I feel like I’m an extra in a science fiction movie lately, where every new day brings more crazy news. It’s like we’re all being overtaken by events.

I keep coming back to the old Chinese proverb–May you live in interesting times.

It sounds benign until you experience something like a worldwide pandemic and then suddenly boring doesn’t seem so bad.

Anyway, I’ve come up with a short playlist to try and maintain some sense of sanity in our increasingly chaotic milieu. Feel free to add your own favorites.

Talking Heads–Life During Wartime:

Heard of a van that is loaded with weapons
Packed up and ready to go
Heard of some grave sites, out by the highway
A place where nobody knows
The sound of gunfire, off in the distance
I’m getting used to it now
Lived in a brownstone, lived in the ghetto
I’ve lived all over this town

This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco
This ain’t no fooling around
No time for dancing, or lovey dovey
I ain’t got time for that now…

R.E.M. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It

That’s great, it starts with an earthquake
Birds and snakes, and aeroplanes
And Lenny Bruce is not afraid

Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn
World serves its own needs
Don’t mis-serve your own needs
Speed it up a notch, speed, grunt, no, strength
The ladder starts to clatter
With a fear of height, down, height
Wire in a fire, represent the seven games
And a government for hire and a combat site
Left her, wasn’t coming in a hurry
With the Furies breathing down your neck

Team by team, reporters baffled, trumped, tethered, cropped
Look at that low plane, fine, then
Uh oh, overflow, population, common group
But it’ll do, save yourself, serve yourself
World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed
Tell me with the Rapture and the reverent in the…

And, finally–Doris Day: Que Sera Sera

Que sera, sera
Whatever will be, will be
The future’s not ours to see
Que sera, sera
What will be, will be…

Be safe out there and love you neighbors.