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Showing posts from September 21, 2010

Magical Moment 235, "The Bird in the Rain"

My little friend lives just outside. She chirps and sings and flies with pride Today I watch her only through glass. I’ll stay inside till the rain has passed. The dark gray clouds have darkened my mood. The wet showers have dampened me too. But the rain won’t keep her hidden away. A puddle is the perfect spot to play. A few little drops won’t stifle her song. Soon the others start to sing along. A dripping wet wing is no nuisance to her, Instead she basks in a refreshing shower. Ok my friend, you’ve lured me out. I’ll save another day to pout. So clearly you show me, so plainly you say, “Rain’s no excuse to waste the day.” *Painting by Dot Small

Magical Moment 234, "The Impossible Peanut, I Mean Dream"

I listened to a radio interview of author Sonny Brewer on NPR the other day. I’d never heard of him before, but what particularly caught my attention was his new project called Don’t Quit Your Day Job , a compilation of 23 authors sharing their work experience prior to their writing success. Coincidently, I myself recently googled, “how to write a novel,” thinking that maybe someday soon, I would write my novel idea that's been in my head for about 4 years now. There is wrinkled, used scratch paper in my desk, scribbled on napkins in my purse, and Word documents on my computer with random fragments for a half concocted novel. Every time I seriously consider beginning the writing process, I feel overwhelmed and totally lost as to how to go about it. After all, the publishing world is about as challenging and confusing as the music industry. One impossible thing at a time please. I did hear a piece of advise in the interview however, that I’ll hang on to and use on days like tod

Magical Moment 233, "Teddy Bear Food"

There is a commercial on TV (I think it's for Target) that shows a woman cooking pancakes in the shape of a teddy bear. I saw it the other day and randomly said to Eddie, "I want a teddy bear pana-cake (I still haven't outgrown the habit of pronouncing it pana-cake)." He replied, "Just to clarify, do you want a teddy bear pana -cake, or a teddy bear piano cake?" After a moment of contemplation, I jokingly decided, "Both." To my surprise and delight, the next morning Eddie was in the kitchen creating a masterpiece breakfast of teddy bear pancakes, complete with strawberry eyes and chocolate chip buttons. They were as adorable as they were delicious. Today, after a long day of work, I came home to heavenly sweet scent. Eddie was baking. When the egg timer dinged, he stayed in the kitchen with his creation until finally he called me in to unveil it. It was a teddy bear cake. I mean, an actual 3-D bear covered in frosting. He apologized that the

Magical Moment 232, "I Don't Really Know Any Beethoven"

When Eddie and I lived in North Carolina, we discovered Friday night jazz at Cypress Bend Vineyards , a picturesque vineyard in the green farmlands of Wagram, NC. Every other Friday evening, they set up a quaint tent by the patio, complete with a stage, dance floor, and intimate five-piece band that performed jazz standards while guests enjoyed music, food, and wine. We went the first time at the referral of my former Army supervisor, the same one who encouraged me to audition for the Army Soldier Show. It turned out that he and the owner of the vineyard were old friends. I was happy to see that upon our first visit to jazz night, my former supervisor was there as well, and I secretly hoped that he would talk the owner into letting me play a few songs at some point during the night. My wish came true when the owner and lead singer had a short, private conversation, then approached me and asked if I’d like to play during their 10-minute break between sets. I happily agreed, as I usua

Magical Moment 231, "The Drums!"

Whew! Today was the first official day of recording for my EP with Modern Vintage Recordings . After much blood, sweat, and tears, we chose 8 of my songs to track, although 3 of them may still be eliminated. Previously, we recorded very simple guides with only my voice and piano. The musicians use this as a base to record with so they have the feel for the tempo, style, and length of the song. The first instrument we recorded was drums. Doug Yowell , who has played with Suzane Vega and Duncan Shiek to name a few, was the drummer and he was AMAZING. He recorded 8 tracks in about 4 hours and contributed greatly to the project with his spontaneity and creativity. It's mind boggling to think that he was able to construct such a driving, detailed, and passionate drum arrangement with only an obnoxious click track and rough melody of my scratchy, out of tune voice. It's clear that drums are the backbone and framework for any piece of music and I'm proud to have him play on my E

Magical Moment 230, "Over the Rainbow"

This is one of the four pianos outside Lincoln Center that was set up by Sing For Hope in their  Play Me, I'm Yours project. This was the first time I had ever been to Lincoln center, and look at that, it was to play a piano! I've been back one time since, and that was for an actual performance in a theatre for a World Mission Foundation fundraiser. Enjoy the video! To see more photos from the Play Me, I'm Yours project, click here . To see videos, click here .

Magical Moment 229, "Syke"

On my second day at my new job as a pianist for a ballet school and company , I found myself struggling through the combinations. I thought that certainly after some practice, the job would become easier, but I suddenly found myself over thinking the counts, struggling with intros, and having trouble “squaring off the piece.” I was worried the instructor was getting frustrated at the disruptions. Even worse, the owner of the company, made visits in and out of the class room and I was certain she noticed my fumbles. The mirrored room reflected my image like a string of paper dolls. Every missed count echoed against the walls. Every mistake was magnified by a hundred. When the night was over, the owner very seriously pulled me aside and asked, “Can you stay a bit after?” I nervously replied that I could and she motioned for me to walk back to her office. As I sat there waiting for her to enter, I actually texted Eddie, “I think I’m about to get fired.” I silently prepared my plea for