Into The Thick of It

My top 10 right now.

I'm having one of those days that is wearing me down, physically and emotionally, so instead of sliding into the deep dark slimey pit, I'm going to list 10 things that I love, right now. 

1. I love that I have a cat named Zazzles.  This of course leads me to my love of Sheldon, which in turn leads me to my love of The Big Bang Theory, but I'm going to only count this as one, because well - Zazzles is my kitty, and she deserves a big #1.

2. I love these three adorable kittens that Zazzles had.  They are starting to become more mobile and adventurous and so. darn. cute.  I mean seriously, Pumpkin could win awards!  He's so fuzzy - or to quote one of my favorite movies - "It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!!" .

3. I love music.  I realize that I still (even living on 'my own' and having the ability and time to choose my own) worry about what other people think about my music choices.  Yesterday morning, I watched CMT on tv for a little while.  And seriously, Keith Urban?  Hot and talented.

4. I love my new TV. Thank you, brother of mine.

5. I love tea.  Jasmine Mint Green is my favorite right now, but I really don't turn my nose up at much!

6. I love my kid.  I realize that this appears that she is pretty far down on the list, but that's not really true.  We have had a rough few days though.  And I still love her.  I'm lucky to be her mom.

7. I love learning. I know that I don't have as much education or articulate as clearly as some others do, but I do love to learn new things.  I'm reading a book on philosophy right now, and it's so good.  I would be reading book 3 of my series that I mentioned in my last post, alas, I accidentally ordered it in German, so I have to wait and get it in English. (Talk about a duh moment - I don't speak a lick of German except to bless people when the sneeze.)

8. I love that I have good things coming up.  I don't like that I can't spill the beans yet, but I do like that I have a secret worth keeping. :) Stay tuned for more on that.

9. I love that my birthday is coming up.  This is sort of a love/hate thing, to be honest.  My age is going to be precariously close to a BIG one.  Yikes!  But I do love having a birthday.  At least I survived another year!

10. I love Rock Band and Guitar Hero.  Yes, I realize that I am old enough to have a BIG birthday coming up.  I'm not a teen or a preteen or some pimply guy who lives in his mother's basement.  I'm a single mom with two cats and moderate musical ability in 'real life'.  However, I love that game.  I love the challenge of it, and the songs on it, and the whole nine yards.  I can't wait to play it again.  (Amanda and I often play together, which is very fun.)

You know, I could probably come up with 10 more now that I'm on a roll.  This exercise proved helpful.  So now I'm going to go play Rock Band and not care if I like the song that is country or poppy or anything else weird - I'm just going to enjoy!

Musical thoughts

Someone today on Facebook asked about what books to recommend teaching a beginning student with.  I immediately answered it, and then just sat there looking at my post.  It's been YEARS since I've taught a lesson  - at least 5 years seriously.  There was once a day where I taught over 50 students a week, vocal and piano lessons.  (That may have been what started my nervous breakdown *grin*.) Where did that time go? I don't know if I miss it or not, but I do wonder how I came to be so far FROM that.

Melanie and I listen to a lot of different music.  She likes a lot of the popular stuff that her friends at school listen to (dare I even mention JB?), and I can handle some of that, just not in large, whopping doses at once.  We both like pop/folk stuff too - Ingrid Michaelson (who has a wonderful new album out), A Fine Frenzy, The Weepies, Rosie Golan.  We are recently in love with Gotye, Kings of Leon, Mumford and Sons, Greg Laswell.  And then we like most classics:  Ben Folds, The Beatles (hasn't Ringo aged well?!), Fleetwood Mac, Chicago, Bread, Journey, etc.  I love that she has a taste of all of that and can recognize most of it.  There are tons of other bands that we listen to as well, but to list them all would be a really boring blog post.

One thing that we always come back to is Contemporary Christian music.  Even with my current distaste of organized religion, I still find comfort and encouragement in these songs of truth about who God is.  We can be found singing Praise & Worship stuff a lot, and then finding where that song comes from in scripture.  I love that I can go back to this music; that no one can take that away from me, nor the scripture that it is from.  

Kari Jobe has a new album that just came out this Tuesday called Where I Find You.  It is so great; I love how she writes about her love for who God is.  The songs are doggon catchy too - I find myself humming and/or singing them a lot of the day.  

I guess even stating that I still listen to music about God is kind of a brave thing for me.  I'm so afraid most of the time about what people think about me that I often filter.  Afraid of what they might think of me, or what judgements they may make of me because I am struggling with my faith.  But at almost 38 years of age, I think the time has come for me to be as real about it as possible.  If people don't like me because I struggle in this area, then they really aren't going to like me.  I am in flux.  I am still learning.  And I do a lot of my thinking and learning through music, always have, and always will.

Well, there you have it.  Musical thoughts on a dreary Thursday.  If you have the time and energy, check out that Kari Jobe album.  It's worth a listen to, bothy lyrically and musically. 

Totally New Tuesdays was yesterday...

(This was supposed to be posted yesterday - but in a moment of I-just-got-hit-by-the-Mac-truck-of-exhaustion, I pushed "save draft" instead of "publish". So sorry about that!) Tuesday is one of my favorite days of the week. It is the day after Monday, first of all. Second of all, it's a little more laid back overall for us - less running around, more actual things accomplished. Glee is on. (That alone would be worth a favorite day status.) But the main reason? New books. New music. Let's just put it this way - Tuesdays at the iTunes store and the bookstore (Barnes and Nobel for me mostly because of my beloved nook) are very hard on my self-discipline and wallet. The second one more when the first one is in short supply. Most of you who know me realize that my love of music is wide and varied. I mean WIDE and varied. I like a little bit of everything. Last night we were at Applebees (hello, Shrimp and Spinach Salad!) and they were having some sort of alternative universe country night. Brian continued to be shocked and amused as I quizzed Melanie on the "who is singing this song?" game. I don't turn to country music in my normal day to day life, but I find that their voices are very unique and easy to recognize. I think that for over the hour that we were there, I only didn't know one artist. I'm not sure whether to be proud or a little embarrassed by that fact! Today's new music offerings are a glimpse into my wide and varied love of different genres of music. Here are a few on my wish list, and a few I went ahead and splurged on too, in no particular order.

Sugarland - The Incredible Machine. I have everything they've ever done, for a few different reasons. Number one, I like the style of music that they do - it's "country" - but not annoyingly my-wife-left-me-and-took-the-dog-too country. Jennifer Nettles has one of THE best voices I've ever heard; she has serious control and can turn her voice into any emotion she wants it to be. Plus - she's spunky, got great control, and has so much fun doing her job that it looks like a hobby. I love the tracks "Stuck Like Glue" (although if Melanie gets ahold of this one it could get old fast - she'll overplay it) and "Little Miss". I went ahead and got this one - although not the deluxe version that I wanted to get.

Third Day - Move. This is a band I've seen...gosh...maybe 5 times in concert? Could be more. I've followed them for almost 16 years now, and they just don't change their quality at all - it is always above and beyond what I expect. Mac Powell is the lead singer, and he is just terrific. I saw a show of theirs the day after his wife gave birth to their first daughter, and his joy and expressions and everything about it will be permanently etched in my heart.  Their songs are always curious, questioning songs about their day to day thoughts and life, but also so strong and sure about who God is. I admire those qualities. They're just normal guys. I will end up with this album, but I haven't gotten it yet. All of the tracks sound terrific.

JJ Heller - When I'm With You. Another Christian singer/songwriter, and boy do I love her music. My good friend Stacie introduced me to JJ at a retreat one time, and her music continues to follow me around in my head, even as I struggle with how to live out my own faith. This album is no different from the rest, in that it stays true to what she believes. She speaks of relationships with others, her own questioning thoughts, and her awe of who and what God is. I don't own this as of writing time, but it's top on my list to get. I'm not sure it's allowed to have a JJ Heller album out and me not own it.

Glee - Rocky Horror Glee Show. I have this one. I love it. I know that there are people who either love or hate Glee, and it's musical artistry, but I think that the show has put back into the limelight the public school's need for good art and music education and opportunity. Plus, it's just freakin' well done. I have all the Glee stuff. I will continue to have all the Glee stuff - even if I can't watch the show when it airs and I have to catch up with it later. My number 2 show on tv right now (the first being, of course, The Big Bang Theory).

There are other new albums out that I have my eye on, but these are on my "I will own them" list. But here are a few other things that are catching my ear that aren't new, but that are getting a LOT of playtime right now on ye ol iPhone. Phil Collins - Hits There was a Phil Collin's shaped hole in my library. There no longer is. I love his stuff. This is getting a good amount of air time. Patty Griffin - A Kiss in Time Patty is a fairly new artist to me, re-introduced to me by my friend Linnie. I could sing every song on this album, and now the rest of her discography is on my "need to purchase" list. Love the song "Rain" best. Carole King and James Taylor - Live at the Troubadour I love James Taylor. I love Carole King. Carole King and James Taylor TOGETHER? Bliss. Pure bliss. Fleetwood Mac - The Dance I'm a fan of Fleetwood Mac any day - it seems to go with anything in my opinion. The Dance is getting a lot of play right now for two reasons: it's a live album, and it's one that Brian and I both can listen to over and over again. Taylor Swift - Fearless I'm not ashamed to admit it - I'm waiting for the release of her new album in 5 days Ingrid Michaelson - Everybody (I am listening in mourning because I'm going to miss seeing her in concert tomorrow night. I'm not ready to talk about it yet.) There are books on my list too - most of them went onto the very cool "wish list" feature on my nook. I'll tell you more about those in a few days. What music are you listening to, new or old? What's inspiring you these days? I'd love to hear! Have a very musical Tuesday! Wednesday! Oh, and PS - Christmas music is out! :-D It's after September, so I can officially listen (by the CKS ruling of 1993).

iPhone Headphones...take 3

There are tons of things to report, but I want to save some of them for different days. So I'll tell you about the most pressing thing on my mind right now.

My iPhone.

I have had this wonderful piece of machinery since September of last year. I *love* it. I can't really remember life before it. I remember how hard it was to get it; I had squirreled away money for it, and came up against some obstacles while trying to purchase it at my local AT&T store. Within 24 hours I had it in my hot little hands, and it has rarely left them since. It has been replaced once because the sim card decide to go belly up, but Apple did that without a blink. I just had it checked for water damage - there was none (which seriously, in my life, is a miracle(*story at a later time*)), and they handed me a new one fresh out of the box.

When I first bought it, I was determined that I would not carry around a ton of music and stuff on it - that it would be a phone with some apps on it, and that things would be very professional and techy. That lasted about...a week. *grin* I have all my techy stuff on there, don't get me wrong. I read all the blogs I subscribe to on there, I have a calendar that will sync with my google calendar and then Brian's phone sync's to it too. I have a grocery list app that I sort of live by; I have all three of our med lists on there, which has come in handy more than once.  I have a miniature version of Photoshop on there to tweek photos I take, I can get movie times anywhere in the country, I can tweet on Twitter, listen to the radio, and even blog from there. And I use Shazam and Around Me every day. However...

I also have games on there. A lot of games. Cooking Dash. I love time strategy games the most. I have Solitaire.  I have the Sims, for pete's sake! And Bejeweled. And Peggle. And Simon. Uno. The games don't get used as often, but they are handy when you have to do something in the bathroom for a long time, or when you're waiting at the lab for the lady with the needle.

But the thing that takes up the most space on my iPhone? Music. I have an iPod. A nice big iPod. I love my iPod. But it is so easy to just put a couple of dozen albums on my iPhone and carry just one device around with me. I love being able to plug my headphones in and groove away to a playlist or album, or listen to an audiobook. Which brings me back to the reason for this post.

My headphones died. The original ones that were in my iPhone box. They would eventually play, but only at top volume, which sounded like a whisper. Talking on the phone with those things was like listening to someone far far away whisper to you. Not enjoyable at all.

So I went to the AT&T store yesterday to see about replacing the headphones. They were still under warranty if there was no "visible damage." Well, let me just say 3 words to you: I Have Cats. There was a little rip in the thingy that holds the thingy on to the thingy. (I don't know the words and am not going to take a picture of broken headphones. Just trust me on this one.) So, he said my best bet was to just purchase some new headphones. I could get the original Apple ones, or I could buy an 'off brand'.

Well, I was going in there yesterday morning with an intent of purchasing the Apple ones. Wanna know why? Because I found a website yesterday that told me that my iPhone headphones actually had SKILLS! Did you know that when your headphones are plugged into your iPhone, that little mic on the right headphone wire actually has function? You can squeeze the little booger, and it will do these things:

• Start music playing where you last left off


• Double clicking will forward it to the next song


• Clicking once again will pause the music


• Clicking when your phone is ringing will answer the call

I was frickin' AMAZED! So, I wanted the original Apple headphones, because I was thinking those were the only ones who would do those things.

Wrong.

I walked out of the AT&T store with some very cool, and very half priced on sale, black Skull Candy headphones. With a cool little black case. That had the little magic microphone and button. I was joyous. I sat in the car, pulled them out of the bag, showed them to Brian. And he said, "Oh! I want these!"

So I got out of the car, went back inside the store, and bought the pink ones for myself :-D

That's 3 pairs of iPhone headphones in 24 hours. But darn it if I didn't get exactly what I wanted in the end. Pink. Skull Candy. With a little pouch. And the clicky button.

My iPhone life is now complete!

Music and Iced Tea

I should be working right now.

As you can see, I am not. I am blogging. Don't get me wrong...blogging is a lot of fun. I should do it more often. I'm drinking iced tea (homemade - no mix or jug stuff for me). I'm listening to Pomplamoose music in iTunes.  iTunes is also calling to me, not very softly, to organize it.

I have an ocd issue with organizing iTunes.

It's also a lovely evening outside (sincerely). It's thunder storming, and I love the sound of it. The cats are all relaxed and stuff (I thought they'd freak), and even M has finally gone to sleep (it took a bit because of said storm).

So why the heck am I not working? This is a perfect working night.

My brain is SO full. I'm down to two more days of being 35. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I have a teacher conference with Melanie's teacher tomorrow. Brian's health has some unanswered questions. I have yet ANOTHER test next week. I have a zillion ideas in my head to design, but not a pinch of umph to do such things with.

Also, my iPhone headphones are deadish.

Ok, really. I need to stop blogging. And at least try to work. But here's a pic of Mel to help your day go better :-)

The big three five...

I'm having an issue adjusting to my meds today. Thought the picture was worth more than any of my words could say!

Meet JJ. He is the incestuous offspring of our kittens Alex and Fina, or one of anyway. My friend Deneen and her husband Jason took the other two of the three born in the litter, who are named Casper and Mickey. The reason we kept JJ is because he is deaf. Completely without any hearing whatsoever. And it's probably a very peaceful, happy exsistence for him. Nothing startles him, he doesn't get yelled at (at least that he realizes), he's not scared of Alex (this could be a bad thing), and he can sleep for hours at a time without being woken up. Sometimes I envy the little guy!

Here's a picture of the birthday boy yesterday - it was snowing - which is wrong on so many levels - and he wanted a picture taken of him in the snow. I think that he had a good day; he got to eat pizza (thanks Michelle), and icecream cake, and play Wii, and he got his hair cut, and lots of attention from us girls. Had a good phone call time with his family too, which is always nice and something he looks forward to. I'm thankful that he's been alive for almost 40 years. (It's really just 36, but saying almost 40 puts his nose out of joint, which is somewhat fun to do.)

Brian is not the only one who got his hair cut yesterday. I did, and I *love* it - it's shorter in the back now, and a little longer in the front, and gets all spikey and stuff. Makes me happy. Miss Mel got her hair cut as well - just a trim though, because we're enjoying the ability to do pigtails should the mood strike us. Ok, she doesn't enjoy the PROCESS of the pigtails, but she enjoys the end result. The discussion about said pigtails the first time we tried was something about "I don't want pigtails! They make me look like a little kid!" And my response of, "You ARE a little kid!" In the end she loved it though.

My musical taste is wide and varied. Anyone who has glanced thru my iTunes library would think that about 25 people had their music in there, but it is just me. (Well, Melanie does have some kids music in there, but truth be told, I like that too and have picked most of it out.) I have recently added Rascal Flatt's newest album, Unstopable, some new Phil Wickham, some Keith Urban, some Gavin DeGraw, the new Hannah Montanna Soundtrack, Janine Jansen (who I am really loving), Jimmy Eat World, Rosie Thomas....well, I could go on and on. I love the variety, and love the switch back and forth. Right now three of my most played artists are Rosi Golan, JJ Heller, and The Bird and the Bee. They are about as different as three artists can be, but SO fun. Rosi Golan is just kind of soothing and fun at the same time, I could listen to her album over and over without stopping. JJ Heller is like taking the thoughts out of my head and putting them to music.  And The Bird and the Bee is quirky and lighthearted and fun - totally music that Libby laughs at me for. What kinds of music are you listening to lately?

So the night is still young. I hope to get some more designing done, and also work on the site a little more. I hope you guys are enjoying this first part of April! The time flies by...

The Morning Cuppa

Sometimes I wish I had been born British. I love the accent. I love the city of London. I love that they have a queen. And cute princes. And I know I’m only seeing the shiny side of things here, but well, it’s my morning (and my blog) so I’m allowed to see the shiny side. Most of all, I love tea. Almost any kind of tea – not fruity flavors so much…but a cup of Earl Grey (which I’m enjoying with a bit of sugar and cream) or English Breakfast, or Green Tea…just love it. Of course all of mine has to be decaf now, so I have to pretend for the kick that my morning cup of tea USED to give me, but it still tastes good. I like it with toast and jam, or a bowl of oatmeal especially. (I think this morning we’re out of both bread and oatmeal, so I’m having a bowl of Shredded Wheat – icky, but semi healthy). And so life goes on!

Today we have a big day of school; need to get it out of the way first thing so that we can move on with the day. Melanie’s hopefully going to do it with a happier heart than she did yesterday and Monday – Monday was not a fun day school wise. So then we can move on to other things; like laundry and cleaning my stove top which looks horrible. I also need to check email, which I haven’t done since I think Monday, and get that back up and running. Facebook has taken over my life.

I discovered a new artist whose cd (in the form of iPod) I am wearing out. Rosi Golan is her name, and her music is SO good. It’s a little mix of everything; a little jazzy, a little country, a little soulful, a little poppy – but it doesn’t feel hodgepodged – it’s really well meshed. And her voice is fantastic. Just a fun, fun artist. I got The Drifter and the Gypsy, but will probably be back for more. Just need to save up my iTunes allowance.

Speaking of iTunes, I really wish they had a wish list feature. I browse around and see things I’d probably buy, but don’t have a way of remembering them (because my brain has more holes in it than swiss cheese).  I’m signed in as I’m browsing anyway, so you’d think they could come up with something like that. Mr iTunes, if you’re reading my blog, please take that into consideration. (I think maybe 1 person in the world reads my blog – me – but one could hope.)

It is so cold here today – outside and in. I have laundry to do, and the only thing that is even remotely attractive about that to me is that the dryer will have warm clothes coming out of it. I am bundled under a blanket and wearing actual socks (Libby – did you hear that – I’m wearing SOCKS!) to try to keep warm. And it’s only supposed to get colder this week. Ah, the joys of winter. If it could at least snow it’d feel worth it. This just feels like cold for no good reason.

Hope you guys have a good day. (All of the millions of readers that I have.)

Saturday of no snow

Today was supposed to be this huge snow storm. You know, 6 to 10 inches, and actual like play-in-able snow coming towards us. What do we receive? Mostly a cloudy day and a little bit of ice. Not enough to stop us from going anywhere (we went to the Lambs for dinner – yummy vegetarian chili and southern cornbread – go Mrs. Lamb!) and to the store to get some flavored vodka. Hopefully that will stop this stupid cough I still have, which would have prevented me from playing in the snow at any rate. But Brian and Melanie would have enjoyed it.

I am fiddling around a little bit in iTunes tonight to try to make some new playlists. This is something that Libby laughs at me about, because I am a girl who likes to listen to a whole album, in it’s rightful order. I know – what’s the point of the iPod then? But, I believe that the artist puts the songs on the albums in the order that they’re in for a reason, and therefore like to listen to it that way. And when I *do* make a playlist, I don’t shuffle. I know HOW to – Melanie’s iPod is always on shuffle, I don’t think she knows what order any album is in, period. But it bothers me to shuffle. Makes me antsy. So, tonight I am working on making playlists that will be played in their proper order, after well thought out placement on my part for the particular list that the song is in. And yes, I do have some OCD tendencies. I don’t really want to talk about it tonight.

We have church tomorrow, and looks like we’re going to be able to get there just fine – no snow and little ice. I haven’t been in 3 weeks, which feels as foreign to me as trying to speak Chinese. I am usually there at the crack of dawn and stay until the building is almost empty, but I’ve been sick, and my job is no longer there, so it’s just a different feeling altogether now. Leisurely Sunday morning is now somewhat a phrase that could be in my vocabulary. Strange thought. Melanie is excited though – Sunday School for her, as she is finally healthy.

I need to knit a few more things. I’ve made some scarves and a hat or two, but am ready to branch out to do some new things. I think I’m going to tackle some socks. Now noted, I don’t WEAR socks –but some people I know wear socks. And they like to do so. So, maybe they will be wearing socks hand-knitted by yours truly I haven’t decided if I’m going to knit them with needles or with a loom yet. Decisions, decisions.

Many of my friends are popping out buns from the oven these days. Cory and Becky just had little Will, and Annie and David are about to have a little girl (whom they have probably named but right now cannot remember…) It seems to be the season of offspring. We’re having some offspring here too if you count pregnant Fina. I’ll need to get a picture of her soon in her waddling state. If anyone wants a cute white kitten let me know. Ours should be arriving this month and ready for a new home in March or so.

Hope everyone is having a warm, cozy weekend.

I have an odd life …

I was sitting here just now thinking how personal and impersonal the www is. I mean, Facebook for instance (which I am completely addicted to) is a look into people’s day to day “stuff” (if they so choose to update their status’s), but you can not remember someone that you have on there at all. For instance – I have friends on there from highschool, and the name rings a bell, but darn if it I can remember HOW I know them. Isn’t that sad? Or isn’t that a sign of how old I am?  And then there is the fact that on Facebook, I am friends (“friends” is used loosely here) with Christy Nockels, one of my favorite vocalists of all times, and she is giving updates to her daily life as well as a new record she is recording. For the record, the day she accepted my friend request on Facebook I just about peed my pants.  That’s a semi-common occurrence these days.

Then there’s Twitter, which I also do. Ingrid Michaelson is on Twitter. She’s another one of those people whom I want to sound like when I grow up. And she tweets (the word they use when one writes a sentence in Twitter) a few times a day.  So again, it’s like this weird look into someone’s personal life without really ever getting personal.

I have a problem with that at the same time that I like it.  I have a tendency to avoid that personal stuff to some degree, then all of a sudden it comes vomiting out. It’s not healthy. I’m working on that.

So we got a Wii Fit for Christmas from my inlaws, and I am so looking forward to stop hacking up lungs so I can play more on it.  Brian is surprisingly good at it – especially the balance and yoga stuff.  You wouldn’t think he would be, as big of a guy as he is, but he does great at it. I’m looking forward to doing the stretching and the strength training on it, because I think it will help me relax and sleep better.  We shall see.

Also with the Wii, we have Guitar Hero World Tour. Uhm. I love it. Totally addicted. I can play most of the songs on Medium at a pretty high point/percentage value, and have started doing some of them at the hard level. That gives me a little bit of a rash with the 5 buttons cause I get all confused…I don’t have guitar hands, I have piano hands. But it sure is fun to play the music (play again being relative – but you know. it is fun!)

Here’s a picture of Melanie (and half of Brian) in her hat and scarf from the Lambs for Christmas. She was trying to smile but the camera phone went off before I got to 3 – so well…you get what you get. :) She’s lost some weight this past week or two with all the cooties going around – but she’s still pretty darn cute isn’t she? And the knitting gifts of the Lambs do rock. Darn that Jamie – loom knitting is addicting!!