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Showing posts from July 21, 2010

Magical Moment 173, "St Louis Blues"

This is one of my "safe songs." When I'm at a piano, deer in the headlights, eyes watching, and ears listening, there are always a few songs I can turn to to feel safe and confident. Safe songs include, among many others, "Crazy" by Patsy Cline, "Fly Me to the Moon" by Sinatra, and "Summertime" by Gershwin. St Louis Blues is one of them as well. I can play it with my eyes shut and it always sounds good. The amazing Mr Capps showed me how to play this kind of boogie-woogie and I'll be forever grateful to him. One of the best compliments I ever got from a stranger after I played this song was, "You could play that in New Orleans." So here it is, like warm milk before bedtime, a broke in pair of jeans, or a phone conversation with an old friend. One of my favorites, St Louis Blues.

Magical Moment 172, "My Little Nerd"

Today at the dog park, I discovered that Joy does not play well with others. She’s not aggressive, mean, standoffish, or even shy. She’s downright terrified of other dogs. When we put her in the “small dog” pen, she was the largest of all the chihuahuas, terriers, and poodles, yet she darted in fear if one of them came too close. We tried to show her it was okay, playing with the other dogs and coaxing her to fetch the tennis ball. But as I watched her interact with the other dogs who were playfully wrestling and chasing each other, I felt like I was looking in on an awkward child trying to fit in at recess. Eventually, she worked up some nerve to follow the other dogs as they ran from one end of the fence to the other, but as soon as they noticed her, she backed off and walked away. The funny thing is, she melts in sheer happiness and trust when a complete stranger offers to pet her belly, basking in the interaction. We decided to leave the dog park after watching of our little adole

Magical Moment 171, "Blue Haven"

It’s raining the kind of rain that makes you feel trapped and casts a dreary shadow on everything. It’s the kind of rain that makes Joy and the apartment smell like a wet dog when she’s only been outside for a minute. It’s the kind that makes the neighborhood weirdo seem all the more creepy because he’s standing outside in it, watching people scurry about. It’s the kind that conjures up unpredictable wind and tosses branches and debris all over the unsuspecting sidewalk and streets. Inevitably, sirens follow to aid victims caught in the storm. It’s the kind of rain that makes me fumble through the front closet in search of the one illusive flashlight among cardboard boxes and forgotten junk, in case the lights go out. It’s the kind of rain that traps me inside, like a prisoner. And though the rain continues, and will through tomorrow, we’re safe inside a fortress made of wood and plaster. The thin glass windows that separate us from the torrential storm suddenly seem six feet thick an

Magical Moment 170, "Taylor"

Yesterday, I discovered that Michaels Arts and Crafts is one of the coolest stores ever. We stopped by so Eddie could pick up some paint supplies and wound up shopping for hours. I walked up and down each aisle grabbing at random items thinking, I should learn to knit or Ethan would love that train puzzle!  I made a mental list of to-do projects, including but not limited to: make my own jewelry, learn basic wood-working skills, and hand-craft my own decorative holiday wreathes. To make matters worse, they were having a major clearance sale and I decided to go ahead and start my Christmas shopping. As I made my way through the store, working my way from hand-carrying a few items, to using a store basket, to exchanging that for a cart, I thought about the things that can spark a child’s creativity (and a grown adult’s too apparently). I felt something under my foot as I took a step forward and realized it was a stray children’s book. When I bent down to pick it up and put it back in

Magical Moment 169, "Summer Slum"

So, I’ve been going through the “summer slum.” That’s when everyone is on vacation and busy with other things, so they don’t need to hire a musician for holiday parties or elementary school programs (which happens to make up 90% of my paying gigs). I’ve been searching craigslist under the “talent” category for something that says, “Piano Player Needed for Beach Party” or “Major Record Label Ready to Sign the First Person to Respond to this Add Who Has Green Eyes.” So far, I’ve had zero luck. But that hasn’t stopped me from my nearly neurotic diligence in finding work. While most people these days are addicted to social media – facebook, myspace, and twitter – I seem to be addicted to the online want-ads (okay okay, Scrabble games on facebook too). I mean, you should see the job ads I have to sift through. These are NOT made up (keep in mind this is New York City)… -Nail Model -Young Japanese Girl for Commercial - Seeking Fit Female for Fun & Sexy picture - cleavage needed -Wome

Magical Moment 168, "A Little Sweat"

This morning I sat on the couch, drinking coffee and debating for an hour whether or not to go for a run. I had fallen out of my routine after vacation a few weeks ago and dreaded the thought of conditioning myself back into shape. It was 8 am, and already insanely hot outside. Usually when that happens, I console myself by saying that I’ll wake up earlier the next morning to get a good run in. It’s been nearly an entire year since I got out of the Army and to me, it’s a small accomplishment that I’ve been able to keep up running on my own for so long. Despite my absolute disdain for anything athletic, I really enjoy the benefits and peace of mind that I get from running. As difficult as it is to put my tennis shoes on in the morning and fight the weather, whatever time of year it may be, I know that I’ll feel better for the rest of the day if I force myself to do it. And Joy will be much better behaved if she gets her run in too. She’s gotten in the habit of running frenzied circle

Magical Moment 167, "Claire De Lune"

This is a video of me playing one of only two classical songs that I know. I forced myself to learn Claire De Lune for a wedding a few years ago and have struggled to retain it in my repertoire ever since. However, the most entertain part of this video is the "fan" towards the end of the song. Sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches. This was at Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Enjoy. More photos from Sing for Hope 's Play Me, I'm Yours Project, click here . To see videos, click here .