MISS NINE DOES NOT LIKE "ELUSIVE BUTTERFLY"

On a normal day at 8AM, I like to be unconscious. Comfy, warm, and all delightfully unconscious in my bed, because it's pretty likely that on any given night, I am not even hitting the sack until 3AM. However, this week my taxi skills are needed in both the morning and afternoon school runs, so I've been sucking it up with a large travel mug of fine Stumptown coffee and sunglasses, just like a celebrity would.

The only redeeming thing about morning rush hour traffic for me is the chance to listen to the radio for this hour-long round-trip. I rule the radio choices when I am driving, as is my Sacred and Inalienable Right, just as it was for my parents. "AIEEE, DAD! Please please please! Let me listen to something good!" I would sputter in caged frustration to my father, as he listened to "Fat Lady Polka" or something for the millionth time. Totally and utterly unimpressed with my pleas, he would smile a small evil smile and say, "When you drive, then you can pick the station." "Pfffft!" I would huff. "Pffffft!!!"

Which brings me to this morning's radio fun. My backseat captives, MissNine and Mr14, usually have no complaints with my song selection through the SIRIUS XM dial, unless I turn it up too loud. Flipping through the channels, I landed on 1966's "Elusive Butterfly" by Bob Lind. Now, this is a song I would normally flip right past -- I didn't like it at ALL in 1966 and I don't like it now. But today, I felt my dad's small evil smile creep over my lips, and I left it to play, betting that MissNine would have some spontaneous comments. BINGO!

You might wake up some mornin'
To the sound of something moving past your window in the wind
And if you're quick enough to rise
You'll catch a fleeting glimpse of someone's fading shadow
Out on the new horizon
You may see the floating motion of a distant pair of wings
And if the sleep has left your ears
You might hear footsteps running through an open meadow



MissNine: What the heck is this guy talking about?


Don't be concerned, it will not harm you
It's only me pursuing somethin' I'm not sure of
Across my dreams with nets of wonder
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love



MissNine: Nets of wonder? What?? Haaaahaha! Nets of wonder????


You might have heard my footsteps
Echo softly in the distance through the canyons of your mind
I might have even called your name
As I ran searching after something to believe in



MissNine: Hahaha! Mind canyons! He's calling her stupid!!


You might have seen me runnin'
Through the long-abandoned ruins of the dreams you left behind
If you remember something there
That glided past you followed close by heavy breathin'



MissNine: Oh, god. Mom! This is terrible! Why are we listening to this??


Me: (evil smiling with sunglasses, sips coffee)


Don't be concerned, it will not harm you
It's only me pursuing somethin' I'm not sure of
Across my dreams with nets of wonder
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love



MissNine: The butterfly is going to get tangled up in the net of wonder and DIE.


Me: I think that's the point. Sort of.


[Instrumental Interlude]


MissNine: Can't you turn this off now? Please?

Mr14: Yeah, Mom, this is bad.

Me: "When you drive, then you can pick the station."

MissNine: That's not fair!

Me: (larger evil smile)

Across my dreams with nets of wonder
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love

MissNine: Whew! It's done! What a weird song!

Me: Eeeyup.