On Wednesday morning I watched The Daily Show episode from the night before, as usual. The interview that night was Sarah Vowell, whom I hadn't heard of before, but who was charming and witty and who, it turned out, was able to voice something that had been bothering me. She talked about how she couldn't bear to read the newspaper that morning because it was too depressing, and because her current leader was not offering her explanations or consolations, she went to YouTube and listened to FDR's Fireside Chats. She said she was surprised at how comforted she was by them, and you got the idea that she was, in fact, very grateful, though there was a bit of resentment that her leader was not giving her a version that didn't reference Jimmy Stewart's new movie.

I keep thinking of that interview. I went and listened to a Fireside Chat (this one), and it did help,but mostly it made me frustrated that there is no one doing that for me. I keep hoping for it; when I heard Obama is buying up a half hour of network television next week, I got excited; I want to watch, mostly because I'm hoping he will do something that feels even remotely like a Fireside Chat. I find myself watching debate footage and ignoring McCain, whom they're usually mocking, to focus on Obama sitting there, calm and cool. I want more of that. I ache for it.

And then I thought, we can do these on our own. Sure, it'd be nice to have our leader do it, but we have power, and we're smart. We can't exactly explain what's happening, and we can't promise it will be better, but we can deliberately look at what is good around us and share it with each other. And, when that gets too hard, we can point each other in the direction of happy things. I'm still working out the how, and the what. But I swear, we can do this. I'm seeing an iMovie or something, or video blog sort of thing. It's a hard line, because you don't want it to just be chirpy. It needs to be a sort of delighted surprise, a reminder that the stock market may be nosediving and we don't know what that means or what it will bring, but that right here, right now, there are good things.

So, if you want to play spin this in whatever way you want. Be deliberate and call it a Blogside Chat. Or just write something positive. Or just notice it on your own. When you're sitting over a bowl of ice cream, notice it, not as something that can numb your emotional pain, but as a delightful, delicious thing that you can enjoy. Notice your sleeping cat and just feel good about it, and maybe take a photo. Admire a handsome/beautiful stranger.

I don't know. Maybe this is cheesy. But I think it's worth it, and I think we can do this. We just have to change how we look at things. We don't have to be ridiculous about it, or fake. But it's not that everything is bad. There's nothing wrong with noticing the things that are nice, or interesting, or just beautifully strange.

And so, here's my Blogside Chat for the day: one of my favorite musical groups is Goldfrapp. Below is the video of a song from their most recent album, a very beautiful song that, if you listen to it, is more than a little odd, and almost creepy. And then you see the video, and it's 18 more kinds of weirdness. I always shake my head when I watch it, but I also always smile.

Maybe you will, too.
( behind the cut, because it autoplays. )