Bow-dit-dit-bu-dow-dow!

That’s the sound ‘The Shield’ (a television show on FX) makes when it starts. On a different note (both figuratively and literally) I was walking towards the Hospital I work at today and I noticed (this was around 1400-ish(2:00 PM-ish)) that there were some bagpipes playing Amazing Grace somewhere off in the distance. I found it a little surreal for some reason. After all, how often do you hear someone playing bagpipes (outside of the Renaissance Faire) and playing Amazing Grace at that, maybe at a funeral, if you happen to know a Scotch/Irish policeman or fireman? Outside of those rather limited times it seems to be something of a rarity. I’ve been over to people’s homes and have heard them strum a little on the guitar, or casually play the piano but it is uncommon in the extreme for someone to nonchalantly play the bagpipes in your normal everyday life. I think it has something to do with the fact that you CANNOT play a bagpipe nonchalantly. I believe that it requires a person to be fully chalant (ßthis is not a word) in order to pull out a set of bagpipes and start playing. I don’t think that bagpipes are really good background music for conversations either. It’s like trying to have throbbing club music as a background piece. “Did you hear that so and so was doing…” “WHAT?!” they would reply. So it is with bagpipes. On the other hand they do have a certain ethereal quality that makes you enjoy them. I don’t know what to tell you, bagpipes are loud, cannot be played casually, but people love them.