#Rundance : Reflections Revisited

November 30 2018

PLAYLIST : #Rundance Reflections (Formerly Running Reflection)
RT: About thirty minutes
LOCATION: Canyon Dr.
Strain: Sour Fire

It's official, I'm renaming everything #rundance. I'm in love with the name and in love with the activity. Like a rollercoaster ride of emotions and ideas every time. Never the same experience. I encourage you to give it a try if you haven't done so already.

The secret to a successful #rundance is to build your #playlist first and try to give yourself a ride. If you pack your playlist full of heavy songs or the same kinds of songs, you're bound to remain on auto-pilot for the experience but, if you run with a little bit of pep mixed with some soothing melodies and some fire-cracking tracks, you'll end up wanting to play the next list.

Of course, I like to enhance my experience with a toke or two before I take off. Because of this, I've explored a lot of new ground intellectually. At points, I feel my body is unstoppable. Like I can run forever. Be careful with this. You can end up in some trouble if you take a spill. Be safe! Wear bright clothing and watch out for your surroundings. Don't get eaten by a bear!

Before I get into tonight's #playlist, I want to point out some new tracks that have been recommended to me or I happened to catch on the radio. Here they are in no particular order:

-Finding My Way Home by Far Caspian

• Let's Fall Asleep Together by Teen Daze
• Papa Was A Rolling Stone by The Temptations

Tonight's #playlist:
#Rundance Reflections

1. Sleeping Lessons by The Shins
2. Bittersweet Melodies by Feist
3. Serotonin by Simple Kid
4. Reflektor by Arcade Fire
5. Bye by Elliott Smith
6. Banshee Beat by Animal Collective
7. Windowsill by Arcade Fire
8. Lana Del Rey by High By the Beach
9. Kid Gloves by Doomtree
10. Adventures In Your Own Backyard by Patrick Watson
11. _2 + 2 = 5 (The Lukewarm.)

11 Songs, 53 Minutes

This will be the first time I've played this one all the way through without experimentation. I'm under the impression that this one is complete. We'll see on this round.

HERE WE GO!

Didn't make it through the whole thing this time around which means I have to keep working on it. One thing I discovered was that the Animal Collective song Banshee Beat also has it's roots inside #Rundance Classic. Not sure how I feel about that, if I should change it or not. Y'know, to give each #playlist its own unique spin.

I love this Reflection #playlist. Really solid. But, so many things have to go right for a great experience. If you receive some kind of pressing text or if there are too many cars on the road, it can limit your experience quick. The trick is to pick a good block where you'll have a chunk of time to yourself, otherwise you'll be ending the run early which is precisely what happened last night. I got a text that I had to take care of. I hit Reflektor and had to slow down on Bye. By the end of that I was spent. The energy lost. I also smoked about 2/3's of what I normally do this time around. I'll be going out again tomorrow without smoking.

The way this #playlist is constructed is sort of an act of genius if I'll be so bold to say. The opener is so heavy and full on the body so it's nice to come down on Bittersweet Melodies only to turn into a grungy robot when Serotonin comes on. For Serotonin I always feel like I'm in a scrolling video game, huffing through obstacles, fighting off the routines of everyday life.

Does any of this stuff that I speak about make any sense?

I want to speak a little bit more about the #rundance process. I'll start usually on the same street, the sounds and lights fade away into the opening bars of whichever #playlists I'm messing with. You hit these strides, especially in #Rundance Reflections, that pull you into this full experience. Like the slow tick up of the rollercoaster car before the decent. It's a invigorating experience. If you time it right, you'll pull off your hoodie around thirty minutes and roll up your sleeves. This is like a gaining some energy inside of a video game. The character is able to continue because they hit a life icon. Works the same way. The opening of this song is like a dissolving of energy into this 8-bit version of myself. I encourage you to when you're designing your own #playlists, to mix it up and try to create different feelings in each one of your songs. After all, each song on your #playlist is like a boss fight in a level. You have to work out each level and they get harder and harder as you become more tired by each one. Works like any standard video game or movie. A full story.

And when you're out there, the best thing to do is to let it all go as much as you can. Forget that you may look like a crazy person running in the middle of the street with your arms punching out into the air, full of enthusiasm and grace. It's the probably the most free experience you can have.

As usual, if you have a song suggestion or have a story about your own #rundance or #playlist, share it here.