"You gotta leave it behind"

What a Friday as we await the results of Tuesday's election! Don't worry, I am not going to take too much of a political turn here. I think we're inundated with that right now. I will say that I think our country pulled itself back from the brink. I write that in the confidence that many people who are more conservative than I agree with that assessment. I will draw your attention to this for some perspective: an interview with Jack Goldsmith, former legal counsel to George W. Bush, from Fresh Air with Terry Gross: Reconstructing the Presidency After Trump.

Autumn is my favorite time of year. Hey, my birthday is next week. I am turning the double-nickel: 55. It seems incredible to me. Nonetheless, I am ready for it. I don't have much to complain about in life. Nonetheless, I still complain.

One of the early birthday presents I purchased for myself is the 20th-anniversary double-disk edition of U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind album. As a 55-year-old, I have no hesitancy expressing how I much I really like this band. A lot of their music has meant a great deal to me over decades. But then, the first U2 album I had was War way back in the early '80s. I bought it on cassette tape.

My top 4 U2 albums in ranked order are:

The Unforgettable Fire
All That You Can't Leave Behind
Boy
Joshua Tree

As you might imagine, our Friday traditio this week is U2. I am going with their 2001 live performance of "Walk On" at Slane Castle in Ireland. It is, in a word, ecstatic. I've posted this before but it's been years. It shows the kind of charisma that constitutes me as a charismatic.