I suppose you could say I have a very hard time letting things go. Not material things as much as spoken words, but it kind of feels like I've been running up stairs to get away from the pain of negative words my entire life and that is an approach that I have employed for way too long. It turned me into someone who thought she was a nice person, but in actuality was angry and bitter and immature.
Why so angry? Maybe because I was hungry and needed to eat a sandwich, or perhaps I was just trying to keep the heat off myself. I talk a big game, but in all actuality I am a meek kitten. I am working on being more conscientious about the words that come out of my mouth because you can't take words back after they come flying out.
I'm also overly dramatic. Chalk that up to the belief that the world is my stage and/or I have spent a majority of my life on a stage or in front of a mirror. Not entirely a good combination because I suffer from terrible stage fright and thing I'm something special and hate myself all at once.
I think everyone has a right to his or her own opinion and unfortunately, I started ruffling some feathers by not thinking about what I was saying to others. I get very excited to be included in a conversation and that usually ends with me dominating the conversation. I'm sorry. I know I can't take spoken words back, but it's something that I am working on fixing through my actions.
Therefore, if you have ever been on the receiving end of my "dagger words", please accept my apologies. I use(d) this as a defense mechanism and never realized that I was that "mean girl" in school that no one liked. It boils down to not liking myself very much, but I'm working on changing that as well.
I'm working hard on letting go of past situations and words that have been said to me as well. Who wants to live in the past anyway? Life is too short.
I hope everyone has been enjoying the fall weather. I must admit that I'm not much into the Halloween spirit this year. I suppose the changing seasons can do that to a person.
Change is difficult but necessary.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Trying a New Schedule
 |
| My friend Alison made me my own android self! Get yours at androidify.com |
The biggest trouble for me has always been eating breakfast. That is the most important meal of the day, after all and I still struggle with that. I was nervous to go to school and having to force something down to keep me going was so difficult. Naturally, I just skipped breakfast. I think it snowballed from there and naturally, controlling the food I did or did not put in my body was the only control I had for myself.
However, I am on a new plan and old habits die hard but I am most definitely eating. I still struggle with it but I make sure I eat 3 meals a day. I am so grateful to have a husband that is supporting me through this time of need.
I love how our New Orleans "family" always picks up after each other. Like you would do with your kids, everyone that works in this system helps to pick up after each other. I like to rake the leaves. It's my way of paying it forward and cleaning up. Right now I am focusing on reinforcing my schedule and I must admit it's a struggle, but I know that my neighbors are helping me by saying hi and waving and smiling. I smile back and am so grateful for every day that we have in this most blessed city.
And to anyone who was on the receiving end of my bad attitude, I am sorry. I was really hungry and was behaving like a spoiled child. I know I can't take those negative words back but I needed to eat a sandwich in a big way. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.
with love,
K
Friday, September 16, 2011
Do NOT feed / DO NOT TRUST
Click Play and Watch. Then read the story...it's worth it, I promise!
Having a NICE Smile will only get you so far in life.
When I was a freshman in high school, I made the personal decision to change from my original dance school to the PREMIERE STUDIO in my hometown. I had grown restless of the lessons and style of dance I was learning and was looking to challenge myself farther as a dancer. Through encouragement and financial pinching, my mom and dad enrolled me and I began studying under Mr. Neil Hess at Lone Star Ballet.
I managed to make it work, somehow, for a little while at least. I was dancing my butt off and learning to play beautiful music and working on making more swirls in the ol' gray matter up in m' noggin.
Listen here my little POP tarts: when you have that much Glitter! & JOY and RaInBoWs twirling and dirvishing all at once. . .
SYSTEM OVERLOAD!
I had reached my breaking point. I was inadvertently hurting my heart because I was trying to fit into my Giselle tutu, AND be first chair in orchestra/band, AND make good grades. Something had to give and because I had made academic and musical obligations previously, I couldn't dance Giselle, too. (Obviously, that came later...)
Being too shy an individual is hard. It makes you the "weird kid". It also forces you to turn upside down in ways YOU KNOW the "cool kids" never did.
After all, they were "NINJAs IN THEIR CADDY'S!" and "THEY BET YOU LIKED IT."
The most encouraging lesson I learned from Mr. Neil Hess at Lone Star Ballet was:
* DO NOT FEED your ENEMIES. * DO NOT TRUST your FEARS.
* Perseverance ALWAYS pays off
in the end.
Bottom line:
"Losing your religion" is hard...
FALLING IN LOVE WITH IT AGAIN
IS BEAUTIFUL. . .
xoxo, friendly universe
ON a Side Note:
La Musica: Outkast, Featuring Killer Mike "Whole World"
Looking for something KILLER to do this Halloween????
Krewe du Coeur Maudit HAS GOT IT GOING ON, YO!
October 31, 2011
Austin, TX
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
¿Dónde está mi piña (Where is my pineapple?)
'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', uhh...COMET...Where'd YOU Come FROM??
"People are like stained-glass windows.
They sparkle AND shine when the sun is out,
BUT when the darkness sets in,
Their true beauty is revealed
They sparkle AND shine when the sun is out,
BUT when the darkness sets in,
Their true beauty is revealed
ONLY if
there is light FROM within."
-Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1926 -)
Good News, Y'all!!! I've been eating a few Po-boys and have gained (according to my personal scale) a whopping ONE POUND! Whoop-Whoop! I never thought I would be excited about gaining weight and honestly I'm faking it till I make it at this point in "the game".
On the other hand, I have more energy and I'm making sure I am walking in the park so I'm building some muscle back. I just have to remember to go slowly. Also, 'adventures in vitamins' is proving to be interesting. I long for Flintstones Brand . . .
Come to think of it, we never took vitamins when we were little. I think I enjoyed those little treats at Allie's house.
Putting things in order and underwhelming yourself to achieve balance is an everyday challenge that we all face. I feel like I have been given all the pieces to MY puzzle at the most appropriate times during MY life. I just never had a logical explanation given to me about WHY things happened the way they did. I found out my cardiologist of 15 years had died because my mom handed me his obituary. Then she handed me a hankie.
This approach has turned me into a passionate, intense and slightly "psychotic" INDIVIDUAL.
This approach has turned me into a passionate, intense and slightly "psychotic" INDIVIDUAL.
AND I'm a HOOT at cocktail parties!
The thing is that everyone seems a little afraid of me.
"Treat her with kid gloves . . ." and "She's very sensitive"
are both phrases that I have heard from PEOPLE my entire life. After all, I'm delicate, RIGHT??Ummmmm . . .
Have we met????
I was raised by a "You'll Get Endocarditis AND DIE!!!" and an
"I'll Give You Something To Cry About!!!"
A BRILLIANT combination, especially considering all my DELICACIES early on in my childhood.
Bottom line, I AM tough as nails and
I spit daggers at ANYONE who Crosses ME.
I spit daggers at ANYONE who Crosses ME.
I am a stubborn Capricorn. I have a Monkey Heart.
Oh, and I also know how to dance my DERRIERE off.
I am so happy and grateful, GLORIOUS UNIVERSE. You provided me New Orleans when I needed a safe place. New Orleans has been Kev's and my official home for TWO YEARS now and I am officially overwhelmed by the gratitude I feel for finally finding OUR TRUE HOME.
God Blessed Texas
&
God Sparkled Louisiana.
GET BACK, HONKY CAT!!!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Katrina VI: Remembering and Still Rebuilding
Howdy, everyone. I hope you all had a blessed, safe weekend and no one was too affected by Hurricane Irene. Natural disasters, no matter the size, are a frightening occurrence and I don't think it becomes any easier as we get older.
I remember my dad throwing us kids into the bathtub with a mattress thrown over us while he crawls on the roof to see if he could spot SOMETHING. It is difficult for me to imagine the fear they experienced when he was younger working on that dry-land cotton farm. They didn't have those fancy Doppler radar systems like we do these days, so I'm sure they had to rely solely on the radio, and even that wasn't warning enough for some folks.
The video above is from a fantastic group of leaders here in New Orleans called Levees.Org. Together with the founder Sandy Rosenthal, Levees.Org has collected and provided a POWER-PUNCH of data about what really happened six years ago when Katrina made landfall. Man. Made. Disaster.
Unveiling the levee breach plaque, the community of Gentilly has a visual reminder of the tragedy that occurred six years ago. This particular unveiling ceremony was held on May 20, 2011.
According to the e-mail I received this morning from Sandy Rosenthal at Levees.Org, Irvin Mayfield, Jr. "played a moving rendition of "A Closer Walk With Thee" on the Elysian Trumpet, hand-built by David Monette, and dedicated to the memory of Irvin Mayfield, Sr. and all of the victims of the flooding on August 29, 2005 during Hurricane Katrina."
JUST LOOK AT THAT INSTRUMENT! It takes my breath away, the craftsmanship. I most definitely feel that horn in my bones!
As was our tradition last year, this morning we are headed over to the Lower 9th Ward to participate in the Second Line to commemorate Katrina. I'll post what went down later this afternoon.
So, Happy Monday and Go Away Hurricanes.
Period.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
TODOS SOMOS CRiMiNaLeS SuaVe (We Are All Smooth Criminals)
Black and White.
Peanut Butter and Jelly.
Apples and Oranges.
Good and EVIL.
I'm still having a really hard time wrapping my head around the whole idea of terrorism.
Terror. Evil. Angry. Hate.
TERROR.
Even typing those words hurts my bones. I don't know why, but I can't wrap my head around another human being allowing themselves to be taken over by a learned belief system so entirely that they are willing to kill themselves and anyone else that is in firing range of their rage. Teetering on the brink of insanity, an individual can find solace in these beliefs, but I know and you know that there is still that voice inside us all (I refer to it as the Great Universe) that guides our steps when we are tangoing with karma.
I'm upset that we are still fighting this awful war. I'm upset that the world seems to be nothing but death and destruction, pop-psychology, and celebrities. At the end of the day, does it really matter who wore what to which premiere? Not when our military and our allies' military are fighting for SOMEONE'S (but WHO IS someone??) incessant need for energy POWER.
I believe in the people who show up and do their job every day. I believe in the girl that serves me my coffee in the morning (that would be moi, y'all...), I believe in the nurses, doctors, policemen, firemen, and city officials of New Orleans, I believe in my family and friends, and I believe in the busboy that is working his way up to become the Executive Chef at Commander's Palace.
Everyone has their journey. Everyone has his or her own tempo at which they need to dance their little dances. But that doesn't give anyone the right to enter another individuals "PERSONAL DANCE BUBBLE" without permission and it MOST DEFINITELY does NOT give anyone the permission to cause harm.
Period.
We get two choices in life.
Love or Hate.
I'm going to Continue to Love.
(That's all I know how to do.)
**And now a question for you: Who pulls YOUR puppet STRINGS???
La Musica TODAY: The Roots The Seed (2.0) ft. Cody ChestnuTT
from their 2002 album Phrenology on Geffen Records.
Happy Wednesday!
*toes, toes, toes*
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
A BAT in the Cave
"You are the best. You are the worst. You are average.
Your love is a part of you.
You try to give it away because you cannot bear its radiance, but you cannot separate it
from yourself.
To understand your fellow humans, you must understand why
you give them your love.
You must realize that hate is but a crime-ridden subdivision of love.
You must reclaim what YOU never lost.
You must take leave of your sanity, and yet be fully responsible for your actions."
-Gnarls Barkley, in a letter to the legendary rock critic Lester Bangs
For your musical pleasure...Gnarls Barkley The Odd Couple "Would Be Killer"
The photo above is a picture that I took on my mom's phone this afternoon as we were running errands. She noticed this fabulous gargoyle on the side of someone's chimney. At first, she thought it was two gargoyles, but as we are going back to ONE right now, we quickly realized that it is in fact a single gargoyle that is holding his mask and showing his demon side.
Just something to think about . . . we should all be more aware of the masks we wear that we "keep in a jar by the door". (Bonus points if you can NAME THAT TUNE!!!)
I personally would like my masks to look the same as what's underneath. I'm sure everyone in their soul of souls wants that as well, except we live in this crazy society where everyone is so political and angry and it's really gotten so frightening to live in a world where all we can do is fight over power.
Power. What IS power? Is power respect? Do you deserve respect? I think you do because I think I deserve respect too. Didn't we all learn some version of the "Golden Rule" when we were growing up?? Perhaps I should have been on the short bus the whole time that I was in school because it has taken me a really long time to stop caring so much what others think about me. I'm still working on that. Daily.
At this particular junction in the progression of the adventures in becoming a New Orleanian, I have to say that Lady Nola knows her stuff. She's rough and tumble and that's how I like things. I grew up with two brothers - what do you expect?? What's even better (sometimes worse...) about her is that she has this sassy, swingy way in which she woos you to come in and sit a while. Linger a little longer...
So I'm lingering. I'm taking things slowly. And that's a really good tempo for me right now.
I think a Hubig's Pie sounds good right now....
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Grabbin' My KAZOO!
Happy Sunday!
I hope everyone is enjoying a peaceful day with your families - cook out on the grill today because it's hot outside and why would you want to heat up your kitchens more than you have to??? Sundays are for rest, right?
I am energized by the flow of love arrows being shot at me...and my MOM cooked me a delicious dinner last night! We ate like kings and I feel good about nourishing myself through food and love and family.
As a bonus for your reading and listening pleasure, I thought I would include a video of my musician friend Tomas Cotik performing the Brahms Lullaby for his baby girl Yuni. This particular performance was recorded at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX. As I have had difficulty sleeping, I thought a lullaby was appropriate.
Lacing up my sneakers now and I'm going for a walk in the park! *shimmy - shimmy*
If you would like to know more about Tomas, visit his website at www.tomascotik.com
If you would like to learn more about West Texas A&M University, visit www.wtamu.edu GO BUFFS!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
El Deguello (SLiT THROAT)
Hit Play & Read, Y'all!
connect the cause and effect
one foot in front of the next
this is the start of a journey
- Gnarls Barkley, Going On
Dear NOLA,
It's been a while since I've written you a love note, but please rest assured that I still love you more than the moon and the stars. I love my peeps in LA and TX, and boy do I have peeps! I never realized how my sparkles and sunshine put a smile on some peoples' faces. That really makes me feel loved, knowing that people are laughing at with me as I stumble my way through becoming a full fledged New Orleanian and honoring my strong, "Remember the ALAMO!" approach to life. I wear my Fleur De Lis pin with pride, like a badge of honor. I've earned those stripes now. I'm a whole person and the "finishing school" that I was enrolled in for the past 6 weeks held up a gorgeous mirror and assisted me in my transition into who I want to be when I have finished cleaning out my house.
I just thought I knew what it means to miss MY New Orleans. MY New Orleans is EVERYONE's New Orleans and that's why I love you, NOLA. You give everyone a gracious, southern hug and a hankie when he or she needs a good cry in the proverbial bubble bath. You even feed your "chickens" filling comfort foods and tight squeezes of the hand. To top it off, every member of the restaurant/hotel/hospitality industry is kinetically infused into the pulse of this city. Combined with the efforts of the N.O.P.D. and major shake-ups in city government, and I have a front row seat to a fascinating study in city planning. I am learning the world by observing your constant adjustments to your gumbo recipe.
Let me say this: I've always been a bit of a Nervous Nelly. I'm really shy and overcompensate with my loud, VIVA LE TEJAS! attitude. I have also spent my life with the knowledge that the world IS my stage. I just have a hard time differentiating between "front of house" and "back of house". I have a slightly better understanding of the pulse and mojo going on in Southeastern LA, but by no means do I claim to know anything except what my mom and dad, friends and family have told me and through my own experiences here.
Thank you, New Orleans, for giving me a TIME OUT! so I could tuck in my slip properly. During my time out, I learned a lot about myself. I really AM a Nervous Nancy and my doctors made me realize that a 5' 9" woman in her early 30s should weigh more than 115 lbs. Watching the movie BLACK SWAN stirred up some serious self-image issues that I had been mashing down in my Pandora's box of troubles.
I now have my own label and it doesn't feel good. I am an anorexic former ballerina who really needs to eat a sandwich. I'm working with my super-fab team of doctors and mi familia now to get back to MY TRUE strong, West-Texan tumbleweed roots, cross bred with your live oak trees, NOLA.
After all, I've always been a little bit Texan AND a little bit New Orleanian.
I hope you can continue to take me as I am, 'cause I'm not ready to throw in the towel.
With love,
Kel :6
Peace Be With You . . .
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
You Can Dance With Me!
DaNcE! dAnCe! DaNcE!
Everybody Dance!
You Can Dance With Me....
The way in which these children are vibrating with the rhythm of Mr. Simon's "Me and Julio" demonstrates the true power of music over human beings. Think about it. When we hear a song, we stop and listen. Especially if it "moves us" in some way. Pay attention to that phrase. We pay attention when something moves us. Emotionally, physically, spiritually...whatever. It is a movement, a dance, a shift, and a change all wrapped up in a tiny child vibrating to a man playing his guitar.
I kind of feel like those kids today...vibrating along, trying to find the actual rhythm but not quite certain so the dance appears frantic. This week has been, well, vibrating thus far. New beginnings, again. But this time, it feels a little more permanent. Like I might actually figure out the steps to the choreography of this particular dance.
Thank you, friendly Universe, for providing me with so many avenues and opportunities in the past two years here in NOLA. I needed to experience them all and meet everyone that I have met thus far. Thank you for providing us with our own Louisiana family, even if I didn't realize that is what you were doing at the time. I love you all. You may not realize it, but I'm shooting love arrows at you all as I write this. xoxo
New job, new start, half-way through the first week. I think we all deserve a good, celebratory dance, so dance, dance, dance, like it's the last night of your life!!!!!!
Happy Wednesday, y'all!
*shimmy, shimmy*
Guns A Blazin'
Don't pee on me and tell me it's raining. Really, I'm not that stupid and this situation is quite smelly so you need to stop.
You see, I received a phone call this evening from one of your current students inquiring about how my psychology degree from your school has been treating me for the last 9 years since graduating. First of all, I am a lady and I do not need a reminder of my age. I realize that 9 years is not that long of a time period, but again, I consider myself a lady and do not need a reminder of my age.
I informed him that I continued my education by obtaining my master's degree in non-profit management from West Texas A&M University. He informed me that my choice in graduate programs was "pretty good". I beg your pardon, but I neither need nor want the approval of my educational accomplishments from a
After wasting about 15 minutes of my time asking me about my "pretty good" accomplishments, informing me of the tuition increase, your continued pursuit of that Tier 1 status, and how you all have built new buildings. That is fabulous, really! Yay for a new business administration building because the old one is really ugly! You should tear it down instead of moving mass communications into the giant calculator on campus. But, you didn't ask me, did you?
No, all you guys did was have a
Trust me when I say I understand how hard it is to "cold call" someone and ask for money. I was giving this guy a chance. I was willing to work with him. I asked him when his deadline for this scholarship pledge drive ended. He gave me a wishy-washy story. I asked for the name of someone else I could contact. He then wasted more of my time and said that I could contribute at a "lower" level.
Thank you for teaching me the psychology behind words. Really. It has gotten me far. But, don't ever have a child perform the job duties that a skilled professional should be handling. I was ready to work with your student, but he was not willing to work with me, communicate properly, listen or use encouraging words. It was not charming or cute and he ended up sounding like an arrogant, pompous ass.
On second thought, he was successful. I would like to donate at a lower level of $0.
Get Your Gun's Up!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Jesus Created Rock 'N Roll
Here's Brother Claude Ely, singing his original song, "Ain't No Grave". I bet you know this song as a Johnny Cash song. That's how I was aware of this little gem, but The Man In Black didn't write this song. Brother Claude Ely wrote "Ain't No Grave" back in 1934.
You see, Brother Claude Ely was a singer-songwriter and a Pentecostal Holiness preacher. He worked in the coal mines for years until he had a calling from God to preach. He then picked up his guitar and started singing for his people. His talents, charisma, and faith in Jesus helped Brother Claude get all the way from Virginia and the Appalachia Mountains to Cincinnati, OH, where he was dubbed the "Gospel Ranger" for King Records.
Notice the soul in Brother Claude Ely's "Ain't No Grave". Yeah...you hear Elvis, don't you? When we think about the beginnings of Rock 'N Roll, we think of Buddy Holly, Elvis, The Beatles, and The Stones. The thing is, Brother Claude Ely's music was what taught some of those boys about Jesus. Those sounds became ingrained in their bones, like New Orleans is in my bones and thus, Elvis "The Pelvis" and Beatle-Mania happened.
So, next time you are discussing the beginnings of rock 'n roll, don't forget to bring up Brother Claude Ely's contributions to the musical world. Everyone always thought rock 'n roll was the devil's music, when in all actuality they were just singing for Jesus.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday Montage: CONSOLE
Hey Everyone...
Still accepting submissions for this week's Monday Montage. No one has sent me a picture, so go find something that consoles you and send me a picture. You can e-mail it to monkeyheartdiscourses@gmail.com
DO IT! Then, you all can have the reading pleasure of something like this: Monday Montage: Banana Love Week 1
You have until, well until I have enough pictures to submit for this week's Monday Montage. So, go take me a picture, pretty please?????
Waiting patiently....
Still accepting submissions for this week's Monday Montage. No one has sent me a picture, so go find something that consoles you and send me a picture. You can e-mail it to monkeyheartdiscourses@gmail.com
DO IT! Then, you all can have the reading pleasure of something like this: Monday Montage: Banana Love Week 1
You have until, well until I have enough pictures to submit for this week's Monday Montage. So, go take me a picture, pretty please?????
Waiting patiently....
Sunday, June 26, 2011
CALLING ALL HALLOWEEN LOVERS!
Every Halloween, well since 2007, Austin, Texas has been privy to the most creative, dynamic group of roving Halloween paraders on THAT side of the Mississippi. (I do live in New Orleans, y'all...)
Anyway, the Krewe du Coeur Maudit is hosting a Benefit BBQ to help raise funds for their 2011 parade.
If you, or anyone you know live in the Austin, TX area, stop out this evening at Red 7 Night Club, enjoy some BBQ, and hear some rockin' good tunes from The Town Hall Devils.
2010 Krewe DCM Parade Video:
TONIGHT!!!! SUNDAY, JUNE 26
Krewe Du Couer Maudit Benefit BBQ
6 - 9 P.M.
RED 7 NIGHT CLUB
AUSTIN, TX
Be there or be square!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
"Come in. Nice to meet you." "Hello. (Let me sell myself to you, make you like me - I think) Nice to meet you too. (Convince you of my intelligence...be a lady...) "
Oh goodness, I'm nervous.
So, here's some pretty music for you to enjoy. I'll get back to writing soon. Talk about shaking things up. I'll write about that soon....as for now. Have to go get ready to enter that gate. Again, and again. And again.
It's starting to feel like ballet class up in here.
I'll chat at you all later when I've calmed myself a bit...
xoxo
Monday, June 20, 2011
MONTAGE MONDAY: WEEK ONE - Banana Love
BANANA LOVE
Except, now Buttercup has been missing for months now. The Lone Bicycle, sad and depressed, has refused to leave his post by the window in the stairwell.
Mama Kitty even called Grandma Kitty. Extra novenas and rosary were said for poor Buttercup Bananamobile.
Until then, The Lone Bicycle will be sitting, waiting by the window for his long lost love to return. And Detective Le Sausage will keep searching, as long as the shrimp keep coming...
Next week's theme: CONSOLE
e-mail your pictures to: monkeyheartdiscourses@gmail.com
Don't miss out on the fun of next week's MONTAGE MONDAY: CONSOLE!!!!!
**Thank you to Gill, Jenn, Jules, Laura, and Mama Kitty for their pictorial contributions to today's Monday Montage.
Not Fade Away
Hit Play, Then Read!
May 29, 1957 was my dad's 10th birthday, and I believe he was living in Tahoka, Texas on a dry land cotton farm. He was picking cotton on that day, probably. I don't think they got the day off for their birthday, but you'd have to ask him.
Anyway, the point is, my 10 year old dad, living in Tahoka, TX, was 33 miles away from where Buddy Holly grew up. On my dad's birthday in 1957, while he was picking cotton in Tahoka, TX, Buddy Holly and his band members recorded "Not Fade Away" in a recording studio in Clovis, New Mexico. Holly had already recorded "That'll Be The Day" in February of that year. According to the Buddy Holly Center, Holly wasn't allowed to use any of the songs he had recorded under his contract with Decca and needed a new name so they could release the new song, "Not Fade Away". That's when they became Buddy Holly and The Crickets. Instrumentation used in the recording included a cardboard box, knee slaps, and a celeste.
The version above, Florence & The Machine's, was recorded here in New Orleans while in town for her appearance at VooDoo Fest in 2010. Instrumentation used in the recording include a brass band, tuba goodness, and some MoJo soul thrown in. This track is part of the compilation cover album "Rave On Buddy Holly", which will be released on June 28. You can have a listen to all the tracks on the cd at NPR's Website.
It's funny to me that Buddy Holly recorded a song called "Not Fade Away" 54 years ago and that song has spanned the musical globe ever since. "Not Fade Away" has been recorded by The Rolling Stones (1964), The Byrds (1965), Rush (1973), Bruce Springsteen (1978), and The Grateful Dead recorded the song and performed it over 530 times during their touring days. Numerous other artists have covered this song, as it is a classic. Without Buddy and his Crickets, there would have been no Beatles and there would have been no Stones. There is even a version of "Not Fade Away" on YouTube that features Bob Livingston performing the song in different countries all over the globe.
So, even though Buddy passed too soon at the age of 22, he has definitely not faded away. I doubt Buddy Holly, who grew up 33 miles away from my dad, would have thought his music would still be influencing others half a century later. I don't know about you, but I grew up knowing all of Buddy Holly's songs. It was just part of growing up in West Texas - you knew who Buddy Holly was and where he came from.
I actually ended up in Lubbock, TX for my undergraduate degree. Home of Buddy Holly. He's kind of in my bones like New Orleans is in my bones, if you really think about it. Now, Florence and The Machine has recorded the same song, in the same town in which I reside. Coincidence? Maybe Buddy is stalking me from the grave...
Friday, June 17, 2011
Feet First, First Time, Y'all!
So my dad, he's a nurse. Actually, both my parents are nurses, which means when my brothers and I grew up, we were pretty much screwed out of faking being sick. Mom and Dad, you see, they were in the know. You feel sick but no temperature? You go to school! You don't feel good? Tough cookie! Get your butt out of bed and go to school! What?!? Your brother cut your arm off and you need to go to the emergency room? I see the ketchup bottle, Kelly, now get ready for school!
My parents' nursing careers are extremely different. My mom took the more administrative route of things and among many other accomplishments, was the Director of Nurses for a very prestigious retirement facility in our city. She brought home the bacon and cooked it too, y'all.
But so did my dad. In a quieter way. You see, my dad is a rehabilitation nurse. No, not like on Celebrity Rehab where people are like, "Oh, I need one more fix o' that smack yo'!" Nope. My dad deals with the spinal chord injuries, the people who have suffered strokes, had hip replacements, been in terrible motorcycle/car accidents, or even tried to take their own lives unsuccessfully. My dad has seen some terrible stuff and I am only just now realizing that he has the patience of Job.
He doesn't talk about work. He never has. He doesn't reveal details about his patients, that's just not how he rolls. The only information that I have ever received from my dad about his work are more cautionary tales of what not to do, so you don't end up a quadriplegic being taken care of by my dad. While my dad is probably one of the best nurses I know, I would NEVER want to be one of his patients. I imagine him saying to someone, "You can't move your body? Tough cookie! Now brush your teeth and get dressed." He really isn't that way, I promise. But in rehab, you have to be tough with your patients. It's a frustrating situation to be in, losing control of your body. You can lose faith, and you need someone tough to help drive you along and push you. My dad, he's a good pusher.
I was having a chat with him on the phone the other night while he was ironing his uniforms for work and he sounded a bit worn down. Like his day had really gotten the better of him, which is rare since he seems to be able to leave most stuff at the hospital. When I asked him how work was, he sighed, saying how they were a little short handed that day, therefore his one - to - one care rule at the hospital involved him assisting a patient with short term memory loss for the majority of the day.
Short term memory loss. That's a biggie. It's more than just when you meet someone and you immediately forget their name. Nope. Much larger. I believe this particular patient was confused and thought someone had been taking their belongings. I think his day was spent repeating, "No, your things are right here."
Patience of Job.
So, I have to cut my dad a lot of slack for when we were growing up. I used to think him impatient at times, when in fact, he is probably one of the most patient people I know. He just happens to have a job where he has to use his patience at all times, every single minute he is at work. Thank goodness he still had some left over for us when he got home at the end of the day.
As I was getting off the phone, I asked if he was going to be taking care of that patient the next day. He said he wasn't sure but that probably at some point he would be handling that patient's care. I told him that the next time the patient was confused about where their personal belongings were, he should tell that person that the Unicorn Police were holding it safely for them until thy got better.
He got REAAAAAAAALLLY upset at that suggestion. Too much? My poor Daddy. Could you imagine what firestorm that would have brought him if someone had said that to a patient with short term memory loss? (I really have a messed up sense of humor, y'all! Good thing my dad is a moral, ethical and upstanding nurse!)
So, for Father's Day weekend, I thought I would share my dad's top 3 rules for having fun in the sun/water. They have kept us safe and alive for this long, so I think he kinda knows what he's talkin' about.
Super Nurse Ken's Top 3 Rules for Sunshine Fun!
1. Drink your water. Lots and lots of water. Seriously. He wrote songs at camp about the importance of drinking water. You should ask him to sing you one of these songs as they are quite cheeky. Do it. - drink your water (and ask him to sing to you!) Dehydration is seriously nasty, nasty.
2. Sunscreen it up, baby! You don't want your little bambinos or yourself looking like a bunch of "Rock Lobsters!" Plus, skin cancer is so 1999.
3. FEET FIRST, FIRST TIME: This is a biggie. No, really. This is huge. Any time you guys go to the pool, the lake, the ocean, off a cliff, or anywhere that you are jumping into a body of water where you do not know how deep it is: FEET FIRST. Period. Don't go trying to impress the ladies with your swan dive because you will be receiving your nutrition through a tube in your stomach if you try that. Trust me, it's happened before and it will happen again.
*4. No Motorcycles. Ever. Period. I repeat. ABSOLUTELY NO M-O-T-O-R-C-Y-C-L-E-S! PERIOD. EVER. NO!
*5. No Convertibles/Jeeps/Open topped moving thing of any kind. Again, If I ever catch you in one of those death traps, I'm going to snatch you bald headed so fast, you won't know what hit....
*#4 and #5 rules are completely up to you guys. He just instilled a fear of God in me so huge about those modes of transportation that the idea of riding on a motorcycle is like betraying 'The Godfather". I'd end up with a horse's head in my bed or something.
So, give your dad's an extra tight squeeze this weekend and turn Father's Day into Father's Weekend Fun in the Sun! Just make sure you drink your water, wear your sunscreen, and FEET FIRST, FIRST TIME!
Happy Friday!
xoxo
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Thursday Thoughts: Inspiration - What To Do When You've Lost Your Mojo?
So everyone has been talking about what inspires them, and as it turns out, all the members of our little rogue writing group have touched on all the various things that inspire me already. Well, besides the obvious of kitties, puppies, unicorns, and cheese. Oh, cheese, how I love thee, so! How your melty ways find their ways to my derriere, and then I hate you. But, again, I love you. CHEESE! WHY MUST YOU TORTURE ME SO?
What I wanted to talk about is what do you do when you have lost your inspiration? If you look at my blog history, there were a couple of months in there where I only wrote a handful of blogs for the entire month. I have written more this month than I have managed to in a long time. It's refreshing. Like a much needed rain, you know?
Our little rogue writing group, I already feel very protective of you all. I hope you know that. I've already learned a lot about you all, simply by perusing your various posts. What I'm getting at is that it's important to connect with people. Even if it is over the internet with a woman in Malaysia. Knowing that we are all out there, writing our passions and thoughts and feelings down, and supporting each other in our endeavors. That is what inspires me and is what I must force myself to seek when I want to run away and not face the world around me.
You see, I have been dealing with a bit of a dark rain cloud hanging over my head lately. It's clearing, obviously, hence my emergence from le cave. But, if you wrap yourself in an insulator blanket of hatred and your own self-destructive thoughts, you morph into this troll hermit person that does not represent the soul of a Monkey Heart Possessor. And I am, after all, a Monkey Heart Possessor.
Basically, when you have lost that inspiration, change your situation. It's how my husband and I ended up in New Orleans. I know that my own pattern of spiraling down into a loss of inspiration for life has a lot to do with not being challenged and ignoring the hunger that I have to learn about any topic possible. We left Texas because I had lost my inspiration in that place. I needed to shake it up, change my scenery, lose my anger toward a very good place, and move into a new phase of inspiration in my life.
The move to New Orleans inspired this blog. I convinced myself that it would be a great way for people to catch up on how we are doing in the Big Easy, plugging along, rocking and rolling. However, this place, The Monkey Heart Discourses, has morphed into something entirely unexpected and not what I had originally set out for it to be. Hell, honestly, I didn't have a plan for the blog. And we didn't have a complete plan when we moved 900 miles away from Texas.
But, here we are, surrounded by an inspiration overload. It is a little overwhelming at times, the amount of stimuli available to those willing to participate. And I want to do it all! A big part of me does...but that's the challenge, do you continue taking these huge leaps in order to achieve a higher level of inspiration?
I think that is the sign of an artist's heart. Never satisfied, always trying to make it better, even if it wasn't broken in the first place. So, if it is broken, or even if it isn't, don't be afraid to turn over your apple cart a few times in your life. It's short, and you don't want to die wishing you had seen Paris.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)