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Showing posts from October, 2010

Magical Moment 269, "Full Circle"

My Sundays are usually spent cleaning the house while Eddie frantically finishes his homework that's due online every Sunday night by midnight. But this week, I begged him to do his homework early so we could do something fun on Halloween. After all, it's the only holiday that we haven't celebrated here in New Jersey yet. We spent last Halloween unloading a U-haul truck and unpacking, so I really wanted to do something fun this time. It was touch and go for a while, but Eddie ultimately came through and got his homework done early. And by "early," I mean he submitted it Sunday afternoon , rather than Sunday at 11:59 pm (true story for another blog). It's actually a pretty impressive accomplishment considering he began his 10 page paper this morning. The only problem left, was to decide what costumes to wear to the Sleepy Hollow Parade (in the town Sleepy Hollow, NY!). I dug around in my "junk" closet and found some cat ears from years ago. Not

Magical Moment 268, "A Year Ago..."

Eddie and I on our first  visit to the Statue of Liberty 11/09 One year ago, Eddie and I pulled into a northern New Jersey town with a U-haul truck of our belongings. We were exhausted from packing, loading, and driving 12 hours and had un- loading and un- packing to look forward to (thankfully we ended up having amazing neighbors who helped immensely). My old, faithful dog, Duchess, was in the back seat, and Emily the cat was cuddled on Eddie’s lap. We were unemployed, knew no one in the area, and had absolutely zero clue what would be in store for us. We were brand new civilians, just out of the Army, and both beginning new careers. I hoped I would be a musician. And Eddie hoped he would be a Park Ranger. In these 12 months, I struggled with finding work, getting rejections, and learning about the business. I played for free, played for tips, and played for idiots. I spent 3 months alone here while Eddie completed his Park Ranger training in North Carolina, and learned through

Magical Moment 267, "The Strings!"

It's been a while since I posted my progress of recording an EP/album with Modern Vintage Recordings . Today I would use one word to describe today's meeting...amazing. We recorded the strings and bass for "A Builder," and when we played it back, I actually got chills. The song now has life and magic oozing out of it. It will truly be one of the most powerful tracks on the EP. This day is what every songwriter dreams of. The day when their "creation" comes alive...like Frankenstein. I wrote this song with just piano and only imagined the strings and other instruments in my mind. It's a relief to have wonderful producers who understand what I describe, and then make it happen. Now all the power, emotion, and beauty I dreamed for this track is well in place. Here is a short video. First you'll see my producer, Eshy, tracking the bass. Then you'll hear just the strings play back. Again with the disclaimer - final vocal track is still a ways down t

Magical Moment 266, "Gimme a G! Gimme an O!"

Me dying a slow death at the Giants stadium 12/09. Cowboys lost. It’s pretty safe to assume that if I’m writing about a sport …I may have writer’s block. Nevertheless, I suppose the Baseball World Series is a fairly huge and relevant national event right now and it has inevitably seeped its way into my generally sports-free home. I’m not sure how or why I’ve developed such distaste for most, if not all sports, but somehow I have. Ever since Wednesday night T-ball at children’s church, I sensed that I didn’t belong. I never gained an interest or understanding for the purpose or rules of the game. In high school when I went out for that one year of cheerleading, our coach had to hold up a sign from the stands that said either “D” or “O” so we would know whether to do a defense or offense cheer. And even as a UNL student and now alumni, I’ve never necessarily looked forward to going to or watching the Husker games. I more or less do it out of obligation (don’t tell Nebraska I said tha

Magical moment 265, "Wedding Shoes"

Photography by  Frank Ekeler Today I unwrapped a cardboard box filled with packing peanuts and tissue paper. I dumped it all over my carpet, fishing for the one thing I knew would be in there...my wedding shoes. When I got married 3 1/2 years ago in Lincoln, NE, I left my dress and shoes with my parents while I continued to travel all over the country with the Soldier Show after the wedding. Only recently, my mother has finally gotten around to digging them out of her closet and shipping them to me. While most women who get married are stoked about their dress, my favorite thing about my wardrobe that day was my shoes. Because I was touring with the Soldier Show while planning my wedding, I had little to no free time to shop around for a dress. One day, the director of the show announced that he was making a run to a near by mall in Virginia, so I hopped on board. Amazingly enough, I found a formal wear store and tried on 2 or 3 dresses until I found one that fit. It wasn't e

Magical Moment 264, "A Brave Leaf"

" A Brave Leaf"  by Elizabeth Grimes A little boy walked home from school. Summer was gone, the air was cool. The leaves were still green though, all but one. Its vibrant color stood out like the sun. He waived goodbye to his friends at the door, Then remembered with guilt what happened before. They’d teased another, called him some names. Now all alone, he felt so ashamed. He knew it was wrong, but what could he do? If he walked away, he’d be laughed at too. But he made a choice right there in his room That starting tomorrow, a new him would bloom. He was kind to that boy, stood by his side. And together a fortress in which to confide. Soon others took notice, and joined the two. Now there were many against mean crew. Walking home, the boy noticed the trees. There weren’t just one, but dozens of bright leaves! The boy thought, “Hmm. Isn’t that strange? It only took one for that whole tree to change.” Photo from  http://thesmittenimage.blogspot.com/

Magical Moment 263, "Out of Tune Piano"

I went back and listened to this 4-month old video from the Play Me, I'm Yours Project in Queens, and although I like this song, all I could hear was an out of tune piano! Beautifully painted however and it was a lovely day, so I guess that adds some cheeriness to the video. I wrote this song, " You Want Me ," oh who knows? Maybe 2004 or 2005? Thought it was catchy so I hung onto it. Hope you enjoy the video! To see photos from the Play Me, I'm Yours Project, click here . To see more videos click here . "You Want Me" words and music by Elizabeth Grimes, Copyright 2009

Magical Moment 262, "Run the Race"

Early this morning, Eddie and I took our place behind orange road cones and waited for the words, “Runners take your marks, get set…GO!” We attended the 5k at Llewellyn Park in West Orange, NJ, a gorgeous, historical gated residential community and former home of Thomas Edison. I went with little motivation, expecting nothing more than a leisurely jog through the beautiful, autumn scenery. But no sooner than the first corner, I discovered this would be more difficult than anticipated. Almost immediately, the route took us to a near 45-degree hill that stretched for at least half a mile, something I was not prepared for. It was then that I had to decide to either tackle it and give it my all, or simply run with little effort, as originally intended. I decided to go for it. After the first hill, I reasoned there would be more, and began mentally preparing for them. They could come at any second, just around the next turn. Hills have a way of either crushing a runner’s spirit, or prop

Magical Moment 261, "lol :)"

I’m not a huge “texter.” My phone is still the cheap-o, free one that came with our plan four years ago. I don’t abbreviate my sentences down to acronyms, or substitute a “2” for a “too.” But I do text my husband a lot (not while driving though, I promise!). Once a week, when I play piano for nearly 7 hours straight at the ballet school (a job I absolutely adore ), I find a few seconds in between songs to either read or send a text to Eddie. After hours on a wooden bench with minimal food, water, and bathroom breaks, a text can relieve some of the monotony. If you were to read the texts between Eddie and I, you would think we were either hopelessly romantic, or clinically insane. Sometimes it will be an elaborately written out lyric that’s been going through one of our head’s all day, “Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa Poker face.” And answered with an exuberant, “CAN’T READ MY, CAN’T READ MY, NO HE CAN’T READ MY POKER FACE!” And followed up with an, “I HATE that song!” In the Army, during lon

Magical Moment 260, "Sentimental Journey"

"Sentimental Journey" has been my favorite song since I was 14. I never heard it before my piano teacher, Mr. Capps , taught it to me. He explained that it was a staple, a necessity, and it was the very first song that I learned to play a boogie-woogie left hand to. I immediately loved the melody and searched for a recording of the song so I could learn the words also. My mom found a CD called Songs that got us through World War II , with Doris Day singing her  incomparable   rendition .  That's when I learned what an important song "Sentimental Journey" truly was throughout the 1940's. I began playing it at every nursing home, retirement home, and of course every weekend at Lee's Restaurant . I wish now that I had documented the number of times that someone, usually an elderly person, approached me with a personal story or memory brought on by that song. Once I played it on an old, upright piano at a World War II museum and soon attracted a crowd of

Magical Moment 259, "Proposals, Secrets, and Men's Bathrooms"

I’ve written about Eddie quite a bit – how we met, fell in love , and got married against military regulation. But I’ve never told the story of how he proposed. We only dated for 2 months, but I knew the day was a comin’ and just wondered how and when he would ask. I was his supervisor in the Army and we were keeping our relationship a secret due to the Officer/Enlisted fraternization policy in the Army, forbidding anything but professional relationships between the two grades. Eddie recently got a traffic citation for speeding and talking on his cell phone, and as a result, had to attend a sort of military-stop-class for the next four Saturdays. As his supervisor, and his girlfriend, I knew all about this. However, my Platoon Sergeant who also was one of Eddie’s supervisors, approached me with the sincere desire to help out one of his troops, Eddie (or Sergeant Grimes as we’ll call him in this story).  “Ma’am,” my Platoon Sergeant said, “We have a real problem with Sergeant Grimes

Magical Moment 258, "Count Your Blessings"

This song just says it all. I haven’t heard the old hymn in years, but today as I was channel surfing while driving, I heard the lively melody and started tapping my toes. As I began to do as the song says, count my blessings, I suddenly found it very difficult to think of one thing that I was not thankful for. Yes, the check engine light is on in my car, but at least it runs. Yes, I wish I had a washer and dryer, but I live right across the street from a laundry mat. Husband, health, job, family, friends. The list goes on and on. So while some recommend as a cure for feeling down, a nap, a bubble bath, or a vacation (all nice things), the real solution is to listen to this song and do as it says. Count your blessings! "Count Your Blessings"  by Johnson Oatman Jr, 1897 When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. Refrain:

Magical Moment 257, "The Crash of 2010"

It was a grim day in August of 2010. The birds stopped chirping, the sun sank behind the clouds, and there was wailing in the streets. My laptop computer, which safely housed my music library of nearly 10,000 songs, crashed. It was an indescribable feeling of loss when I recalled the hundreds of CDs that I meticulously transferred onto the computer, one by one, organizing by genre and artist, and now they were all gone. Not to mentioned the hundreds of dollars worth of downloaded music. To make matters worse, I had recently given all my hard copies of CDs away. Who needs to lug those old-fashioned things around when everything fits so nicely onto the computer? And so every CD I had ever purchased since my very first one in junior high (the Evita soundtrack), was gone forever. We rushed the machine to the emergency room – the Apple store in the mall – but it was no use. Nothing could be recovered. Months went by and I tucked my grief away, not letting myself contemplate the enormous lo

Magical Moment 256, "Where Joy Lies"

If I've learned anything from writing this blog every day since February 4th , it's that moments of joy are in the most unlikely places, and to see and notice them, all we have to do is make an effort to look. I've found these moments on a bus, at work, stuck in traffic, on my couch, or in my yard. I've found them on the most cranky, exhausting, and boring of days. And I've found them in unremarkable situations that a few months ago, may have passed right by me.  Today as I practiced the piano, just like a million times before, it finally struck me just how sweet it is that my dog, Joy , lays right next to my feet as I plunk away at the keys for hours. Luckily, the camera was in arms reach and I snapped a quick shot. She's a good and loyal dog and really has brought me a great deal of happiness since I got her for Christmas last year. Today is just another reminder that joy lies in the most unexpected places, and how thankful I am to see it. 

Magical Moment 255, "The One That Almost Got Away"

I decided to post another video from last week's performance at People Kitchen and Lounge because I realized that that was the first time that I've ever performed my song, " I Still Think About You ." I wrote this song in 2004 and never gave much thought until I decided to plow through all of my songs a couple years ago and record them whether I like it or not. This one turned out better than I thought and may even be on the upcoming EP with Modern Vintage Recordings . Funny when I remember how I nearly wrote this one off as no good and condemned it to a life in the" trunk of lost and unfinished songs." So enjoy the video, even though the lighting and sound are horrible.

Magical Moment 254, "The Sweetest Words"

I heard a remarkable radio interview of a woman who experienced a brain hemorrhage. As a result, she went completely paralyzed in a matter of minutes, beginning with her fingers tips, then her arms, then her legs, and then suddenly, her mind. She described with amazing detail, how she lost the use and meaning of words. Her brain chatter ceased completely. In those moments, she did not know about the floor or the sun or the wind. Those things did not exist to her because her mind was totally void of language, like an animal or an infant. Yet, she came out of the episode and can still vividly recall the feeling in those moments. She fondly described a sense of calm and serenity. Nothing in her mind saying, "I'm tired, I hurt, I'm late, it's cold, the dog is barking, that is a wall, the clock is ticking, shut the door, what's going on?" I envy that woman in those moments. Why can't I have an "off switch" for the words that torture my mind? I hav

Magical Moment 253, "Autograph Let Down"

My best friend Deb recently came to visit me in NYC. We had blast shopping and visiting all the sights of the city . Before she made the trip, she explained to her sister-in-law, Melissa, just why on earth I'm living out here in the first place. I have no idea what she said, but she must have made it sound pretty good because her sister-in-law's only request was that Deb return to Nebraska with a postcard for her, signed by me. Deb handed me a blank post card and a pen, explaining why it needed my signature. Something about how I was gonna be a huge music success and my signature would be worth thousands someday. Rolling my eyes and giggling, I grudgingly took the pen and thought about how to sign it for my dedicated "fan." Her sister-in-law may have felt slightly let down when she finally read what I wrote, " Melissa, don't get your hopes up.  -Elizabeth Grimes "

Magical Moment 252, "A Husker and a Friend at People's Lounge"

Last night I performed a 30-minute set at People Kitchen and Lounge in New York City’s Lower East Side. I agreed to the performance very last minute and quickly invited all the people I knew who might be able to make it. I arrived at the intimate, trendy lounge to find absolutely no one I knew had come. Even Eddie was unable to make it on time. As I prepared to begin, I couldn’t help feeling a bit down about it. I looked around at the strangers' faces who were relatively uninterested, and only there to see the performer after me. Just as the manager gave me the nod to begin, I saw someone arrive out of the corner of my eye. It was a friend and fellow pianist I had met when we did a performance months ago. We remained in touch and go to open mic nights whenever possible. And as coincidence would have it, he is also from Nebraska!!! I ran to the door, hugged him in his bright red Husker jacket, and told him how glad I was that he came. And I really was. It gave me a boost of conf

Magical Moment 251, "Girl Traps Herself in Bedroom"

Since everyone seems to enjoy stories where I make a  fool out of myself , I thought of another one to share: This was years ago when I lived in an apartment in El Paso for my Army Air Defense Artillery Officer Basic Course. Back then, I lived, ate, and dreamt Army. It was my number one priority and I dedicated every fiber of my being to becoming the best officer possible, at any cost. I was never late or out of uniform, and I studied like a mad woman for the challenging written and practical tests. One night, asleep in my bedroom, I woke up to use the bathroom. I got out of bed and walked my closed bedroom door only to find that I could not open it. I thought maybe I had accidently locked it, but when I looked at the door knob, I discovered, there was no lock at all . Since it was a matter of being stuck, I jiggled the knob every which way possible, while pulling and yanking with all my might. Nothing. Now I actually started to panic a little. I lived alone and had just moved to the

Magical Moment 250, "A Backwards Writer"

I recently applied for a writing internship at a prestigious New York City magazine who caters to “affluent” clients. To prepare for the interview, I fixed up my resume, printed out writing samples, and spent a half hour deciding what to wear. After trying on a dozen outfits, I noticed the time. I had about 4 minutes to get to the corner bus stop in order to catch my ride and arrive on time. So in a blind frenzy, I threw on my faithful, easy to wear dress that always looks good no matter what, grabbed my purse, and made a dash for the bus stop. After the typical New York City adventure of subways, street signs, and traffic, I finally arrived at the upscale, streamlined office. I was asked to take a seat in the waiting area and breathed a sigh of relief at conquering the chaotic morning. As I waited to be called in, I felt something itch my collar bone. Absent mindedly, I rubbed it when I realized what it was. The tag. Yep, the dress was on backwards. Again, my old friends, panic and