you gotta shake it, baby. yeah.

I made the mistake of watching the Weather Channel before leaving for work this morning. The weather guy and his perfect hair started on the California end of the map to tell me about the Santa Ana winds, and those soulful back up singers from Steely Dan’s "Babylon Sisters" began to smoothly roll out their line about that very same phenomenon. Once implanted, it would not leave my mind for the duration of the workday, and that is a hell of a thing to spring on a man on a cold and wet Monday.

Now, let it be known that Rex L. Camino has nothing but love for the Steely Dan. The world is divided into those who love them and those who hate them, and when the conflict is brought to a head and each side takes up arms to smite the opposition you can count Rex L. Camino to be on the righteous side of the Steely Dan army. I will probably wind up shooting myself in the foot, but Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s gin soaked beat poetry over that tasteful blend of rock and jazz has been known to motivate people beyond their mortal confines. A bullet in the foot won’t hurt as bad as it would if I had taken it for the Captain and/or Tenille.

Still, having “Babylon Sisters” in my head tends to affect the way I walk around. I know that most songs tend to do that and that people are generally too lost in their own songs to notice that sort of thing in others (unless you happen to be transporting a can of paint down a city block with “Staying Alive” reverberating through the confines of your cranium), but Steely Dan can be a bit dangerous.

“Babylon Sisters” causes me to unintentionally creep around, and this only amplifies my already cat-like ability of movement. I often have the misfortune of sneaking up on people. In my mind I am announced by Donald Fagen’s crooning plea of “So fine so young. Tell me I’m the only one” or those same back up singers proclaiming “You gotta shake it, baby, you gotta shake it, baby. Yeah” in a hypnotic rhythm that is only interrupted by the sound of a scream or some other primitive sign of shock from those who do not expect me to be behind them. People who are holding things will sometimes drop the things they are holding. They will then say things like “damn, you’re quiet” or “I didn’t know you still worked here”.

I can only laugh it off, secretly curse that rat bastard in the hairpiece from the Weather Channel, and then do my best to pretend that I really do still work there.