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Showing posts from April 14, 2010

Magical Moment 75, "Serenity Now!"

New Yorkers are often considered some of the angriest, rudest, and jaded people in the country. After spending a few months here, I understand why, and almost fear that I’m becoming one of them. I realized this yesterday after a series of events caused my blood pressure to rise so high, I thought I might have a heart attack. First, after finally thinking I had the transportation schedule down, I allowed for an hour and twenty minutes to get to my destination and got there in under a half hour. How does that happen?! It takes 2 hours on a Tuesday morning, but 30 minutes on a Monday morning? Yes, it’s less time in the awful traffic, but now I had all this extra time to walk around the city and do nothing. I shook my head thinking about the extra sleep I could have gotten, or the one more article I could have squeezed in. Instead, I sat at the Port Authority coffee shop drinking coffee and watching people be angry and rushed. As I went down the escalator towards the subway, a man pus

Magical Moment 74, "A Top 10"

I have a top ten song. Well, not billboard top ten, but it's a start. Broadjam is an online music community where over 85,000 artists from all over the world can showcase their music, enter contests, and network. My song, "How I Say Goodbye" came in top 10 this week for the Folk/Alternative category. I admit, I was a little surprised as the recording is not that great. I've been meaning to re-record the vocals (they sound a little flat to me) and acoustic guitar. Never the less, there it is. Take a look at the website and listen to the song (on the broadjam website, or just scroll down below). I hope you enjoy it. http://www.broadjam.com/browse/songs/top10/?l0=g&l1=1044 “How I Say Goodbye” words and music by Elizabeth Grimes Copyright 2009 Verse 1: You don’t know. You can’t tell. You think everything’s just goin swell. But secretly in my mind A common theme’s beginning to unwind. When you’re feelings get too strong to ignore That’s when it gets a little too c

Magical Moment 73, "Her Favorite Present"

A father and his curly haired, little girl stopped in the rain to fill the old truck with gas. He pulled into to the tiny station and fueled up while she waited in the passenger seat, fascinated with the tiny water droplets on the windshield. She made a game out of watching which drop would trickle to the bottom of the windshield without getting cut off by the wipers. Soon, the game had rules, each drop had a name and was on a team, and she was the announcer, just like on TV. Her dad opened the driver’s door wide enough to poke his head in and say, “Wait here sweetie, I have to pay.” The little girl unfastened her seatbelt as she cried, “Daddy, I want to come too!” She was already halfway out the truck before her father had a chance to protest. He reluctantly shut his door, walked around to meet his daughter, and together they ran through the rain to the shelter of the station. At the counter, he asked for a pack of cigarettes and hastily handed cash to the clerk. With several more

Magical Moment 72, "Hello, Old Friends"

A recent gift from my best friend, Deb, inspired me to walk down memory lane and recall an entire category from my childhood that helped shape my personality, imagination, and creativity. There is a whole list of movies and TV shows that I remember with fondness and nostalgia. They introduced me to characters who were as dear and important to me as those in real life. They gave me familiarity and comfort, and to this day I squeal with delight when I see them on PBS, re-runs, or in a two dollar bin at a going-out-of-business video rental store. First I remember Anne-with-an-"e"-Shirley. Oh, you imaginative, spacy, red head, how I've missed you. My sisters, mother, and I watched her get in and out of shenanigans on lazy Sunday afternoons during PBS fund-raisers. And they always took breaks to sell that adorable porcelain doll that I always wished I could buy. Of course, we can't forget Ramona Quimby, the awkward little who I remember identifying with as the younger

Magical Moment 71, "The Treasures of a Middle Class Life"

Not every day is full of excitement and adventure. Some days, most days, are just regular days. Wake up, go to work, do some laundry, make some supper, watch TV, and go to bed. Maybe a few times a week I have something out of the ordinary to prepare for or look forward to, but to be honest, that usually involves a large amount of stress. The other day, I had a quick accompaniment job and I knew Eddie was preparing a delicious seafood dinner while I was gone. On top of that, an unopened Netflix movie lay next to the TV. And I realized, I was looking forward to that night more than any other night in a very long time. We hear songs on the radio and hear people say, “It’s the simple things in life…” all the time, but as I took a moment to think about my life and the things that really made me happy, I realized little treasures were all around me.

Magical Moment 70, "Don't I Feel Sheepish"

If anyone is keeping track, it's late. I know. But I have a good excuse. I was moping. I shot up in bed this morning at 5 am with the distinct feeling of panic. Suddenly my mind rushed with worries of finances, goals, and my uncertain future. I went to the computer having made the decision that I need a steady job. Music gigs are not as reliable as I need them to be. As I searched all the career sites, I thought, "I went to college, I was in the Army, you'd think I'd be qualified for something , right?" Not so much. Two to five years experience required for everything . I have two to five years experience of nothing except music and Army. And let's face it, no one understands what goes on in the Army, so they don't know what I am capable of in the civilian world. I ended up applying for clerical and office assistant positions - a fancy word for receptionist and secretary, the kind of stuff I did in high school as a summer job. So, feeling rejected and d

Magical Moment 69, "Lodi"

“How do I get into these situations?” That’s what I asked myself last night as I worked my tail off playing every “show-stopper” song I had in my repertoire. Somehow, I wound up in a Russian bar in Brooklyn playing for tips. I agreed to play for tips because I’ve never had too much trouble bringing them in before, especially when I bring my list and people start making requests. I quickly found out that a tough-looking, Russian speaking crowd doesn’t sing along and break out the 20's when a Billy Joel or Eagles song comes on. My song list carries a wide enough variation in styles, that I can always find a song to please every crowd, however I guess I neglected the all-Russian crowd. I decided to use the evening as an opportunity to rehearse some songs that I’ve never done before. Ever since we moved to northern NJ, I’ve been fascinated with the song “Lodi” by CCR and as I played it in front of a crowd for the first time last night, I decided it’s my anthem. Especially the