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Showing posts from June 11, 2010

Magical Moment 133, "Exceeds the Standard"

Well this one is easy! Today the magical moment was when my wonderful husband, Eddie, graduated his final phase of BNCOC. Though it was not the most difficult training he's been through in the military by a long shot, each unit presents different challenges and he certainly had his share to deal with over the last few weeks. Eddie's personality in uniform is vastly different than when he's at home in shorts and flip flops. He is all business and both obeys and enforces every regulation (with the exception of fraternizing with an officer, HA!). Many of his peers and subordinates find this difficult to deal with. Often these are the ones lacking discipline and pride in what they do, inevitably creating personality conflicts. He often grows weary, feeling as though he's fighting a losing battle of enforcing standards to those who don't seem to care. As we talked by phone the last few weeks, he often said how everyone hates him. They roll their eyes when he makes

Magical Moment 132, "A Squish"

It started one day when my little nephew, Zach, and I were playing trains on the living room floor. I was so overcome by his chubby cheeks and dimples that I had to scoop him up in my arms and give him a big hug. As I squeezed the little blonde butterball, I said, “Squish!” The next day I watched the 1½ year old toddle around Granny’s kitchen, looking for something to entertain him. I went to the toy box. “Come on Zach, let’s play trains.” Trains were old news. He ignored me and suddenly became fascinated with the garbage can lid. “Zach,” I mock-scolded him and put my hands on my hips. “Come over here right now so I can give you a squish.” Suddenly his bored expression broke into a wide, sparse-toothed smile as he let out a nervous giggle. I coaxed him again. He took a few small steps toward me and raised his two arms shoulder level. “You have to come closer for me to squish you.” I persuaded. His anxious laugh came out in spurts now as he tried to hold it in. I planted firmly, forci

Magical Moment 131, "Everyone Likes Pizza"

Okay, so if I could go to the pet store and buy a little baby squirrel, I would have done it a long time ago. Maybe it’s the way my grandpa used to hand feed his backyard squirrels bread crumbs and dried corn cobs on the deck, or maybe it was the little family of them that had babies every spring until the tree was cut down, but I’ve always loved those little critters. Joy loves them too. Loves to chase them. Each morning, when the neighborhood squirrels are at their most active, Joy is chomping at the bit to chase them down and herd them into a corner. Of course she wouldn’t know what to do with one if she ever caught it. My neighbor and I sometimes leave bread for the squirrels, she even named one Harry. Today I saw Harry trotting through the grass to his tree home with not a light slice of bread in his mouth, but an enormous slice of pizza. I’m not sure, but I think it was the leftover Pa Pa Johns that Eddie and I ate last week and just got around to throwing the box in the dumps

Magical moment 130, "Flag Day"

Today I walked aimlessly through the streets of New York City. I had an appointment and the other party forgot, or just stood me up, who knows which. Since the bus fare was recently raised to $8.50 for a round trip into the city, I thought what a waste it would be to just go right back home. I wandered to Macy’s to see if the swimsuit I wanted was on sale yet. Nope. I wandered past Tiffany’s, I don’t know why, it’s just so pretty and sparkly. I sat on a park bench and pulled out my laminated map of the city streets and subways (I never leave home without it), looking for someplace I might want to go. Unfortunately nothing really struck me. So I wandered back to the bus station. I took my time, avoiding the crowded stuffy subways, and walked up town towards Port Authority, when I heard a drum roll from only a few feet away. I turned my head and saw the beginning of a parade, when it suddenly dawned on me...it’s Flag Day! And what luck, I ended up at the very beginning of the procession

Magical Moment 129, "Even the Hard Notes"

Life is full of ups and downs. Weeks, even days have high moments followed by unexpected low ones. And sometimes they occur simultaneously so you’re not sure which one to feel. Happy and thankful for certain things, yet sad and confused by others. A song can’t be written with only one note. A song can’t even remain in one register. It requires use of the whole keyboard, beautiful harmonization, and even ugly clashes. - those usually last only for a second however before they’re resolved. I suppose if you look at life like you look at a musical piece, it all makes sense in the end. I look at a sheet of music and am terrified and intimidated by its complexities. I wonder how I will ever work through the 16 th notes, precise rhythms, and unusual key. But I always get through it the same way, one note at a time, one measure at a time, one page at a time. There are sections I don’t understand, that confuse, anger, and frustrate me, and those take longer to work through. The composer sure

Magical Moment 128, "Back Stage"

Last night, I drove over the George Washington Bridge, sipping hot water and warming up my voice with vocal exercises learned from high school choir class. I was on my way to Clark Theatre at Lincoln Center in Manhattan to perform in a benefit concert for the World Mission Foundation . It’s been a while since I’ve performed on a stage in front of an audience. Parties, restaurants, and bars are a completely different venue. People are having conversations with one another and are generally occupied with something other than giving their full attention to the musician providing background music. I am free to make mistakes, forget lyrics, and play wrong chords in those instances. But not for a performance. A stage requires perfection. A mistake is seen by hundreds of eyes. In my incessant over preparation, my voice became hoarse the morning of, leaving me to exhaust every home-remedy for sore throat relief I could imagine. When I arrived at the theatre, I was first shown to the dressin

Magical moment 127, "A Peace of My Heart"

I’ve written songs, blogs, and more about my anxiousness and worry. I suppose some people are just more inclined to be constantly restless and apprehensive. I don’t know if I’ll ever get past it completely. Yesterday, it stormed all day long. I was out running errands around town in the pouring rain. It’s frustrating because I don’t get my morning run in, and Joy with her boundless puppy energy is cooped up in the house all day, running laps around the dining room table and torturing the cat. Sometime in the afternoon, the gray, dim light that poured in through the living room window mini blinds, turned into a warm, bright yellow. I peeked out and discovered the beauty of a perfect summer afternoon. Joy and I rushed outside and played fetch until she was exhausted, which only took a few minutes. She tore up and down the grass, chasing birds and barking in such a frenzy, she tired herself out in no time. It was a good thing too because as we walked towards the front door, I felt sprinkl