"Ripple in still water..." (Grateful Dead - American Beauty)

I bought American Beauty a few weeks ago. Because I had heard it was so amazing, I wanted to wait for a special time where I could listen to it without interruptions. Then, during my vacation, I watched Magic Trip, which only made me more curious about the Dead. (Also, I learned about Acid Tests, Ken Kesey, the insanity of Neal Cassidy's ups, and that my longing for a time machine back to the 60's is still alive and strong.)

Saturday night, I finally made the time and mental space for American Beauty. I was up late, working on my family tree; my house was dark and quiet, so I turned it out and turned it up. It was emotionally beautiful and serenely melodic. I was instantly in love.

Specifically, I am in love with Ripple. There is something about this song that gets into my head, mellows me out, and reminds me to be Pooh (A Walking Meditation). I want to sway to the music, close my eyes, and smile. I wish that I could bottle the warm and peaceful feeling that it puts in my heart and share it with others. Suddenly, I feel like I'm really starting to understand the Dead Heads. 

I don't normally include full lyrics, but this one is far too beautiful to not share.

Ripple

If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung,
Would you hear my voice come thru the music,
Would you hold it near as it were your own?

It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken,
Perhaps they're better left unsung.
I don't know, don't really care
Let there be songs to fill the air.

Ripple in still water,
When there is no pebble tossed,
Nor wind to blow.

Reach out your hand if your cup be empty,
If your cup is full may it be again,
Let it be known there is a fountain,
That was not made by the hands of men.

There is a road, no simple highway,
Between the dawn and the dark of night,
And if you go no one may follow,
That path is for your steps alone.

Ripple in still water,
When there is no pebble tossed,
Nor wind to blow.

You who choose to lead must follow
But if you fall you fall alone,
If you should stand then whos to guide you?
If I knew the way I would take you home.

Ringo Starr

Part of my love of the Beatles is rooted in the countless hours that I spent watched A Hard Day’s Night and Help!. There was one week where I watched Help! around 20 times in a row (yikes... my poor parents!). In both movies, the main story line is focused on Ringo, which has always endeared him to me. He is always sort of bubbling, adorable, and sweet.

Last Sunday, I saw him perform with his 13th All-Starr band at Ruth Eckerd Hall. It was my fourth time seeing him, and as always the concert was consistently entertaining and kind of amazing (See my previous post: With a Little Help From His Friends). Ringo is a great ringleader and does an amazing job of performing and amply sharing the spotlight with a great collection of musicians. This year’s musicians included: Steve Lukather (Toto), Gregg Rolie (Journey, Santana), Richard Page (Mr. Mister), Todd Rundgren, Mark Rivera, and Gregg Bissonette.

As always, it was a fantastic night and I had my moment when I realized that there before me was Ringo Starr, very similar to those movies that I always loved. So, because it always makes me laugh, here are a a couple of fun Ringo moments from The Beatles movies.

Finding Some Inspiration...

I am feeling quite inspired lately. I’ve had some amazing experiences (Discovery Cove and Busch Gardens), watched a fantastic movie (Cameron Crowe’s We Bought A Zoo), read a great book (We Bought a Zoo - Benjamin Mee), and listened to one of my favorite songs on constant repeat (Simon & Garfunkel’s At The Zoo - also see Songs for Planning My Escape and From a Sad Cafe). Are you sensing a pattern yet?

            

I have always loved animals, so going to the zoo gives me a magical, childlike feeling. It is one of my favorite places to be. I just bought a season pass to the Lowry Park Zoo, but the crazy tropical storm has kept me away.

With my new camera and the places I’ve been in the last few months, I’ve captured some amazing photographs of the animals. When I take photos, I love to paint my favorites. In a photo, I can capture a moment and a feeling, but when I paint, I like to mess with the colors and the perspective. I started with an elephant, and then a flamingo, and I’ve just kept going from there. I’m obsessed with the birds, but I have crazy, fun ideas for the big cats.

I recognize that there is something special about my own story in all of this. It is a piece of my childhood that I still love so much. It has ignited a story in my head.

So, with my inspiration, I’m working on two of my bucket list items to write and illustrate a children’s book. It's not to sell, or morph into someone else's idea of what it should be, it is a project that has come together in a fantastic way that makes me feel excited in the most amazing way.

I am still in the initial stages, but I thought that I would share two of my first paintings:

Sixteen Candles, Part Deux

Tomorrow, I will be 32. I like to think of it as 16x2. Probably, I should feel grown up and responsible, which I do when I have to pay bills or make huge life decisions, but mostly, I still feel about 16. I still love loud, fun music to distract me. I fall in love at every concert. I daydream through bad days. I make faces at mean people behind their backs, and I have a love of candy that will never die.

I don't remember the details of my 16th birthday... or most of my birthdays for the matter. It might have been the year where I was obsessed with the Wedding Singer and saw it like five times at the theater. I'm sure that everyone was tired of me laughing at the microphone line, but everyone was too nice to complain or I was too amused to care. The movie still kills me.

What I do remember as a whole for all of my birthdays is that my family and friends have always made my  day feel so special and wonderful for me. It is about being remembered and acknowledged. So, even if I'm starting to feel a bit old, I don't ever want to be one of those people who shun birthdays. I like celebrating. I love cake. Balloons are fun. Beers are good. And I might dig a bit of the attention a bit too.

In honor of my birthday, I'm watching Sixteen Candles. Ahh, the magic of Jake Ryan... the most perfect birthday present any girl could ever ask for. John Hughes so got us.

Anyway, if you're looking for a birthday present for me, I'd really enjoy taking Molly Ringwald's place  in the following clip (apparently, you can only find the it in Spanish on YouTube, but you get it!). Oh, swoon.

30 Day Drawing Challenge: Days 3 - 10

I'm 10 days into this challenge and having to pull from the creativity pool on a daily basis isn't always that easy. A couple of days, I really hated the prompts. One day, I just didn't feel like it. The good part is that I'm sticking with it. There is a great sense of pride in being able to flip through my journal and see the progress. While most of the drawings/paintings aren’t very beautiful, there is something beautiful about the sustained effort.

Day 3: Favorite Food


Avocados have been my favorite food for a really long time. Growing up, a special treat in my household was avocado slices and tomatoes with salt and pepper. It is still one of my favorite treats.

Day 4: Favorite Place


I have lots of favorite places, but one of the most interesting is Central Park. It is magical and fun. While walking in it, you can get lost and see celebrities, castles, and a whole slew of other things you would never imagine in New York City.

I drew this sketch from a photograph back in April of last year. I've always been very fond of it.

So, I painted it. It reminds me of  Holden Caulfield. Whenever, I'm in NYC, I think of Holden and the ducks. I love playing out that idea of adventure. However, I do try to skip that whole committed part at the end.

Day 5: Best Friend


I have a great family that I love and friends that I care about, but I don't really have a best friend. So, I decided to cheat and say the thing that is always there for me. This is pretty much the ugliest, most ridiculous portrayal of  music ever, but I'm posting it anyway. This would be my failure day. I tried to recreate the way that my vinyl looks on the shelves in the background. I sorta wish that I had just skipped everything else. *Shame*

Day 6:  Favorite Book Character (Can't be a movie)


This day was fun. I dug into the box of my books and came up with a few of my favorites.

Max from Where the Wild Things Are - I always read and enjoyed Maurice Sendak's books growing up. In college, I saw an art exhibit of his work and have been a true fan ever since.

There's No Such Thing as a Dragon was always one of my favorite books. Thanks to books, I want a pet monkey, a dragon, a trip to Hogwarts, and the title of Queen of All Wild Things.

Day 7: Favorite Word

I'm not sure that this is my favorite word, but it is my favorite Pulp song. Same difference really.

Day 8: Favorite Animated Character


Naaaaaaaarf. Hands down, Pinky is my favorite animated character. His laugh still doubles me over with the giggles.

Day 9: Favorite TV Show


Once Upon a Time isn't really my favorite TV show (It has been Buffy The Vampire Slayer since the first second I saw it in 1997), but I really enjoyed watching it over the weekend and was pretty (*spoiler alert*) heartbroken when they killed The Huntsman. So, I played around with a photo of him.

Day 10: Favorite Candy


I have had some serious Smarties induced sugar highs in my life. It is goooood.

A New Year, Pickin', Joey Jeremiah, and Hulu

Welcome to 2012! I would love to be able to write that I used my vacation time doing something wonderful and life changing, but that really didn't happen. After the year that I've had, I was more than happy to kick back into some serious nada. I hung out with my family, contemplated buying a condo or a house (decided against it), played games on my iPad, shopped, and spent far too many hours watching television.

I  addicted to American Pickers. I love the idea of a show where you get to nosy around in other people's piles of junk. In high school, I would help my friends organize their rooms because I loved to organize anything. Honestly, I think it was also because I was nosy. I also love the idea of repurposing things.  Ironically, I immediately followed up my little marathon by going out and buying some new stuff. Yeah, me.


I have been waxing on for months about how I'm going to cancel my cable after the first of the year. I live in a neighborhood that is limited to one provider and my bill for basic is $100+ a month. It is expensive and since I got it, I've spent far too much time in front of the television.  I feel guilty if I don't watch everything that I dvr'd. So, over my break, I tried Hulu Plus.


Thanks to Hulu, I got completed obsessed with watching vintage Degrassi (amazingly awesome Canadian mellow drama about the trials of adolescence). I loved this show growing up. I would scour PBS every Sunday afternoon to catch episodes and swoon over Joey Jeremiah and giggle at their super-duper Canadian accents. It's been a fun watch.

I'm on the fence about Hulu Plus. I’m so used to Netflix and my DVR that the commercials feel excessive to me. I wish they had a more expensive option where you didn’t have to see them.

It makes me laugh at how the commercials are so inappropriately paired. During Degrassi, I saw ads for Invisalign Teen (that girl needs to be kicked for being a nasty snot), beer (Stella Artois and Budlight pitbull guy that makes me want to vomit), Pepto (to help deal with that awful Budlight pitbull guy), and home pregnancy tests. Just add a commercial about the best place for the under 16 set to get their boob jobs done and it is just like watching a MTV reality show.

As a side note, my dear Google, your Chrome commercial with the screaming southern girl and the idiot with the green nail polish makes me want to switch back to Internet Explorer.

Anyway, I'm not great at making resolutions. After 11 days off of work and sleeping until noon, I'm going to need all of my vices to make it through the first week back.

2011 Holiday Movie Marathon (My Top Ten Christmas Movies)

Holiday movies and Christmas specials make the holidays for me. Since I was kid, I've always had my favorites that I looked forward to watching on TV. These are the top ten holiday movies that I'm looking forward to for 2011.
 10. Home Alone

John Hughes was a writing genius. In Home Alone, Kevin McAllister accidently gets left home alone when his family goes on Christmas vacation. Granted, the movie has always gotten a bad rap for being unbelievable and a little too cutsie, but all these years later, I find it a fun escape. Plus, I love all the Christmas movies set in Chicago because it reminds me of suburb of Columbus where I grew up and it gives me a lovely sense of nostalgia.

9. Bridget Jones's Diary

This is not exactly a Christmas movie, but it is true that the holiday season tends to make all of us singletons question our previous year of choices. It's a self-reflection that is brought on by all the houses wrapped in Christmas lights. I adore Bridget, and the movie always a great laugh. Plus, I love Hugh Grant as the dirty-talking bad boy.
8.  Home for the Holidays

Again, not exactly a Christmas movie, but it is set in the holiday timeframe (Thanksgiving). I’m not exactly sure where it is set, but it reminds me of home and my family. Imperfect, quirky, but still loving. RDJ (that’s Robert Downey Jr.) rocks my world in this movie, and I’m pretty sure that the turkey on the lap scene gets more funny every time I watch it.

7. Love Actually

The first time I saw this movie was Christmas 2003 with my Mom and sister Anissa, so anytime I watch it, I think of that day. It was a fun girls day, and this is a fun girls movie. It’s sweet, sappy, and sometimes completely bizarre. My favorite of the stories are the Prime Minister, Jamie writing in France, and the little drummer boy in love.


6. The Ref

Christmas and Denis Leary go together remarkably well. This one is about a couple of robbers taking a totally dysfunctional family hostage. It turns into some of the funniest dialog that I’ve heard in ages. It’s Kevin Spacey at his best, spouting off angry, snarky one-liners.

5. The Holiday

This is another chick flick, but it is a holiday essentials for me. I want Kate Winslet’s cottage on the snowy English countryside, and I totally support Jack Black as a sweet, leading man. Go figure. The movie makes you love the characters so much that you feel like you grow with them in the process. I can always dig that.

4. Scrooged

When I was a kid, I rented VHS tapes from Pharmor, and I would rent Scrooged over and over and over again. It didn’t matter that it was for Christmas because this movie is amazing and funny. Bill Murray is genius as Scrooge. I love the New York setting, and the awesome casting of the ghosts. Of all of the versions of A Christmas Carol, this one is definitely my favorite.


3. Elf

This movie is totally my oddball, weirdo sense of humor. Will Ferrell plays Elf so straight that it just makes every scene a pure classic to me. It’s crazy silly and just pure fun to watch, so it always takes a prominent place on my must watch list.


2. A Christmas Story

I had a hard time picking the number one spot because I love this movie so much. It was filmed in my home state of Ohio and reminds me of everything amazing about being a kid at Christmastime. TBS has done all of us a wonderful favor with 24 Hours of A Christmas Story. It is lovely to turn on the TV at any point of the day and just know that I can see one of the fabulous scenes from this movie. It’s hard to watch this movie and not be filled with all of the wonder and awesomeness of Christmas.
1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

I have loved this movie so consistently for so long that it had to be my number one pick. It is yet another of the John Hughes classics that remind me of Ohio and the silliness and love of my family. Chevy Chase is perfect – both hysterical and endearing. I love the family and want to spend time with them. It’s a disaster Christmas, but it’s also a loveable, fun disaster. Mostly, I would love to go sledding with them.

Documentaries, Just What the Doctor Ordered

I wasn't feeling great earlier this week, so I called out of work, snuggled into bed, and between naps watched a slew of documentaries on Netflix. Here's a rundown in case you're looking for some doc-u-tv.

Stephen Fry in America

Out of everything I watched, this was definitely my favorite. Too often, I forget just how many cool things are available to us, how diverse we are, and the amazing range of landscapes that are available to us in the United States. For some reason, I am now obsessed with visiting Montana. The mountains, the lakes, and just vast expanses of quiet land are my idea of a heaven. However, if I had to bundle up every day because its freezing cold, couldn’t get great internet access, and didn’t have a Starbucks on every corner, I’m not sure how long I could take it. Oregon and Seattle also looked absolutely amazing. I love the idea of mountains and rocky, chilly shorelines. Anyway, Fry successfully renewed my interest in the US and it was just a fun series to watch.


When You're Strange

This was an interesting look at The Doors. The movie is all real footage of the band and overdubbed with commentary by Johnny Depp (even his voice is swoony). I thought that Jim Morrison came across as both grandiose and completely insecure. It seemed like he wanted to get away and have a different life, yet he was so drawn into the limelight that he couldn’t let go. It obviously had a sad ending and it left me with a lot of lingering questions. I would love to be able to sit down and have a chat with Ray Manzarek.


Kurt & Courtney

Speaking of sad endings, this movie was just depressing (and the fact that it started with that horrible photo of him dead on the floor in the greenhouse gave me nightmares). I don’t know what I believe about all of the conspiracy theories, but I didn’t feel like the film did anything to make me teeter one way or the other. It just felt horrible listening to all of the sordid details. I really want to find a doc that says something more about the person that Cobain was and less about the aftermath.


Black White + Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff + Robert Mapplethorpe

Earlier this year, I read Just Kids , which is Patti Smith's autobiography about her time in NYC with Robert Mapplethorpe. This movie covers the time period after that and is mostly about Mapplethorpe’s benefactor and lover Sam Wagstaff. He was an immensely interesting person and has been credited for the acceptance of photography as an art form. His immense photography collection was used throughout the film. It is true that what someone collects tells you a great deal about the person. It was also interesting to see how he was able to constantly reinvented himself.