Good Family Fun

Saturday was crazy busy. My daughter had a two hour practice for her dance recital which led almost right into the start of her actual recital. We had about an hour to get her dolled up and ready to dance. I was one of the parent volunteers who agreed to remain backstage and help get the girls in line, on stage, in and out of costumes, etc. After the rehearsal I have to admit I was a little bit nervous because it was chaos. However, the actual show went off without a hitch. The girls were fantastic and we had such a great time. After the show my husband and I took the kids out to dinner at a new steak house in town. They had live music in the bar area. On our way out we stopped in and our daughter took off dancing, much to the delight of the patrons. They were clapping for her and cheering her on. It was pretty hysterical. It was a terrific evening.


My husband and daughter dancing

Our little ballerina (far right) during her recital.

Our daughter dancing in the bar....yes, we let our kid dance in a bar.

Needless to say, after such a long exhausting day, Sunday will be spent relaxing at home, maybe enjoying a few margaritas and running a couple of errands....not simultaneously of course.

In My Head

I can't get this song out of my head. I think it is simply beautiful.

Pearl Jam's Ten and Other Stuff

The summer before my freshman year of high school I was invited by the high school basketball coach to try out for a summer league team. I ended up making the Varsity, which meant that I was significantly younger than most of my teammates. Coming from the small, parochial school that I did I had not been introduced to what is now some of my favorite music.

That summer, and actually for the next year into the following summer, we travelled all over playing in different tournaments, which meant we spent a lot of time in vans listening to a host of artists, popping one tape out of the deck (yes, a tape deck) and replacing it with the next. The album that probably got the most play was Pearl Jam's Ten, rivaled by Nirvana' Nevermind. I fell in love with it instantly. I listened to it so much that I wore it out and had to buy a new one. When CD's were the latest rage, Ten, was one of the first purchases I made.

Needless to say when I heard Pearl Jam was coming out with a remastered version of Ten I was very excited. I got to listen to it tonight(and subsequently ordered it) and was duly impressed. Somewhere during the first song all these memories from those days 17 years ago came flashing back. I remember listening to it on my walkman, standing in an elevator, in Vegas with a few of my teammates. I remember sitting with a few of my teammates listening to "Jeremy" over and over again in our hotel room alternating its play with Nirvana's album. I remembered rooming, in California, with our most "wild" of teammates who every morning would blast "Money" by Pink Floyd as she showered and got dressed. To this day I cannot hear the "Cha-Ching" of the intro without thinking of her....and fondly so. I remembered listening to Hunger Strike by Temple of the Dog over and over again, and being introduced to Phish by the eldest member of our team, someone I looked up to and respected greatly. Seriously sweet memories of some of my all-time favorite people.

It's amazing how just hearing songs can take you back to a different time, a different place, and provoke all these memories of a time since passed. I loved those days, love those people, and love the music I love today because of many of them. I simply cannot wait to listen to Ten again so many years later.

A Few Tunes For the Weekend

Criminal Minds, Cold Case, Private Practice, and Grey's Anatomy are a few of my favorite shows. One of the reasons they are amongst my favorite is because they always play great music by artists that, prior to their music being played on these shows, aren't well known. Lately I have heard four songs that I really can't get enough of.

This song is by Gomez entitled Little Pieces and I love the beginning.

This song is Rise Up by Ben Lee.

This is Maybe Maybe by Nico Stai.

And this is Hodges with My Side of The Story

Hope you enjoy. Have a terrific weekend!

My Side of the Story by Hodges

I heard this song for the first time at the end of Criminal Minds tonight and it seriously gave me chills. Has anyone ever heard of this guy before?

Michael Franti

I'm a big fan of the song "Hey, I love you" by Michael Franti. I found the song to the left on Youtube and thought it was really catchy.

Music Worth Checking Out

About a month ago I picked up the new Buckcherry CD entitled "Black Butterfly" along with Ray LaMontagne's "Gossip in the Grain." While they couldn't be more different, both CD's were worth the money. (The discounted price I paid on Amazon versus the in store price I refuse to pay).

Until recently I have not listened to a lot of Buckcherry. In 2006 I purchased their cd, "15" and enjoyed most of it, including surprisingly the raunchy hit, "Crazy Bitch." So when "Black Butterfly" was released I was excited to give it a listen. I was not disappointed. Buckcherry is a rock band: heavy on the guitars, great riffs, and catchy hooks. They're loud and unapologetic. However, they are also capable of slowing it down and that is demonstrated in my favorite song on the album, "All of Me". This is the CD you want if you need to get your adrenaline pumping. Overall, a good listen.

I've been a fan of LaMontagne for a number of years now. His hit song, "Trouble" is among one of my all time favorites. "Gossip in the Grain" is the first CD of his though I have actually bought. In the past I have just downloaded my favorites and forgotten the rest. I don't think that there is a bad song on this CD. My two favorites are "You are the Best Thing" and "Sarah". His voice is soothing and melodic, reminiscent of James Taylor or Cat Stevens. We listen to this in the car quite frequently and the kids almost seem to go into some type of trance; they are instantly calmed.

We listen to a wide range of music and like everything pretty much except ultra heavy metal or hardcore rap. Music plays a huge role in our home and I have a great appreciation for those, much more artistic and capable than I, who are able to put out amazingly touching and fantastic CD's. So, if you have some time and are interested, please check out these CD's and let me know what you think.

Rocking Out

How we spend much of our day. Rocking out!

Rocking the Guitar...Mommy Style

I have learned a few new songs on the guitar this week. "Turpentine" by Brandi Carlile (my daughter's favorite song) and "Come on Get Higher" by Matt Nathanson being two of them. If it were up to my daughter I'd play "Turpentine" and "How Far We've Come" by Matchbox 20 all day long. She loves to sing and dance to those songs while I play. Also on the "playlist" this week are"Black Balloon" by Goo Goo Dolls (one of the first songs I learned to play years ago) and "Rivers of Babylon" by Sublime.

When you haven't played the guitar in a while it always kills your fingertips. That is until the callouses build up and provide some protection from the strings. In my pre-children days I used to play everyday for hours. In the past 3 years I have rarely picked up the guitar for more than a few minutes at a time. When my daughter was real young I used to play her a lullaby I wrote for her when I was pregnant with her. As she got older and our son got added to the mix, finding time became harder and harder to do.

Lately, both kids have been on a guitar kick, though. They want me to play all the time. My son will stand by my guitar case and cry until I get out the guitar and play. I am happy to oblige as it's a good excuse for me to get in some practice. Plus it keeps them happy and occupied for as long as they find me entertaining.

When I was in college and my early years of working I used to make up silly (okay, I admit sometimes dirty...very dirty) songs about drinking or sex or funny little songs about people I knew. Somehow playing those songs now would be very inappropriate. So, I now find myself making up songs, both silly and serious, about my children or my love for them. It is amazing the difference a few years and a couple of kids can make.

I love playing and I love the feeling after mastering a new song. I love even more that it is something I can share with my children.