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Every so often, just about everyone will find an “ear worm”, a particular song that bores its way so completely into whatever bits of your brain are responsible for storing and collating tunes that it takes days — sometimes weeks — to work its way back out again.

Sometimes, a one of these ear worms sticks around so long that it comes to define a period of your life, tying itself directly or obliquely into handfuls of memories and recollections from that particular time. Sargasso Trio’s “Heels on Fire” did this for me, last spring…and for a number of reasons.

First, story. I mean, the history of this band is great. They met, of all places, in a village brass band, in Norwich, England. Not just any kind of brass band, though…a samba brass band. And this origin definitely — and deliciously — makes itself known in the sound of this song.

Next, tone. I love danceable, catchy music that has both a toe-tapping beat, and a sense of joy, whimsy, and energy. “Heels on Fire” has all of those things, in spades. You often hear it said, and in this case it’s completely true: if you can listen to this song and not in some way dance (or at least move semi-rhythmically), you are dead. Also, I don’t want to know you.

Last (and this is more of a footnote than anything else), it has a kind of adorable video. While I’m sure some people may find it offensive, I will simply let the YouTube poster’s brief description do the talking: “Man freaks out to ‘Heels On Fire’, leaving beautiful shapes and colours wherever he goes.”

And really, how can you not love a song whose video can be so described?

I watch you shake it ’round the room,
Out the window, to the moon.
Everyone here would like a piece of you;
I’m just interested in the way you move.

Sometimes it takes a little push
To get some movement in your tush.
But it’s all worth it when the crowd applauds,
And you just shake your ass and thank the Lord!

Today’s a softer world (click image to see full comic):

Today’s horoscope a la Leensy was nothing to write home — or a blog — about, but considering that this is almost certainly the last one she’ll be sending, and, hey, it’s about change, I figured I’d post it anyhow.

Monday, April 6, 2009
Think things through in a more analytic way and be prepared to change your plan.

Bye, Leensy.

The year, 1998. The setting, Washington state. A young man, not long back from a stint in Scotland, heads off to college, a roughly eight hour drive from his family and friends.

To pass the time on the long, sometimes lonely drives home (this was before iPods and highly affordable cellphones), he composes haiku. What sort of haiku, you ask? Why, Saved by the Bell haiku, of course.

Every so often, we are afforded the chance to enjoy an unclouded look into the sort of person we were, years ago. Finding this webpage, of which both the contents and code were written by me, in 1998, proved just such an opportunity for me. There’s very little that’s unembarrassing about the page, but I’m still chuckling with warm nostalgia.

And besides, how can you really hate on a form of 17th century Japanese poetry being used to describe an endearingly mediocre sitcom for American children in the late 1980s/early 1990s?

If you’ve been reading this blog lately, you’ve no doubt noticed the occasional horoscope, sent to me with care each morning, by Aleena. Well, she also has a blog, which, as it turns out, is usually an extremely candid and foul-mouthed recounting of whatever she happens to have done recently. I for one find it highly engaging and amusing, in a sort of perplexing, profane, stream-of-consciousness kind of way.

Of course, it also helps that much of what she talks about relates to me in some way.

Mostly, though, I’m just impressed by the girl’s extremely filthy mouth. Sometimes — especially when she’s with her friend, Lisa — she speaks in a way that would make a seasoned merchant marine blush. That’s our Leensy!