Sunday, March 22, 2009

Late

I include music with my post for many reason - because music plays an important part of my life, because it gives me a reason to search out new music or go back to old favorites and because the lyrics do a much better job of expressing what I'm feeling than I will every be able to.


This weekend I stumbled across an old song from a long-time favorite that put into words many of the things I've been feeling lately.  Mary Chapin Carpenter's "Late for Your Life"

You've been saying for the longest time that the time has come
You've been talking like you're of a mind to get some changing done
Maybe move out of the city, find some quiet little town
Where you can sit out on your back porch step
And watch the sun go down
No one knows where they belong
The search just goes on and on and on
For every choice that ends up wrong
Another one's right
A change of scene would sure be great
The thought is nice to contemplate
But the question begs why would you wait
And be late for your life

Now you might never find that perfect town
But the sun still sets on a rooftop where the city 
Sounds like a Gershwin clarinet
And you might still be searching every face for one you can't forget
Love is out there in a stranger's clothes
You just haven't met him yet
No one knows where they belong
The search just goes on and on and on
For every day that ends up wrong
Another one's right
Call it chance or call it fate
Either one is cause to celebrate
Still the question begs why would you wait
And be late for your life


As I've listened to this song over and over again I find myself wondering about those 
changes I've been thinking about in my life, and more importantly wondering what I'm
waiting for.
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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Obsession

Nearly 2 weeks ago I was bored and looking for a movie to watch. Instead of putting in a movie I thought it would be fun to watch an old episode or two of one of my very favorite TV shows, Veronica Mars. The problem is - I wasn't able to stop with a couple of episodes. I've gotten through 2 seasons and am starting on the 3rd. What started as a mad dash to see it all again as started to slow down - mostly because I don't want the fun to end. If you haven't ever seen it, netflix the DVD's I'll bet you get hooked too.



Not only is the show smart and fresh, the music is amazing, from Mike Doughty's "I Hear the Bells" to the Opening Theme, the Dandy Warhol's "We Used to be Friends."


I Hear The Bells - Mike Doughty

And just in case you were wondering - I have waited forever to find an excuse to post this song - it is one of my favorites - it gets stuck in my head - and for a change I love that it is on replay. Pin It

Monday, March 16, 2009

Grace

One of my favorite words is "grace" I love the way it sounds when you say it. I love the image I have in my head when I hear it; and I love when I see grace in the world around me.

My love of this word includes a love of two songs about grace: U2's "Grace" and Kate Havnevik's "Grace"





Both of these songs are on the playlist I listen to when I'm trying to find some peace in my life - they remind me how much I hope to live a life full of grace. Pin It

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Change

Today I got brave and asked my hairstylist to go short and, even scarier to me, I had her cut bangs - something I haven't had since I was a teenager. I'm still trying to decide if I like my hair - but I like that it is different.

On the drive home I was listening to a little Fleetwood Mac - nothing beats melodic Seventies' rock on a sunny day - one of my favorites, Landslide came on and I played it over and over on the way home - it just felt fitting.

Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life
Well, Ive been afraid of changing
cause Ive built my life around you
But time makes you bolder

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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Magnificent

I had big plans for Tuesday - hit Target to pick up the new U2. While I download most of music these days, there is something about U2 makes me want to have an actual physical copy I can hold - to upload to my iPod and to play in my car.

My big plan failed when I woke up early Tuesday with a nasty case of the flu. I spent the entire day in bed - even had to send an SOS to my sister to deliver some supplies to get me through the worst of it.

But, thanks to David Letterman (and YouTube since I fell asleep early) I was able to get a little U2 fix while I'm recovering.

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Monday, March 2, 2009

Jet-lag

The joys of being home

Seeing my family
Sleeping in my own bed
Making myself a turkey sandwich in my own kitchen
Using full size washer and DRYER
Watching the sun rise over the mountains

The only negative

Jet-lag and the inability to sleep past 3 AM

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Sunday, March 1, 2009

Epiphany


Settle in for a long post.

For years I've joked about my Blow Dryer Epiphanies - today I thought I'd share one with you and at the same time let you into my somewhat random thought process. But first - let me explain what a blow dryer epiphany is. Thanks to my very fine straight hair, I get to spend time with a blow dryer every morning. During this time there are no real distractions - I can't hear music or a TV, can't talk to anyone, can't be looking something up on a computer. All I can do is stand there and spend 5-10 minutes with only my thoughts to entertain myself.

Most mornings I use the time to go over what I need to do that day, or to think over a problem I'm having at work. I often come up with solutions to my work problems when I do this. I think it is partly because I'm at my best in the morning and partly because I've had the night to let my subconscious work it out. When I'm lucky by the time my hair is dry I've had an epiphany and am ready to tackle the problem as soon as I get to work.

Since Friday was my last day in the office in Delhi, I wasn't much in the mood for thinking about work while I dried my hair. Instead I found myself thinking about a challenge a friend posted on his blog - what embarrassing songs do you secretly love.

I started thinking about a recent post where I admitted I won a bet by knowing "Careless Whisper" was a Wham song and not a George Michael solo. The guy I beat made sure to remind me that it was pretty embarrassing that I knew this. I told him I owed my knowledge to teenage slumber parties where one of my friends had a Wham record and we spent a bunch of time listening to it.

From here my mind wandered to those slumber parties and what we did. I remember watching a lot of movies - Grease 1 & 2 being popular, as was Top Gun (from a copy my mom edited to remove the sex scene - I didn't know there was a sex scene in the movie until I saw it again in college!)

From there I started thinking about the fact that we watched movies at the slumber parties at my house before we did at my friends - because we had a Video Disc player - a machine that came along before VCRs. I won the machine by selling the most newspaper subscriptions for my local newspaper when I was about 7.


Now we are finally getting close to the epiphany. I realized that a 7 year old probably doesn't have what it take to win this type of contest, I had to have had a LOT of help from my parents. And yet, they helped in a way that I really felt it was my accomplishment. I also realized how much winning that contest impacted the woman I am today.

My parents gave me an opportunity at a very young age to set a goal, to work to accomplish that goal and to experience the joy that comes with success. They helped in a way that allowed me to feel like it was my accomplishment (I vaguely remember sitting in my mom's beauty shop filling in order booklet as the ladies in the salon bought subscriptions from me. Today, I realize my mom had a lot to do with those orders, but as I kid I felt like the best sales person.) The feeling I had when I placed first in the contest was one I liked, and it drove me to do well in school and to work hard to achieve my goals, so I could experience that feeling over and over again.

In addition to the Video Disc player, I also won some cash which my dad helped me put in a savings account. Five or six years later I used this money (along with a bit of lawn mowing money and contributions from my parents) to fund my very first trip. My grandparents let me tag along with them to Hawaii. This was our first (and their only) trip on an airplane and I'm so glad I got to experience it with them. I LOVED being in Hawaii, exploring a different place and seeing the way different people lived. That trip set me up for the life I live now.


My grandparents let me play guide, getting us around the grounds of the hotel and on our tours. Today I'm sure they weren't totally depending on me to navigate, but the told me again and again that they couldn't have made it without me, building my confidence to the point that I simply knew I could tackle being in a new place and figuring out how to get around. I use that confidence every time I take of on a new adventure.

There you have it - a look at the crazy path my thoughts can take in 10 minutes, AND my epiphany - my parents and grandparents, through their quiet guidance and love, provided the foundation of my life today through events as random as helping me sell newspaper subscriptions and taking me to Hawaii. I am truly blessed.




And these things that we have given you
They are not so easily found
But you can thank us later
For the things we've handed down
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