Nose, Meet Grindstone

A look at the songs that have shaped
my life and ended up on my devices.

The news business can be draining on multiple levels: physically, emotionally, intellectually. And in those times where more is demanded from less, time is too short and the list is too long, my brain starts playing this early classic from Steely Dan:



The lyrics are about an extramarital affair, but it's the hook that resonates:

I'm a fool to do your dirty work, oh yeah.
I don't want to do your dirty work, no more.

This song was featured in the opening minutes of American Hustle, when a key character tells another he has to clean up the messes of another. I've had to do that a few times -- mostly outside of work, fortunately. And yet, for all the times I didn't want to do the job, I did it. I don't know if that makes me foolish or wise... but I do know it has kept me employed.