I realize my posts have been unusually brief or just plain non-existant. The reason for this is a show I'm in called "Children of Eden," which opens to the paying public tomorrow night! Tonight is our preview show, which means we'll have a "pay as you can" audience, and some family and friends we gave free tickets to.
I have to say this show took a lot of hard work to pull together, but now that it's ready, I'm very excited to have an audience! And the other day I found a song that just made me laugh thinking about opening the show, so I thought I'd put it on here for your listening pleasure. It's from a Sondheim show called "The Frogs" and it's the introduction to the show, during which the two main characters remind their audience of proper theatre-viewing etiquette.
So here ya go:
I promise to do a REAL post soon; next week we won't have rehearsals every night so I'll have more time to putter around and catch up on this stuff.
Until then!
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Sunday, January 4, 2009
it's that time of year...
...when the world falls in love...
OK, I think that time of year is just about over. But really, it's that time of year when we all make a list of things we're going to do (or not do) in hopes of becoming a better person, having a better year, and making it a better world.
New Year's Resolutions.
And I feel like the act of making them is kind of a cliche, and something we as a culture don't really take seriously anymore. But I think there are some things in my life I want to improve, and I might as well make goals now, right? And I think writing them down will sort of make me commit to them and hold myself more accountable. Plus, then I can blog about them, which I'm sure will help too!
(I have to mention that as I'm writing this, I'm listening to the playlist I just attached to my blog and it's really fun to write while these songs are playing. I hope that it's not annoying that music starts playing on my blog, and you don't have to listen to it, but if you don't mind turning it up a bit while you read, think of it as a soundtrack for my blog. These aren't just songs I like; they all have a reason for being on that playlist.)
OK. Here we go.
1. I'm going to get into and stay on a regular workout plan. (The ultimate New Year's resolution cliche, right?!) But over the past few days, I feel like I've eaten enough sweet stuff to give myself diabetes. And I keep reading all these news stories about how much the average person should work out, and I'm realizing that more and more, I can't put myself in that group, which is pretty sad. So, I'm going to start out by saying I will work out three times a week. That's really not that hard. And I'd like to do more than that. But I think I'll start with something I know I can do realistically, and then once I've been doing that for a few months, reset the goal for something higher. But I'll start at three days a week.
2. I'm going to save money. That is kind of hard for me to do; my paycheck does not stretch very far. But I got a small raise recently, I'll be getting paid for coaching color guard, and I just worked a holiday, so that should give me a great springboard for saving. I mean saving significant amounts of money, not saving one month just to use it all up the next. I really want a dog, and I'm waiting until I pay off my car so I can use that money every month to save/use on doggie expenses. But I'd like to have a bigger cushion before then. Speaking of which...
3. I'm going to get a dog. The plan has been in place for months and months, but why not add it to my list? I will finish paying off my car in May, so the plan has been to start looking at breeders in June. That way I have the summertime to house-train and everything, not to mention have the financial means to take care of a dog. And here's an added motivation for Item #1 on this list - the kind of dog I want to get (miniature schnauzer, for anyone who has forgotten) has a tendency to get fat and unhealthy if it doesn't get a lot of exercise and good nutrition. Sound like anyone else you know? So I think if I can get a healthier lifestyle in place by the time I adopt a puppy, I can do a better job of taking care of and raising a dog!
4. Speaking of nutrition, that's something I also want to work on. I kind of phase in and out on this, and I eat WAY less fast food than I did a year ago, but I want to keep improving on this. Sometimes it's hard to eat regular, balanced meals because my schedule is so weird, but I've been at it for a little over a year now, and I think I can figure out how to make it work. I'm going to eat more fruits and vegetables. I'm going to eat more meat. I'm going to eat two balanced meals every day. (That has to include some sort of meat and some sort of produce; not just peanut butter and crackers or a bowl of cereal.) I'm going to start rehearsals for a play soon, and I know that's going to make it harder to eat right, but I've already been through this schedule during the summer, and I know I can do it.
5. I'm going to do some housework every day, instead of waiting until the end of the week to do all my cleaning. Whether it's washing dishes, taking out the trash, surface cleaning, laundry, sweeping, or just picking up around the house, I always feel better when I do a little bit here and there every day than when I let it pile up and then spend my whole weekend doing all of it. Plus, when I get a dog, I'll probably have to do some cleaning every day anyway :-P
6. I'm going to consider my career options. I'm going to look around and see what's out there. I'm going to keep staying here as an option for one more year. I'm not going to limit myself by what I think is realistic; if Good Morning America still has a segment producer opening available when my contract is up, I'm going to apply for it. I'm not going to be too afraid to go for something big. I'm not going to be discouraged if the job market is frozen and the best option is to stay here. I'm not going to feel pressured or obligated to stay if that's not the best thing for me to do. I'm going to trust God to help me make a decision and to take care of me whatever I decide.
7. I'm going to use up all of my vacation time and comp days this year. Five days will absolutely be for a trip to the lake with my family. The five-plus-comp days I would like to use to visit my sister in Florida, take a trip to New York with family or friends, possibly use for job interview trips, and maybe even take another trip to the lake with friends now that we have the new cabin. I'm entitled to those days and I'm going to take them. Just because it's hard for them to cover my job while I'm gone doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to use my vacation time up. I have just as much right as anyone to take time off. I'm not going to feel bad about it anymore. I'm just going to schedule it, and not worry about it. I've got it down to a science now how to prepare the person filling in for me, so it shouldn't be that hard.
I feel weird stopping on seven, but I think those are my big things I want to accomplish this year. I'm actually proud that I accomplished a lot of things in the past year -- I'm living on my own, supporting myself, I got involved with a church that I go to regularly, I made big changes and improvements to my show at work, I got involved in civic theatre, I made new friends, I've done a better job keeping in touch with people, and I feel like I've improved and cultivated my relationships with my parents and my sisters. Of course I want to keep working on all of those things, but I think you need to be able to look back on your year and be proud of what you've accomplished, so that you realize you are capable of achieving the goals you've set for the year ahead. Life is good, and it can be better.
Happy new year!
OK, I think that time of year is just about over. But really, it's that time of year when we all make a list of things we're going to do (or not do) in hopes of becoming a better person, having a better year, and making it a better world.
New Year's Resolutions.
And I feel like the act of making them is kind of a cliche, and something we as a culture don't really take seriously anymore. But I think there are some things in my life I want to improve, and I might as well make goals now, right? And I think writing them down will sort of make me commit to them and hold myself more accountable. Plus, then I can blog about them, which I'm sure will help too!
(I have to mention that as I'm writing this, I'm listening to the playlist I just attached to my blog and it's really fun to write while these songs are playing. I hope that it's not annoying that music starts playing on my blog, and you don't have to listen to it, but if you don't mind turning it up a bit while you read, think of it as a soundtrack for my blog. These aren't just songs I like; they all have a reason for being on that playlist.)
OK. Here we go.
1. I'm going to get into and stay on a regular workout plan. (The ultimate New Year's resolution cliche, right?!) But over the past few days, I feel like I've eaten enough sweet stuff to give myself diabetes. And I keep reading all these news stories about how much the average person should work out, and I'm realizing that more and more, I can't put myself in that group, which is pretty sad. So, I'm going to start out by saying I will work out three times a week. That's really not that hard. And I'd like to do more than that. But I think I'll start with something I know I can do realistically, and then once I've been doing that for a few months, reset the goal for something higher. But I'll start at three days a week.
2. I'm going to save money. That is kind of hard for me to do; my paycheck does not stretch very far. But I got a small raise recently, I'll be getting paid for coaching color guard, and I just worked a holiday, so that should give me a great springboard for saving. I mean saving significant amounts of money, not saving one month just to use it all up the next. I really want a dog, and I'm waiting until I pay off my car so I can use that money every month to save/use on doggie expenses. But I'd like to have a bigger cushion before then. Speaking of which...
3. I'm going to get a dog. The plan has been in place for months and months, but why not add it to my list? I will finish paying off my car in May, so the plan has been to start looking at breeders in June. That way I have the summertime to house-train and everything, not to mention have the financial means to take care of a dog. And here's an added motivation for Item #1 on this list - the kind of dog I want to get (miniature schnauzer, for anyone who has forgotten) has a tendency to get fat and unhealthy if it doesn't get a lot of exercise and good nutrition. Sound like anyone else you know? So I think if I can get a healthier lifestyle in place by the time I adopt a puppy, I can do a better job of taking care of and raising a dog!
4. Speaking of nutrition, that's something I also want to work on. I kind of phase in and out on this, and I eat WAY less fast food than I did a year ago, but I want to keep improving on this. Sometimes it's hard to eat regular, balanced meals because my schedule is so weird, but I've been at it for a little over a year now, and I think I can figure out how to make it work. I'm going to eat more fruits and vegetables. I'm going to eat more meat. I'm going to eat two balanced meals every day. (That has to include some sort of meat and some sort of produce; not just peanut butter and crackers or a bowl of cereal.) I'm going to start rehearsals for a play soon, and I know that's going to make it harder to eat right, but I've already been through this schedule during the summer, and I know I can do it.
5. I'm going to do some housework every day, instead of waiting until the end of the week to do all my cleaning. Whether it's washing dishes, taking out the trash, surface cleaning, laundry, sweeping, or just picking up around the house, I always feel better when I do a little bit here and there every day than when I let it pile up and then spend my whole weekend doing all of it. Plus, when I get a dog, I'll probably have to do some cleaning every day anyway :-P
6. I'm going to consider my career options. I'm going to look around and see what's out there. I'm going to keep staying here as an option for one more year. I'm not going to limit myself by what I think is realistic; if Good Morning America still has a segment producer opening available when my contract is up, I'm going to apply for it. I'm not going to be too afraid to go for something big. I'm not going to be discouraged if the job market is frozen and the best option is to stay here. I'm not going to feel pressured or obligated to stay if that's not the best thing for me to do. I'm going to trust God to help me make a decision and to take care of me whatever I decide.
7. I'm going to use up all of my vacation time and comp days this year. Five days will absolutely be for a trip to the lake with my family. The five-plus-comp days I would like to use to visit my sister in Florida, take a trip to New York with family or friends, possibly use for job interview trips, and maybe even take another trip to the lake with friends now that we have the new cabin. I'm entitled to those days and I'm going to take them. Just because it's hard for them to cover my job while I'm gone doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to use my vacation time up. I have just as much right as anyone to take time off. I'm not going to feel bad about it anymore. I'm just going to schedule it, and not worry about it. I've got it down to a science now how to prepare the person filling in for me, so it shouldn't be that hard.
I feel weird stopping on seven, but I think those are my big things I want to accomplish this year. I'm actually proud that I accomplished a lot of things in the past year -- I'm living on my own, supporting myself, I got involved with a church that I go to regularly, I made big changes and improvements to my show at work, I got involved in civic theatre, I made new friends, I've done a better job keeping in touch with people, and I feel like I've improved and cultivated my relationships with my parents and my sisters. Of course I want to keep working on all of those things, but I think you need to be able to look back on your year and be proud of what you've accomplished, so that you realize you are capable of achieving the goals you've set for the year ahead. Life is good, and it can be better.
Happy new year!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
holiday music and the economy
I love Christmas music. But I hate that radio stations only play it up until Christmas Day, and then that's it. Technically it's still Christmas until Epiphany, right? It's like, we start the season way too early, and then by the time it's Christmas Day, everyone's sick of it, even though the season isn't over. I don't like that.
I think part of the reason for this problem is because we don't really have special music for other holidays, so when it gets close to Christmas, everyone just gets super-excited and overdoses on holiday music in November, but then by the time it's actually Christmas, they're ready to be done.
Here's my solution: we should have holiday music for ALL of our nationally-recognized holidays. That way, we wouldn't overdo Christmas music. For example, what if we had Thanksgiving music? (Not just "Over the River and Through the Woods," because I'm pretty sure that's the only Thanksgiving song that exists right now.) Lots of songwriters could make big bucks writing all kinds of Thanksgiving songs, and then we'd start listening to those right after Halloween. Then by the time Thanksgiving came and we were getting tired of Thanksgiving music, it would be time to get out the Christmas songs (but not until the day AFTER Thanksgiving), and people wouldn't get as tired of it!
Also, there should be more songs for Halloween; not just "Monster Mash" and the soundtrack to "The Nightmare Before Christmas," although that is very good music. That would also get people more excited for Halloween and not rush into the Thanksgiving/Christmas season so quickly. And I think there should be special holiday music for like, Easter and Arbor Day. I think that in addition to allowing us to better appreciate the holidays, not only would this be a big moneymaker for songwriters, recording artists, and the entertainment industry in general; but it would also boost the economy because it would make these holidays a bigger deal, which would make people want to travel, throw parties, and buy gifts several more times a year, putting them in a more "consumer" frame of mind year-round. Then transportation companies, hotels and restaurants, and retailers would make a lot more money, which would result in the creation of more jobs and more frequent rises in the stock market.
So there you go -- holiday songs for all nationally observed holidays would solve the recession. You're welcome, Obama Administration.
I think part of the reason for this problem is because we don't really have special music for other holidays, so when it gets close to Christmas, everyone just gets super-excited and overdoses on holiday music in November, but then by the time it's actually Christmas, they're ready to be done.
Here's my solution: we should have holiday music for ALL of our nationally-recognized holidays. That way, we wouldn't overdo Christmas music. For example, what if we had Thanksgiving music? (Not just "Over the River and Through the Woods," because I'm pretty sure that's the only Thanksgiving song that exists right now.) Lots of songwriters could make big bucks writing all kinds of Thanksgiving songs, and then we'd start listening to those right after Halloween. Then by the time Thanksgiving came and we were getting tired of Thanksgiving music, it would be time to get out the Christmas songs (but not until the day AFTER Thanksgiving), and people wouldn't get as tired of it!
Also, there should be more songs for Halloween; not just "Monster Mash" and the soundtrack to "The Nightmare Before Christmas," although that is very good music. That would also get people more excited for Halloween and not rush into the Thanksgiving/Christmas season so quickly. And I think there should be special holiday music for like, Easter and Arbor Day. I think that in addition to allowing us to better appreciate the holidays, not only would this be a big moneymaker for songwriters, recording artists, and the entertainment industry in general; but it would also boost the economy because it would make these holidays a bigger deal, which would make people want to travel, throw parties, and buy gifts several more times a year, putting them in a more "consumer" frame of mind year-round. Then transportation companies, hotels and restaurants, and retailers would make a lot more money, which would result in the creation of more jobs and more frequent rises in the stock market.
So there you go -- holiday songs for all nationally observed holidays would solve the recession. You're welcome, Obama Administration.
Friday, December 26, 2008
my time of day
It's Christmas night/early in the morning the day after, I'm at work, and things are very quiet around here. So I'm just listening to some showtunes. And a song from "Guys and Dolls" caught my attention -- is this my song or what?
My time of day is the dark time
A couple of deals before dawn
When the street belongs to the cop
And the janitor with the mop
And the grocery clerks are all gone.
When the smell of the rainwashed pavement
Comes up clean, and fresh, and cold
And the streetlamp light
Fills the gutter with gold
That's my time of day
My time of day
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I'm still new to the texting thing, so I didn't get on the ball with the holiday text message, but I really appreciated the texted Christmas wishes I got from my friends!
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Lis
My time of day is the dark time
A couple of deals before dawn
When the street belongs to the cop
And the janitor with the mop
And the grocery clerks are all gone.
When the smell of the rainwashed pavement
Comes up clean, and fresh, and cold
And the streetlamp light
Fills the gutter with gold
That's my time of day
My time of day
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I'm still new to the texting thing, so I didn't get on the ball with the holiday text message, but I really appreciated the texted Christmas wishes I got from my friends!
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Lis
Sunday, December 7, 2008
first day of vacation
I'm going to say tonight is my first day of vacation, although it's still Sunday, because let's face it - Sunday night is actually my Monday morning.
Actually, as far as I'm concerned, vacation starts the second you walk out the doors of your place of employment, so technically by those standards, I've been on vacation since Friday morning.
Actually, yes, and actually, I'm Annie.
(That's a Parent Trap reference that only Molly or Marla would get. I just say that whenever I start using the word "actually" a lot. Maybe "actually" should be my word obsession, like Curtis' current "glory" obsession. Which, by the way, entirely changed my worship experience this morning at church. Every time I saw the word "glory" it really made me think. Thanks, Curtis.)
OK, I am obviously a little wound up. I think it's because I don't know what to do with myself because I don't have to work (yay!). Moving along...
I think I am more productive when I'm on vacation - when I don't have to be doing anything - than I am the rest of the year combined. I think I have this aversion to obligation. Like, I don't want to do something just because I am supposed to, but as soon as it's optional, extra-credit, or extra-cirricular, I'm all over it. Explain that to me. That might actually be a middle child thing...actually, yeah, I think it is. (Here we go with the actually's again!) By the way, did you know I am obsessively fascinated with birth order? I've probably mentioned that. Geez, I sound like I'm on speed or something. Anyway, the only reason I'd ever go back to school is to become a psychologist and for my thesis or whatever you have to do to get your degree, I'd probably do something on birth order. I need to get my own copy of the Birth Order Book. Again, moving along...
So I haven't even started the actual part of vacation where I don't have to go to work, and listen what I've gotten done so far:
- Cleaned up/picked up my dining room/living room area
- Found a dress to wear for the Christmas Show. I don't know if I've written about this yet, but this year is the 75th anniversary, so they invited the alumni to come back and sing a few songs in the show. I think they even asked some back to do solos and specialty groups and stuff! It should be pretty cool. Anyway, they told us that for the Purduette alumni set, we needed to have either a black skirt or black pants, and something sparkly that would look good in the stage lights on top. Since I'm not Sheila Klinker, I had to go shopping to find something sparkly and stage-appropriate. I figured I'd just get a black dress that has some sparkle, so I'd cover both requirements with one garment. It was really fun; I haven't had any excuses to wear a dressy dress in years, so it was fun to be able to look in that section of the stores with the anticipation of buying something instead of just looking for fun. I found the perfect dress - a black party dress with tulle trim peeking from under the hemline, an asymmetrical layer over the skirt that gathers on one side of the waist, and a little column of rhinestones where the waistline gathers. It ties in the back, so it can be adjusted to fit to my waist, which is something I have a hard time finding. And the bodice and under-layer of the dress has these little clear-reflective specks that sparkle very nicely in the light but don't look obnoxious in a normal setting, so I can actually (is anyone keeping count here?) wear it to parties or weddings or stuff like that. When I saw it on the hanger, I pointed it out to Marla, and she said, "Eh, I don't really like those shorty-short dresses." But then I pointed out that I'm 5-foot-two, so those dresses end up being just above knee-length on me, which is exactly where this one ended up falling. On someone of average-to-tall height, it would be sexy, but on me, it's just short enough to be sassy. I'm so excited! I love dressing up, and I never get a good excuse to these days!
- I also figured out what I'm going to wear to the station Christmas party this Saturday night. I didn't go last year, and I know people dress up, but I'm not sure just HOW dressed up they get, and I was worried my new little party dress would be overdoing it, so I decided to wear this really basic, classy black strapless dress I got at the Gap. I know, I know, I never buy anything from the Gap, but this year I actually (!!! I promise I'm not trying to do that!) found something there that fit me. Anyway, I figure it's dressy but not too over-the-top, and it's pretty conservative as far as strapless dresses go. So I'm glad that's all figured out.
- I got Christmas presents for Mom and Dad, and for Michelle, and I got great ideas for Marla.
- I bought wrapping paper and ribbon and got my mom and dad's gift and Michelle's gift wrapped and under my Christmas tree! I really wish I had more of my shopping done so I could do some more wrapping! I enjoy wrapping presents! So if anyone has some wrapping they need done, just bring it by...I have really cute wrapping paper!
- I picked out a song for my audition tomorrow night, finally. I dislike picking out audition songs about as much as I like wrapping presents. I just feel like it's a lot of pressure to put onto one song, and that if I pick the wrong one, it's going to ruin my audition. I just don't like auditioning in general, although auditioning for civic shows is a LOT nicer than auditioning for my high school shows was. I'm really excited, though, because I got one of my friends I used to sing with at Purdue to audition for the show too. He is incredibly talented, and he went and tried out tonight and said it went well, so hopefully he'll get the part he wants and we can have fun doing the show together! I hope my audition goes well...I just hate waiting to find out whether you got the part or not. Blech! Anyway, I've been trying out all these different songs, and I tend to be a belter, so I sing pretty loud, and I'm a little worried about my neighbors getting upset with me. But whatever. Hopefully they'll be at work tomorrow during the day when I'm practicing!
OK, I think that's everything I've gotten accomplished so far. I'm not going to set an alarm clock tonight in celebration of the fact that I'm on vacation. Ooh - Casting Crowns "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is playing on my AOL radio right now...this is such a cool version of this song. Very powerful. I think it would absolutely ROCK as a piece in the Christmas Show cantata...a male solo with the chorus in the background. I wish I could plan a Christmas Show. So many awesome songs out there. Alright, I am finally running out of things to say, so I'm gonna leave it here.
Until later!
Actually, as far as I'm concerned, vacation starts the second you walk out the doors of your place of employment, so technically by those standards, I've been on vacation since Friday morning.
Actually, yes, and actually, I'm Annie.
(That's a Parent Trap reference that only Molly or Marla would get. I just say that whenever I start using the word "actually" a lot. Maybe "actually" should be my word obsession, like Curtis' current "glory" obsession. Which, by the way, entirely changed my worship experience this morning at church. Every time I saw the word "glory" it really made me think. Thanks, Curtis.)
OK, I am obviously a little wound up. I think it's because I don't know what to do with myself because I don't have to work (yay!). Moving along...
I think I am more productive when I'm on vacation - when I don't have to be doing anything - than I am the rest of the year combined. I think I have this aversion to obligation. Like, I don't want to do something just because I am supposed to, but as soon as it's optional, extra-credit, or extra-cirricular, I'm all over it. Explain that to me. That might actually be a middle child thing...actually, yeah, I think it is. (Here we go with the actually's again!) By the way, did you know I am obsessively fascinated with birth order? I've probably mentioned that. Geez, I sound like I'm on speed or something. Anyway, the only reason I'd ever go back to school is to become a psychologist and for my thesis or whatever you have to do to get your degree, I'd probably do something on birth order. I need to get my own copy of the Birth Order Book. Again, moving along...
So I haven't even started the actual part of vacation where I don't have to go to work, and listen what I've gotten done so far:
- Cleaned up/picked up my dining room/living room area
- Found a dress to wear for the Christmas Show. I don't know if I've written about this yet, but this year is the 75th anniversary, so they invited the alumni to come back and sing a few songs in the show. I think they even asked some back to do solos and specialty groups and stuff! It should be pretty cool. Anyway, they told us that for the Purduette alumni set, we needed to have either a black skirt or black pants, and something sparkly that would look good in the stage lights on top. Since I'm not Sheila Klinker, I had to go shopping to find something sparkly and stage-appropriate. I figured I'd just get a black dress that has some sparkle, so I'd cover both requirements with one garment. It was really fun; I haven't had any excuses to wear a dressy dress in years, so it was fun to be able to look in that section of the stores with the anticipation of buying something instead of just looking for fun. I found the perfect dress - a black party dress with tulle trim peeking from under the hemline, an asymmetrical layer over the skirt that gathers on one side of the waist, and a little column of rhinestones where the waistline gathers. It ties in the back, so it can be adjusted to fit to my waist, which is something I have a hard time finding. And the bodice and under-layer of the dress has these little clear-reflective specks that sparkle very nicely in the light but don't look obnoxious in a normal setting, so I can actually (is anyone keeping count here?) wear it to parties or weddings or stuff like that. When I saw it on the hanger, I pointed it out to Marla, and she said, "Eh, I don't really like those shorty-short dresses." But then I pointed out that I'm 5-foot-two, so those dresses end up being just above knee-length on me, which is exactly where this one ended up falling. On someone of average-to-tall height, it would be sexy, but on me, it's just short enough to be sassy. I'm so excited! I love dressing up, and I never get a good excuse to these days!
- I also figured out what I'm going to wear to the station Christmas party this Saturday night. I didn't go last year, and I know people dress up, but I'm not sure just HOW dressed up they get, and I was worried my new little party dress would be overdoing it, so I decided to wear this really basic, classy black strapless dress I got at the Gap. I know, I know, I never buy anything from the Gap, but this year I actually (!!! I promise I'm not trying to do that!) found something there that fit me. Anyway, I figure it's dressy but not too over-the-top, and it's pretty conservative as far as strapless dresses go. So I'm glad that's all figured out.
- I got Christmas presents for Mom and Dad, and for Michelle, and I got great ideas for Marla.
- I bought wrapping paper and ribbon and got my mom and dad's gift and Michelle's gift wrapped and under my Christmas tree! I really wish I had more of my shopping done so I could do some more wrapping! I enjoy wrapping presents! So if anyone has some wrapping they need done, just bring it by...I have really cute wrapping paper!
- I picked out a song for my audition tomorrow night, finally. I dislike picking out audition songs about as much as I like wrapping presents. I just feel like it's a lot of pressure to put onto one song, and that if I pick the wrong one, it's going to ruin my audition. I just don't like auditioning in general, although auditioning for civic shows is a LOT nicer than auditioning for my high school shows was. I'm really excited, though, because I got one of my friends I used to sing with at Purdue to audition for the show too. He is incredibly talented, and he went and tried out tonight and said it went well, so hopefully he'll get the part he wants and we can have fun doing the show together! I hope my audition goes well...I just hate waiting to find out whether you got the part or not. Blech! Anyway, I've been trying out all these different songs, and I tend to be a belter, so I sing pretty loud, and I'm a little worried about my neighbors getting upset with me. But whatever. Hopefully they'll be at work tomorrow during the day when I'm practicing!
OK, I think that's everything I've gotten accomplished so far. I'm not going to set an alarm clock tonight in celebration of the fact that I'm on vacation. Ooh - Casting Crowns "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is playing on my AOL radio right now...this is such a cool version of this song. Very powerful. I think it would absolutely ROCK as a piece in the Christmas Show cantata...a male solo with the chorus in the background. I wish I could plan a Christmas Show. So many awesome songs out there. Alright, I am finally running out of things to say, so I'm gonna leave it here.
Until later!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
good things
Didn't I say it would only get better from here on out? :)
All these little (and big) good things are just adding up to make me feel so much better about life in general.
First, I just feel like this week is going really fast. I mean, tomorrow is Friday! I don't feel like that could be possible! This week has just flown by! Crazy.
Next, I found the chairs!!!
We reformatted the morning news show that I produce, but part of the deal was this -- we wanted new chairs for the interview set. Right now we have these ugly little brown things that look like something the Jetsons put in a garage sale. We want to use the interview set for more than just interviews in the morning; we want to have segments where the anchors can actually just sit in the chairs for more of an informal "chat" setting. But we're not doing that till we get new chairs. And the guy who does our promotional stuff for the station said he'd spring for new chairs within a given price range as long as we got them before the end of the year. So naturally, time is running out.
BUT...today I did some more looking around and found The Chair. It's the right size, shape, and PRICE, and it comes in lots of different colors...and not crazy patterns or ugly upholstery. I was soooo excited; I got a quote and a photocopy of a picture of the chair and immediately dropped it off at the station for Mr. Promotions Guy to take a look at. Thank you, Jesus.
So given that the chair gets approved, that task is done. Check.
Another good thing - I now have unlimited texting for my phone. "Wait a minute, you mean you didn't have a texting plan until NOW?!" Yup, that's right. "So all those times I texted you, I was costing you money?" Yup. "That would explain why you never texted me back and I always had to listen to your stupid voice mails instead." Yup, that would explain that. But no worries! I am now totally textable! If that wasn't a word before, it is now. I haven't actually texted anyone yet. It takes so looooong lol. I'm sure once I have more practice typing on my little phone keys, I will get faster at it. But I feel like it takes like five minutes just to put someone's name in my contact list. Practice, practice!
Here's the funny thing. I'm still on my family's phone plan (hence the no texting thing), because there's really no point in my having my own plan since I'm dead to the world most of the normal daytime anyway, so how many minutes can I honestly use? And my dad was finally tired of my little sis using up all our minutes, so he finally listened to her arguement that if she had unlimited texting, she wouldn't have to waste minutes on out-of-network calls during peak hours. The condition was that my sis and I cough up the, I dunno, fifteen bucks a piece or something like that, to get unlimited texting each month, because my dad "would have no use for texting; this won't benefit me or your mom at all." OK, fair enough, we said! Because I'm tired of feeling bad everytime someone texts me. And seriously, let's get with the times already. Well, since getting the texting plan, the ONLY two texts I've gotten have been from...my dad. Yup! Via email, of course. Because he's Mr. Technology, so once he figured out he could email us on our phones, it was cool lol. I love my dad! That kind of stuff is just what makes him the guy he is! :)
Anyway, here's something else that is just making me happy...just one of those little things in life. I updated my AIM, and now I have this little AOL Radio player on my buddy list (again, I am probably way behind everyone!) and they have all these great little stations...like, pretty much anything you could ever want to listen to -- Broadway showtunes, movie soundtracks, salsa, comedy, and (earmuffs, Kelsey...) alllllll kinds of Christmas music! Christmas classics, Christmas pop, Latin Christmas (Feliz Navidad, anyone?), Christmas jazz, Christmas around the world...and I've been just kinda checking out the "classics" one, and there is actually a lot of really great contemporary Christian stuff on there, like Casting Crowns and Jars of Clay, mixed right in there with Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis, the Muppets, and of course the wonderful HCJ! Which I think is really cool...I feel like Christmas is the one genre where music people don't feel like they have to section it off as "secular" or "Christian." Because Christmas is for everyone, right?
(OK, Kelsey, you can take the earmuffs off now.)
Lastly, I am officially done with all extra-cirricular activities...for now. Until December (which I realize is not far off) when I'm planning on auditioning for another Civic show. But it's just nice to not have to go anywhere or do anything...I can stay up if I want to stay up, or sleep as long as I want to if I feel like it! I like to be busy, but it's nice to have a couple weeks of doing nothing every once in awhile. By the time December rolls around, I will be bored and ready to fill my schedule up again, but for now it's just great to not have a schedule. And here's the single greatest thing about having a job and being done with school -- no homework. It's the best. Seriously. That alone is worth getting a degree.
Alright, I think that is it. Life is good. I have a lot to be thankful for, and I'm excited about celebrating that just a week from now!!! And eating turkey and cranberries, and then taking home turkey and cranberry leftovers. Mmmmm!!!
Until later!
All these little (and big) good things are just adding up to make me feel so much better about life in general.
First, I just feel like this week is going really fast. I mean, tomorrow is Friday! I don't feel like that could be possible! This week has just flown by! Crazy.
Next, I found the chairs!!!
We reformatted the morning news show that I produce, but part of the deal was this -- we wanted new chairs for the interview set. Right now we have these ugly little brown things that look like something the Jetsons put in a garage sale. We want to use the interview set for more than just interviews in the morning; we want to have segments where the anchors can actually just sit in the chairs for more of an informal "chat" setting. But we're not doing that till we get new chairs. And the guy who does our promotional stuff for the station said he'd spring for new chairs within a given price range as long as we got them before the end of the year. So naturally, time is running out.
BUT...today I did some more looking around and found The Chair. It's the right size, shape, and PRICE, and it comes in lots of different colors...and not crazy patterns or ugly upholstery. I was soooo excited; I got a quote and a photocopy of a picture of the chair and immediately dropped it off at the station for Mr. Promotions Guy to take a look at. Thank you, Jesus.
So given that the chair gets approved, that task is done. Check.
Another good thing - I now have unlimited texting for my phone. "Wait a minute, you mean you didn't have a texting plan until NOW?!" Yup, that's right. "So all those times I texted you, I was costing you money?" Yup. "That would explain why you never texted me back and I always had to listen to your stupid voice mails instead." Yup, that would explain that. But no worries! I am now totally textable! If that wasn't a word before, it is now. I haven't actually texted anyone yet. It takes so looooong lol. I'm sure once I have more practice typing on my little phone keys, I will get faster at it. But I feel like it takes like five minutes just to put someone's name in my contact list. Practice, practice!
Here's the funny thing. I'm still on my family's phone plan (hence the no texting thing), because there's really no point in my having my own plan since I'm dead to the world most of the normal daytime anyway, so how many minutes can I honestly use? And my dad was finally tired of my little sis using up all our minutes, so he finally listened to her arguement that if she had unlimited texting, she wouldn't have to waste minutes on out-of-network calls during peak hours. The condition was that my sis and I cough up the, I dunno, fifteen bucks a piece or something like that, to get unlimited texting each month, because my dad "would have no use for texting; this won't benefit me or your mom at all." OK, fair enough, we said! Because I'm tired of feeling bad everytime someone texts me. And seriously, let's get with the times already. Well, since getting the texting plan, the ONLY two texts I've gotten have been from...my dad. Yup! Via email, of course. Because he's Mr. Technology, so once he figured out he could email us on our phones, it was cool lol. I love my dad! That kind of stuff is just what makes him the guy he is! :)
Anyway, here's something else that is just making me happy...just one of those little things in life. I updated my AIM, and now I have this little AOL Radio player on my buddy list (again, I am probably way behind everyone!) and they have all these great little stations...like, pretty much anything you could ever want to listen to -- Broadway showtunes, movie soundtracks, salsa, comedy, and (earmuffs, Kelsey...) alllllll kinds of Christmas music! Christmas classics, Christmas pop, Latin Christmas (Feliz Navidad, anyone?), Christmas jazz, Christmas around the world...and I've been just kinda checking out the "classics" one, and there is actually a lot of really great contemporary Christian stuff on there, like Casting Crowns and Jars of Clay, mixed right in there with Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis, the Muppets, and of course the wonderful HCJ! Which I think is really cool...I feel like Christmas is the one genre where music people don't feel like they have to section it off as "secular" or "Christian." Because Christmas is for everyone, right?
(OK, Kelsey, you can take the earmuffs off now.)
Lastly, I am officially done with all extra-cirricular activities...for now. Until December (which I realize is not far off) when I'm planning on auditioning for another Civic show. But it's just nice to not have to go anywhere or do anything...I can stay up if I want to stay up, or sleep as long as I want to if I feel like it! I like to be busy, but it's nice to have a couple weeks of doing nothing every once in awhile. By the time December rolls around, I will be bored and ready to fill my schedule up again, but for now it's just great to not have a schedule. And here's the single greatest thing about having a job and being done with school -- no homework. It's the best. Seriously. That alone is worth getting a degree.
Alright, I think that is it. Life is good. I have a lot to be thankful for, and I'm excited about celebrating that just a week from now!!! And eating turkey and cranberries, and then taking home turkey and cranberry leftovers. Mmmmm!!!
Until later!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
All Will Be Well
So...here's what sucks about working in the news business. When there is a lot of bad news, it tends to get to me. Over the past week, we've had several fatal accidents in our viewing area--a couple involving young children--and all of them really tragic. One was a Purdue ROTC student driving his new motorcycle on his nineteenth birthday who got run over by a semi. Another was a small bus with four kids that got hit by a dump truck, killing all four kids. Another involved a five-year-old who was ejected from a car during a crash and died at the scene. And last night we had another fatal accident.
The weirdest thing is, most of these (as far as we know) had nothing to do with alcohol or drugs; they were just caused by people not paying attention. It could have been anyone on any given day just not being aware of things or kind of just operating in auto-pilot, which all of us do every day. It just feels kind of inexplicable--like it's almost easier to understand it when there's alcohol or something else involved. I don't know if that makes sense. But anyway, it's just been really sad to hear, see, watch, listen to, and talk about this stuff every day, and to come in the next day only to find more of the same.
Also, the economy is down and that puts a damper on a lot of things. And it's not fun to come in every night and see how much the Dow has dropped; not that it's made much of an impact on my life yet, because I don't really have much money to begin with, but these things have a way of affecting every other aspect of life, so you can't help but feel the tension.
There's this song I've been listening to a lot that kind of helps me get through the mornings sometimes called "All Will Be Well," and it's just kind of a good reminder in a way that ultimately none of this economic stuff is going to matter and that while death is sometimes very tragic, in another way it's a path to something better. After the accident involving the four kids from Monticello, the Twin Lakes school department made sure to have counselors on hand at school to help the students deal with the loss of their classmates. And the superintendant said something like, "Sometimes kids just need to be reassured that everything is going to be OK."
I think sometimes adults have to be reassured that everything is going to be OK too.
Did I just call myself an adult?
Here's the song:
"All Will Be Well" by the Gabe Dixon Band
The new day dawns,
And I am practicing my purpose once again.
It is fresh and it is fruitful if I win but if I lose,
Ooh, I don’t know.
I will be tired but I will turn and I will go,
Only guessing til I get there then I’ll know,
Oh oh oh, I will know.
All the children walking home past the factories
Could see the light that’s shining in my window as I write this song to you.
All the cars running fast along the interstate
Can feel the love that radiates
Illuminating what I know is true,
All will be well.
Even after all the promises you’ve broken to yourself,
All will be well.
You can ask me how but only time will tell.
The winter’s cold,
But the snow still lightly settles on the trees.
And a mess is still a moment I can seize until I know,
That all will be well.
Even though sometimes this is hard to tell,
And the fight is just as frustrating as hell
All will be well.
All the children walking home past the factories,
Could see the light that’s shining in my window as I write this song to you.
All the cars running fast along the interstate
Can feel the love that radiates
Illuminating what I know is true
All will be well.
Even after all the promises you’ve broken to yourself
All will be well.
You can ask me how but only time will tell.
Keep it up and don’t give up
And chase your dreams and you will find
All in time.
All the children walking home past the factories
Could see the light that’s shining in my window as I write this song to you.
All the cars running fast along the interstate
Can feel the love that radiates
Illuminating what I know is true,
All will be well.
Even after all the promises you’ve broken to yourself,
All will be well.
You can ask me how but only time will tell.
All will be well.
Even after all the promises you’ve broken to yourself,
All will be well.
You can ask me how but only time will tell.
You can ask me how but only time will tell.
The weirdest thing is, most of these (as far as we know) had nothing to do with alcohol or drugs; they were just caused by people not paying attention. It could have been anyone on any given day just not being aware of things or kind of just operating in auto-pilot, which all of us do every day. It just feels kind of inexplicable--like it's almost easier to understand it when there's alcohol or something else involved. I don't know if that makes sense. But anyway, it's just been really sad to hear, see, watch, listen to, and talk about this stuff every day, and to come in the next day only to find more of the same.
Also, the economy is down and that puts a damper on a lot of things. And it's not fun to come in every night and see how much the Dow has dropped; not that it's made much of an impact on my life yet, because I don't really have much money to begin with, but these things have a way of affecting every other aspect of life, so you can't help but feel the tension.
There's this song I've been listening to a lot that kind of helps me get through the mornings sometimes called "All Will Be Well," and it's just kind of a good reminder in a way that ultimately none of this economic stuff is going to matter and that while death is sometimes very tragic, in another way it's a path to something better. After the accident involving the four kids from Monticello, the Twin Lakes school department made sure to have counselors on hand at school to help the students deal with the loss of their classmates. And the superintendant said something like, "Sometimes kids just need to be reassured that everything is going to be OK."
I think sometimes adults have to be reassured that everything is going to be OK too.
Did I just call myself an adult?
Here's the song:
"All Will Be Well" by the Gabe Dixon Band
The new day dawns,
And I am practicing my purpose once again.
It is fresh and it is fruitful if I win but if I lose,
Ooh, I don’t know.
I will be tired but I will turn and I will go,
Only guessing til I get there then I’ll know,
Oh oh oh, I will know.
All the children walking home past the factories
Could see the light that’s shining in my window as I write this song to you.
All the cars running fast along the interstate
Can feel the love that radiates
Illuminating what I know is true,
All will be well.
Even after all the promises you’ve broken to yourself,
All will be well.
You can ask me how but only time will tell.
The winter’s cold,
But the snow still lightly settles on the trees.
And a mess is still a moment I can seize until I know,
That all will be well.
Even though sometimes this is hard to tell,
And the fight is just as frustrating as hell
All will be well.
All the children walking home past the factories,
Could see the light that’s shining in my window as I write this song to you.
All the cars running fast along the interstate
Can feel the love that radiates
Illuminating what I know is true
All will be well.
Even after all the promises you’ve broken to yourself
All will be well.
You can ask me how but only time will tell.
Keep it up and don’t give up
And chase your dreams and you will find
All in time.
All the children walking home past the factories
Could see the light that’s shining in my window as I write this song to you.
All the cars running fast along the interstate
Can feel the love that radiates
Illuminating what I know is true,
All will be well.
Even after all the promises you’ve broken to yourself,
All will be well.
You can ask me how but only time will tell.
All will be well.
Even after all the promises you’ve broken to yourself,
All will be well.
You can ask me how but only time will tell.
You can ask me how but only time will tell.
Monday, August 18, 2008
blogging at the lake...
There’s no internet connection up here, which is awesome, but my fingers are still itching to type, so I thought I’d just type up anything that came into my mind and post it on the blog later.
(Oh, and just a note…when I say that having no internet is awesome, I don’t mean that sarcastically. It really is nice.)
Being on vacation has been so nice! It’s Thursday night as I’m typing this, which means there are only a couple days left here at the Lake, but my vacation isn’t really over until Monday night when I have to go back into work. And I’m soaking up every minute.
Marla and I got in last Thursday evening; we made great time and Marla drove the whole way, giving me a chance to catch up on sleep. Although I did offer several times to drive—and I could’ve—I admit it was nice that Marls wanted to stick it out all 13 hours. I slept like a rock, too, which is unusual for me, because I hate trying to sleep in cars. I guess that’s what the graveyard shift does to you.
Friday was our first full day here, and we had beautiful weather. We spent the first couple of days laying out on the dock in the sun. Friday when I put my headphones in and put my mp3 player on random, vacation took over my playlist. It was amazing! All of the songs about relaxing, summer time, and so on. I don’t even remember what they all were…one was “Fabulous” from HSM 2, one was “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts.
The weather has been so great; we’ve only had two rainy days and even on those days I went fishing with Dad. Wednesday was one of the rainy days, and all of us girls (Mamaw, Mom, Marla and me) drove down to “town” –a good hour away—to Virginia’s mall for some shopping. I got a long sweater that will be so perfect for Purdue football games! I’m already pumped about tailgating and going to the games. I never (literally, never) got to tailgate in college because I was always busy recruiting, or we’d have a Purduettes show. So this year Mom and Dad have season tickets for all of us and we’re going to tailgate, and in meeting the Habbens this summer I learned that they are hard-core tailgaters too, so I’m looking forward to having another excuse to see more of that wonderful family! Speaking of which, I called in to Lafayette Wednesday while I was at the mall with cell phone reception and as of that day, everything is fine at my apartment, and Fish is still alive! When I get back, my boy-buddies will be on vacation, so hopefully I’ll have time to catch up with some of the girls before they all head off to school.
Right now I’m typing this and it’s just about an hour until my twenty-fourth birthday. I’m 24. That’s insane. I think it makes my dad feel old, because he asked me how old I was going to be and then he just shook his head in disbelief. Mom and I baked a cake tonight and we’ll ice it in the morning; I think she even got candles! It’s really cool to be up here on my birthday—we used to have my birthday up here all the time and then school just came too early to make that work anymore. Tomorrow is our last day, and then Sunday morning we all drive home. I told Marla I’d drive the whole way, since she made the whole trip up. But I hope that means I get to choose the music most of the time. Marla doesn’t seem to like my music…any of it. Even if I pick something I think she’s going to like (which is a lot), she says, “Ugh, I’m so sick of that song.” It’s OK. It’s just hit-and-miss but I’m guessing she’ll sleep a lot of the time so if I want to listen to Broadway songs or Ashley Tisdale or something, she won’t be awake to hear it. I’m sure it’ll be fine no matter what! Plus she can always listen to her iPod.
OH!!! Speaking of music...we went to church tonight and they had a sort of praise band to do the music during the service, which was outdoors with a barbeque afterwards. This group has probably six or seven people, all dressed in khakis and denim shirts (always classy) with their names on the front and the group’s name, “Second Chance,” embroidered on the back! And during the dinner they played a set of oldies and country songs, but the way they all sang, it was like something straight out of “A Mighty Wind,” or those SNL skits Will Farrell and Ana Gastyer used to do about the middle school music teachers. It was the stuff sketch comedy dreams are made of. So funny.
OK, I think that’s about it. Everyone’s in bed. It’ll be my birthday in Indiana in eight minutes, but here in the Land of 1,000 Lakes I have to wait another hour. I’m gonna edit some video and go to bed.
Until later!
(Oh, and just a note…when I say that having no internet is awesome, I don’t mean that sarcastically. It really is nice.)
Being on vacation has been so nice! It’s Thursday night as I’m typing this, which means there are only a couple days left here at the Lake, but my vacation isn’t really over until Monday night when I have to go back into work. And I’m soaking up every minute.
Marla and I got in last Thursday evening; we made great time and Marla drove the whole way, giving me a chance to catch up on sleep. Although I did offer several times to drive—and I could’ve—I admit it was nice that Marls wanted to stick it out all 13 hours. I slept like a rock, too, which is unusual for me, because I hate trying to sleep in cars. I guess that’s what the graveyard shift does to you.
Friday was our first full day here, and we had beautiful weather. We spent the first couple of days laying out on the dock in the sun. Friday when I put my headphones in and put my mp3 player on random, vacation took over my playlist. It was amazing! All of the songs about relaxing, summer time, and so on. I don’t even remember what they all were…one was “Fabulous” from HSM 2, one was “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts.
The weather has been so great; we’ve only had two rainy days and even on those days I went fishing with Dad. Wednesday was one of the rainy days, and all of us girls (Mamaw, Mom, Marla and me) drove down to “town” –a good hour away—to Virginia’s mall for some shopping. I got a long sweater that will be so perfect for Purdue football games! I’m already pumped about tailgating and going to the games. I never (literally, never) got to tailgate in college because I was always busy recruiting, or we’d have a Purduettes show. So this year Mom and Dad have season tickets for all of us and we’re going to tailgate, and in meeting the Habbens this summer I learned that they are hard-core tailgaters too, so I’m looking forward to having another excuse to see more of that wonderful family! Speaking of which, I called in to Lafayette Wednesday while I was at the mall with cell phone reception and as of that day, everything is fine at my apartment, and Fish is still alive! When I get back, my boy-buddies will be on vacation, so hopefully I’ll have time to catch up with some of the girls before they all head off to school.
Right now I’m typing this and it’s just about an hour until my twenty-fourth birthday. I’m 24. That’s insane. I think it makes my dad feel old, because he asked me how old I was going to be and then he just shook his head in disbelief. Mom and I baked a cake tonight and we’ll ice it in the morning; I think she even got candles! It’s really cool to be up here on my birthday—we used to have my birthday up here all the time and then school just came too early to make that work anymore. Tomorrow is our last day, and then Sunday morning we all drive home. I told Marla I’d drive the whole way, since she made the whole trip up. But I hope that means I get to choose the music most of the time. Marla doesn’t seem to like my music…any of it. Even if I pick something I think she’s going to like (which is a lot), she says, “Ugh, I’m so sick of that song.” It’s OK. It’s just hit-and-miss but I’m guessing she’ll sleep a lot of the time so if I want to listen to Broadway songs or Ashley Tisdale or something, she won’t be awake to hear it. I’m sure it’ll be fine no matter what! Plus she can always listen to her iPod.
OH!!! Speaking of music...we went to church tonight and they had a sort of praise band to do the music during the service, which was outdoors with a barbeque afterwards. This group has probably six or seven people, all dressed in khakis and denim shirts (always classy) with their names on the front and the group’s name, “Second Chance,” embroidered on the back! And during the dinner they played a set of oldies and country songs, but the way they all sang, it was like something straight out of “A Mighty Wind,” or those SNL skits Will Farrell and Ana Gastyer used to do about the middle school music teachers. It was the stuff sketch comedy dreams are made of. So funny.
OK, I think that’s about it. Everyone’s in bed. It’ll be my birthday in Indiana in eight minutes, but here in the Land of 1,000 Lakes I have to wait another hour. I’m gonna edit some video and go to bed.
Until later!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
i could do this forever...
I am about to run off to Broadway.
Not really. But it amazes me how much joy you can get out of doing something. And I get SO much joy out of performing!
We opened "High School Musical" last weekend, and we had two really good shows. And I think this is the coolest thing I've ever done...maybe even cooler than Christmas Show. And that, for me, is saying a lot.
It's just the best of everything. My favorite play I've ever been in. My favorite role I've ever played. Cute costumes. An awesome set. Huge depth of talent in the cast. Super-nice, amazing people who have become great friends. Fun, challenging choreography. Super-fun music. Fireworks! And a built-in fan base of kids from 4 to 14 who go absolutely nuts over anything HSM-related.
I haven't gotten to do any real performing in about a year, so I just felt absolutely spoiled performing in front of a full house Friday night! There is something about hearing the applause, the laughs, and feeling the electricity surging between the house and the stage that I absolutely love. And when the lights went down on our last note Friday night, I watched the fireworks popping overhead and heard the cheering audience, and it just washed through me and overwhelmed me, and I got tears in my eyes. I missed this. Then Caitlin grabbed my hand and ran up the hill with me from the backstage area to the front entrance to the house. Ryan checked to make sure I had an autograph pen, which I had but felt a little presumptuous holding on my way up to meet the audience. Out of nowhere, Adrienne appeared next to me and shoved a mint in my mouth. These guys are pros, I thought. And then there were people everywhere. People I knew...Kels, Isaac, the Hainje girls, people's parents.
And then there were kids. Everywhere. All around, holding up their programs for me to sign! Some of them grabbed my hand, eager to shake it, and some were so shy they could barely muster up the gumption to look at me. There were parents encouraging their kids to be patient while I tried to sign every piece of paper thrust anxiously in front of me. They wanted hugs. They wanted pictures. They wanted their HSM t-shirts signed. They wanted to talk to me. They wanted to hide behind their moms. It. Was. Awesome.
I think that was what really made it special for me...those kids were sooo excited about that show, and so beside themselves with enthusiasm, that it made me feel so good to have been a part of something that they were so excited about! And the parents were so appreciative. I can imagine long weeks for some parents with kids counting down the days until HSM, buying tickets and t-shirts, and probably hoping the excitement would die down at some point so they could get the kids to go to sleep that night. You could tell it meant a lot to them for us to meet their kids and spend a few moments with them. I can't imagine what it's like for people who do this sort of thing every day. I'm sure it gets tiring, but at the same time, what an incredible phenomenon to be able to make a kid happy just by saying hello or signing a book or a piece of paper. That meant more than all the applause, definitely, definitely.
And this weekend we get to do it again!
I feel like I could do this every weekend forever; it's just that much fun. I know that after this weekend, my life will be back to normal. I will be the girl sitting at the computer all night and behind the cameras all morning; the girl that no one sees, hears, or knows about. The person pulling and pushing invisible strings and buttons to put a show on the air. The girl no one recognizes in public. But that's ok! I am so happy to have had a little part in people's lives for just one evening...and hopefully to have made some kid's day by talking to them and sending them home with a picture and a piece of paper with a pink signature on it.
Sweet dreams!
Lis
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
the heart of life
Oh, man, is this a rainy day for the books! I love thunderstorms, and this morning is Grade A as far as they are concerned. This is "unplug your laptop and lay on the couch under a blanket and blog while you watch the lightning through the window" weather! I love it!
I'll let my thoughts rumble and tumble out of my head and onto the screen like the thunder rolling outside...
I'm so excited about going to the Lake. As much as I had tried every year of my life not to take my time up there for granted, there was no way I could truly appreciate it until last summer when I didn't get to go for the first time in the almost-23 years of my life.
Going up there is the epitomy of what a vacation, a Sabbath, a refuge should be. I always feel closer to God when I'm up there. He is impossible to ignore in that place. First of all, there is no TV, no Internet, and no cell phone reception, so most of life's daily distractions are removed from your life while you're there. Plus, the Northwoods of Minnesota are at their finest, as that area is lightly inhabited and barely cultivated by people, leaving plenty of room for all of God's creation to be on its best display, from the clear lakes to the beautiful, thick forests of birches and pines, to the frequently spotted eagles, loons, deer, moose, and even bears living among our little cabins. And I think that atmosphere lends itself to a sense of clarity we all get from spending time at the lake. We all get time away from our problems and get a chance to weigh them in an environment that makes us question what is really necessary and what is not worth worrying about. We sit on the dock at night and look at the big glass bowl of sky over the lake and watch it fill with stars and Northern Lights, and we realize how small we are and how insignificant some of our problems are. Marla and I always laugh because she always seemed to end up going home and breaking up with her boyfriends after we went ot the lake back in high school...but the truth is, she just had time away to evaluate her relationships and decide whether or not they were really worth her time and energy.
I have felt an overwhelming sense of clarity increasing in my life in the past year and especially in the past six months or so, and I can only imagine how much clearer things will be when I get to the Lake. I always love that Bible passage that goes something like, "Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we will see face to face..." I always equated that to what it will be like to get to Heaven, and I always thought it would be that feeling of being at the Lake times like infinity. You know, because right now I have this dim, smudgy look at my life and everything in it, but at the Lake it's so beautiful and awesome that it puts everything else into perspective so clearly. So I think Heaven will be like the Lake, only much, much better.
Anyway, there are a few John Mayer songs striking some major chords (no pun intended, seriously) with me lately. One, of course, is "Clarity" from his album "The Heavier Things" (that is a GREAT album, by the way). The song says a lot about how I'm feeling these days and especially how it feels at the Lake...
This morning, there's a calm I can't explain
Rock candy's melted, only diamonds now remain...
By the time I recognize this moment
This moment will be gone
But I will bend the light, pretend that it somehow lingered on...
And I will wait to find
If this will last forever
And I will pay no mind
When I won't and it won't cause it can't
It just can't
It's not supposed to
Besides the obvious theme of clarity, I just love how it's about trying to hang on to the moments as long as you can even though you know it's going to be over at some point. That's how it is at the Lake; you take in every sight and sound ans smell from the minute you start driving down the lane to the cabin and get your first glimpse at the Lake, to the last second you're driving away, looking behind you to keep the mailbox row in view as long as you can and knowing it will be another year or more until you can come back again.
And speaking of that sad trip home from the lake, this is another JM song that has been speaking to me on multiple levels, because it's about growing up, but one part is just totally the Lake:
Once in a while when it's good
It'll feel like it should
And they're all still around
And you're still safe and sound
And you don't miss a thing
'til you cry when you're driving away in the dark...
Singing stop this train, I want to get off and go home again
I can't take this speed it's moving in
I know I can't
Cause now I see I'll never stop this train
Firstly, that part about it feeling like it should and everyone being around and feeling safe. That's so what it's like; Mamaw and Papaw, sometimes aunts and uncles, and always a few very old, very good friends are around, and you're safe from the pressures of the life you put on hold while you went on vacation, and you drink in every moment of it. And then the part about crying while you drive away in the dark...that is SPOT ON what happens when you leave the Lake. It's always dark because it's early-early in the morning. And you always cry, you can't help it, because you don't want to leave this little paradise; you don't want to go back and face reality again. And you feel like that little red cabin is home...you're just going back to the world to get by until you can come home to the little cabin again. (Again, a lot like Heaven!) So anyway, that's pretty much that.
Finally, I am loving this song and I think a lot of the people who check in on my blog from time to time might like it too, because a lot of us are living in what is so far the hardest and most challenging time of our lives right now. And this song is just a great little anthem for those of us trying to stay afloat in the big world...so I'm gonna post the whole song and the video so you all can have a listen. This one's for you!
"The Heart Of Life"
I hate to see you cry
Lying there in that position
There's things you need to hear
So turn off your tears
And listen
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won't all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good
You know, it's nothing new
Bad news never had good timing
But, then your circle of friends
Will defend the silver lining
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won't all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
Fear is a friend who's misunderstood
But I know the heart of life is good
I know it's good
Love!
Lis
I'll let my thoughts rumble and tumble out of my head and onto the screen like the thunder rolling outside...
I'm so excited about going to the Lake. As much as I had tried every year of my life not to take my time up there for granted, there was no way I could truly appreciate it until last summer when I didn't get to go for the first time in the almost-23 years of my life.
Going up there is the epitomy of what a vacation, a Sabbath, a refuge should be. I always feel closer to God when I'm up there. He is impossible to ignore in that place. First of all, there is no TV, no Internet, and no cell phone reception, so most of life's daily distractions are removed from your life while you're there. Plus, the Northwoods of Minnesota are at their finest, as that area is lightly inhabited and barely cultivated by people, leaving plenty of room for all of God's creation to be on its best display, from the clear lakes to the beautiful, thick forests of birches and pines, to the frequently spotted eagles, loons, deer, moose, and even bears living among our little cabins. And I think that atmosphere lends itself to a sense of clarity we all get from spending time at the lake. We all get time away from our problems and get a chance to weigh them in an environment that makes us question what is really necessary and what is not worth worrying about. We sit on the dock at night and look at the big glass bowl of sky over the lake and watch it fill with stars and Northern Lights, and we realize how small we are and how insignificant some of our problems are. Marla and I always laugh because she always seemed to end up going home and breaking up with her boyfriends after we went ot the lake back in high school...but the truth is, she just had time away to evaluate her relationships and decide whether or not they were really worth her time and energy.
I have felt an overwhelming sense of clarity increasing in my life in the past year and especially in the past six months or so, and I can only imagine how much clearer things will be when I get to the Lake. I always love that Bible passage that goes something like, "Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we will see face to face..." I always equated that to what it will be like to get to Heaven, and I always thought it would be that feeling of being at the Lake times like infinity. You know, because right now I have this dim, smudgy look at my life and everything in it, but at the Lake it's so beautiful and awesome that it puts everything else into perspective so clearly. So I think Heaven will be like the Lake, only much, much better.
Anyway, there are a few John Mayer songs striking some major chords (no pun intended, seriously) with me lately. One, of course, is "Clarity" from his album "The Heavier Things" (that is a GREAT album, by the way). The song says a lot about how I'm feeling these days and especially how it feels at the Lake...
This morning, there's a calm I can't explain
Rock candy's melted, only diamonds now remain...
By the time I recognize this moment
This moment will be gone
But I will bend the light, pretend that it somehow lingered on...
And I will wait to find
If this will last forever
And I will pay no mind
When I won't and it won't cause it can't
It just can't
It's not supposed to
Besides the obvious theme of clarity, I just love how it's about trying to hang on to the moments as long as you can even though you know it's going to be over at some point. That's how it is at the Lake; you take in every sight and sound ans smell from the minute you start driving down the lane to the cabin and get your first glimpse at the Lake, to the last second you're driving away, looking behind you to keep the mailbox row in view as long as you can and knowing it will be another year or more until you can come back again.
And speaking of that sad trip home from the lake, this is another JM song that has been speaking to me on multiple levels, because it's about growing up, but one part is just totally the Lake:
Once in a while when it's good
It'll feel like it should
And they're all still around
And you're still safe and sound
And you don't miss a thing
'til you cry when you're driving away in the dark...
Singing stop this train, I want to get off and go home again
I can't take this speed it's moving in
I know I can't
Cause now I see I'll never stop this train
Firstly, that part about it feeling like it should and everyone being around and feeling safe. That's so what it's like; Mamaw and Papaw, sometimes aunts and uncles, and always a few very old, very good friends are around, and you're safe from the pressures of the life you put on hold while you went on vacation, and you drink in every moment of it. And then the part about crying while you drive away in the dark...that is SPOT ON what happens when you leave the Lake. It's always dark because it's early-early in the morning. And you always cry, you can't help it, because you don't want to leave this little paradise; you don't want to go back and face reality again. And you feel like that little red cabin is home...you're just going back to the world to get by until you can come home to the little cabin again. (Again, a lot like Heaven!) So anyway, that's pretty much that.
Finally, I am loving this song and I think a lot of the people who check in on my blog from time to time might like it too, because a lot of us are living in what is so far the hardest and most challenging time of our lives right now. And this song is just a great little anthem for those of us trying to stay afloat in the big world...so I'm gonna post the whole song and the video so you all can have a listen. This one's for you!
"The Heart Of Life"
I hate to see you cry
Lying there in that position
There's things you need to hear
So turn off your tears
And listen
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won't all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good
You know, it's nothing new
Bad news never had good timing
But, then your circle of friends
Will defend the silver lining
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won't all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
Fear is a friend who's misunderstood
But I know the heart of life is good
I know it's good
Love!
Lis
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Email, Snail Mail, and the Music Man
What a great day! It started out quite rainy, which was a little bit of a bummer as I headed out the door to meet some of the HSM cast for lunch. But I decided to check my mail on my way out, and what should be in the mailbox but my new swimsuit! I didn't have time to try it on; I just took the package with me in the car.
Lunch was great. One of the members of our party just got back from a vacation in Mexico, so it was great to hear about his trip and catch up! We had a really awkward waitress, and for some reason, I always seemed to be the person who made matters worse, even though I was trying to make things better...everything I said as a joke or to ease the tension ended up sounding rude! Oh well...I left her a big tip, so hopefully that made things better.
One of the kids in our group is as obsessed with musicals as I am, and we ducked into the nearby Borders to see what shows they had on DVD. And I found the Disney made-for-TV version of "The Music Man," which I had always wanted to see but until now hadn't had the chance to. I'm watching it right now, and it's great fun. Probably not as good as the original, but equally as enjoyable for different reasons. An all-star cast, delightful choreography, and all the sweet, soft, squeaky-clean sets, costumes, and cast a Disney movie could ever conjure. I love Matthew Broderick, and his smooth, fast-talking Ferris Bueller really comes through in the character of Harold Hill. Kristen Chenoweth is pretty much my favorite Broadway person ever, and she brings a freshness and sass to the role of Marian Paroo that I have never seen. I always tend to get bored with the songs Marian sings in the show, because they are these super-soprano, old-fashioned warbly numbers, but they did a great job with the orchestral score on this, making it much more interesting. And Kristen has the unbelievable ability to combine her opera-trained pipes with her Broadway chops to kick these songs' butts. This was my favorite---
OK, going on...
So I got home after lunch and Borders and hopped on my laptop, and what did I find in my email's inbox but a note from the girls at Whatever Hollywood! I had left a little post on their blog saying I liked their stuff. It was so cool of them to write back! Anyway, soon the sun came shining out through the trees and I decided to try on my new suit and hit the pool. And now I'm comfy on the couch, laptop in my lap, watching "The Music Man."
And I just have to say...I LOVE musicals! They just make me feel so good inside!
OK, until later!
Lunch was great. One of the members of our party just got back from a vacation in Mexico, so it was great to hear about his trip and catch up! We had a really awkward waitress, and for some reason, I always seemed to be the person who made matters worse, even though I was trying to make things better...everything I said as a joke or to ease the tension ended up sounding rude! Oh well...I left her a big tip, so hopefully that made things better.
One of the kids in our group is as obsessed with musicals as I am, and we ducked into the nearby Borders to see what shows they had on DVD. And I found the Disney made-for-TV version of "The Music Man," which I had always wanted to see but until now hadn't had the chance to. I'm watching it right now, and it's great fun. Probably not as good as the original, but equally as enjoyable for different reasons. An all-star cast, delightful choreography, and all the sweet, soft, squeaky-clean sets, costumes, and cast a Disney movie could ever conjure. I love Matthew Broderick, and his smooth, fast-talking Ferris Bueller really comes through in the character of Harold Hill. Kristen Chenoweth is pretty much my favorite Broadway person ever, and she brings a freshness and sass to the role of Marian Paroo that I have never seen. I always tend to get bored with the songs Marian sings in the show, because they are these super-soprano, old-fashioned warbly numbers, but they did a great job with the orchestral score on this, making it much more interesting. And Kristen has the unbelievable ability to combine her opera-trained pipes with her Broadway chops to kick these songs' butts. This was my favorite---
OK, going on...
So I got home after lunch and Borders and hopped on my laptop, and what did I find in my email's inbox but a note from the girls at Whatever Hollywood! I had left a little post on their blog saying I liked their stuff. It was so cool of them to write back! Anyway, soon the sun came shining out through the trees and I decided to try on my new suit and hit the pool. And now I'm comfy on the couch, laptop in my lap, watching "The Music Man."
And I just have to say...I LOVE musicals! They just make me feel so good inside!
OK, until later!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
lyrics i love
Ok, so you know how everyone puts lyrics in their AIM buddy profiles to express how they're feeling and stuff? Well, a lot of times I listen to a song and just love the lyrics, but I don't want to put them in my buddy profile or anything because I don't want people thinking, "Geez, what's wrong with her? Is she mad at someone? Is she depressed?" or something like that. Because it may not be how I'm feeling right NOW, it's just something that strikes a chord with me for one reason or another.
So here are some lyrics I love...no strings attached:
jane be jane
you're better that way
not when you're trying
imitating something you think you saw
jane be jane
and if sometimes that might
drive them away
let them stay there
you don't need them anyway
you're worried there might not be
anything at all inside
but that you're worried
should tell you that's not right
don't try to see yourself
the way that others do
it's no use
you're worried there might not be
anything at all inside
but that you're worried
should tell you that's not right
you've had it harder than anyone could know
so hard to let it go
but it's your life
and you can decorate it
as you like
beneath the paint and armour
in your eyes the truth still shines
jane be jane
~"Jane" by Ben Folds (I just love the message to a girl to be herself...I think a lot of us girls get this self-conscious urge to reinvent ourselves or wish we could be like someone else, so this is a good reminder not to do that! Thanks, Ben!)
i never loved nobody fully
always one foot on the ground
and by protecting my heart truly i got lost in the sounds
i hear in my mind all these voices
i hear in my mind all these words
i hear in my mind all this music
and it breaks my heart
and it breaks my heart
~"Fidelity" by Regina Spektor (something about this hits me, and I sometimes feel like Liz Lemon from 30 Rock...I am so in love with my ideas and dreams that I think I have more of a relationship with them than I do with people sometimes. I don't really know that this is what Regina was writing about, but that's how it works for me.)
Second chances they don't ever matter, people never change.
Once a whore you're nothing more, I'm sorry, that'll never change.
And about forgiveness, we're both supposed to have exchanged.
I'm sorry honey, but I'm passing up, now look this way.
Well there's a million other girls who do it just like you.
Looking as innocent as possible to get to who,
They want and what they like it's easy if you do it right.
Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse!
~"Misery Business" by Paramore (haha...let's just say I can definitely relate to these lyrics! I don't like to hang on to anger, but listening to Paramore is like a fun anger outlet.)
So long honey, babe
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
Goodbye's too good a word, babe
So I'll just say fare thee well
I ain't saying you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right.
~"Don't Think Twice" by Bob Dylan (aaaghhh, Bob!!! I love this song and have since a tender high school age. It holds different significance for me in different situations, but I just love this last verse, and how it expresses that feeling we sometimes have about people when we go our separate ways. What a great song writer.)
Didn't make forever.
We each got to go our seperate way,
And now we're standing here, helpless,
Looking for something to say.
We've been together a long time.
We never thought it would end.
We were always so close to each other;
You were always my friend.
And it's hard to say good-bye, my love.
Hard to see you cry, my love.
Hard to open up that door.
You're not sure what you're going for.
~"So Hard to Say Goodbye" from Dreamgirls (I wish I would've listened to this whole soundtrack before graduating from Purduettes, because I would've asked to sing this with my senior class. This pretty much wraps up the feeling of leaving that group--you know you're supposed to move on to bigger and better things, but it's tough to leave something so familiar. Tear!)
Head under water
And they tell me to breathe easy for a while
Breathing gets harder, even I know that
Made room for me, it's too soon to see
If I'm happy in your hands
I'm unusually hard to hold on to
Blank stares at blank pages
No easy way to say this
You mean well, but you make this hard on me
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's
Make or break in this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better
Reason to write you a love song today
I learned the hard way
That they all say things you want to hear
My heavy heart sinks deep down under
And you and your twisted words,
Your help just hurts
You are not what I thought you were
Hello to high and dry
Convinced me to please you
Made me think that I need this too
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's
Make or break in this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better
Reason to write you a love song today
Promise me that you'll leave the light on
To help me see with daylight, my guide, gone
'Cause I believe there's a way you can love me
Because I say
I won't write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or break in this
Is that why you wanted a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or break in this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If your heart is nowhere in it
I don't want it for a minute
Babe, I'll walk the seven seas
When I believe that there's a reason to
Write you a love song today
~"Love Song" by Sara Bareilles (Gosh! What girl DOESN'T love this song? It says so many things, and I love it because I hate feeling obligated to do something, especially if it's something that should be spontaneous and heartfelt.)
Ok, so there you have it. The lyrics I love but won't put on my AIM profile so as not to risk having anyone read into them and ask me questions. :)
So here are some lyrics I love...no strings attached:
jane be jane
you're better that way
not when you're trying
imitating something you think you saw
jane be jane
and if sometimes that might
drive them away
let them stay there
you don't need them anyway
you're worried there might not be
anything at all inside
but that you're worried
should tell you that's not right
don't try to see yourself
the way that others do
it's no use
you're worried there might not be
anything at all inside
but that you're worried
should tell you that's not right
you've had it harder than anyone could know
so hard to let it go
but it's your life
and you can decorate it
as you like
beneath the paint and armour
in your eyes the truth still shines
jane be jane
~"Jane" by Ben Folds (I just love the message to a girl to be herself...I think a lot of us girls get this self-conscious urge to reinvent ourselves or wish we could be like someone else, so this is a good reminder not to do that! Thanks, Ben!)
i never loved nobody fully
always one foot on the ground
and by protecting my heart truly i got lost in the sounds
i hear in my mind all these voices
i hear in my mind all these words
i hear in my mind all this music
and it breaks my heart
and it breaks my heart
~"Fidelity" by Regina Spektor (something about this hits me, and I sometimes feel like Liz Lemon from 30 Rock...I am so in love with my ideas and dreams that I think I have more of a relationship with them than I do with people sometimes. I don't really know that this is what Regina was writing about, but that's how it works for me.)
Second chances they don't ever matter, people never change.
Once a whore you're nothing more, I'm sorry, that'll never change.
And about forgiveness, we're both supposed to have exchanged.
I'm sorry honey, but I'm passing up, now look this way.
Well there's a million other girls who do it just like you.
Looking as innocent as possible to get to who,
They want and what they like it's easy if you do it right.
Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse!
~"Misery Business" by Paramore (haha...let's just say I can definitely relate to these lyrics! I don't like to hang on to anger, but listening to Paramore is like a fun anger outlet.)
So long honey, babe
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
Goodbye's too good a word, babe
So I'll just say fare thee well
I ain't saying you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don't think twice, it's all right.
~"Don't Think Twice" by Bob Dylan (aaaghhh, Bob!!! I love this song and have since a tender high school age. It holds different significance for me in different situations, but I just love this last verse, and how it expresses that feeling we sometimes have about people when we go our separate ways. What a great song writer.)
Didn't make forever.
We each got to go our seperate way,
And now we're standing here, helpless,
Looking for something to say.
We've been together a long time.
We never thought it would end.
We were always so close to each other;
You were always my friend.
And it's hard to say good-bye, my love.
Hard to see you cry, my love.
Hard to open up that door.
You're not sure what you're going for.
~"So Hard to Say Goodbye" from Dreamgirls (I wish I would've listened to this whole soundtrack before graduating from Purduettes, because I would've asked to sing this with my senior class. This pretty much wraps up the feeling of leaving that group--you know you're supposed to move on to bigger and better things, but it's tough to leave something so familiar. Tear!)
Head under water
And they tell me to breathe easy for a while
Breathing gets harder, even I know that
Made room for me, it's too soon to see
If I'm happy in your hands
I'm unusually hard to hold on to
Blank stares at blank pages
No easy way to say this
You mean well, but you make this hard on me
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's
Make or break in this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better
Reason to write you a love song today
I learned the hard way
That they all say things you want to hear
My heavy heart sinks deep down under
And you and your twisted words,
Your help just hurts
You are not what I thought you were
Hello to high and dry
Convinced me to please you
Made me think that I need this too
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's
Make or break in this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better
Reason to write you a love song today
Promise me that you'll leave the light on
To help me see with daylight, my guide, gone
'Cause I believe there's a way you can love me
Because I say
I won't write you a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or break in this
Is that why you wanted a love song
'Cause you asked for it
'Cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'Cause you tell me it's make or break in this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If your heart is nowhere in it
I don't want it for a minute
Babe, I'll walk the seven seas
When I believe that there's a reason to
Write you a love song today
~"Love Song" by Sara Bareilles (Gosh! What girl DOESN'T love this song? It says so many things, and I love it because I hate feeling obligated to do something, especially if it's something that should be spontaneous and heartfelt.)
Ok, so there you have it. The lyrics I love but won't put on my AIM profile so as not to risk having anyone read into them and ask me questions. :)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
why life should be a musical
If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music.
~Gustav Mahler
Lately I don't feel like saying anything...I just feel like copy-and-pasting lyrics to songs I hear. I just seem to keep finding the perfect sentiments in the words and notes of songs.
You know how sometimes you feel something in such a way that you can't find the right words? In the past week, I have found myself uselessly repeating the phrases, "I can't articulate," "you don't know how much," and "I can't even say..." Words are failing me. Miserably. And I usually am able to use my words with great success!
I wish I could write music, but it's not a talent of mine. I can sing, feel, enjoy it though, and I'm glad that since I can't express myself, someone else has done it for me. Luckily I have other people's songs to sing. They've created a soundtrack to my life.
And that's why life should be a musical...our thoughts could be the lyrics. Our stories could be the ballads. Our smiles, the choreography. Our conversations, the duets.
I mean I got so excited about something someone said today that I literally couldn't control myself. There wasn't a word for it and all I could do was basically hit myself in the leg. Weird, but it had to come out somehow. If life were a musical, that would've been the moment I started dancing. People think musicals are unrealistic because people spontaneously jump up and sing or dance, but it's not that much of a stretch. I wish that's what we really did! Sometimes I think it would be easier than trying to search our vocabularies (and it would be more fun too!).
But until the world decides to learn the music and the dances to my life, I'll borrow the notes and make up the steps. I'll sing in the shower and dance in the living room. And if an orchestra and a chorus magically appear, so be it!
Until later!
Lis
It's a lovely day today
So whatever you've got to do
You've got a lovely day to do it in, that's true
And I hope whatever you've got to do
Is something that can be done by two
For I'd really like to stay
It's a lovely day today
And whatever you've got to do
I'd be so happy to be doing it with you
But if you've got something that must be done
And it can only be done by one
There is nothing more to say
Except it's a lovely day for saying
It's a lovely day
~Irving Berlin
~Gustav Mahler
Lately I don't feel like saying anything...I just feel like copy-and-pasting lyrics to songs I hear. I just seem to keep finding the perfect sentiments in the words and notes of songs.
You know how sometimes you feel something in such a way that you can't find the right words? In the past week, I have found myself uselessly repeating the phrases, "I can't articulate," "you don't know how much," and "I can't even say..." Words are failing me. Miserably. And I usually am able to use my words with great success!
I wish I could write music, but it's not a talent of mine. I can sing, feel, enjoy it though, and I'm glad that since I can't express myself, someone else has done it for me. Luckily I have other people's songs to sing. They've created a soundtrack to my life.
And that's why life should be a musical...our thoughts could be the lyrics. Our stories could be the ballads. Our smiles, the choreography. Our conversations, the duets.
I mean I got so excited about something someone said today that I literally couldn't control myself. There wasn't a word for it and all I could do was basically hit myself in the leg. Weird, but it had to come out somehow. If life were a musical, that would've been the moment I started dancing. People think musicals are unrealistic because people spontaneously jump up and sing or dance, but it's not that much of a stretch. I wish that's what we really did! Sometimes I think it would be easier than trying to search our vocabularies (and it would be more fun too!).
But until the world decides to learn the music and the dances to my life, I'll borrow the notes and make up the steps. I'll sing in the shower and dance in the living room. And if an orchestra and a chorus magically appear, so be it!
Until later!
Lis
It's a lovely day today
So whatever you've got to do
You've got a lovely day to do it in, that's true
And I hope whatever you've got to do
Is something that can be done by two
For I'd really like to stay
It's a lovely day today
And whatever you've got to do
I'd be so happy to be doing it with you
But if you've got something that must be done
And it can only be done by one
There is nothing more to say
Except it's a lovely day for saying
It's a lovely day
~Irving Berlin
Thursday, March 13, 2008
New Shoes
Hey, I put some new shoes on
And suddenly everything is right
I said hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling
It's so inviting
Oh, short on money
But long on time
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine
And I'm running late and I don't need an excuse to wear in my brand new shoes
~"New Shoes" by Paolo Nutini
I heard that song yesterday morning and decided it pretty much sums up my life right now.
I can't believe the way things have turned around in about...well, just about exactly three months. I went from being all sad and lonely to being happy just being on my own, which was good because it reminded me of all the confidence and pride I have in myself. And then once I had gotten back to my old self, one by one God kind of placed these people around me in different parts of my life to help me move forward.
And yesterday it was in the 50s outside, which is really warm for this time of year and the beast of a winter we've been having, and I heard birds chirping outside my window when I got home from work, and the sun shone through the windows during my exercise class, I got to drive around with the windows down, I didn't have to wear a coat, and I saw a pair of geese waddling by the side of the road on my way back from the gym, and I had a conversation about food and dream jobs...chalk it up a great day!
And as for new shoes, I actually did buy some recently. They are the exact same as my favorite old pair of shoes, which were starting to fall apart...probably because they were my favorites! I just got another pair just like 'em...and I'm wearing them right now!
So I really do have my new shoes on...and suddenly everything is right.
And suddenly everything is right
I said hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling
It's so inviting
Oh, short on money
But long on time
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine
And I'm running late and I don't need an excuse to wear in my brand new shoes
~"New Shoes" by Paolo Nutini
I heard that song yesterday morning and decided it pretty much sums up my life right now.
I can't believe the way things have turned around in about...well, just about exactly three months. I went from being all sad and lonely to being happy just being on my own, which was good because it reminded me of all the confidence and pride I have in myself. And then once I had gotten back to my old self, one by one God kind of placed these people around me in different parts of my life to help me move forward.
And yesterday it was in the 50s outside, which is really warm for this time of year and the beast of a winter we've been having, and I heard birds chirping outside my window when I got home from work, and the sun shone through the windows during my exercise class, I got to drive around with the windows down, I didn't have to wear a coat, and I saw a pair of geese waddling by the side of the road on my way back from the gym, and I had a conversation about food and dream jobs...chalk it up a great day!
And as for new shoes, I actually did buy some recently. They are the exact same as my favorite old pair of shoes, which were starting to fall apart...probably because they were my favorites! I just got another pair just like 'em...and I'm wearing them right now!
So I really do have my new shoes on...and suddenly everything is right.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Where Are You, Christmas (Show)?
It's mid-October. It's starting to get cold. And the normal American is getting ready for Halloween.
I'm ready for Christmas.
For the past 4 years I have spent this time of year putting in serious time learning various arrangements of Christmas songs and carols for the Purdue Christmas Show. And before those 4 years, I was at least starting to learn a Christmas song or two for one choir concert or other. This year, I'm not doing that, and it's weird. There is definitely a void.
So today I had to give in to the urge and pop in an old Christmas Show rehearsal CD on my way home from work. I almost cried; I am really going to miss being in that show.
Don't get me wrong; it's fantastic not to have the stress and anxiety connected with preparing for a show of that magnitude. But Christmas Show was my favorite part of Purduettes, PMO, and Purdue. I spent all year getting excited about it, and I never got tired of rehearsing for it. When the curtain finally rose in front of a live audience, I was in my element. Nothing else will ever be like performing on that stage, and it's a little sad not to look forward to having that thrill this year.
On the other hand, I am building up anticipation to being in the audience for the first time since I was in high school. I will definitely have a different kind of appreciation for it now that I've been a part of it. And maybe I'll get to sing with the alumni onstage during the carol sing.
P.S. -- I finished training for the producer job today. I did the whole show by myself, pretty much, and it went well! I am excited about flying solo come Sunday night. I really need to watch "Anchorman" again...so many references come to mind now that I'm writing what goes in the teleprompter and dealing more directly with the anchors, but they don't come to mind as readily as they should. I've forgotten a lot from that movie. Time to brush up!
Well, it's past my bedtime. Merry Christmas and a Happy Halloween!
I'm ready for Christmas.
For the past 4 years I have spent this time of year putting in serious time learning various arrangements of Christmas songs and carols for the Purdue Christmas Show. And before those 4 years, I was at least starting to learn a Christmas song or two for one choir concert or other. This year, I'm not doing that, and it's weird. There is definitely a void.
So today I had to give in to the urge and pop in an old Christmas Show rehearsal CD on my way home from work. I almost cried; I am really going to miss being in that show.
Don't get me wrong; it's fantastic not to have the stress and anxiety connected with preparing for a show of that magnitude. But Christmas Show was my favorite part of Purduettes, PMO, and Purdue. I spent all year getting excited about it, and I never got tired of rehearsing for it. When the curtain finally rose in front of a live audience, I was in my element. Nothing else will ever be like performing on that stage, and it's a little sad not to look forward to having that thrill this year.
On the other hand, I am building up anticipation to being in the audience for the first time since I was in high school. I will definitely have a different kind of appreciation for it now that I've been a part of it. And maybe I'll get to sing with the alumni onstage during the carol sing.
P.S. -- I finished training for the producer job today. I did the whole show by myself, pretty much, and it went well! I am excited about flying solo come Sunday night. I really need to watch "Anchorman" again...so many references come to mind now that I'm writing what goes in the teleprompter and dealing more directly with the anchors, but they don't come to mind as readily as they should. I've forgotten a lot from that movie. Time to brush up!
Well, it's past my bedtime. Merry Christmas and a Happy Halloween!
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