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Showing posts from October 9, 2010

Magical Moment 253, "Autograph Let Down"

My best friend Deb recently came to visit me in NYC. We had blast shopping and visiting all the sights of the city . Before she made the trip, she explained to her sister-in-law, Melissa, just why on earth I'm living out here in the first place. I have no idea what she said, but she must have made it sound pretty good because her sister-in-law's only request was that Deb return to Nebraska with a postcard for her, signed by me. Deb handed me a blank post card and a pen, explaining why it needed my signature. Something about how I was gonna be a huge music success and my signature would be worth thousands someday. Rolling my eyes and giggling, I grudgingly took the pen and thought about how to sign it for my dedicated "fan." Her sister-in-law may have felt slightly let down when she finally read what I wrote, " Melissa, don't get your hopes up.  -Elizabeth Grimes "

Magical Moment 252, "A Husker and a Friend at People's Lounge"

Last night I performed a 30-minute set at People Kitchen and Lounge in New York City’s Lower East Side. I agreed to the performance very last minute and quickly invited all the people I knew who might be able to make it. I arrived at the intimate, trendy lounge to find absolutely no one I knew had come. Even Eddie was unable to make it on time. As I prepared to begin, I couldn’t help feeling a bit down about it. I looked around at the strangers' faces who were relatively uninterested, and only there to see the performer after me. Just as the manager gave me the nod to begin, I saw someone arrive out of the corner of my eye. It was a friend and fellow pianist I had met when we did a performance months ago. We remained in touch and go to open mic nights whenever possible. And as coincidence would have it, he is also from Nebraska!!! I ran to the door, hugged him in his bright red Husker jacket, and told him how glad I was that he came. And I really was. It gave me a boost of conf

Magical Moment 251, "Girl Traps Herself in Bedroom"

Since everyone seems to enjoy stories where I make a  fool out of myself , I thought of another one to share: This was years ago when I lived in an apartment in El Paso for my Army Air Defense Artillery Officer Basic Course. Back then, I lived, ate, and dreamt Army. It was my number one priority and I dedicated every fiber of my being to becoming the best officer possible, at any cost. I was never late or out of uniform, and I studied like a mad woman for the challenging written and practical tests. One night, asleep in my bedroom, I woke up to use the bathroom. I got out of bed and walked my closed bedroom door only to find that I could not open it. I thought maybe I had accidently locked it, but when I looked at the door knob, I discovered, there was no lock at all . Since it was a matter of being stuck, I jiggled the knob every which way possible, while pulling and yanking with all my might. Nothing. Now I actually started to panic a little. I lived alone and had just moved to the

Magical Moment 250, "A Backwards Writer"

I recently applied for a writing internship at a prestigious New York City magazine who caters to “affluent” clients. To prepare for the interview, I fixed up my resume, printed out writing samples, and spent a half hour deciding what to wear. After trying on a dozen outfits, I noticed the time. I had about 4 minutes to get to the corner bus stop in order to catch my ride and arrive on time. So in a blind frenzy, I threw on my faithful, easy to wear dress that always looks good no matter what, grabbed my purse, and made a dash for the bus stop. After the typical New York City adventure of subways, street signs, and traffic, I finally arrived at the upscale, streamlined office. I was asked to take a seat in the waiting area and breathed a sigh of relief at conquering the chaotic morning. As I waited to be called in, I felt something itch my collar bone. Absent mindedly, I rubbed it when I realized what it was. The tag. Yep, the dress was on backwards. Again, my old friends, panic and

Magical Moment 249, "When You Wish upon a Star"

In honor of yesterday's post , I thought I would keep the theme going with this video shot at Prospect Park in Brooklyn near the carousel. I thought it was an appropriate song to play with the children near by because I just love the message in it. I've noticed something in the little girls from ballet class who put their heart and soul into dancing because it's their dream . I love this lyric from the song: "If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme. When you wish upon a star as dreamers do." To see photos from the Play Me, I'm Yours project, click here . To see more videos, click here .

Magical Moment 248, "I Wish I May, I Wish I Might"

Days like this only come around once every 400 years. It’s 10/10/10 in case you haven’t noticed. I realized it this morning at about 9:43 when I said to Eddie, “Tell me when it’s 10:10 am exactly so I can make a wish.” Well, he told me at 10:13. My heart sank at the thought of losing my once in a lifetime shot, until it struck me. I get another chance tonight! This time I set my alarm. I’m not superstitious, but I’ve thrown my share of pennies into fountains. I bought Eddie a cute little glucken schwein (good luck pig), which he carries in his wallet. And ever since I was little, I’ve had a hang up with stepping only one foot inside each sidewalk square at a time – but I think that’s a little more OCD than superstition (I used to pretend each square was a button that lit up when I stepped on it). Well, that was a little more crazy than I intended on revealing. But anyway. I’ve spent the day pondering what to make my one wish in 400 hundred years, wanting to get it just right. I soo

Magical Moment 247, "Waffles and Cousins"

Me and Stacy It's not often that I have the chance to take my own advice almost immediately after I give it. Yesterday, I wrote about working at relationships though they may be weakened for whatever reason - distance, disagreement, anger, or just lost touch. And today, I was able to meet up with a cousin after more than probably a decade. There was only a small window of time she was available, and we both had to give a little to make it happen. I'm so glad it worked out. Driving out of the city after our impromptu breakfast at a mid-town diner, I felt like we had reinforced a dwindling piece of thread with a thick rope. The great significance of a small effort can last for years. I hope I take my advice more often.