commutable aesthetics

I've always loved having a personal soundtrack during my moments of mobility. It helps distill the optimism of existing in the future, inspires an existential aesthetic of being in the moment while people, places, and things rush past me, or I past them.

This morning I took iPod for her virgin run. I haven't had music and informative media on the go with me in a very long time, and this morning's commute triggered inarticulate, experiential memories of how much I love these moments - the poetry of cities, the romance of technology, the optimism of existing and thriving in the future.

On the light rail I listened to Danny Howells mixes, to Paul van Dyk. Transiting to the subway I switched to Dido. It was amazing. The sweetness, the good things - natural and synthetic - focused themselves into sharp relief for me. The way my fellow commuters walked, the look of a crowd of people rushing from train to pavement, the coloured lighted screens of the ticket machines, how the stations themselves were lit, the shifting from fluorescent station to slate concrete streets.

I was in love, an island surrounded by street, glass, concrete, metal, and shimmering sleeknesses and the brightest pulsating colours. Music did it for me. I did it for me, my optimism for the future.