Today's No Shame November topic (for me; remember, I'm taking them in any order I please) is going to be music. Because I like the challenge of keeping this short and palatable.
I talk about music a lot on my blog and, over on the Book of Faces, I tend to post a "Song of the Day" every day, just whatever I've been listening to or something that is amusing (I typed "amusicing" first...) or entertaining me at that particular moment in time, so I really am not going to go into a lot of detail here about my love affair with music or when/how it started or anything.
Suffice it to say, music is very important to me. And how it makes me feel can very from day to day or even hour to hour. I love the very idea of it being created by a passionate artist (at least in most cases...don't get me started on a lot of the teenybopper shit that's popular these days) who is able to express himself or herself in such a way.
Music is also a key factor in my memories. For some people it's smells/scents, or even clothing, that stand out in their clearest and strongest memories but, for me, it's music. What music was I listening to at that time in my life? What was happening to me at that very moment the song was playing?
This is awesome, because a flood of senses and imagery can fill my body when I hear particular chords or choruses...but it can also be quite painful. There are songs and entire albums that I can't listen to ever again because they bring back painful reminders of past relationships, my own awful behavior in situations, or just plain old remind me of someone who is no longer living.
So now here comes the list portion of the blog. I like lists. Multiple lists. Here we go, in no particular order(s):
Songs I can't get enough of right now
1. "Our Love" - Seryn (This is Where We Are)
2. "Below My Feet" - Mumford and Sons (Babel)
3. "The Story" - Brandi Carlile (The Story)
4. "Iscariot" - Walk the Moon (Walk the Moon)
5. "I Was Broken" - Marcus Foster (Nameless Path)
6. "Ho Hey" - The Lumineers (The Lumineers)
7. "Demons" - Imagine Dragons (Night Visions)
8. "Cutty Love" - Milo Greene (Milo Greene)
9. "Ivory Black" - Seryn (no new album yet)
10. "Some Nights" - Fun. (Some Nights)
Albums I (still) have in constant rotation
1. Barton Hollow - The Civil Wars
2. This is Where We Are - Seryn
3. Babel - Mumford and Sons
4. The Lumineers - The Lumineers
5. Albatross - Big Wreck
6. Give up the Ghost - Brandi Carlile
7. Once - Original Broadway Cast Recording
8. Night Visions - Imagine Dragons
9. Hope and Ruin - The Trews
10. 21 - Adele
Songs I can't help but chair-dance to (aka, "Here's where you judge me")
1. "Every Time we Touch" - Cascada
2. "Call Me Maybe" - Carly Rae Jepsen
3. "It's Oh So Quiet" - Björk
4. "Everybody Talks" - Neon Trees
5. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - Queen
6. "Say Hey (I Love You)" - Michael Franti & Spearhead
7. "I Just Called to Say I Love You" - Stevie Wonder
8. "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Queen
9. "North Side Gal" - J.D. McPherson
10. "Shake it Out" - Florence + the Machine
I'm tired of making lists now. But that's a lot of music. I wanted to save this post for later (and you'll see why....later) to talk about why Seryn means a lot to me personally right now in my life, but I'll try to find a way to work it back in...later. I said "later" a lot there. NO SHAME.
NO SHAME NOVEMBER!!
November 2, 2012
November 1, 2012
No Shame November -- Politics
My friend Tashina has started up a blogging prompt list for the month of November. She's calling it "No Shame November," because, well...let me let HER tell you why:
There's a big day coming up in our country. Tuesday, November 6th, is Election Day in the United States of America.
I voted early. Last week.
Also? It was my very first time to vote.
No, I didn't just turn 18.
I'm not going to get into reasons why it was my first time to vote because (and pay attention because this is kind of the theme for this post) it's really none of your business.
I remember being a kid and asking my parents who they voted for once, and they both told me it was none of my business. I remember that very clearly. My parents didn't ever force their political opinions or beliefs on us, but they certainly held on to their own and felt strongly about them. I don't even think they told each other their preferred candidate.
We live in a technological age that has given every single person who can use a computer or a smart phone a soap box, a megaphone, and the false sense of being an expert about any and everything. My Facebook feed is CHOKED with political propaganda and rants and opinions, and it's frightening at worst, hilarious at best.
"But Mandy! Voting is IMPORTANT! It's not FUNNY." I agree with you. Mostly. It's very important. But you're wrong about that second part. The hilarity lies in the belief that posting any of your long-winded rants or cleverly-worded political cartoons or emotionally-charged manifestos on why we should vote for Your Guy (or Gal! You go Jill Stein.) is going to change anyone's mind.
Everyone has issues that are important to them. Everybody has an opinions on those issues. Everyone has the right to those opinions. I have my own opinions (which should come as a shock to absolutely no one) but, for once in my life I'm choosing to keep them off Facebook.
Any of my deepest thoughts, feelings, ideas, beliefs, and passions belong to me. Not my 691 Facebook friends.
I've posted very middle-of-the-road things such as, "You discover a lot about people during an election year," but nothing should've ever given too much of a clue as to how I feel about an issue or a candidate. I've encouraged people to educate themselves and to vote, if they choose to. Or to not vote, if they don't feel that they're educated. I just care that people do make a choice.
But there's one thing I shared with Facebook today that I will happily share with all of you because it's a fact and I believe it with my whole heart -- If Obama is elected, Christ will still be King. If Romney is elected, Christ will still be King. (I also added a bit about Rick Astley still being amazing no matter what, just to add some whimsy and to avoid a comment war because I'm turning into a bit of a pacifist in my old age. This old heart can't take the drama.)
Whichever candidate is elected next Tuesday, I will support the President of the United States and continue to serve a living God before anything or anyone else. But, I still voted, because I felt led to, and I am proud to have exercised my right and my freedom to do so.
So, for whom did I vote?
None of your business.
Why “no shame,” besides the fact that it sounds good with “November”? Because I want everyone to write about each topic (whether it’s general thoughts or a specific story or “I hate [topic]” or any other way you want to write) COMPLETELY HONESTLY. It can be humorous, sincere, psychotic… I don’t care! But there’s no shame. None. If you feel shame, I WILL COME TO YOUR HOUSE AND MURDER YOU.So, there you go. She suggested we take the topics in any order we please, so I'm starting with one that's currently on everyone's minds and Facebook timelines: POLITICS.
There's a big day coming up in our country. Tuesday, November 6th, is Election Day in the United States of America.
I voted early. Last week.
Also? It was my very first time to vote.
No, I didn't just turn 18.
I'm not going to get into reasons why it was my first time to vote because (and pay attention because this is kind of the theme for this post) it's really none of your business.
I remember being a kid and asking my parents who they voted for once, and they both told me it was none of my business. I remember that very clearly. My parents didn't ever force their political opinions or beliefs on us, but they certainly held on to their own and felt strongly about them. I don't even think they told each other their preferred candidate.
We live in a technological age that has given every single person who can use a computer or a smart phone a soap box, a megaphone, and the false sense of being an expert about any and everything. My Facebook feed is CHOKED with political propaganda and rants and opinions, and it's frightening at worst, hilarious at best.
"But Mandy! Voting is IMPORTANT! It's not FUNNY." I agree with you. Mostly. It's very important. But you're wrong about that second part. The hilarity lies in the belief that posting any of your long-winded rants or cleverly-worded political cartoons or emotionally-charged manifestos on why we should vote for Your Guy (or Gal! You go Jill Stein.) is going to change anyone's mind.
Everyone has issues that are important to them. Everybody has an opinions on those issues. Everyone has the right to those opinions. I have my own opinions (which should come as a shock to absolutely no one) but, for once in my life I'm choosing to keep them off Facebook.
Any of my deepest thoughts, feelings, ideas, beliefs, and passions belong to me. Not my 691 Facebook friends.
I've posted very middle-of-the-road things such as, "You discover a lot about people during an election year," but nothing should've ever given too much of a clue as to how I feel about an issue or a candidate. I've encouraged people to educate themselves and to vote, if they choose to. Or to not vote, if they don't feel that they're educated. I just care that people do make a choice.
But there's one thing I shared with Facebook today that I will happily share with all of you because it's a fact and I believe it with my whole heart -- If Obama is elected, Christ will still be King. If Romney is elected, Christ will still be King. (I also added a bit about Rick Astley still being amazing no matter what, just to add some whimsy and to avoid a comment war because I'm turning into a bit of a pacifist in my old age. This old heart can't take the drama.)
Whichever candidate is elected next Tuesday, I will support the President of the United States and continue to serve a living God before anything or anyone else. But, I still voted, because I felt led to, and I am proud to have exercised my right and my freedom to do so.
So, for whom did I vote?
None of your business.
October 24, 2012
You Know What I HATE About Blogging?
The pressure.
The feeling that I have to follow up a really popular post with something equally popular and interesting and witty and compelling and all that when, sometimes, I just don't have much to say.
Well....that's never true. I always have a lot to say. I'm just trying to learn when and where it's appropriate to put those things online. Sometimes they're best left said over a cup of coffee with a trusted friend who will keep her mouth shut and also not judge the things you are sharing with her.
I feel the same pressure whenever I get a new Facebook friend or Twitter follower. I feel like I suddenly need to prove to that person that they made a good choice in following/adding me. Sheesh. So much pressure.
But things are going well in Mandy World. Very well. I assume I'm allowed to share these things, so I'm going to...
Since my last post about my amazing music weekend, I've been contacted by the SofarDFW coordinators to be a consistent blogger about their local shows, and I could not be more excited about that. I've written for them a modified version of my own blog post that will hopefully show up on their official blog some time this week.
The VERY SAME DAY that happened (last Tuesday, if you were wondering), I met up with a friend at Jupiter House Coffee, where two members of Seryn were sitting and chilling out. Of course I giggled inside, but I kept my composure. I just smiled and, in my head, thought "My GOODNESS I love Denton...and my life." I sat there so long with my friend that the band's manager eventually came in and recognized me from the shows, and we spent an absolutely lovely few minutes talking. She thanked me for my blog post, hugged me...she is charming! Obviously we became Facebook friends after that.
DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN ABOUT PRESSURE? Now I want to prove to these people that, yes, I'm a huge music fan and all, but that they made good choices in putting me in their own lives. But the truth is, sometimes I go weeks without posting anything on this blog. Or I will go off on a Twitter RAMPAGE about a football game or a marathon of slasher-movie-watching.
(side note: in the time it's taken me to write parts of this, get some work done, check Facebook and Google Reader a couple of times, I read a post by Jen about a blogging conference she went to in Toronto, and now I'm super jealous and wish that I felt led to blog more often.)
You know what I hate slightly less about blogging? Finding a way to wrap them up and conclude.
.......
The feeling that I have to follow up a really popular post with something equally popular and interesting and witty and compelling and all that when, sometimes, I just don't have much to say.
Well....that's never true. I always have a lot to say. I'm just trying to learn when and where it's appropriate to put those things online. Sometimes they're best left said over a cup of coffee with a trusted friend who will keep her mouth shut and also not judge the things you are sharing with her.
I feel the same pressure whenever I get a new Facebook friend or Twitter follower. I feel like I suddenly need to prove to that person that they made a good choice in following/adding me. Sheesh. So much pressure.
But things are going well in Mandy World. Very well. I assume I'm allowed to share these things, so I'm going to...
Since my last post about my amazing music weekend, I've been contacted by the SofarDFW coordinators to be a consistent blogger about their local shows, and I could not be more excited about that. I've written for them a modified version of my own blog post that will hopefully show up on their official blog some time this week.
The VERY SAME DAY that happened (last Tuesday, if you were wondering), I met up with a friend at Jupiter House Coffee, where two members of Seryn were sitting and chilling out. Of course I giggled inside, but I kept my composure. I just smiled and, in my head, thought "My GOODNESS I love Denton...and my life." I sat there so long with my friend that the band's manager eventually came in and recognized me from the shows, and we spent an absolutely lovely few minutes talking. She thanked me for my blog post, hugged me...she is charming! Obviously we became Facebook friends after that.
DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN ABOUT PRESSURE? Now I want to prove to these people that, yes, I'm a huge music fan and all, but that they made good choices in putting me in their own lives. But the truth is, sometimes I go weeks without posting anything on this blog. Or I will go off on a Twitter RAMPAGE about a football game or a marathon of slasher-movie-watching.
(side note: in the time it's taken me to write parts of this, get some work done, check Facebook and Google Reader a couple of times, I read a post by Jen about a blogging conference she went to in Toronto, and now I'm super jealous and wish that I felt led to blog more often.)
You know what I hate slightly less about blogging? Finding a way to wrap them up and conclude.
.......
October 16, 2012
Tuesday Tunes: Music Weekend
(Quick disclaimer! I am not a music-blogger, per se. I just blog about music from time to time! This is a personal blog, so there are some personal feelings on here. For an AWESOME article in a real news source, check out THIS post from the Dallas Observer! Thanks for stopping by here, too, though!)
Earlier this year, I wrote about a pretty amazing local music experience: my first SOFAR show. It was really incredible, and it introduced me to some great new artists (whom I now follow on their respective Facebook and Twitter pages, hoping to catch another local tour date from any or all of them).
I was incredibly fortunate to be placed on the guest list again when SOFAR came back to Denton this past weekend. But, before I get to the house show portion of my weekend, let me first mention that the previous evening I had been to the Kessler Theater in Dallas to see one of my very favorite bands: Seryn.
Wait, I have to back up one more time.
When my best friend was in town for her birthday in August, I introduced her to Seryn as we were driving around being fabulous. She immediately bought their CD, and I mentioned how badly I wanted the album on vinyl. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when I get a text message from a friend I haven't seen in person in years.
Ann asked me if I could have lunch any time soon, because she had something for me. Now, I knew from her Facebook page that she was best friends with the folks in Seryn. What I did not know was that she is now working for the band. She had noticed that my BFF had ordered my birthday gifts from the Seryn website, but, since they were backordered, she wanted to help in any way she could to get them to me in time for my birthday. The gifts were a Seryn t-shirt (most comfortable t-shirt ever, btw) and....
Seryn's album on vinyl! Do you think I was excited? I'm not saying I cried...but I'm not saying I didn't.
As a birthday gift to me, Ann got me a ticket to see Seryn at the Kessler on October 13th. Did I cry again? Maybe a little. I'm not ashamed...it was incredibly kind and generous of BOTH my friends, and it made me feel very loved!
So, now we're back to the Kessler show.
Julia Sinclair opened the evening. Ho. Lee. Crap. This tiny little thing came out and completely owned all of us with her personality and huge voice.
Definitely check out her stuff. She's amazing. Here's a YouTube video of her singing "Lies."
Next up was Marcus Foster, an incredible performer from London. This guy...I knew he was going to blow my mind within the first 8 bars. He's got this incredible voice...reminded me of Glen Hansard (not his Swell Season stuff, but more of his solo work) and sometimes Ray LaMontagne (mostly in his ballads...my favorite of which was "Solid Ground," a track from his "The Last House" EP, which will be released next week!).
Here's a pretty good fan video of Marcus singing "Solid Ground" I found on YouTube. I was chatting with Marcus at the Sofar show, and was excited to hear that he will be back in the US touring sooner rather than later!
Next up was SERYN.
The thing about Seryn...for me...they totally ninja-ed their way into my brain. A wonderful friend shared them with me months ago, and I incorporated them into my iTunes shuffle. Then one day, I found myself skipping around to find their songs intentionally. Then I just sat and listened to the whole thing while working and...well, I wasn't working. I was sitting and staring off into space listening to the intricately layered instrumentation and vocals.
They became my happy-place music.
Any time I felt any anxiety or stress, or if I couldn't turn my brain off and fall asleep, I put on Seryn.
The show at the Kessler...it was just perfect timing. There's been a lot going on in my mind and heart lately, as I posted about recently. I was building up to a desperately-needed catharsis, and was about to just cue up the Betty Spaghetti's husband scene in "A League of Their Own" just so I could get the damn ugly cry out and have done with it.
(Come on, I know you have that ONE THING you watch/listen to when you need a good cry. Right? No? Just me? Okay.)
The Seryn experience I had on Friday night was....you know, I'm still having trouble finding the right words to accurately describe it. I've heard that they're so much more live than they are on a recording, and that is a fact.
During the intro to my favorite song of theirs, Nathan (the guitarist with the Epic Ginger Beard of Awesome) shared some things about the song with the audience, and mentioned that everyone who was supposed to be there that night was there. He believed it was all happening just like it should be happening, in that moment in that venue.
The whole set was surreal. I tweeted at one point, "I think I may actually be in Heaven right now. If I am, please don't send me back yet."
I don't know enough about the band members to speak to their faith or spirituality, but I can tell you that I personally felt the Holy Spirit in the room as I experienced their set. Not heard, their set....experienced. Because it was a multi-sensory experience, and I felt emotionally cleansed when it was over.
Exhausted and, yes, shaking in my hands and legs, but cleansed.
I drove home and reflected on the amazing music I'd heard that night, and I slept better than I have in a long time. The next day, I had a meeting up at the theatre, and then, at lunch with my husband, I was reading through my Twitter feed and deduced that I was going to get to see ALL THREE ACTS AGAIN in the intimate, acoustic environment that SOFAR provides.
I arrived at an absolutely beautiful home in Denton, found my friend Melissa, and told her how excited I was for HER to get to experience her first SOFAR show!
The first group up was an adorable husband-and-wife duo called The OnesYou Loved. (Doesn't he kind of remind you of Jim Sturgess??) Unfortunately they couldn't stay long, due to a CD-release party/concert they had to get to, but I really enjoyed hearing them play.
Next up -- YOU GUESSED IT. I got to see Julia, Marcus, AND Seryn all play again in a completely different environment than the night before, with a beautiful landscape and a blustery October afternoon as the backdrop.
Afterwards I found my friend Ann again to thank her profusely, and she was so excited that I'd gotten to see Seryn twice in one weekend. I'd been posting on Facebook about the SOFAR concert, and she managed to keep quiet about it so that I could be surprised. She introduced me to Nathan, who was a doll, and of course I had to get a picture because...well, gingers have to stick together whenever possible.
I asked Ann, "Does it ever get old, hearing them play? I mean, is it ever NOT completely spellbinding?" I was so pleased to hear her answer "No." I am so grateful to Ann for the opportunity to see Seryn at the Kessler, and to Joanna and Polly and all the rest of the SOFAR crew for putting me on the invite list again.
I'm sad to say that there were many people who apparently just did not show up to this SOFAR performance. I mean, it gave the rest of us an even more intimate environment (not to mention plenty of leg room), but I just wish that more people could've gotten to experience what we did that afternoon.
I spent some time chatting with Julia and Marcus afterwards, too, and they were so incredibly gracious! Julia had one of those fancy-shmancy iPhone squares so that I could buy her CD, but, since I didn't have any cash, I got Marcus to sign one of his promotional cards for me. Look! He loves Texas!
It was an amazing 48 hours of music, and I'm so grateful to Ann, the SOFAR crew, the amazing hosts who opened up their beautiful home to us, and of course, especially the musicians.
It was truly an unforgettable weekend.
Earlier this year, I wrote about a pretty amazing local music experience: my first SOFAR show. It was really incredible, and it introduced me to some great new artists (whom I now follow on their respective Facebook and Twitter pages, hoping to catch another local tour date from any or all of them).
I was incredibly fortunate to be placed on the guest list again when SOFAR came back to Denton this past weekend. But, before I get to the house show portion of my weekend, let me first mention that the previous evening I had been to the Kessler Theater in Dallas to see one of my very favorite bands: Seryn.
Wait, I have to back up one more time.
When my best friend was in town for her birthday in August, I introduced her to Seryn as we were driving around being fabulous. She immediately bought their CD, and I mentioned how badly I wanted the album on vinyl. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when I get a text message from a friend I haven't seen in person in years.
Ann asked me if I could have lunch any time soon, because she had something for me. Now, I knew from her Facebook page that she was best friends with the folks in Seryn. What I did not know was that she is now working for the band. She had noticed that my BFF had ordered my birthday gifts from the Seryn website, but, since they were backordered, she wanted to help in any way she could to get them to me in time for my birthday. The gifts were a Seryn t-shirt (most comfortable t-shirt ever, btw) and....
Seryn's album on vinyl! Do you think I was excited? I'm not saying I cried...but I'm not saying I didn't.
As a birthday gift to me, Ann got me a ticket to see Seryn at the Kessler on October 13th. Did I cry again? Maybe a little. I'm not ashamed...it was incredibly kind and generous of BOTH my friends, and it made me feel very loved!
So, now we're back to the Kessler show.
Julia Sinclair opened the evening. Ho. Lee. Crap. This tiny little thing came out and completely owned all of us with her personality and huge voice.
I tweeted during the show that she had an amazing quirky quality like Regina Spektor, but amazing pipes a la Brandi Carlile. Can I just say, I love it when artists read and respond to tweets? It shows me how much they care about what their fans are saying!
Definitely check out her stuff. She's amazing. Here's a YouTube video of her singing "Lies."
Next up was Marcus Foster, an incredible performer from London. This guy...I knew he was going to blow my mind within the first 8 bars. He's got this incredible voice...reminded me of Glen Hansard (not his Swell Season stuff, but more of his solo work) and sometimes Ray LaMontagne (mostly in his ballads...my favorite of which was "Solid Ground," a track from his "The Last House" EP, which will be released next week!).
Here's a pretty good fan video of Marcus singing "Solid Ground" I found on YouTube. I was chatting with Marcus at the Sofar show, and was excited to hear that he will be back in the US touring sooner rather than later!
Next up was SERYN.
The thing about Seryn...for me...they totally ninja-ed their way into my brain. A wonderful friend shared them with me months ago, and I incorporated them into my iTunes shuffle. Then one day, I found myself skipping around to find their songs intentionally. Then I just sat and listened to the whole thing while working and...well, I wasn't working. I was sitting and staring off into space listening to the intricately layered instrumentation and vocals.
They became my happy-place music.
Any time I felt any anxiety or stress, or if I couldn't turn my brain off and fall asleep, I put on Seryn.
The show at the Kessler...it was just perfect timing. There's been a lot going on in my mind and heart lately, as I posted about recently. I was building up to a desperately-needed catharsis, and was about to just cue up the Betty Spaghetti's husband scene in "A League of Their Own" just so I could get the damn ugly cry out and have done with it.
(Come on, I know you have that ONE THING you watch/listen to when you need a good cry. Right? No? Just me? Okay.)
The Seryn experience I had on Friday night was....you know, I'm still having trouble finding the right words to accurately describe it. I've heard that they're so much more live than they are on a recording, and that is a fact.
During the intro to my favorite song of theirs, Nathan (the guitarist with the Epic Ginger Beard of Awesome) shared some things about the song with the audience, and mentioned that everyone who was supposed to be there that night was there. He believed it was all happening just like it should be happening, in that moment in that venue.
The whole set was surreal. I tweeted at one point, "I think I may actually be in Heaven right now. If I am, please don't send me back yet."
I don't know enough about the band members to speak to their faith or spirituality, but I can tell you that I personally felt the Holy Spirit in the room as I experienced their set. Not heard, their set....experienced. Because it was a multi-sensory experience, and I felt emotionally cleansed when it was over.
Exhausted and, yes, shaking in my hands and legs, but cleansed.
I drove home and reflected on the amazing music I'd heard that night, and I slept better than I have in a long time. The next day, I had a meeting up at the theatre, and then, at lunch with my husband, I was reading through my Twitter feed and deduced that I was going to get to see ALL THREE ACTS AGAIN in the intimate, acoustic environment that SOFAR provides.
I arrived at an absolutely beautiful home in Denton, found my friend Melissa, and told her how excited I was for HER to get to experience her first SOFAR show!
The first group up was an adorable husband-and-wife duo called The OnesYou Loved. (Doesn't he kind of remind you of Jim Sturgess??) Unfortunately they couldn't stay long, due to a CD-release party/concert they had to get to, but I really enjoyed hearing them play.
Next up -- YOU GUESSED IT. I got to see Julia, Marcus, AND Seryn all play again in a completely different environment than the night before, with a beautiful landscape and a blustery October afternoon as the backdrop.
Afterwards I found my friend Ann again to thank her profusely, and she was so excited that I'd gotten to see Seryn twice in one weekend. I'd been posting on Facebook about the SOFAR concert, and she managed to keep quiet about it so that I could be surprised. She introduced me to Nathan, who was a doll, and of course I had to get a picture because...well, gingers have to stick together whenever possible.
I asked Ann, "Does it ever get old, hearing them play? I mean, is it ever NOT completely spellbinding?" I was so pleased to hear her answer "No." I am so grateful to Ann for the opportunity to see Seryn at the Kessler, and to Joanna and Polly and all the rest of the SOFAR crew for putting me on the invite list again.
I'm sad to say that there were many people who apparently just did not show up to this SOFAR performance. I mean, it gave the rest of us an even more intimate environment (not to mention plenty of leg room), but I just wish that more people could've gotten to experience what we did that afternoon.
I spent some time chatting with Julia and Marcus afterwards, too, and they were so incredibly gracious! Julia had one of those fancy-shmancy iPhone squares so that I could buy her CD, but, since I didn't have any cash, I got Marcus to sign one of his promotional cards for me. Look! He loves Texas!
It was an amazing 48 hours of music, and I'm so grateful to Ann, the SOFAR crew, the amazing hosts who opened up their beautiful home to us, and of course, especially the musicians.
It was truly an unforgettable weekend.
October 11, 2012
Pitbulls are Awesome
Did you know that October 27th is National Pit Bull Awareness Day? A lot of organizations are celebrating the breed and raising awareness about the FACTS vs. the MYTHS regarding this wonderful breed all month long.
I celebrate it every day of my life.
You guys have met Carmen before. But I want to use her as an example throughout this post and, frankly, I just like posting pictures of my baby.
Despite plenty of websites debunking myths about pitbulls (or what people assume are pitbull breeds) and explaining the importance of the responsibility of the dog owner and ending Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL), there are still others who make a life's work out of trying to label the breed as "dangerous."
You guys...let me veer off track for a second and say that one of my BIGGEST pet peeves in any situation is to take the actions of one and then label a group because of it.
Listen closely, kids.
*ahem*
YOU CAN'T SAY "ALL" IF ONE PROVES OTHERWISE.
There are so many hot-button issues (especially as we approach the 2012 Presidential election) circulating the interwebs and social media where we need to remember and apply this.
All Republicans aren't conservative, closed-minded haters.
All Democrats aren't liberal wing-nuts who have no morals.
All Christians aren't judgmental and unloving.
All Athiests aren't cross-burning, occult fanatics who worship Satan.
All pitbulls aren't dangerous, vicious dogs who will bite the faces off of children.
I understand that there are plenty of examples to support the above samples, if you look closely enough. HOWEVER. If you can prove that even one is different, then you can't say "all." Just...stop it. Okay?
Some celebrities such as Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer), Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) and Wil Wheaton (OMG meet Marlowe!) use their tremendous influence encourage animal rights and adopting/rescuing dogs from shelters (all breeds!), and I just know it makes a huge difference.
There's also the story of how a shelter in California took in and rehabilitated many of the dogs rescued from Michael Vick's dog-fighting campaign, and many of those "aggressive, vicious" dogs are now in happy homes...some even (gasp!) with children!
Luckily, the dogs are forgiving. When someone loves them, they don't remember how badly they were treated.
Don't believe me? Go read London's story. We could all learn a lesson from these animals.
Yesterday, I read on Twitter that Kelly Ripa made an off-handed remark about pitbulls in an interview with Christopher Walken. No, she didn't go off on a tirade about the breed. Yet, it was still detrimental to the work that pitbull advocates are trying to do to educate people.
Kelly Ripa has major influence on the American public, and therefore she has a responsibility to retract her statement. Her comments could encourage the myth about pits, and have major consequences, including but not limited to even fewer rescues/adoptions of this breed in shelters all across the country.
There's a petition on Change.org to get Kelly to not only apologize publicly, but to spend some time in a pitbull rescue facility to see how the dogs really are. I'm signing it.
You know...I don't publicly go off on a passionate tangent on "issues" very often. Most people take care of that (and then some) for me on Facebook, Twitter, etc. I won't get on my electronic soap box about healthcare. I won't publicly denounce Mitt Romney or Barack Obama.
You may say I have misplaced priorities. But I just can't keep quiet about pitbull ignorance.
Animals can't defend themselves when people spread slander. We have to give them a voice. We have to educate ourselves and make sure that no more dogs are shot just because a cop thought they were dangerous.
Or put down just because they look like they are a pitbull.
Look, I understand a natural fear, because of the stories and the media and the slander, or even just because they can be large dogs. A large dog even coming at you to lick your face can be scary.
I'm afraid of most cats. Because some little bastard (or bastards) bit me or scratched me when I tried to pet it. But that doesn't mean all cats are assholes.
If you ever want to see just how wrong the hype is about pitbulls, just look at London. Go visit a shelter and see one.
They are strong. They have a lot of energy. They want nothing more than to please their masters. Irresponsible owners are the reason the dogs get a bad rap.
Or come visit Carmen! She may lick your feet (she's a weirdo like that) but if you scratch her chest and play tuggy-rope with her, she will be your best friend for life.
I celebrate it every day of my life.
You guys have met Carmen before. But I want to use her as an example throughout this post and, frankly, I just like posting pictures of my baby.
Despite plenty of websites debunking myths about pitbulls (or what people assume are pitbull breeds) and explaining the importance of the responsibility of the dog owner and ending Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL), there are still others who make a life's work out of trying to label the breed as "dangerous."
You guys...let me veer off track for a second and say that one of my BIGGEST pet peeves in any situation is to take the actions of one and then label a group because of it.
Listen closely, kids.
*ahem*
YOU CAN'T SAY "ALL" IF ONE PROVES OTHERWISE.
There are so many hot-button issues (especially as we approach the 2012 Presidential election) circulating the interwebs and social media where we need to remember and apply this.
All Republicans aren't conservative, closed-minded haters.
All Democrats aren't liberal wing-nuts who have no morals.
All Christians aren't judgmental and unloving.
All Athiests aren't cross-burning, occult fanatics who worship Satan.
All pitbulls aren't dangerous, vicious dogs who will bite the faces off of children.
I understand that there are plenty of examples to support the above samples, if you look closely enough. HOWEVER. If you can prove that even one is different, then you can't say "all." Just...stop it. Okay?
Some celebrities such as Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer), Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) and Wil Wheaton (OMG meet Marlowe!) use their tremendous influence encourage animal rights and adopting/rescuing dogs from shelters (all breeds!), and I just know it makes a huge difference.
There's also the story of how a shelter in California took in and rehabilitated many of the dogs rescued from Michael Vick's dog-fighting campaign, and many of those "aggressive, vicious" dogs are now in happy homes...some even (gasp!) with children!
Luckily, the dogs are forgiving. When someone loves them, they don't remember how badly they were treated.
Don't believe me? Go read London's story. We could all learn a lesson from these animals.
Yesterday, I read on Twitter that Kelly Ripa made an off-handed remark about pitbulls in an interview with Christopher Walken. No, she didn't go off on a tirade about the breed. Yet, it was still detrimental to the work that pitbull advocates are trying to do to educate people.
Kelly Ripa has major influence on the American public, and therefore she has a responsibility to retract her statement. Her comments could encourage the myth about pits, and have major consequences, including but not limited to even fewer rescues/adoptions of this breed in shelters all across the country.
There's a petition on Change.org to get Kelly to not only apologize publicly, but to spend some time in a pitbull rescue facility to see how the dogs really are. I'm signing it.
You know...I don't publicly go off on a passionate tangent on "issues" very often. Most people take care of that (and then some) for me on Facebook, Twitter, etc. I won't get on my electronic soap box about healthcare. I won't publicly denounce Mitt Romney or Barack Obama.
You may say I have misplaced priorities. But I just can't keep quiet about pitbull ignorance.
Animals can't defend themselves when people spread slander. We have to give them a voice. We have to educate ourselves and make sure that no more dogs are shot just because a cop thought they were dangerous.
Or put down just because they look like they are a pitbull.
Look, I understand a natural fear, because of the stories and the media and the slander, or even just because they can be large dogs. A large dog even coming at you to lick your face can be scary.
I'm afraid of most cats. Because some little bastard (or bastards) bit me or scratched me when I tried to pet it. But that doesn't mean all cats are assholes.
If you ever want to see just how wrong the hype is about pitbulls, just look at London. Go visit a shelter and see one.
They are strong. They have a lot of energy. They want nothing more than to please their masters. Irresponsible owners are the reason the dogs get a bad rap.
Or come visit Carmen! She may lick your feet (she's a weirdo like that) but if you scratch her chest and play tuggy-rope with her, she will be your best friend for life.
October 10, 2012
October 9, 2012
Changes
(for the record, that's not the brilliant blog post title I wanted. but at the end of the day, that's the basic subject of what you're about to read. and it's more important to me to get all of this said than to come up with a witty title.)
(also this post is gonna be long. sorry.)
I have lots of internet friends. Some I've met in real life, some I may never meet in real life, but I actually feel closer to them than you might imagine. One of those awesome internet-friends-I-just-haven't-met-yet-but-I-know-we'd-be-besties friends is Bex.
Bex is rad.
Bex sent me a CD full of Nate Ruess music (Fun., yes, but also stuff from when he sang with The Format).
Bex (indirectly) encouraged me to read Bukowski and watch The Big Bang Theory. These are all reasons Bex is the bomb.edu, but I want to talk about a post she wrote recently (real recently...like, published today) in which she basically set up camp inside my brain and put into words many of the things that I haven't been able to quite articulate yet. Here in a moment or two, I'm going to straight up copy/paste some of her sentiments and then add my comments. But first...
Anyone who knows me (and knows me well) will have noticed that, over the past 10 months or so, I have made some pretty drastic changes. I stopped drinking soda, cleaned up my eating, and lost 20lbs (and counting, I hope). I stopped drinking alcohol. I started spending more time at home. I got back into a habit of spending time with the Bible and reading my devotional emails and trying to live a Christ-focused life. I started saying "no" to things.
I'm trying to simplify.
All of these things have made a couple of things very clear to me...the first and most important was that I needed to start making Christ a priority again. The (very close) second was that I have not been the type of wife I should've been trying to be from "I do." The third was that, even with all these awesome internet friends...all you really need is a close circle of real life friends. K.I.S.S. and all that. Keep it simple, stupid.
I'm trying to recognize which friendships are worth cultivating and making daily, real effort to maintain, and recognize which ones are surface, online, fringe friendships that probably don't need to take up a whole lot of energy or drama or stress. Please understand what I'm saying here. Nobody is a throw-away friend. I wish ill on nobody. All I'm saying is...simplify.
I need to prioritize.
What makes me happy? Actually, what makes my husband happy? What makes my Creator happy? Is what I'm doing making all 3 of us happy? Because that's what matters.
So onto the Lovely Bex and her amazing words that seemed to reflect what I've been stressing over lately:
Word, Bex.
You guys, if I'm saying "no" to things and wanting to stay home instead of going to the bars, or not taking the ONE day I have off and going to see your show, stop taking it personally. It's not you, it's me. I just need to recharge. I need to do what's best for me.
Okay Bex, I hear ya. This one, I am guilty of doing to others. Part of my personal growth in the last year has been learning to recognize and admit to my flaws. This is one of mine. I get bitter, sometimes. I get angry when I feel like others seem to have every possible fortune bestowed upon them, when I'm struggling to make ends meet or don't get cast in a show or....am having a fat day while they (rightly) announce meeting their next weight loss milestone. I don't think I tend to dwell (for long, anyway) on my struggles so much, but I DO have to fight a knee-jerk reaction to be bitter, rather than happy for friends. I have to be proactive about remembering my own gifts and blessings and talents.
I recently turned 31. I'll blog about the actual birthday and all of it's awesomeness soon (all my pictures are at home, and by the time I get home, I'm sick of looking at a computer screen). I thought that, by my 30s, I'd have more of this all figured out.
I don't.
But I'm making changes, and they feel good. I truly hope the same for you...for my "fringe friends" and for my close friends, I wish you the same clarity and simple happiness...whether that comes on a quiet patio with a cup of coffee or surrounded by music and loud laughter and talking and people!
And I ask your forgiveness if I've hurt you or made you feel judged or unhappy on this journey of mine. It's my responsibility to not take the stumbling blocks along the way and use them as an excuse to bring you down with me.
Now, go get yourself another cookie (or bagel, or pickle, or whatever it is you are craving) for making it through another long post!
(also this post is gonna be long. sorry.)
I have lots of internet friends. Some I've met in real life, some I may never meet in real life, but I actually feel closer to them than you might imagine. One of those awesome internet-friends-I-just-haven't-met-yet-but-I-know-we'd-be-besties friends is Bex.
Bex is rad.
Bex sent me a CD full of Nate Ruess music (Fun., yes, but also stuff from when he sang with The Format).
Bex (indirectly) encouraged me to read Bukowski and watch The Big Bang Theory. These are all reasons Bex is the bomb.edu, but I want to talk about a post she wrote recently (real recently...like, published today) in which she basically set up camp inside my brain and put into words many of the things that I haven't been able to quite articulate yet. Here in a moment or two, I'm going to straight up copy/paste some of her sentiments and then add my comments. But first...
Anyone who knows me (and knows me well) will have noticed that, over the past 10 months or so, I have made some pretty drastic changes. I stopped drinking soda, cleaned up my eating, and lost 20lbs (and counting, I hope). I stopped drinking alcohol. I started spending more time at home. I got back into a habit of spending time with the Bible and reading my devotional emails and trying to live a Christ-focused life. I started saying "no" to things.
I'm trying to simplify.
All of these things have made a couple of things very clear to me...the first and most important was that I needed to start making Christ a priority again. The (very close) second was that I have not been the type of wife I should've been trying to be from "I do." The third was that, even with all these awesome internet friends...all you really need is a close circle of real life friends. K.I.S.S. and all that. Keep it simple, stupid.
I'm trying to recognize which friendships are worth cultivating and making daily, real effort to maintain, and recognize which ones are surface, online, fringe friendships that probably don't need to take up a whole lot of energy or drama or stress. Please understand what I'm saying here. Nobody is a throw-away friend. I wish ill on nobody. All I'm saying is...simplify.
I need to prioritize.
What makes me happy? Actually, what makes my husband happy? What makes my Creator happy? Is what I'm doing making all 3 of us happy? Because that's what matters.
So onto the Lovely Bex and her amazing words that seemed to reflect what I've been stressing over lately:
I'm here to tell you that sometimes it's okay to be selfish. There's a difference between being selfish and being self-centered in that selfish can be temporary, whereas self-centered rarely is. Sometimes you're worn down by constant demands that are made by loved ones and/or coworkers. Hell, sometimes you demand too much of yourself. It's okay to take a step back and breathe, because here's something that took me too damn long to learn -- it's okay to say "no" to people. You can say no to hanging out if you want to stay in. You can say no to a phone conversation if you know that you'll just be dead air to the other end of the line. You can say no to favors. If your friends know you well enough, they'll back off. They know as well as you do that if they had a crisis in the middle of the night, you'd still show up with no hesitation. Needing time to yourself is not synonymous with being a jerk.
Word, Bex.
You guys, if I'm saying "no" to things and wanting to stay home instead of going to the bars, or not taking the ONE day I have off and going to see your show, stop taking it personally. It's not you, it's me. I just need to recharge. I need to do what's best for me.
It's okay to re-prioritize your life even though some people may not make the cut... and it's okay not to miss those people, too. Usually it means you've made the right decision. You'll get nostalgic occasionally, but it's mostly nostalgia for the fun or the happiness you had with the people in question. In our everlasting instinct to want to think the best of people, our memories turn to the happy times when we reminisce. If you've ever been upset over the end of a crappy relationship, you know how this goes. People change. You change. As the age-old proverb goes, change is the only constant.Speaking of which, it's okay to change. You are not betraying anyone by growing as a person (and if they act like it is a betrayal, seriously, it's time to re-evaluate your social circle). Life is too short to pretend to be something or someone you're not just to appease other people or keep from hurting their feelings. Some people want to travel, others are homebodies. Some people want to get married, some will never get out of their party animal stage. Some people want kids, some people don't. Some people need friends outside of their marriage, others are perfectly content with their spouse and their family. It's okay to be any of these things, as long as you don't lie to others -- or yourself -- about who you really are and where your heart truly is.
Some of those are...whoa...I mean get out of my head, Bex. The colored text (I added the color to point it out) is something I've been trying to verbalize for a couple of weeks now.
Facebook has put a pressure on all of us to hang out all the time and stay completely invested in the lives of our 400 friends. I really wish I had a nickel for every time I've seen an "I miss you so much let's hang out!" and it just seems...rote. Borderline insincere at times. But here's the thing...it's okay! I really don't mind if you don't wanna hang out with me; nor should you mind ("you" being the general population here, of course) if I only want to stay informed of your life based on what you choose to share on social media. It's really, really okay. I love seeing parts of your life, "liking" your photos and whatnot...but it's really really okay if we don't keep putting this ridiculous pressure on finding a time to get coffee, which is probably something neither of us really wants to do, so let's just be honest about that.
I don't expect my hundreds of Facebook friends (does that make me sound like an a-hole? I don't mean to...) to put in a whole lot of effort to keep up with me outside my public timeline. I won't do the same for all of them. Put that energy into the friendships worth cultivating, and you'll save everyone a lot of hurt feelings and awkwardness. It's really okay.
Re: it's okay to change -- yes. It's okay for me to change. It's okay if you change. It's okay if you don't change. I don't drink alcohol at the moment...I don't care if you DO. I want to stay home with my husband on a Friday night...I don't care if you wanna go OUT. It's okay to be different and to have different priorities. I don't feel judged at all for my recent choices, but it's important to me that my friends know that neither do I judge them for theirs (unless they are harmful, of course, but that's coming from a place of concern and compassion, not judgment).
If someone is incandescently happy, don't you think you should be happy for them too? Don't you think that they might have walked through the fires of hell to get to their happiness? Don't you think that if you focused a little bit more on yourself and how to escape your struggles that you'd eventually find your own happiness (and want to shout about it from the rooftops)? I mean, I know it takes less effort to sit, sulk, and snark (and if that's what you choose to do, then I sincerely pity you) ... but what will you ever truly accomplish with your life if that's your attitude toward someone you claim to love who is happy?
I'm...working on it. And yes, I know that "I'm working on it" and "I'm aware of it" do not give me carte blanche to be an asshole. I'm going to mess up and struggle, but please know that it is something I'm aware of.
I recently turned 31. I'll blog about the actual birthday and all of it's awesomeness soon (all my pictures are at home, and by the time I get home, I'm sick of looking at a computer screen). I thought that, by my 30s, I'd have more of this all figured out.
I don't.
But I'm making changes, and they feel good. I truly hope the same for you...for my "fringe friends" and for my close friends, I wish you the same clarity and simple happiness...whether that comes on a quiet patio with a cup of coffee or surrounded by music and loud laughter and talking and people!
And I ask your forgiveness if I've hurt you or made you feel judged or unhappy on this journey of mine. It's my responsibility to not take the stumbling blocks along the way and use them as an excuse to bring you down with me.
Now, go get yourself another cookie (or bagel, or pickle, or whatever it is you are craving) for making it through another long post!
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