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Showing posts from April 28, 2010

Magical Moment 89, "Ice Cream Picnic"

Have you ever had one of those days when you want to punch the wall, punch a pillow, or punch your husband for no good reason? I had one of those today. I agreed to do an accompaniment job that I shouldn’t have agreed to, because I knew it would stress me out way too bad. But did I listen to myself? No, I agreed and as a result spent the last several days pulling my hair out trying to learn all the songs from “Hairspray the Musical” and “In the Heights.” I’ve never seen either play. Finally, I broke down and did something I don’t think I’ve ever done before. I cancelled. I found a replacement pianist, gave her the music, and wished them all good-ridance. With that out of the way, I found myself in our disastrous little apartment, still working out the kinks to our new window air conditioner, and comforting a sick puppy who needs four doses of medication a day and breaks my heart every time she whimpers in pain. Oh not to mention a pile of laundry, I didn’t get my run in this morning

Magical Moment 88, "Vapor"

Yesterday in church, the preacher spoke of James 4:14 and reminded me of this piece I wrote in college. I hope you enjoy it. "Vapor" By Elizabeth Grimes I never liked nursing homes. There’s something in the heavy atmosphere, with the plastic lunch trays, worn out slippers, and 28 inch fuzzy TVs playing the same two rotated movies that breaks my heart for the elderly people with no choice but to live there. Maybe this feeling began when my best friend fainted in a nursing home on a Christmas caroling field trip in the fifth grade. She’d been wrinkling her nose at the smell through the whole first song when it finally got the better of her. Or maybe the feeling derived from watching movies like Fried Green Tomatoes , where resident’s rooms consisted of a twin sized bed with a metal bar around it, a table stand, and a possible window. I’ ve heard horror stories about the treatment of some residents that I can't even repeat. And the smell is nauseating . My mom told me it

Magical Moment 87, "Zach's Kitty"

I held my 1½ year old nephew in my arms, conscience of the fact that we had only one more day together before I flew back home. Although the stroller was available, I opted to leave it vacant as I cuddled little Zach in my arms, balancing him on my hip for as long as my strength would allow during our long visit to the enormous Henry Doorly Zoo . We went into the gift shop where I was determined to find him a present that he would cherish forever. I love picking out toys and gifts for my nieces and nephews, but I rarely get the chance to take the kids with me and let them choose something they want. I slowly walked through every aisle, allowing Zach’s little eyes to absorb the overwhelming amount of colorful, plastic, and stuffed toys. With his sweet nature, I thought he might like a stuffed animal. I watched his face carefully as we moved past the penguins. He was curious, but not love struck. The alligator scared him a little, so I quickly set it back on the shelf. Ducks, bears

Magical Moment 86, "A Trade"

Oh it’s going to be a hot summer. Our sad little window air conditioner is chugging away, “I think I can, I think I can,” while the electric fan is going full blast and it’s only May. Last night, Eddie used the oven and we thought we were going to pass out of heat stroke. I thought lugging loads of clothes to and from the laundry room was bad in winter, it might be worse in the stifling heat. I think there will be moments this summer when I long for my old backyard swimming pool and central air, our body rafts that we floated on while sipping cool lemonade and wearing our big straw hats. Sigh. But I’m learning season by season to live in this vastly different area. And when I’m not dwelling on what I miss, I am free to focus on all the amazing things I’ve never seen before. Who says a backyard swimming pool is better than endless music festivals, shopping, museums, and the beach anyway?

Magical Moment 85, "A New Song"

I’ve started writing a billion songs. I’ve finished maybe 4 dozen. I’ve recorded maybe 2 dozen. And I like about 6 of them. I’ve been pedaling and polishing those 6 (or so) for what seems like years now. In fact, the last song I wrote that I liked, was “Sparrow” from last summer. I’ve been working so hard on distributing and pushing those songs that I’ve completely lost track of writing some new ones. I have a trunk full of writing material. There are about 5 spiral ring notebooks, tons of loose scratch paper, random napkins, offertory slips, and brochures with chicken scratch all over. Sometimes I go through and read the chicken scratch and think, “Wow, I should really write that song. It might be a good one.” But then I feel like I should finish the ones I’ve already started before I begin a whole new one. Then I think, “Quit driving yourself crazy and just write something!” So that’s the new deal. Buckle down and write something. Slap it together on garage band and wa-la. Eve

Magical Moment 84, "Fly with the Wind"

"Fly with the Wind" by Elizabeth Grimes A small little bird once tried Through strong, gusty winds to guide. Her wings soon ached, tears poured as she wailed. She felt defeat. She thought she failed. "The wind is too strong and I’m too small. What use is there to try at all?" But after a short rest on a limb, She worked up the strength to try it again. This time, she changed her route And the wind helped her to fly about. Far above the clouds and the trees She realized now she could fly with ease. How silly she felt for giving up before When a simple change caused her to soar. Though the wind is hard to fly through, Remember if you let it, it can carry you too.

Magical Moment 83, "Follow the Passion"

I have too many ideas rolling around in my head and not enough time in my life to get them done. Even if I did have time, I wouldn’t know how or where to begin. I’ve got about 4 novels written in my mind, an idea for an awesome sitcom (it would be better than Friends ), I kinda want to start a radio show similar to some of the music talk shows on NPR, me and Eddie want to open a train-themed restaurant, I want to be lead piano for a Broadway play and act in another one, and I also sorta want to go to law school. Now tell me, how do I choose what to do first? Isn’t there anyone else out there whose brains drive them crazy with thought after thought, but whose bodies are hindered by lack of knowledge and know-how? I’ve got books all over my office and bedroom: “Home Recording for Dummies,” “Study Guide for the LSAT,” hard copies of old screen plays and manuscripts to study the format, I’ve moved to New York for crying out loud, to be near more opportunities. So, am I just setting my