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 |    "A full order of strange things with a hint of Cinnamon." ~pashawilder |
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** The first blog that I've ever managed to keep for more than 4 entries. Blogging and/or journaling does not come naturally to me, so this blog is a work in progress. I'm still finding my style. Note that the rating here is 18+. Sometimes, my entries are kid-friendly, but that is not always the case. As it turns out, I have written many blog entries talking about one of my biggest inspirations... Phil Ochs. I thought that I might as well list them here so that I wont have to dig them up for people when I, inevitably, tell them all about some Ochs song or another. Now, I can simply point them here.  How I first found Phil: "Invalid Entry"  General Phil obsession: "Invalid Entry" Includes "The Bells" (E. A. Poe) & "Changes" "When in Rome" -- "Invalid Entry" "Joe Hill" -- "Invalid Entry" "One Way Ticket Home" -- "Invalid Entry" "Basket in the Pool" -- "Invalid Entry" "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" -- "Invalid Entry" "White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land" -- "Invalid Entry" "No More Songs" -- "Invalid Entry" "Cops of the World" -- "Invalid Entry" "One More Parade" -- "Invalid Entry" "I've Had Her" -- "Invalid Entry" "That's What I Want to Hear" -- "Invalid Entry" "Lenny Doesn't Live Here Anymore" -- "Invalid Entry" "The Harder They Fall" -- "Invalid Entry" "There But for Fortune" -- "Invalid Entry" "Draft Dodger Rag" -- "Invalid Entry" "No Christmas in Kentucky" -- "Invalid Entry" "Song of My Returning" -- "Invalid Entry" "Tape from California" -- "Invalid Entry" "I'm Going to Say It Now" -- "Invalid Entry" "The Sad and Silent Song of a Soldier" -- "Invalid Entry" "Half a Century High" -- "Invalid Entry" "Flower Lady" -- "Invalid Entry" "The War Is Over" -- "Invalid Entry" "I Ain't Marching Anymore" -- "Invalid Entry" "Crucifixion" -- "Invalid Entry" "Pleasures of the Harbor" -- "Invalid Entry" "When I'm Gone" -- "Invalid Entry" "When in Rome" -- "Invalid Entry" -- Truly is my favorite."The Scorpion Departs But Never Returns" -- "Invalid Entry" Proud Blogger for Welcome to My Reality!
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Songs by Deceased and Amazing Artist(s) Brought to You by: ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Marvin Gaye (1939-1984) I love Marvin Gaye. He could have crooned his way into my pants any day of the week. There are many jokes about people handing over their V-cards just because some dude put on a Marvin record. In my experience, that's very true. It's always worked for my husband. Put on a Marvin Gaye record, come dance behind me, and I'm a goner. His voice is so silky it's unbelievable, and I adore music from all eras of his career. This Song This song is amazing. It's one of the awesome Gordon Banks tracks that Marvin Gaye recorded. It is from the same album as the hit "Sexual Healing"... Gaye's last album released while he was alive. Awesome album, and I love the hit single. This particular song though has such a smooth groove (if not a smooth croon). It's tightly crafted. I just adore it. Pretty sure that groove is fitting for some nightly activities as well. Been there a time or two. Favorite Lines To be honest, Marvin Gaye could sing a description of blood and gore, and I'd still want to get naked. I don't care about the lyrics. I love this song.I miss you baby Miss your love And I miss your mind And your body So... I don't care much for the lyric itself. Whatever. I think it is pretty much what Marvin does... he can croon stupid stuff and make it an "Oh hell yeah!" moment. I love the way they sing the chorus... the prominence of "and your body" cracks me up. When I make you mine, I'll be fine Because I miss your body Same here. I think it's funny, and I absolutely LOVE the way they sing it. Like, "Oh, wait... you thought I meant because I love you? Nonono, baby. I miss your body." Psssst... Charlie ~  .  [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] Artist: Marvin Gaye Title: My Love Is Waiting Album: Midnight Love (1982) Full Lyrics I'm coming straight for your love, baby Like a rocket, girl Been so long I'm making plans to get back to you Still I'm wondering what to do Seems so long yeah I'll make it up to you Like a rocket, girl I miss you baby Miss your love And I miss your mind And your body We had so much love Love to give I need to love your body Love your body Here we are In and out of love I hope we're learning to fall in love anew Girl I know, yeah I know your tender lovin' that's why I want you I need you lovin', yeah Need your love And I miss your mind and your body We had so much love Love to give I need to love your body Love your body Seems so long Since you were in my arms I need to rock you And hold you all night long I'm so happy to spend this time with you So very happy that we might start anew Love your soul, baby Love your soul, baby My love is waiting for you I want to love you again I need you again My love I want to love you again I need you again Been so long Making all my plans to get back to you What I'm gonna do? It seems so long, but I'll make it up to you Like an IBM and a rocket, girl When I make you mine, I'll be fine My love is waiting for you ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** A book I've always wanted to read but haven't yet is... There are a number of books that I've always meant to read. Jane Eyre comes to mind, for instance. I will eventually read it though, and many others on my to-read list will get read sometime too. There is one book that I have always wanted to read and may never read, and one book that I assumed I would never read and finally did. So today, in typical style, I'm tweaking the prompt slightly and will discuss the one book that I've always wanted to read and probably never will alongside another book that fell into the same category and that I did, in fact, read. Want To - Never Will There are certain authors that just bother me for one reason or another. Not all styles are palettable, no matter how well-respected and beloved a writer may be. Theodore Sturgeon, Stephen King... there are plenty of these writers who are just not tolerable for me. Sadly, Frank Herbert is one of them. I have always wanted to read Dune by Frank Herbert. It is a classic, and I tend to read many scifi classics. I own the book, and I have tried to read it a number of times. It is just not readable for me. I am not a fan of overly-descriptive writing. Sometimes, you can say "forest" without describing every single leaf there-in. Herbert's descriptions are mind-numbingly boring for me. I read and love a book written by his son: Race for God by Brian Herbert. It was excellent and fun. I loved it. I have also attempted to read other Frank Herbert novels. For example, The Dosadi Experiment is my type of novel... I love the idea and know that I would like the story. Sadly, I just cannot get past Frank Herbert's obnoxious writing style. Never Would - But Did I do cling to the hope that one day, I will somehow read Dune, as I know I would love it. There is another book that was on the same shelf for me: The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. For anyone who has read this book, you will know immediately what the problem is. In this novel, Heinlein uses Luna speak. They use odd words and omit articles and "unimportant" words. Instead of saying, "I think I need to go to the store tonight", they might say something like "Think go store tonight" or something like that. It drove me absolutely crazy! I began reading the book and put it back on the shelf at least 20 times before I made it through the first chapter. It just took time to adjust to the obnoxious lack of articles. After a while, I nearly forgot their absence. It took 2 or 3 chapters to stop annoying me, but the plot was interesting enough to keep me going until that point. I also think that the dull intro was a contributing factor for my read-a-page, put-it-back cycle with the book. I felt like I was reading a lecture written by a little kid or mentally disabled person. Boring content and atrocious language. That said, I did come to like the book. The first time I made it through a few pages, I finished the novel. It is not my favorite Heinlein novel (I've read maybe 20 or so), but it was a good read once I got past the initial annoyance. There were some awesome bits and quotable material in the book as well. Here are two quick excerpts: Do this. Don't do that. Stay back in line. Where's tax receipt? Fill out form. Let's see license. Submit six copies. Exit only. No left turn. No right turn. Queue up and pay fine. Take back and get stamped. Drop dead — but first get permit. AND It may not be possible to do away with government — sometimes I think that government is an inescapable disease of human beings. But it may be possible to keep it small and starved and inoffensive — and can you think of a better way than by requiring the governors themselves to pay the costs of their antisocial hobby? These, and many other bits and pieces of the novel, greatly amuse me. There are many others as well. And to think... I would have missed out on a fun story with amusing and highly quotable bits if I had not been able to get past those omitted articles. Tsk. Who's to Say? I never thought that I would finish (or fully start) reading The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, but I did. I do not think that I will ever get past the intolerable boredom-factor created by Herbert's writing style either. Perhaps there is still hope though. Maybe one day, I will be so bored that having anything at all to do will be magical. Maybe sometime, I will open Dune and have no idea why I ever hated the writing style. I wouldn't bet on it, but anything is possible. |
If you could have an hour of conversation with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you talk about? This is a writing site, so I try to relate my posts to writing whenever applicable. In this case, the answers would be the same no matter where I was. Two people came instantly to mind for me, both of whom are amazing writers and personal favorites:  Phil Ochs and Alfred Bester. For the purposes of this post (and many more to come, I'm sure), I will focus on Ochs and Ochs alone!50 Phil Ochs Fans Can't Be Wrong I was first introduced to Phil Ochs by my high school creative writing teacher during a lesson titled: "Are lyrics poetry? Are poems lyrics?" We each brought lyrics with us that we considered to be poetry. Mine, in case anyone is curious, was "I Do Not Want This" by Nine Inch Nails. The teacher brought in three pieces: "I Ain't Marching Anymore" and "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" and "Tape from California" by Phil Ochs. And so, my love affair was born. Any close friend of mine has heard more Ochs than they would probably care to hear. Lyrics, songs, and biographical information... if you chat with me enough, you're bound to hear them all. I particularly feel for Riot , who has sat through hours, (literally hours and hours!) of Phil readings and jabber. I did manage to turn one WDC writer onto Ochs, which makes me super happy (Wilder  , tell me what you think of "Changes"). I must say that Phil is also the only writer who I have ever purposefully tried to imitate: "Invalid Item" Needless to say, I would do anything for the chance to talk to Phil Ochs, particularly before his mental illness took over. Hey, if we can resurrect the dead for this topic, why not go all out? Our discussion would probably consist of equal parts current politics and gushing fan-girl babbling, if I'm honest. As long as we are having a fantastical hour-long date with a dead man, he would sing every single thing he said to me.  Because I Simply Must Share This are not my favorite of Ochs' offerings, but I am in love with this song at the moment. Generally, I prefer his political songs, but this song is just so beautiful. I cannot get enough of it. Of course, I cannot get enough of him in any respect. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] Because I know that not everyone will love his voice, though I adore it, here are the lyrics. Hey, we all have our preferences. I'll forgive you just this once. "Changes" by Phil Ochs Sit by my side, come as close as the air, Share in a memory of gray; And wander in my words, dream about the pictures That I play of changes. Green leaves of summer turn red in the fall To brown and to yellow they fade. And then they have to die, trapped within the circle time parade of changes. Scenes of my young years were warm in my mind, Visions of shadows that shine. 'Til one day I returned and found they were the Victims of the vines of changes. The world's spinning madly, it drifts in the dark Swings through a hollow of haze, A race around the stars, a journey through The universe ablaze with changes. Moments of magic will glow in the night All fears of the forest are gone But when the morning breaks they're swept away by Golden drops of dawn, of changes. Passions will part to a strange melody. As fires will sometimes burn cold. Like petals in the wind, we're puppets to the silver strings of souls, of changes. Your tears will be trembling, now we're somewhere else, One last cup of wine we will pour And I'll kiss you one more time, and leave you on the rolling river shores of changes. And Because I Must Again There are a zillion songs that I could share here, but somehow, I think this is the one that most people would take the time to check out. Any Edgar Allan Poe fans among us? Yes you say? Color me shocked! [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] If anyone out there gave these a listen and likes his songs or writing, please feel free to write to me. I can suggest tons of other work, point your toward absolutely stunning lyrics, and drive you crazy with the thoroughness of my obsession. Any takers? Seriously, I could listen to his songs, read his poetry, and talk about him forever. Quite understandably, there is no one I would rather meet. And, in the oft-used words of Phil: That's all the news that's fit to sing! |
Are you a self confident person by nature? Has that changed at any time throughout your life so far? This question makes me smile, perhaps even smugly. I am confident to a fault. Strangely, it is a rare occasion when someone calls me "overconfident," as I rarely fail if I am determined to accomplish something. I believe that I have the ability to do anything at all that I wish to do. No Worries Generally, areas in which I have no natural inclination hold no interest for me. It isn't as though I desperately want to be good at something that would be a struggle for me. Therefore, very little can shake my confidence. I have moments, like everyone, where I question my competency in one area or another. Is my writing actually good, or am I deluding myself? Can I really make it through a tough college course? Am I a good mother? I would say that these types of questions pop into my mind infrequently. No more than once or twice in a month, I would estimate. I have off days once in a while, but in general, I have the utmost confidence in myself. Exceptions to the Rule Through the course of my life thus far, my confidence level has shifted at times. When I was 18 or 19 years old, my confidence sky-rocketed to obnoxious proportions. Most people probably go through a similar know-it-all, I-can-do-anything phase when they hit official adulthood, but as I was confident before I hit that milestone, I was probably unbearable for a few years. A year ago, my confidence actually dipped, which is the only time that I recall ever losing confidence. I fully expected a whirlwind recovery when I took over the coffee shop. I had never really failed in my life. If I wanted it, I got it. The cafe was in an awful location with little foot traffic, marketing was a giant mess that I was ill-prepared to orchestrate, and there seemed to be a shortage of hours in a day. There were countless reasons why my task would be a difficult one, but I was confident for the first year. The second year was depressing. Our coffee shop was bringing in more money than before, and our expenses were down. However, we were still losing money a full year after I took over. I had never given 100% and failed before. My confidence took a hit, and I found myself wondering far more than once or twice per month if I could really turn it around. Half-way through the second year, the other owner and I were both burnt out on the project. We decided to sell, and the new goal became: break-even! It is nearly impossible to sell a restaurant or coffee shop that is actively losing money each month. With a whole lot of work, I managed to get us to the break-even point a few months later. We even pulled a profit one month, which was a feat. By this point, it was a small victory. I hadn't turned the place around, but I salvaged it enough to sell the place for a reasonable sum of money. "There'll Come a Time" I recovered from both the annoyingly high confidence of my late teen years and the low-for-me confidence over the coffee shop failure. As far as I can tell, neither had much of an effect in the long-run. I expected the coffee shop to haunt me for years, as it was my first failure, and a very costly one at that! Much to my surprise, I hardly ever think about it anymore, and when I do, it doesn't harm my confidence level at all. The odds were stacked against me, and I did pretty well. Even I can't win them all, I guess. In the future, I may have more failures. The law of probability indicates that it will happen again. I think that I will bounce back just as quickly from future setbacks. Why? I have natural confidence, and a defeatist attitude simply will not stick. Even if I fail, I like myself and believe that I can do and have it all. Note: The title is from a Scritti Politti lyric. Great tune! |
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