I have sisters that claim my music taste is quite unusual, and I guess that is true. I love all kinds of music and only have a few exclusive favorites. There are so many songs that bring up all sorts of memories and that is simply why I love what I do.
My earliest memories start with my parents, as many can claim. I remember listening to the radio on the way home from visiting Grandma and Grandpa and it was set on a Fifties station. I believe Del Shannon and Buddy Holly died way before their time, and still enjoy their music today. Who can forget our old 8 track player at home?? We used to argue over what cassette to play, and that is why I can sing along to Johnny Horton and hunted down a copy of that tape on CD so we could still listen to it (and yes, my 16 year old know who he is). I will say I have yet to buy any Mac Davis though, somehow he just doesn't do it for me:) Dad always had the radio playing in the background in the shop, and I think you can still find that old 8 track player somewhere at home.
Who can forget the holidays? The car's FM radio just didn't play the music Mom wanted to listen to, so we were blessed with her knowledge of all verses of a large playlist of Christmas favorites. I really wish we had the technology we do now and the foresight to tape some of those backseat choirs. It still brings a smile to my face remembering poor Dad driving us all home from somewhere listening to what I am sure was angelic voices singing in perfect harmony to "Silver Bells", "What Child is This", and even "Winter Wonderland". (Somehow I don't think Kristen's favorite song is "Winter Wonderland" since someone who should remain nameless thought it funny to replace some of the verses with a new version)
In high school I received one of the best birthday presents ever, and I hadn't even asked for it. It was an early version of a boombox with cassette player. Oh how I listened to that thing for hours. I still don't know how Mom and Dad thought to get that for me, but I will never forget sitting in my room, hand hovering over the record button, waiting for the DJ to stop talking so I could record a song off of the "Top 40". My mixed tapes became famous and multiplied. I remember loaning many out to sisters and friends to make copies of, and I was only recording what I liked (Hall & Oats, Duran Duran). A few years ago I had the privelege to hire a former classmate of Kristen's as an employee and she actually mentioned she still had a copy of one of my mixed tapes still in her possesion!
My next stage in life I purchased a small stereo system with dual cassette players and this really broadened my passion. I could make mixed tapes from cassettes borrowed from others! This happened about the time that I was possessed with the new band Bon Jovi and absolutely rocked out to Def Leppard's "Pyromania" (which by the way was purchased on CD by my daughter for herself). In college the music choices grew, and working in a bookstore with other music lovers really opened my ears. I could special order cassettes in addition to the eclectic choices they sold. Fine Young Cannibals and The Cure were in the news, as well as the increasing popularity of Rap. Music was always blasted at the parties, and the people I hung out with all had selections to sample, so it was very common to carry a cassette in the back pocket because someone asked to borrow one of yours or you just had one handed to you with them saying "You gotta listen to this one!". That dual cassette player was the ultimate in music piracy, but what else is a poor college student gonna do?
In college there were a few concerts, but because of our location in the middle of nowhere and money being tight (I was a poor college student, remember?) I didn't see much live music. For some reason I did not know alot of musicians personally (that's what I remember anyway, I was a college student). My music tastes were from what was blasting in the car/bar speakers. I was out and about one night and remember a bar blasting a new sound I had never heard, and that, dear people, is when I was exposed to Steve Earle and his ultimate record "Copperhead Road". My family can verify my obsession and thinks it's a little wierd, but folks, he is not just country rock. He has created some incredible music, and I still regret not catching him live when he was in the area. Another regret is missing a Stevie Ray Vaughan concert in college because of a fund shortage. He was introduced to me by one of those infamous loaned cassettes by a bookstore coworker and has since become my obsession. Not long after the missed concert he died in a helicopter crash, lost to us forever. If you ever get a chance to see a taped performance, you have to catch a few minutes of it. Most memorable for me is one of his performances on Austin City Limits (that is another music icon) on public TV. I firmly believe that noone can touch his guitar skills. It has been my suprise and joy to find out that he is also Dad's favorite. I think it is amazing when a child discovers a passion on their own and find out later it is also a passion of a parent's. Now I am the one who usually gets Dad in the car when we are road tripping because we have the same taste in music. We also enjoyed together a JazzFest performance by Delbert McClinton a few years back.
Many soundtracks have creeped their way into my collection. "Footloose", "Dirty Dancing", and "Valley Girl" are at the top of my playlists. I have also loved the soundtracks from "O Brother" and "Walk the Line" and really wish that Eddie and the Cruisers was a real band. For me the music is more important than the story line, and in the case of "Walk the Line" it is what the movie is all about. Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings have a special place in my collection, as well as Charlie Daniels.
Living on my own in Des Moines after college introduced me to some special people, and yes, their music. A spouse of one had been a DJ at one time, and I delved into his collection with drool running down my chin. REM was a brand new band at this time, and I remember sitting in a coworker's bedroom listening to "Superman" for the first time. The DJ friend introduced me to Delbert McClinton and Joe Ely, his tastes planted a seed in mine, and my love of blues, country blues and country rock grew. I had purchased my first car before moving to Des Moines and my requirement was not the size of the engine, but making sure they installed a cassette player. My trips back home were filled with music and the passenger seat covered in tapes. My current vehicle has a 6 CD changer which was a deciding factor in that car of choice.
As I am writing, I am listening to my newly created playlist on iTunes. A few months back Faith decided her iPod (which she only had for 6 months) was not big enough (as in space, not size). She upgraded and handed me her old one. I recently spent all day loading entire CDs on the computer and now have 3 different playlists. This is the ultimate mixed tape. I have almost 600 songs on one of the lists, and the entire thing fits in the tiny iPod!!!! AMAZING!!!!!!!!! I can also purchase an attachment for the car so we can just "plug in" and go. I no longer have to carry my CDs wherever I go and I can just purchase what I want online. Reducing music clutter is what I am all about now, and Lucy loves to play with the cords hanging off the computer. Thank you Faith, what you did has become another chapter in my music journey.
I don't know what music will be created in the future, but I am sure I will enjoy some of it, as well as hold on to what I love now. Thank you to all that have contributed to my passion, it has created who I am today and defined what I was in the past. I love all kinds of music, but may not love everything in those varied types. I'm not a big fan of classical, and hate elevator music, but will listen to something if a stranger says "you gotta hear this". I have even added some of Faith's music on my playlist. Music is the true universal language, and now it connects me to my daughter and her friends. She has included many of my choices on her playlists as well, and loves to say "Mom, you gotta hear this one".
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Lucy
A couple of years ago we had to put our beloved cat Midnight to sleep, which was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Even though he and Faith did not like each other very much, that was a tough time for her as well. The following spring we decided the apartment was too quiet and it was time to get another member of the family, so we headed to Second Chance Rescue.
I decided to let Faith pick out the cat we would adopt, and it did not take long to find Lucy, a short hair domestic with black and white tuxedo markings. We brought her home and she just fit right in very quickly to our routine. Faith does not like to have her door open when sleeping at night and did not mind letting Lucy sleep with me, so once again I have a cat sharing my bed.
Lucy is a very laid back kitty, but craves attention. If I decide to sleep in, when it is time for her to get up she will stand on my dresser knocking things off one at a time until I finally get up to feed her. She will literally pick the things up too, curling her claws around them with her paw upside down, and her favorite is my pair of glasses, followed by my lip balm. Once I get out of bed she bounds out of the room heading for her bowl, knowing I am right behind her.
She knows when I try to sleep in that means a day off for me and only more attention for her. She follows me everywhere, and would get in the shower with me if it wasn't for that pesky water. Lucy has put a hole in my plastic shower curtain so she can peer through to make sure I haven't left the room (no, she is not a peeper). Her favorite time is nap time, and loves to curl up in my lap when I am reading, we both fall asleep keeping each other warm.
When I do go to work and Faith is at school, she is waiting by the door, sitting on the table. We actually hear her meowing when we get to the door, and that is before we even put the key in the lock. It's like she knows our footsteps.
Lucy loves to play, and wants someone to play with, so she does get on Faith's nerves (especially when she is on the computer). Faith will pick her up and put her in my room with the door shut. Lucy has learned to still irritate her by "picking" at the metal door stop till someone lets her go. (The door stop is one of the cheap metal coils with the plastic tip, so it actually makes a "boing" sound everytime she hits it, and she will do it over and over again!) When Faith does play with her it is actually a game of fetch. Lucy will bring Faith her favorite little fuzzy mouse. Faith will throw it and Lucy will give chase, bringing it back to Faith, dropping it by her then sitting there looking at her until it gets thrown again.
Right now we are dealing with another bloody paw. Early last year she did something to her paw and it would not stop bleeding, so off to the vet. There wasn't anything in it, but it just wouldn't heal. The vet didn't have any idea and said she could wrap it for her, so that's what we went home with. The wrap stayed on for a total of 8 minutes after she was out of the carrier. (I think that figured out to costing me about $15 a minute of actually wearing the wrap after the vet bill) I checked out some options at a pet store and found a "quick stop" for bleeding nails and superficial cuts. It is just a liquid that acts as a bandaid for animals, and she HATES it. But it does work better than that wrap. This is her third bloody paw since that first one. My theory is that she gets something on it and just picks at it with her teeth until she cuts it. It is quite funny watching us put this medicine on her, Faith has her wrapped like a mummy in a towel and Lucy is quite slippery when she wants to be. Oh the look she gives us when we let her go. It is so funny she runs to a corner and just furiously licks her paw giving us the evil eye. It works though, and much cheaper than the vet!
We would love to rescue another cat, because Lucy is not one to like being alone, but are waiting until the money option gets better. Lucy would love a friend, she gets along with other cats great. Right now she has us, and that's all that matters.
I decided to let Faith pick out the cat we would adopt, and it did not take long to find Lucy, a short hair domestic with black and white tuxedo markings. We brought her home and she just fit right in very quickly to our routine. Faith does not like to have her door open when sleeping at night and did not mind letting Lucy sleep with me, so once again I have a cat sharing my bed.
Lucy is a very laid back kitty, but craves attention. If I decide to sleep in, when it is time for her to get up she will stand on my dresser knocking things off one at a time until I finally get up to feed her. She will literally pick the things up too, curling her claws around them with her paw upside down, and her favorite is my pair of glasses, followed by my lip balm. Once I get out of bed she bounds out of the room heading for her bowl, knowing I am right behind her.
She knows when I try to sleep in that means a day off for me and only more attention for her. She follows me everywhere, and would get in the shower with me if it wasn't for that pesky water. Lucy has put a hole in my plastic shower curtain so she can peer through to make sure I haven't left the room (no, she is not a peeper). Her favorite time is nap time, and loves to curl up in my lap when I am reading, we both fall asleep keeping each other warm.
When I do go to work and Faith is at school, she is waiting by the door, sitting on the table. We actually hear her meowing when we get to the door, and that is before we even put the key in the lock. It's like she knows our footsteps.
Lucy loves to play, and wants someone to play with, so she does get on Faith's nerves (especially when she is on the computer). Faith will pick her up and put her in my room with the door shut. Lucy has learned to still irritate her by "picking" at the metal door stop till someone lets her go. (The door stop is one of the cheap metal coils with the plastic tip, so it actually makes a "boing" sound everytime she hits it, and she will do it over and over again!) When Faith does play with her it is actually a game of fetch. Lucy will bring Faith her favorite little fuzzy mouse. Faith will throw it and Lucy will give chase, bringing it back to Faith, dropping it by her then sitting there looking at her until it gets thrown again.
Right now we are dealing with another bloody paw. Early last year she did something to her paw and it would not stop bleeding, so off to the vet. There wasn't anything in it, but it just wouldn't heal. The vet didn't have any idea and said she could wrap it for her, so that's what we went home with. The wrap stayed on for a total of 8 minutes after she was out of the carrier. (I think that figured out to costing me about $15 a minute of actually wearing the wrap after the vet bill) I checked out some options at a pet store and found a "quick stop" for bleeding nails and superficial cuts. It is just a liquid that acts as a bandaid for animals, and she HATES it. But it does work better than that wrap. This is her third bloody paw since that first one. My theory is that she gets something on it and just picks at it with her teeth until she cuts it. It is quite funny watching us put this medicine on her, Faith has her wrapped like a mummy in a towel and Lucy is quite slippery when she wants to be. Oh the look she gives us when we let her go. It is so funny she runs to a corner and just furiously licks her paw giving us the evil eye. It works though, and much cheaper than the vet!
We would love to rescue another cat, because Lucy is not one to like being alone, but are waiting until the money option gets better. Lucy would love a friend, she gets along with other cats great. Right now she has us, and that's all that matters.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Starbucks Rules
I have an addiction, and no it's not smoking, drinking, or any of those other vices you have running through your head right now. It is actually Starbucks peppermint mochas (nonfat, no whip, extra hot to be exact). I really try to keep my addiction at bay, but limiting it to 3 times a week is tough, no matter the expense! You may say to yourself, get a coffee maker and go the cheap route!!! It doesn't work that way people!!! I have tried to use the at home cappucino maker, with the steamer and purchased a milk frother but it doesn't work. It's like making your own beer at home, it's a pain in the butt and difficult to get the recipe exactly right.
I've tried other coffee shops, and many do make good mochas, but ask them to add the peppermint flavoring and YUCK. I don't know the exact ratio Starbucks uses, and I've watched the baristas (they use 3 pumps of the peppermint flavoring) but just can't copy it at all. I even have the large bottle of flavoring with a pump to try to measure it out, to no luck at all. My sister Heather does a great job with her vanilla lattes at home, but I just can't do it. My dream is to get Faith a job as a Starbucks barista and be set for life, but for some reason she just doesn't want to contribute to her mom's addiction. If Starbucks ever goes bankrupt and closes forever, god help the people around me. I will not be a happy camper at all if I don't get my fix.
I've tried other coffee shops, and many do make good mochas, but ask them to add the peppermint flavoring and YUCK. I don't know the exact ratio Starbucks uses, and I've watched the baristas (they use 3 pumps of the peppermint flavoring) but just can't copy it at all. I even have the large bottle of flavoring with a pump to try to measure it out, to no luck at all. My sister Heather does a great job with her vanilla lattes at home, but I just can't do it. My dream is to get Faith a job as a Starbucks barista and be set for life, but for some reason she just doesn't want to contribute to her mom's addiction. If Starbucks ever goes bankrupt and closes forever, god help the people around me. I will not be a happy camper at all if I don't get my fix.
Very First Post!
Here goes my very first posting on my own blog. I have many family members that use this format to let me stay informed of what is going on in their lives, so a little convincing from them on how easy it is, well got me thinking I'd give it a try. Just be patient with me because I am NOT computer literate, so it will take some getting used to.
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