Almost Home

Mary Chapin Carpenter - Almost Home Pin It

Late for Your Life

Mary Chapin Carpenter - Late for Your Life Pin It

Sunday Stroll

The weather was terrible a good part of the weekend - so Saturday I stuck to the house and caught up on a few things.  Sunday the sun came out and I joined half of the city in the area called Ouchy - it is so beautiful and perfect for a Sunday stroll.

One of my favorite things about being in Europe is the architecture.  Having spent most of my life in the US (and the Western US at that) I'm not used to buildings that have so much history.  We are lucky to see something that is 100 years old - let alone hundred's of years.

   These grand, sweeping buildings always catch my eye and make me wish we had a bit bit more variety in architectural styles at home.

Things here are built to last - some of these buildings are hundreds of years old and are still so beautiful and charming.

I've just got one week left to go here, I can't believe how quickly this trip has flown by!

I listened to this song as I walked home from the bus stop on Sunday - an oldie, but a goodie.

Mary Chapin Carpenter - A Place In The World

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Bird on a Pine

I've never really thought of myself as a bird watcher, but when a group spent part of the day hanging out in the trees outside my window they gave me an excuse to ignore work for a while.  Not surprisingly, when I finally got up to grab my camera they all disappeared, leaving me just one shot of this little one before he deserted me too.

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Office Project Kickoff and GIVEAWAY

My office inspiration from Emily A Clark - Planning to use the same IKEA bookshelf and similar paint, but mine will be a few shades darker and blue blue than purple.

I'll admit it, I spend a lot of time reading design blogs and dreaming of projects I want to do around my house.  While I'm home this fall and have a bit of time off I'm planning to tackle one of those projects - my home office.  It's a large airy room, with big windows that is perfect for an office.  Best of all moving out there will get me away from the kitchen table which is much too close to the pantry and fridge for my waistline.  I anticipate working from home more during the next year so I want to get the office ready as quickly as possible and I'm planning to share my progress with you as I go.

I have decided on a color to paint the walls and on the type of flooring to install, but I'm still working on all the little details which, let's be honest, is what will really make the place my own.  I'm trying to keep the budget down, so there will be lots of bargain shopping, DYI and re-purposing for the project.  I almost wish I was eligible for the surprise I have for you today, my very first giveaway.

The kind folks at CSN Stores have given me a $35 gift certificate to give away to one of you!  CSN is an online shopping mecca with over 200 stores where you can buy anything from dining room chairs, to rugs (I need some for my office), to lighting right down to storage solutions for media collections (another thing I really need!)

The Rules
All you have to do to win is comment on this post telling me what home project you plan to tackle next.  For a bonus entry become a follower and add a second comment letting me know you've done so.  Already a follower?  Simply add a second comment letting me know you are.

There has never been a better time for all of you lurkers out there to come out of the word work and show me a little comment love.  The contest closes at mid-night Sunday, October 31.  I'll use random.org to pick the winner and will make the announcement on November 2.

The small print
CSN only ships to the US and Canada and international shipping charges apply to those of you in Canada.

A little song for luck from one of my all-time favorites:
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Dream Concert

A couple of weeks ago one of my musical dreams came true, I got to see Mary Chapin Carpenter in concert.  I've never been shy about my love of her music so when a friend mentioned she was playing at a local winery in a few weeks I started asking around until I found someone else interested in seeing the show.

Let's just say it was well worth the money.  She played a good mix of new and old music and I was reminded yet again why she is one of my favorites.  She writes intelligent, literate songs that speak to my soul.

Here's one of my favorites:

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An Artist

A little over a year ago I participated in a swap set up by a fellow blogger.  I was matched with the most lovely girl - Maegan.  She a mother of three beautiful girls, an artist and an inspiration.  When I first started following her blog she had a shop selling the most amazing soaps and other bath products.  These soaps smell so good I take them to India with me to put in my drawers so my clothes at least start the day smelling yummy.  Over the year or so I've followed her blog I've discovered she has a way with words and photos - her photos are INCREDIBLE.  She has a gift for making the world look dreamy and beautiful.

I was thrilled this weekend when she finally launched a site selling her photos - mostly because I've been dying to have a piece of her artwork hanging in my home.  I'm proud to say my very own Madeline Bea is on its way to Lexington - I can't wait to see it in person.  If you are looking for a unique piece of art for your house, check out her etsy shop - you'll fall in love too.  And, as a bonus during her launch Maegan's having a buy one, get one free special - get over there while it lasts.

Congratulations Maegan!

Here's a couple of dreamy singers, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Allison Krauss, singing a dreamy song, "I Was a Bird" to go along with Maegan's dreamy photos.

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The Age of Miracles

One of my favorite artists put out a new album last week - Mary Chapin Carpenter. Her songs so often feel like they were written just for me; that she was able to get inside of my head and take the thoughts and turn them into these amazing songs whose lyrics not only define, but inspire me.

Most people know Mary Chapin Carpenter for her work in the early 1990's, songs like "Passionate Kisses" and "I Feel Lucky" I love those songs too - but it is really her later work that I find myself going back to over and over again.

This week's release is no different - how many artists can write a song from the point of few of one of the members of the Chinese military at Tiananmen Square and make you see the event from a completely new view this many years later.

MCC isn't an artist you are going to hear on the radio - but if you take the time to search out her work, you'll never be sorry.

Here is a cut from her new album "The Age of Miracles."

"I Have a Need for Solitude"
Mary Chapin Carpenter
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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

Late For Your Life - Mary Chapin Carpenter

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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Luck

I was sitting at my desk this afternoon letting my mind wander because I wasn’t particularly excited by the work I was doing. I was pondering my recent string of bad luck when it comes to technology when one of my old favorites can on iTunes, Mary Chapin-Carpenter’s “I Feel Lucky.” If only I had that kind of luck.

The night before I left Delhi at the end of May, I plugged my cheap, pay-as-you-go cell phone in to charge and it blew it up. Got home a few days later and bought a replacement. Three weeks later I lost the power cord to the new phone. Went back to the store for a replacement only to learn they’d discontinued the line. I lucked out and found a car charger (on clearance), so at least I can charge the phone when I’m home and have a car to power the charger.

Got back to Delhi and discovered that I’d left the charger for my Delhi phone in the US. That was a short lived problem since I lost my Delhi phone last week, along with the SIM card containing the phone number on my newly printed business cards. So, tomorrow I have the pleasure of going to the phone store in Delhi and trying to talk them into recovering my old phone number and purchasing yet another new phone.

It also seems that my bad luck has also extended to my computer. While I was in the US the DVD/CD drive stopped working. While I was in Pune over the weekend they changed the configuration on my computer and it took two days and a lot of work before I could get it to log back on to the internet. And then last night a warning message pops up telling me my battery can no longer hold even 50% of the charge, and instructing me to order a new battery.

Want to lend me your cell phone/laptop?

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Gdansk

Gdansk, like Tallin had a charming Old Town, which was rebuilt following the war, and I have to say they did a fantastic job. We also got to see our first real castle of the trip. It, too, was completely rebuilt following the war. Unlike the Palaces in Russia, this castle was simple, not a lot of gilding - much more to my taste.

My great grandfather (who I never knew) emigrated from Poland, and since my short visit there I've been wishing I knew more about him, what city he lived in, why he chose to leave and how much of his family remained behind. You'd think with my church's emphasis on genealogy I'd know the answer to at least a few of those questions.

Thinking about my grandparents always brings a great Mary Chapin Carpenter song to mind, "My Heaven" I hope Heaven is as great as MCC's vision and that they are together in Heaven looking down on me and are proud of the person I've become.

There's pools and lakes and hills and mountains
Music, art, and lighted fountains
Who needs bucks here, no one's counting
In my heaven

No one works, we all just play
We pick the weather everyday
If you change your mind, that's ok
In my heaven

Grandma's up here, Grandpa too
In a condo with to-die-for views
There's presidents and movie stars
You just come as you

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Windshield

I had an early morning visitor in my apartment yesterday. He was so big I could see him from across the room without my contacts in. I'm proud to say I didn't scream (but I did move far from him until I came up with a strategy to get him far from me.) I let him keep his life, just returned him to nature - I hope he doesn't repay my kindness by bringing friends back to party.

After removing my little friend I was off to the airport for a overnight visit to Pune, India, a great city. The entire flight, Mary Chapin Carpenter's "The Bug" kept playing over and over in my head

Sometimes your the windshield
Sometimes your the bug

Here's hoping that by sparing the bug I get a dose of good karma. Pin It

Recognition

I had one of those moments yesterday when I looked around and couldn't figure out how I got there. I'm not talking about the physical "there" - I know that Pankaj dropped me off at Lajpat Nagar Market so I could waste a little time shopping in a new market. I wasn't even struggling with the the question of how I came to be living in India - I know a couple of decisions I've made along the way are responsible for that. What I couldn't figure out is why it felt completely natural to be wandering through the market on my own.

I didn't see another white face in the 90 minutes I was there. I had beggar kids following me and every salesperson was trying to pull me to their stall, it was crowded, smelly, hot, dirty and loud and I felt as if I belonged there.

Somehow during the past few years I've change enough that it now feels natural to me to be the minority, the one who doesn't quite fit in the picture. It's no longer uncomfortable to be surrounded by sights, sounds and smells that are completely new. I'm not saying it isn't still exciting to be someplace like India, because it is, and I still feel like I learn something new everyday. But, it feels as if my mind and body have accepted that it is normal to be constantly bombarded by images and feelings that aren't familiar. The time on the road has also made me confident enough in myself to know that I can walk into a situation like the market Saturday or a meeting with a new set of executives on Monday and be okay - I know I can handle it. It was a nice moment of recognition and one of those moments in life where I was completely at peace.

I'm not running
I'm not hiding
I'm not reaching
I'm just resting in the arms of the great wide open
- Mary Chapin Carpenter
"Almost Home"

As a side note, if you aren't a Mary Chapin Carpenter fan you should be, her songs define my life, make me sing along, and occasionally, even make me cry.

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