So I download NPR's news quiz show called, "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!" every week and listen to it on Mondays while I clean.
They always have some famous guest on the show. And this week it was Lucinda Williams (I love her).
She sings the song "Can't Let Go" that I tried to sing on Friday night (ref: video from last post) - and they played a portion of that song on the show.
Sam and I played it Friday.
Radioland played it on an NPR news quiz show Saturday.
Coincidence?
Well, yes, of course it is.
The most exciting part of this most exciting post? (haha)
*She's got a new album and I'm excited to check it out!
You have to perform in front of a bunch of people and you're really nervous?
You play the song AS FAST AS YOU CAN so you can get it over with...
Who exactly was I racing? Oh well :) Sam likes to play fast anyway.
1. This was fun for me.
2. The audience was SUPER nice and friendly and smiley (that's always helpful).
3. I made lots of mistakes, and it was okay. My goal was to have fun with Sam. And I did!
4. The video is helpful (thanks, Jerry, for recording it). I can really see some things I need to work on.
My favorite compliment of the evening:
"You are as good as the 10th place American Idol last year!"
"Float My Boat" Great song. Great video. And it's so fitting for the season... This song is by The Mollies. You can check out more of their music here.
Enjoy!
P.S. Incidentally, I know the guy in the fridge and he's one talented, music making machine who happens to be in another band called The Happies --you can listen to their music here.
I saw this last night, and had to watch it again this morning. Love the song and the video. Thanks Marci. You always manage to find and share the loveliest things!
Last year, while looking for Ukulele tutorials on Youtube, I stumbled upon this video of a darling college student who was submitting her entry to the Bushman World Ukulele Video Contest(click here to watch Julia Nunes' aweseomeness). Seriously, she's a fun girl. She's done covers from the Beach Boys, to The Killers, to Kanye West. Go ahead and watch it, I'll wait....
Okay, so she totally won 1st place and she continued submitting songs on YouTube. Long story short, she basically became YouTube famous, selling CDs and even OPENED FOR BEN FOLDS( I know, how awesome is that?).
And so to mark the Beauty of the Ukulele (4 reasons follow):
1.
Ukulele = Beauty. The sound invokes in me a feeling so mellow and happy. There is no sound like it.
You know that scene in Lilo and Stitch, when Stitch is completely wild and out of control, and then Lilo strums the Uke once, and he instantly melts onto the ground? It's a funny scene. And it's just like that for me.
2. People who put themselves out there and create great music = Beauty
Here is a beautiful case in point (These girls are this year's 1st place winners)
Go ahead and watch it - you'll be so glad you did!
3.
The Bushman World Ukulele Video Contest Exists and that, is a Beautiful Thing. Check out the winner list and their videos here
4.
Being Inspired to Make a New Resolution = Beauty:
I RESOLVE to learn one song, on my Ukulele, each month this year. YAY! That will be 12 new songs to add to the 2 I know now ;).
*January's song:Jason Mraz's I'm Yours (That's for you Uncle Ed. I expect you to sing it once I learn it.)
Tonight, my little family did a Christmas program at the local care center, and then we ended up taking a spontaneous drive around the city. We sang carols at the top of our lungs. Sam began improvising some blues-riff about fruitcake. (He is hilarious, by the way. He was coming up with the funniest verses!) Before long, a chorus developed. Then the kids decided they wanted to take turns making up verses to the fruitcake song. It was awesome. I really enjoyed hearing what the kids were coming up with on the fly.
It's been a busy season, and I've had a lot of mixed feelings (mostly good ones). Tonight has definitely been the highlight.
This is kind of a teeny-bopper game, but I'm doing it for three reasons:
Because Jill did it, and she's cool. And her music list was awesome.
Because I am in a music rut and sick of listening to the same things all the time. If someone else plays this game, I can make some discoveries... ;)
I'm feeling blue and so I'm playing games until I feel like writing something that doesn't sound whiny.
The rules: Go to the shuffle setting on your MP3 player. Answer each question with title of the next song that comes up. No skipping, even if it doesn't make sense!
***(I added one thing: I skipped if there was a repeat artist).
WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? Country Boy (Muddy Waters)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Come Together (Beatles)
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? 4 White Stallions (Counting Crows)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? You Were Mine (Dixie Chicks)
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton)
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? Bird Song (Grateful Dead)
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? When God Made Me (Neil Young)
WHAT IS 2+2? Anabelle (Gillian Welch)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Up To The Mountain :MLK Song: (Patty Griffin)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Painters (Jewel) *I just erased this one...*
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? Ten Mile Stilts (The Wailin' Jennys)
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Don Quixote (Gordon Lightfoot)
IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY? Misguided Angel (Cowboy Junkies) *Just erased this one too. I always skip it.*
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Elkhorn Ridge (Old Crow Medicine Show) *erased*
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Side With The Seeds (Wilco)
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? Killing The Blues (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss) *I really like this song*
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? Devil Sent The Rain Blues (Charley Patton) *This is an OLD recording, kind of cool*
WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? Let My Love Open The Door (Sondre Leche's cover of Pete Townshend's song.)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? Taylor (Jack Johnson)
WHATS THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? Human Thing (Be Good Tanyas)
HOW WILL YOU DIE? The Rain Song (Led Zeppelin) WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET? Eternal Circle (Bob Dylan)
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? Coming Home (Lizz Wright)
WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? Cheyenne (David Grisman)
WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED? Black Dog (cover of LZ song by various artists: Pickin' on Zeppelin album)
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? She's Got You (Patsy Cline)
DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU? Make Me a Pallet On Your Floor (Mississippi John Hurt)
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? I'm Lonely, But I Ain't That Lonely Yet (The White Stripes)
WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? Alone Apart (Glen Hansard & Market Irglova)
WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? Telluride (Kate Wolf)
What I learned from this game:
Be forwarned if you play: There is a slight urge to make these songs mean something. And when it doesn't make sense, you will be tempted to skip to the next song...
There is a LOT of cleaning up I need to do. So much music to weed through and get rid of.
I don't like practicing scales. I don't even know what the heck I'm doing. I need a teacher (a free teacher). Or a good book.
I need a book specially geared toward learning scales and becoming more familiar with the fret board. I have a couple of beginner books that will help me in sight reading, but I need to learn how to get around on the thing...
And I don't like it. Not one bit. My fingers don't want to move that way, and I just don't really know what I'm doing...
If I stick to it, I know I'll like it and be glad. But for now, I'm just really, really frustrated. I want someone to sit across from me and say "Here's what you do. Like this. And here's the book you need."
And it would help if I learned some new songs. I've noticed I can become more familiar with my instrument and how everything relates to each other, when I'm trying to figure out an actual song...
I would LOVE recommendations here. The more songs I learn, the better. Plus they are motivating, because it's FUN to do. So, if anyone reads this--- suggest away!
Sigh.
My house is almost clean...maybe I'll finish that up before I get back to the guitar. That might cheer me up.
Okay so I put it off until yesterday. Other than a little spot cleaning here and there I don't think I've ever thoroughly shampooed my interior. I've had this mama-wagon for FIVE years (five years of camping trips, wet winters, toddlers)...
That thing was nasty. I rented a carpet/upholstery cleaner and I just couldn't believe how gross even the seats were! (I expected the floors to be bad, but Ewwwwww.)
It took 5 hours (I had to take some breaks, for meal prep and yelling at the kids and stuff). I took out the seats, and even unscrewed the plastic base plates in order to clean out all that junk. Ew. Ew. Ew. I'm SO glad to have that over and done with.
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE is going to be music centered.
Photo of this nifty tool was taken fromthisnifty blog
I love to sing. I love to play (the piano, the guitar, the ukulele) but I do this thing, where I struggle to learn just a few songs and then I stop learning. Every "practice session" becomes a playing session, where I play the same things over and over. I'm sick of the same old songs. And I'm getting worse instead of getting better.
So here's what I'm going to do EVERY single day (for this week anyway)
GUITAR
1. At least 10 minutes of scale practices and finger exercises each day.
2. Learn 5 different scales (I only know 2 basic scales, barely).
3. I will use the metronome at least 1 time through for each song I "practice".
4. Guitar TLC: * New strings *A little tweaking of the saddle (let's hope I don't seriously mess things up here) AND * Cleaning: (The inside of my guitar currently contains various pick pieces and a dead moth...seriously!)Again, this challenge is small, but perfect because it's something I just never get around to.
Potential distractions include: ---A propensity for idleness, AND ---I'm currently trying to learn a song on the Ukulele called, 'Henehene Kou'Ana'. I love this song!
Here's a Youtube version of the legendary Iz singing this fun song:
Some day soon I will write something trivial. An entry that is not drenched with unbridled emotion... I truly believe there is a kind of virtue in "taking life for granted". That may sound crazy and maybe I will explain myself, some time in the future.
Today was Hser Nay(Ner) Moo's funeral. It was sweet, mournful, hopeful, dreadful, enlightening-lovely. Celebrating and re-living a whole life (even a young life) in one day is quite an experience. I'm pretty much just an on-looker and I feel emotionally exhausted. I can't imagine what the family is feeling.
That was the hardest part. Watching the parents and brothers. But you know, they were amazing. To be able to visibly see the grief of a mother as if it were a weight on her back. To watch her carry that weight, up to the pulpit, and declare words of gratitude, strength, forgiveness and understanding...it was one of the most beautiful and courageous things I have ever witnessed.
Picking a song today has been difficult. First of all, I wanted to pick something appropriate for the mood of the day. There are so many amazing choices! It seems that ever since Hser Ner Moo's passing that music has become even more wonderful to me. (And I didn't think that was possible!) I said to Sam this weekend, as we were listening to General Conference, "Is it me, or is this music more amazing than ever?" And it's not just conference. The music with my family this Sunday was pure bliss. The music at the funeral was divine. Listening to the music my fellow bloggers have put onto their blogs, music I've heard a hundred times, are brand new and so wonderful to me.
All aspects of life are more precious. I hope to hold on to this greater zeal for the beauty of life as long as I can.
Okay- So here's what I picked. It's by Amy Macdonald (click to Wiki) and it's from her debut album "This Is the Life" released less than a year ago.
WHY:
I chose her because I've been listening to her quite a bit and I really her music.
It's a sweet song that fits for the mood of the day.
NOTE: 2 For 1
The song ends at about 2:30, but if you wait for almost a full minute, she begins another song. It's old Scottish folk tune called "Caledonia"- also a great song. All in all the song lasts about 5:27... Here are the lyrics, if you can't listen...
THE ROAD TO HOME Oh the leaves are falling from the trees And the snow is coming don't you know But I still remember which way to go I'm on the road, the road to home. Oh the sound is fading in my ears And I can't believe I've lasted all these years But I still remember which way to go I'm on the road, the road to home.
Oh the light is fading all the time And this life I'm in, it seemed to pass me by But I still remember which way to go I'm on the road, the road to home.
Now I must say goodbye Keep telling myself now don't you cry But I'm here where I belong. I'll see you soon, it won't be long.
Thanks to the Birdhaus Blog, I've found a way to post music onto my blog. And not just onto my blog, but within a post. And not just within the post, but I can use MY OWN music, from MY own computer!
I have long been searching for a widget that will do those very things. Being Mac-dumb and HTML illiterate has made this search very complicated and until now, insufficient.
You know what this means? It's MUSIC MONDAY, Baby! (Listening is optional)
My first song comes from this White Stripes album: De Stijl
"Let's Build A Home" (1:58)
WHY? 1. Because it's the song my kids and I dance-jam to, when we've got a case of the three O'clock slumps. 2. Because it's the first song I thought of when testing out this new widget.
Also of "Note":
Rumor has it, that the recording in the beginning is of Jack White (when he was a boy) and his parents.
De Stijl is Dutch for "The Style" (an artistic movement also known as Neoplasticism).
It's currently fundraiser time in the world of PBS...
I discovered this as I was absentmindedly flipping through the channels and saw Donny and Marie singing "It Takes Two". It was their 50 year anniversary concert. Awesome.
Watching this reminded me of a time I embarrassed myself.
Donny and Marie came back to TV land about 9 years ago, which was about the time my oldest was born. Being home during the day and motivated by a sense of nostalgia- (my mother used to watch the original show when I was young)- I found myself frequently tuning in to watch the Comeback Duo.
Okay, so how did I embarrass myself (besides writing this post)? In a nutshell; I saw Donny from a distance at a Jazz game several years ago. We made eye contact. I waved and shouted "Hey!" like we were buds. His expression reflected no recognition and I was surged with sudden clarity (and a red face). I realized then that I desperately needed to cut a clear line between TV land and real life. I decided I would turn the telly off for good (I have yet to do this).
So, what does this have to do with.....anything?
Well, call me crazy, but every once in a while I "run across" a famous person and think, "Yea, I totally get what they're about". And it's not just the Mormon ones either. Let's call them "Kindred Spirits of Hollywood". (hmmm....)
Oh. You want examples? Okay, but I'm not going to explain MUCH about why I picked these people. I tried, but I had to delete my reasons. Any conjecture I have comes across as pathetic and just plain loony because, as Mr. Osmond's body language so plainly expressed, I don't actually know these people.
A SHORT LIST OF FAMOUS PEOPLE WITH BFF POTENTIAL BASED UPON AN UNEXPLAINABLE, INTUITIVE HUNCH
MOVIE STAR:
Juliet Binoche
Maybe it's the accent. Or the fact that she was in a movie where she made out with Johnny Depp and made chocolate for a living...that could possibly be it.
MUSIC ICON: Jack White of the White Stripes
We'd be peas in a pod, I'm sure of it. Of course, he'd be the big-juicy-talented-genius pea, and I'd be the small-somewhat-dry-shriveled-up pea-but we'd be in the same pod. I'm just sure of it.
YOUTUBE CELEB (which has all but replaced television for me):
Julia Nunes
I wouldn't say Julia and I are exactly kindred. It's just that she would be the funnest friend ever. She's so cool. She's completely uninhibited and unfazed by criticism. She's so unlike me.
Technically she's not famous. Though she is popular on YouTube (for good reason). I discovered her while looking for Ukulele tunes to learn. She recently won the "Bushman World Ukulele Contest". You can view her submission below.
You're gonna love this girl once you see it. And even if you don't, I am convinced this video will leave you smiling.
I know I've been absent for a while, and I could write about my job, or how the kids are doing, or about family coming into town (so fun) or the fact that I feel totally out of whack these days. (I still haven't changed the calendar on my fridge to March...)
But instead of doing anything productive, I will- at my dear Hubby's request - spend the evening re-learning "White Sandy Beach" on the Uke.
I think the warmer weather has given us some serious spring fever. At any rate, he's decided he really likes the Mando-Uku combo (I do too). It sounds completely happy and mellow :) Perfect for the milder weather...
Here's a helpful karaoke video in case anyone would like to learn this sweet song...
Okay, this project was not what I thought (what project is, right?) But that's okay. I'm not nearly finished, but I hope to at least be done with the boys' room tonight. Ada's room is a disaster (dumb cement wall). I won't go into detail. A few lessons learned:
1. Plaster is a taunting, evil compound. Now I know what people were complaining about. I was hesitant to hang pictures before, now I'm pretty sure I won't as long as I live here. 2. Water is life for the body, death for this basement. 3. Small rooms are hard to organize/prep for painting (where do I put the furniture???) But cleaning walls and taping goes super quick! 4. It feels REALLY good to be doing something for my house, even if I make a hundred mistakes. 5. There was no other way for me to really learn this stuff without actually starting. 6. My kids are so excited about their colors, the anticipation has been very rewarding (I just hope they like the end product).
Pictures may or may not come. These bedrooms are so small, I'm not sure I could get any good ones. We'll see.
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
dreams
(I CAN'T FIND ANY DETAILS ABOUT THIS PICTURE...IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFO, I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW MORE, THANKS!)
I read an article in Psychology Today titled "Dreams: Night School", which explained how one study showed that dreams are a way of helping us to prepare for dangerous or stressful situations... to be deprived of sleep, we lose our defensive edge, not because of fatigue but because we missed out on our mental training during REM. (Click here to see this and other articles on dreams).
While reading I realized I hadn't dreamed in a while (at least that I could remember). I was able to recall a few nights back, that I was laughing so hard, I kind of woke myself up. Sam says I do this a lot... Dreams are fun, terrifying, crazy, elating, confusing and altogether cool. I've had many dreams with a sky just like the one in the picture above, where the clouds are low, the sky some stark color. Only, in my dreams they roll and tumble, moving fast across the sky. It's kind of scary, but I love when I dream of clouds like that.
So I decided, for this week, to make sure I have a notebook and pencil at my bedside, and when I wake in the morning, I'm going to write down my dreams/first thoughts.
Why this challenge?
1. Because it has nothing to do with housework :)
2. To enhance creativity: Because almost every day I wake up with a song in my head, and sometimes it's not one I've heard before. I'd like to keep track.
Once, I was trying to think of a good guitar rhythm to fit a song I wrote, and I woke up one day with this fun beat in my head. I hopped out of bed, found a scratch paper, and wrote it down as best I could. I promptly lost the scratch paper - that annoys me.
I also occasionally wake up with phrases or words, and I think, "hey, that would be great for a song" or "that's a great thought. I need to remember that". But I don't remember.
3. For Fun:
It would be fun to have glimpses of my dreams written down, and see if the crazy songs correlate at all, like a dream soundtrack. Did that dream I had about Johnny Depp fall on the same night I woke up singing "It's So Easy to Fall in Love" ??? Hmmmmm....
4. To Enhance Relationships?:
I think sometimes my subconscious is telling me to call Grandma. Once I dreamt of a friend of mine, we were in the mall and she just broke down. She was extremely discouraged, crying and exhausted. I woke up thinking, "I'm going to bring her flowers". Did I do it? Nope. Forgot. Did she need them? Maybe, maybe not. But I wouldn't mind getting flowers from a friend - good day or bad, y'know?
Well, that's it. I've got to get back to finishing last weeks project ;)
I have a basement full of laundry. A storage room full of outgrown clothes and other who knows what...
I can't even get to my Christmas stuff.
I have 4 D.I. piles, in different places in the basement, almost ready to be shipped. Stacks of ironing. and mending- (yes, I aspire to mending...) One large, deep laundry basket full of old personal training files, client charts, papers &??... Two rooms that need wall repairs and need to be repainted. My boy's birthday is in two weeks. Oh, and I'm not at all ready for Christmas...
So what have I been doing? How have I been spending my time? Just what DO I DO, when the kids are at school? Amidst all this chaos, I have been;
Playing my guitar.
For hours. I love it. Playing and singing. Truly, it makes me happy. (Except when it makes me crazy mad, when I get sick of not being able to make the dang thing sound decent...)
Oh, sure, I break here and there to load the dishwasher and make meals, and wash clothes...but the last few days have been way off balance, and it's time to set the scale straight and get my life in order before the holidays SLAM me.
I had to get rid of it. I stashed it at my mother-in-law's house (lucky her). It was too much of a distraction. I have no discipline when it comes to gratifying my appetites for idleness and gluttony. "Just play for 15 minutes" you say? Ha! That's like saying, "Just have one cookie". The idea is reasonable, and for my own good, but before I've come to that realization I've already swallowed a half-dozen...Pathetic I know.
Once, I played for 6 hours straight. Sam was out of town on my birthday and I was lonely. I stayed up nearly all night learning a new song. (Yes, it was only one song. Like I said, I'm not GOOD at it, I just like it). I only stopped because my hand cramped in a weird, painful position and wouldn't budge for about a week. Ah, well.
Moderation is a beautiful, foreign dream to me.
(Now, I wonder where I can stash this computer for a few days?)
