.

He and the commentators talked about this concept saying that no matter what happened the play before, whether it was a touchdown or an interception, the quarterback had to forget it and focus on the play he was making now.

I thought about how I might apply this to my own life.

Can I use this to cope with the horrible traffic jams that plague almost every commute I make? The traffic is so bad on the drive, that I would find myself so drained of energy by it. I usually didn’t angry because that took too much energy. This was just the slow leaching of your life force, as slow as the inching progress you make foot by foot on a highway that was built for 65 mph plus.

After a bad stretch of traffic, the pace picked up and we were all moving along fine. I found myself still thinking about the traffic jam and how awful it was and why does it have to be like this, worrying if there was another slowdown just ahead. I sat perched in my car seat, peering anxiously over the steering wheel and craning my neck to see up the road ahead. I was thinking of how aggravating it is when there is no reason for the slowdown. When you get to the spot, you see a car on the side of the road, not even blocking a lane and you realize it was all for nothing, then I get mad. But if I see an accident, especially one with EMTs on the scene, my anger deflates. I’m grateful I’m not in the accident; I’m just inconvenienced. I’m going home; they are going to the hospital, or worse.

Then I thought of Ben Roethlisberger. I thought, Right now, I am not in a traffic jam. Right now, I am driving along. So right now, I am going to change my mood and my energy.

And it worked. I felt better. The rest of the drive went normally, with a few slowdowns but nothing major.

Will thinking like a quarterback work in other areas of my life? I plan to try it.

After all, I am the quarterback of my own life, and it’s up to me to forget the last play and focus on here now.

Song Sets

If I were a DJ at a rock ‘n’ roll radio station, I’d create song sets based on themes and play a few a day.

That is, if the radio station actually let DJs play what they wanted. The classic rock station in my area plays the same songs over and over. Lately they’ve been playing so many ballads and mellow tunes, the station sounds like an easy listening station.

I wish the station would add a show of new music by classic artists. They’re still alive and producing some great stuff, but you’ll never hear it in this market. Tom Petty’s most recent albums (The Last DJ, Highway Companion). Eric Clapton (Road to Escondido – with JJ Cale). Warren Zevon (The Wind). Bob Dylan (Modern Times). Bruce Springsteen (Magic), Graham Parker (Don’t Tell Columbus), Paul McCartney (maybe a bit mellow or more pop sounding but an important figure in rock history; all of these, completely ignored. What a waste of opportunity to spread new music.)

There are a lot of songs about the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle and the record industry:

“The Last DJ” – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (the whole album, but especially the title track, and “Money Becomes King”, and “Joe”.) Tom Petty was going to name him album Hard Promises, pictured here, $8.98, the price of the album in protest to the rising album prices in 1981. If only they were that cheap now. Record stores are a dying breed too. No more flipping though albums. CDs just don’t have the same feel, and there isn’t much room for cover art.)

“Into the Great Wide Open” – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (also a great video featuring Johnny Depp)

“It’s a long way to the top (if you want to rock and roll)” – AC/DC

“Rock n roll ain’t noise pollution” – AC/DC

“So you want to be a rock and roll star” – The Byrds (also a great live recording performed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on his “Pack up the Plantation” album, 1990.)

“Shooting star” – Bad Company

“Johnny B. Goode” – Chuck Berry

“Rock and Roll Fantasy” – Bad Company

“Working for MCA” – Lynrd Skynrd

“We’re an American Band” – Grand Funk Railroad

Other songs are about being in the road and touring:

“Stay” – Jackson Browne

“Turn the page” – Bob Segar and the Silver bullet band

“Wheel in the Sky” – Journey (and “Faithfully” even though I’m tired of that song because it gets played so much and it’s so mournful; the songs asks for sympathy, but I don’t feel like feeling sorry for a rock band that was making tons of cash and living the rock n roll lifestyle.)

More about the industry:

“Have a cigar” – Pink Floyd (I’ll list them even though the local radio station plays them so much I’m sick of them. “Money” is an obvious example.)

“Barracuda” – Heart

“Rock and Roll Band” – Boston

Songs with a driving theme:

“Radar Love” – Golden Earring

“I can’t drive 55″ – Van Halen (with Sammy Hagar, an obvious choice)

Songs titles that name a character but not by name but by role:

The Pretender – Jackson Browne

The Stranger – Billy Joel

The Vending Machine is Laughing

Have ever been caught in the break room by a co-worker with your butt in the air as you try to fish out a snack from the vending machine tray? Check out my new essay on how embarrassing it is to use a vending machine. See the “Essays” tab of my blog (until I figure out how to use the “read more” link). Thanks.