Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Wednesday, April 15, 2015 - ,,,,,,,,,, No comments

Siesta Memory Verse #8

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It's that most wonderful day of the year, for the tax man, April 15th! I'm not going to say that I love taxes. I even filed amended tax returns for last year when I realized by doing this year's taxes that I had miscalculated a major deduction. No, it wasn't enough to go to Rio, but it was better than nothing.  Having said all that, I am very thankful for the services that come from my taxes: police, fire fighters, military, roads, schools, etc. So, while I filed my taxes back in January, I still tip my hat to the tax person and the hard work they do.

The fact that it's April 15th should mean that spring was well on it's way. If you would have asked me that yesterday morning, I would have agreed. Let me just share an illustration. First is a picture from Easter morning (April 5) where we put left over lose flowers on a cross just outside the building.

 

This second is when I came back from lunch yesterday(April 14 ). It continued to snow into the evening, not a huge amount but still. It stayed below freezing last night, so the snow is still with us. Welcome to Idaho! lol


Now, before I forget, I'm actually here to conduct some business. It is Siesta Sister Scripture Memory Verse Day. We are up to our eighth verse of the year. I chose this one because of a friend of mine that is going through some major turmoil. And really, who of us don't need to remember that we can depend on God for all things at all times. Doesn't mean we don't have a role to play, but God is our strong arm and our shield (from another Psalm, maybe I'll use that one next time).

"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance" (Psalm 32:7, NIV).

Here is a song that is inspired by this verse. I can sing is over and over again when I feel lost and scared.


Whatever you may be going through this week, I hope you find some comfort in this.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Saturday, September 13, 2014 - ,,, 2 comments

Hodgepodge

It's my time for the Hodgepodge, hosted by Joyce at From This Side of the Pond. I'm a little behind. I drafted most of it several days ago and wanted the satisfaction of posting it. If you wish to play, answer a question or two in the comments here.Then, look for the next set of questions at Joyce's on Tuesday. :)

1. On Thursday we paused to remember a dark day in history-9/11. Did you mark it in some special way?
 I wore a red, white, and blue ribbon pin.

2. Do you ever/still...listen to an actual radio? Watch a videotape (VCR)? Look up a number in a phonebook? Refer to a paper map while traveling? Set an alarm on an alarm clock as opposed to your phone?
 I do most of those things almost everyday. The one that is least likely is looking up a number in the phone book. The internet is so much faster and likely to have some listing. I listen to the radio in the car all the time. I don't even have a DVR. If I want to record something, a VCR is my only option. It still works. If my alarm clock breaks, I might start using my phone instead, but I can certainly see the time better in the dark with my alarm clock. I will say that I gave up my landline many years ago now. I felt very nervous about it at the time. Now, I don't think anything about it, and it has greatly reduced the telemarketing calls.

3.  Is it ever a good idea to discuss religion or politics with people you don't know?
I don't think it's every a "good" idea, but sometimes it is unavoidable. I try to keep those times to a minimum.

4. What's a dish you haven't eaten all summer, but come September find yourself craving? Have you made it yet this month?
I can't think of a thing. I guess that I should make a greater effort to eat locally in season.

5. What's something you know nothing about?
How long to you have? I guess something that totally escapes me is Pintrest. Despite long hours spent explaining techy stuff to my friends, acquaintances, and colleagues, they have zero patience trying to show me. It seems inconceivable to them that I don't intuitively get it. I remained confused.

6. September is Classical Music Month. Do you like classical music? If so, what's your favorite piece?
I can like it. Not everything. Not exclusively. It may sound cliche, but Beethoven's 5th Symphony is probably my favorite with the Moonlight Sonata right up there, too. I am strangely drawn to Erlkonig by Schubert. It tells a dark story of a father, son, and the spirit that tries to steal him away. It's in German, of course, but this video tells the story along with song. Personally, I find the visuals to be distracting to my enjoyment of the music, but the visuals are quite good.


(But Beetovan's still my favorite. *smile* I am also grateful for this question. It gave me an excuse to listen to some excellent music in an attempt to pick my favorite.) 

7. What's the oldest thing you own?
You mean besides my VCR? ;) Probably a china tea set that I inherited from my grandmother.

Have a great week! :)

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Tuesday, July 22, 2014 - ,,,, 3 comments

Hodgepodge

It's time for the Hodgepodge, hosted by Joyce at From This Side of the Pond. Fancy playing along? Answer a question or two in the comments here. Post all your answers on your own blog. List your post over at Joyce's, and some nice people will visit your blog and comment.

1. When I look at the sky I am endlessly fascinated.

When I look at the sky I am endlessly facinated. This is especially true since I've moved to drier climes. I love to study the quality of the blue.Sometimes it's more of a baby blue. Sometimes it's shockingly dark and intense. Storm clouds can be very interesting. Sometimes I'm trying to figure how bad the storm is going to be. Grey and uniformly overcast is less exciting. That's how it was a lot in Update New York where I grew up. We were told that NY State had more cloudy days a year than any other state in the Union including Alaska. I don't know if it is a scientific fact, but it surely seemed plausable. Is it any wonder that I set off in search of sunnier skies?



2. If you had to run for political office, which one would you run for? Do you have any real desire to actually do this?

Maybe for City Council, but no, I don't have any real desire to do it.

3. What scent makes you think of home?

Baked ham and potato salad. That's what my mom always makes the day I arrive at her house. My grandmother used to do the same thing. Not only was it absolutely delish, but neither the traveler nor the cook had to worry about the exact timing.

4. How often do you take a step back to think about where you're headed in life? Do you need more or less self-reflection?

Periodically ... Usually near the beginning of the year. I have a survey that started out as a meme. However, the questions are pretty good, and it's nice to be able to compare and contrast one year from the next. I did it quite a lot as I was preparing for seminary until shortly after I graduated. I needed a break from that for a while. It was nice to coast for a while. However, the course I'm following to become ordained clergy requires quite a lot of direction assessment and self-reflection. (Yes, you can have too much of a good thing! lol)

5. July is National Ice Cream Month...besides a cone, what's your favorite food item to top with ice cream?

Something called Paradise Pie that used to be offered at Chili's. They've discontinued it. *sad face* It was a wonderful concoction with brown sugar, choclate chips, coconut, among other things. They would heat it for a moment then put the ice cream on top. Can you tell that I'm still mourning the loss?

(Picture by Ph.Ds of FOOD.)
6. What might your autobiography be called?

This is a hard one. If you've ever read this blog before, you'll know that I'm usually crap at titles. lol How about Spiritual Dancing? No, that might give the wrong impression. Maybe I should go with Spirituality Quest: One Woman's Journey to Find God One Dance Step at a Time. What do you think it should be. What would be the title of your autobiography?

7. Your least favorite mode of transportation? Why?

Scooter? It just seems like it would be such an uneven workout for one's legs. Eventually, one leg would be a lot larger than the other. *smile*

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I'm going to be teaching some new ballroom dance classes soon, and I needed some new tango music. It's incredibly difficult to find good new ballroom tango songs. Usually, it's the same songs done in different (and often beautiful) arrangements. I was able to add some great ones to my collection. Here's just one.



Any questions capture your attention?

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Thursday, May 22, 2014 - ,,,, No comments

Love Never Felt So Good - My New Favorite Song

I think that I got caught in a trap when doing my DWTS Finale post. I was choosing a video to post for James & Peta's Cha Cha routine to Michael Jackson's "Love Never Felt So Good." Every time I tested one, I would hear the song again and again. It got into my blood.

Now, I hear it playing in my sleep, and it doesn't even bother me. I suppose I'm late to the party because it was premiered at the MTV music awards at the end of April to much fan fair. I can confirm that it was co-written by Paul Anka in 1983.

Now, there are several remixes with different artists.  This one is with Justin Timberlake, and it's quite good. I like it almost as much as Michael'a solo, but that one won't let me embed. You can see it here.

Without further ado ...


Sunday, April 20, 2014

Sunday, April 20, 2014 - ,,, 1 comment

Happy Easter! Christ the Lord Is Risen Today!

After we eat the chocolate bunnies, find all the eggs, and play all the games, what is Easter really all about? What makes the death of a single man by the Roman Empire so important?

There may have been a pax Romana, but that doesn't mean that everything was peaceful and lovely in the Roman Empire. The way they maintained the peace was with an iron fist. What that means is that at the very first sign of  trouble they would round up the leaders and execute them.

The Roman Empire executed Jesus just like they executed over hundred other rebel leaders. What makes Jesus extraordinary is not that he died on the cross. That was a typical execution method for political prisoners. What makes Jesus extraordinary is that he defeated death. He rose from the dead and showed himself not just to the disciples. It happened over 2000 years ago, and we're still talking about it.

Here is a hipster version of "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today." Happy Easter!


Monday, March 10, 2014

Monday, March 10, 2014 - ,,, 2 comments

Because I'm Happy

To tell you the truth, I've completely forgot that this song was in Despicable Me 2. Then around the time the Superbowl I saw a commercial that featured the song. It didn't make me want to buy the product advertised, but it did make me investigate the song.

What I found out was the song hadn't been released yet. Then, about a week before the oscars I heard it on the radio. Naturally, it made me "Happy." This particular tribute video features of a couple friends of mine and is set in Washington DC.




  • Have a great week!

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Friday, November 15, 2013

Friday, November 15, 2013 - ,, 7 comments

Five on Friday - Run 200


"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing-wax --
Of cabbages and kings."
("The Walrus and the Carpenter", Lewis Carroll)

It's a sad day.  It is the final installment of Trav's Five on Friday. I haven't participated in a while by posting an entry, but I have enjoyed the music that Travis has shared for 200 installments. On this final week, I felt moved to share a set that also has a connection to Dancing with the Stars, relating to another feature at Travis' that's drawing to a close.

This set represents some of my favorite Ballroom & Latin dance songs. When I hear these, I want to get up and dance.  And yes, there are six. I couldn't resist.


Have a great weekend!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Sunday, September 15, 2013 - , 2 comments

George the Second

Since I'm still feeling the George Harrison connection, I wanted to post another song, "My Sweet Lord." My love of it predates any desire to be religious or spiritual.  However, I must say that whenever I listen to it, it connects directly with my soul.

Regardless of your spiritual persuasion or lack thereof, I hope you will enjoy.



Saturday, September 14, 2013

Friday, January 18, 2013

Friday, January 18, 2013 - , 7 comments

Five on Friday

I haven't done one of these in a while, but we're celebrating! It's the beginning of year 4 of Five on Friday with Travis!



Great News! I found a new music service, Grooveshark. I had been using Playlist.com, but then they stopped letting people embed their playlists on other websites/blogs. I found that it takes too long to do this all through Youtube videos. They may not have the recording I like. I may not "appreciate" the images used in the video, etc. But now we have Grooveshark. Hopefully, it'll load faster and automatically go from one song to the next.

Not sure why, but I was on a 70's kick today



Have a happy Friday!

Monday, December 24, 2012

Monday, December 24, 2012 - ,,, 2 comments

Merry Christmas!

A time of new beginnings. The Winter Solstice has passed. The days are getting longer, promising an eventual Spring. A New Year to start fresh. Christmas also represents a promise of hope, of new life, of rebirth, of a new opportunity for things to be different. Of course, we can do it any day, everyday, but it's good to have a designated time for it, as we forget in our constant stresses and the details of everyday life.

We may not be able to affect many of the world's problems directly. We only have control over ourselves, but if we each decided that we were no longer going to participate in the things that cause pain and strife, what a mighty tidal wave of change we would create.

There is hope. Things can change, but only if I change myself. Merry Christmas!


Friday, July 6, 2012

Friday, July 06, 2012 - , 8 comments

A Friendly Five on Friday

I can't believe that it's only been a week since a wild fire consumed one of the loveliest valleys near my town. We lost at least 66 homes, including the one that I stayed in for the first three weeks that I lived here.  I must say that I am amazed, simply amazed on how this community pulled together to help their neighbors.

This week my Five on Friday is dedicated to this community and our beautiful future despite devastating losses.

If you want to join in the fun, My friend Travis over at Trav's Thoughts hosts this fun meme. It's fun and easy to play. Head over there and see what it's all about and play along!

I looked outside when I first woke up, and this is the first song that came into my head.

Oh What a Beautiful Morning!


Next, comes the part that makes me think of all the people that want to help their neighbors.

You've Got a Friend in Me - Randy Newman


That's What Friends Are for  - Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Stevie Wonder


He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother - The Hollies


And finally, a song that I always find uplifting about moving forward...

Little Wonders - Rob Thomas


I'll finish up with a Walt Disney quote that is used at the end of the film Meet the Robinsons. Maybe it's the music (the Rob Thomas song above) or something else, but I find it inspiring, especially during times like these.
"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we're curious ... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
Have a great weekend!

Friday, June 22, 2012

Friday, June 22, 2012 - , 14 comments

Five on Friday - Buble

My friend Travis over at Trav's Thoughts does this fun meme with Five Songs on Friday. It's fun and easy to play. Head over there and see what it's all about and play along!

Today, as you might have guessed, I'm featuring Mr. Michael Buble.

"Feeling Good" I'd never seen the official video for this song before. Groovy. Michael Buble as James Bond. It could happen. He's Canadian. It's part of the British Commonwealth, right? ;) All kidding aside, this was a very important song in my life. On top of the fact that I love it to bits, it served as a theme song for me as I was coming out of a very dark time, and I felt like I was being reborn.



"The Way You Look Tonight"

 

"I've Got the World on a String"

 

"Stardust" with Naturally 7

 

"Save the Last Dance for Me"


Have a great weekend!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Friday, June 15, 2012 - , 8 comments

Five on Friday - The Sting Edition

My friend Travis over at Trav's Thoughts does this fun meme with Five Songs on Friday. It's fun and easy to play. Head over there and see what it's all about and play along!

This week's set is dedicated to Sting.  This first one has Julio Iglesias lead vocals with Sting blending in with back-up vocals and beautiful guitar work.

Fragile



Angel Eyes



Moon Over Bourbon Street



If You Love Somebody Set Them Free



We'll Be Together



Have a great weekend! Film reviews start tomorrow. ;)

Friday, June 1, 2012

Friday, June 01, 2012 - , 8 comments

Five on Friday - Happy Days

My friend Travis over at Trav's Thoughts does this fun meme with Five Songs on Friday. It's fun and easy to play. Head over there and see what it's all about and play along!

After, well let's just say "annoying" 10 days between illness and injury, Thursday was a fantabulous day. (I am definitely on the mend.) My day was so great that I figured that I better buy a lottery ticket, just in case. This week's songs are inspired by happiness. They're ones that make me feel good inside. I hope that they'll do the same for you!

ETA: Sometime today, Playlist.com has updated their site where players can no longer be embeded on other websites, AND you have to be logged into their site in order to even listen to the songs on their site. Obviously, I won't be using this service anymore. In the meantime, this is the song list if you could have listened to it:
"Wake-Up Little Susie"  - The Everly Brothers
"Who Put the Bomp" - Barry Mann
"One Fine Day" - The Chiffons
"My Girl" - The Temptations
"Twist and Shout" - The Beatles
We'll get it together next week!



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Have a great weekend!

Friday, May 18, 2012

Friday, May 18, 2012 - , 8 comments

Five on Friday - Summer's Coming

My friend Travis over at Trav's Thoughts does this fun meme with Five Songs on Friday. It's fun and easy to play. Head over there and see what it's all about and play along!

I'm ready for summer! Temps are warmer. Kids are getting ready to be done with school. (Whether schools are ready to release them is another matter.) And heck, it's almost Memorial Day.  Here are some songs that I associate with summer too!



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Have a great weekend!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Friday, May 11, 2012 - , 4 comments

Five on Friday - Take You Best Shot

My friend Travis over at Trav's Thoughts does this fun meme with Five Songs on Friday. It's fun and easy to play. Head over there and see what it's all about and play along!

This week I started with John Cougar Mellancamp, and it just built from there. Not "musical progression." Rather, it's a product of my random brain, but they have a good beat, and you can dance to them. (Even the ballads-lol).

Speaking of beats and dancing, I was just thinking the other day while all of the stories of Dick Clark were circulating. I think that I figured out part of the appeal of Dancing with the Stars. It's a dance show were musical artists are featured, like a contemporary American Bandstand, (especially on elimination night). Well, it was just a thought. ;)

Enjoy the set!



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Have a great weekend!

Friday, May 4, 2012

Friday, May 04, 2012 - , 6 comments

Five on Friday - Victor/Victoria

My friend Travis over at Trav's Thoughts does this fun meme with Five Songs on Friday. It's fun and easy to play. Head over there and see what it's all about and play along!

Today, I thought that I'd share some of my love of Henry Mancini, which morphed into sharing some of my favorite songs from the film Victor/Victoria, which is one of my favorite films of all time. The songs feature Julie Andrews, Robert Preston, and Leslie Ann Warren.  (Note: they're not in the order that they appear in the film.)

Enjoy!

Le Jazz Hot- Julie Andrews


Gay Paree- Robert Preston


The Shady Dame from Seville-Julie Andrews


Chicago, Illinois-Leslie Ann Warren


You and Me-Julie Andrews and Robert Preston


And as a special bonus, here is Robert Preston performing The Shady Dame from Seville after "the plan" has fallen apart. Love the bravado of Robert in this.



Have a great weekend!

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