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Guided by prompts from WDC blogging challenges... and of course, life |
HI! I'm Jenn - and I'm all over the place (well, at least my mind is). In this blog, I have attempted to gather my thoughts on things prompted/inspired by WDC blogging challenges from "Journalistic Intentions"  , "The Soundtrack of Your Life" , "Blogging Circle of Friends " , "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" and, well, LIFE.    |
February 20, 2022 Sometimes, a girl is just in the mood to hear the Blues. Like many other music types, Blues music has a way of moving the listener, of affecting their emotions through rhythm and melody. My favorite Blues singer is Muddy Waters, whose style is considered to be Electric Blues. I find his music soothing, his voice moving. A little about Muddy Waters: Muddy Waters, born April 1913, was given the name McKinley Morganfield. He was born in a very small town in Mississippi and was grew up in the cotton fields. He was given the nickname "Muddy" as a small child due to his love of splashing in the muddy waters of Deer Creek, a creek that ran through the plantation where he lived and worked. His formal education ended in elementary school when he was taken out of school in order to work the fields. He quickly discovered that church and music were effective in helping his mind escape from the rigors of the cotton fields. His musical ability began with the harmonica and grew to include the guitar. The earliest recording of his work was in 1941, when he was recorded by Alan Lomax for a project the Library of Congress was doing, highlighting the musical styles of the South. In 1943, he moved to Chicago. He bought his first electric guitar in 1944 and created his electric ensemble. In 1946 he had albums with both Columbia Records and Aristocrat Records. He quickly became known for his unique style of Blues as "The Father of Modern Chicago Blues," as he was the only Blues performer of the time utilizing an electric guitar. His style of music influenced bands such as The Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, ZZ Top, AC/DC, and Cream - musicians like Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, and BB King. During his musical career, Muddy's music won six Grammy's, five Blues Foundation awards, and had four songs on the list of "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". Muddy Waters was also inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1980, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992. Oh! And in 1994, the U.S. Postal Service commissioned a 29 cent stamp featuring the musician. Suffice it to say the man was amazing, and his music will live on forever. The song I chose is amongst my many favorite songs by Muddy Waters (I have numerous albums I still enjoy listening to). The title of the song is Got My Mojo Working. Got My Mojo Working was written by Preston "Red" Foster and was first recorded by R&B singer Ann Cole in 1956. Muddy adapted the song to fit the feel of Electric Blues in 1957 and "the best recorded version of the song" was released in 1960. The song was a staple at live concerts throughout Muddy's career. Lyrics for Got My Mojo Working: ▼ Other Cool Facts: ▼ |
19, February, 2022 **CAUTION: This song has explicit language. May not be suitable for young people or those offended by foul language** Since today is MY Day (well, it's my birthday at least) I decided to find a "happy" song (meaning happy for me) for the day's soundtrack. The song is a newish song (compared to my other tracks at least) by a virtual band (you can learn what a virtual band is by clicking the "Facts About the Band" link below) called Gorillaz. The song, Clint Eastwood, is considered Alternative Rock and was the debut single for the band in 2001. It was a hit both in Britain (where it peaked at No. 4 on the UK Singles chart) and America (where it reached No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100). Facts About the Band ▼ Cool Facts About the Song: ▼ Lyrics etc.: ▼ |
| "Journalistic Intentions" February 2022 Prompt: "Most of all, you feel unseen and unheard. The other person is demonstrating that there are two things more important than your pain: Their desire to avoid negative emotions Their need to offer unsolicited advice." I am sure this happens to everyone, everywhere, all the time. But it is so easily seen in interactions between someone with a chronic illness or emotional problem and people who do not suffer from such crippling ailments. I see it and experience it all the time. Is it so easy for a person to judge and offer their advice (no matter how unwanted)? It seems so. They seem put off when you call them out on their callousness. They were “just trying to help” after all. How is it helpful to be judgmental of a person when you have absolutely no idea as to their situation? In the infamous words of Tom Petty, “You don’t know what it’s like to be me.” These people have no idea how someone else is suffering, how much pain they are in, the depths of their depression. These aren’t things that are just going to go away just because someone told them, “Put your big girl panties on and get on with life.” A band-aid can’t be slapped on, the wound kissed, and the world return to normal. There is no bandage for my mental illness. The medication does all it can, and even so, sometimes it isn’t enough. When I am depressed, there is nothing that can be said or done to get me out of it. It takes time, but a little kindness does help lessen the grip of the depression a bit. My chronic illnesses cause me to live in pain. You get used to it after it’s been there for days on end. It doesn’t go away, but it becomes like a background hum in your life. If I give in to the pain, or on those really bad days where the illnesses are flaring, I am told that I am weak. I am told, “Oh, just take some pain pills and deal with it.” Or “If I were you, I’d go to the doctor and tell him you want something stronger for your pain.” Don’t you think I’ve tried that? First of all, doctors cannot prescribe opioids to patients living with chronic pain due to the addictiveness of the drugs. Secondly, I’m not in to popping pills every time the pain flares and the drugs they can prescribe don’t do much at all to help. So, if I express discomfort, or show my depression, or any of the myriad of problems that come along with being me, you don’t have to offer me your advice. It’s perfectly fine with me if you just change the subject if you don’t know how to respond to someone in my situation. I don’t care if I’m seen or heard by you. I have others in my life to fill those roles. If the situation is awkward for you and you can’t get over it, just mosey on along pardner! Sometimes, the best advice is no advice at all. Sometimes all you need to do is smile and wish a person well. **climbs down from soapbox and drops mic** |
| Written for: "Journalistic Intentions" February 2022 Prompt: “I think I would have been much happier being an actual scientist.” I thought and even said things similar to this while teaching, and even now I sometimes regret choosing to teach science rather than continue my research on botanical genetics. There is a peace that came to me while in the lab, a sense of pleasure in my work that I have yet to find in any other discipline I ventured into (with the exception of mowing lawns, but we’ll leave that for later). Have you ever performed any kind of scientific experiment? For me, the bigger the experiment, the more rewarding I found it. There was fun in it as well. When I first began my path down the road of biological study, the experiments were simple. The farther I went in my studies, the more difficult and time consuming the experiments became, the more enjoyable they were. At one point, we went to the local zoo to retrieve fecal specimens of the animals so we could see what bacteria lived in the guts of the animals. Just so you know, if you don’t already, when e. coli grows on Eozin Metilen Blue (EMB) agar, it takes on a most beautiful metallic and iridescent shade of green. In the study of aquatic biology, we had to get down into the wet of things, taking samples of the water, the sediments, and even some of the aquatic life from the areas. I thought herpetology would be the thing for me. After all, I husband all sorts of reptiles at home and scaled and slithery critters have never bothered me. Truth be known, they fascinate me. But that route was not meant to be either. I found my home among the plants. Finding species in the wild many hadn’t seen for years was a thrill. I found I had a knack for genetics, so I discovered the plant genetics lab was the place to be – at least for me. People can whine and complain about GMOs all they want, but what they don’t understand is that the food they eat that comes from plants are just that. They have been genetically modified through centuries in order to become what they are today. The corn, beans, fruit, practically all of the food plants we eat have been modified over time. But I didn’t find myself modifying plants that produce food. I was studying flowering plants. It’s a slow process, having to grow from seed and care for them daily, but it was where I found my happiness. I studied how changes to the plants’ environment could affect the way the plants responded during their flowering cycles. So much is happening on a molecular level in plants. And genes in a plant’s DNA strand can actually interact and that interaction will change some of the plant’s external function or appearance. I don’t remember the exact time I had to consider which path to take for my future in science – but now I know that I might have made the wrong choice when I decided to teach science. When I began teaching, gone were the days of quiet study, the days of new discoveries. Science became monotonous. Each year, teaching the same basic tenets of science to a room full of teens who didn’t care about the amazing things they were learning. I became burnt out and, yeah, I think I would have been happier if I had been an actual scientist. But my health came and saved me from my monotonous hell, forcing me to retire quite early from teaching. I still dream of those labs and plant growth chambers though, those places where I was happiest. Word Count: 619 |
18, February 2022 Back on March 15, 2004, a handful of amazing musicians joined together to give tribute to Mr. George Harrison for his posthumous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group featured Tom Petty and two other members of the Heartbreakers, as well as Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, George Harrison's son Dhani, and Prince. It is said to be Prince's best guitar solo performance. Prince was also inducted into the Hall of Fame that night. Some Facts About the Song: ▼ Facts About This Tribute Version of the Song: ▼ Some Facts About Prince: ▼ Lyrics ▼ |
Feb. 17, 2022 Red is the Rose - sung by Nanci Griffith, music performed by the Chieftains Nanci Griffith: Nanci Griffith is a professional singer/songwriter and guitarist who was born and raised in Texas. She died at the age of 68 in Nashville, TN. She performed from the 1970's through 2017. She performed with stars such as Don McLean, Reba, Lyle Lovett, The Chieftains, and Bob Dylan. Her music is typically considered to be Country & Western. Her song Never Mind can be found on the motion picture, The Firm. Would you like to hear more songs by Nanci Griffith? Here's a good one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQlhbAAqOow The Song: Red is the Rose is a traditional Irish love song. The writer is of the song unknown, but the melody is taken from the Scottish folk song, Loch Lomond. Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem were the first artists to bring Red is the Rose to a worldwide audience, followed by The High Kings, Orla Fallon, and by Nanci Griffith with The Chieftains. The Irish tenor Anthony Kearns also recorded a version at a performance at the John F Kennedy Library in 2012, where he dedicated the song to Rose Kennedy, JFK's mother. Lyrics ▼ Like to hear more from the Chieftains? Try North Amerikay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCT5aMQAXM8&list=PLiMGQt6hb8Y3ptKYrrLJyrrpaufmtL... |
2/16/22 Woke this morning a bit more positive than I have been of late. Days like this call for uplifting and/or upbeat songs. So, I decided a Bob Marley song was a good example of the tunes I listen to in moods like the one I find myself. A Bit About Bob Marley: Marley was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and musician considered to be one of the pioneers of reggae music. His contributions to music increased the visibility of Jamaican music worldwide, making him a global figure in popular culture for over a decade. He was also considered a global symbol of Jamaican music, culture, and identity. Marley began his professional musical career in 1963 and it lasted until his death in 1981. He is known for such songs as I Shot the Sheriff, Three Little Birds, One Love, Get Up Stand Up, and No, Woman, Don't Cry. More Marley Facts: ▼ The song I chose for today's track is Three Little Birds, which was written and performed by Bob Marley. Its lyrics are positive and full of hope and the music has a groovy feel to it that makes a person want to dance. The message is one that everyone needs to hear at one time or another... "Don't worry, about a thing 'Cause every little thing, gonna be all right" Lyrics ▼ If you would like to hear another uplifting Marley song, check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdB-8eLEW8g |
Feb. 15, 2022 Work has been taking up an unusually large amount of my time for the last few days and I've been going practically nonstop. I suppose there really is no rest for the weary...or the wicked... The chorus says it all... Lyrics: ▼ Other facts about the song and band: ▼ |
| 2/14/22 Today is the day we celebrate all things LOVE. In spirit of the day, I waited to add this next song to my soundtrack. Okay, so it might not sound like a love song to you if you aren't paying attention to the lyrics. But the lyrics say it all. And for me, this song goes far beyond being just a love song. About a decade ago, my relationship with my husband was strained to the point of breakage. There'd been too many fights, too few times of mutual understanding. But one particularly explosive night, when our tempers had finally cooled for the time being, my husband put on this song and told me to listen. "I've heard the song before, thanks." I told him. And he said, "No. Really listen to the words. Don't do anything else right now. Just sit and listen to the words. This is us. This is my song to you." So that night is the night We're in This Together by Nine Inch Nails became "Our Song". We learned to work things out and to communicate instead of yell since then. We're still in this mess together, but now the waters of our relationship are much calmer. The fires of our anger have tempered and now we focus on overcoming our hurdles together. We have no more desire to argue. We're just two middle-aged weirdos in a race to the finish line - still in it together. And this song, well, it will always be "Our Song". Lyrics for We're in This Together ▼ Bonus Track!! This song, another with deep meaning for my husband and I, is a ditty that is just another face of the icosahedral die that is the topic of Love Songs. It was written by Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence and recorded in 1987. It was first released in 1988 on the B side of the Kick album, under the Atlantic label. As far as my husband and myself are concerned, this life will never tear us apart. Lyrics for Never Tear Us Apart ▼ |
| 2/13/2022 I decided that I would do some love songs over the next few days. This first one is being sung by Leonard Cohen. Cohen was a poet and novelist as well as a singer-songwriter; sometimes hailed as the Canadian Dylan. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was also invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honor. And in 2011, he received one of the Prince of Asturias Awards for literature and the ninth Glenn Gould Prize. His music career lasted from 1967 until his death in November 2016. The guy was just awesome and had an amazing and moving voice. The song I chose for today is Dance Me to the End of Love, which was on the Various Positions album. It's been in my head all day. I hope you like it. Lyrics for your perusing pleasure: ▼ |
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You're so right, they are definitely perceptive. They know when you need extra attention, and they know when to keep an eye out for you. They are definitely a blessing from God.
The British band The Rolling Stones named themselves after Muddy Waters' 1950 song "Rollin' Stone".
Gorillaz is an English "virtual" band
A virtual band is a fictional band or music group whose members are not depicted as corporeal musicians, but animated characters or virtual avatars. Although the characters are fictional, the band itself exists outside a television and film universe, in reality. The music is recorded by human musicians and producers, while any media related to the virtual band, including albums, video clips and the visual component of stage performances, feature the animated line-up; in many cases the virtual band members have been credited as the writers and performers of the songs. Live performances can become rather complex, requiring perfect synchronization between the visual and audio components of the show. 
The song is named Clint Eastwood due to its similarity to the theme music of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
The song is claimed as Gorillaz' big signature tune
Marley survived an assassination attempt in 1976
He supported marijuana legalization