Pond Cleaning 2006

We’ll get back to the history of my musical memories later for now I want to tell you about my weekend.

I and Jen and Lynne of traveled to Nashville TN to help my friend Jen’s sister, Anne, and her husband, Mike, clean their goldfish pond.

I came away from the weekend with several positives some known and some surprising to me.

One of the non-surprising things is how much fun I had… my extended “family” is full of fun, smart, witty people who always have fun when we get together. Whether it’s just chatting in the AM when we got up (OK maybe discussing abortion at 6 am on a Saturday morning is a bit much) or adding to the running joke pile or laughing at yet another version of “Heard it Through the Grapevine” came on in the 276 song mix that Anne (Jen’s sister) had made with her music and many of my own mixes.

Another plus of the weekend was just seeing Anne and her husband Mike and their daughter. Anne and I were on opposite fringes of a group of friends in college so I knew her a bit and our paths had crossed a few times in the past so it was nice to spend quality time in their ultra-comfortable home.

Then there were the animals… puppies and a dog and a couple of cats and the fish…. What more could you want.

I think for me the most surprising thing I came away with was a feeling I got on Saturday afternoon, sitting outside in the chilly air watching everyone mill around some stoking the fire in the chiminea, some snacking on the voluminous munchies and others just watching the leaves move in the trees…

A feeling of peace and happiness filled me and thoughts of community and family made me feel less chilly. I usually don’t do well in a group of about more that 5 people but as I sat and watching the milling and the animals and the chaos of the afternoon I realized I liked it and wished it could last. This is the 1st time I had, in a long time, really felt that it would be nice to be part of a large family/friend group, living communally with lots of nature and love to keep us all nourished.

So thank you Anne and Mike for once again helping me feel those long lost feelings.

Here is a link to the pics I took uploaded to Flickr.

As I head out to Nashville for the annual pond cleaning (as quickly as I can, the sister of Jen, Anne and her husband have a fish pond that needs to be cleaned out every spring and therefore Jen and Lynne have gone down to help and I join in this year (a reason to see friends and hang out and party (with some wet work thrown in)) I have been making some mix CDs and that leads to a topic that I have been wanting to Blog on for a while… Music.

The earliest memories I have of music involve country music and 8 track tapes that my parents had. They also had a number of albums of country music. A few of my favs at that time were Johnny Cash and Donna Fargo.

While I don’t remember this, my mother says that I would listen to Johnny Cash’s Cry, Cry, Cry over and over again and sing along like there was no tomorrow.

What I do remember is really liking Ring of Fire and I Walk the Line and it wasn’t until I saw the recent biographical movie Walk the Line that I realized what I really liked about Johnny’s music. In one scene of the movie June Carter asks Johnny how he came up with that sound, that freight train drive in his music. That’s what I like about his music!!

When I was in first grade I asked for and received for Christmas Shaun Cassidy’s 1st album. He was all the rage with the girls at school and I wanted that album. (Not to mention that in hindsight I had a huge crush on him). I must have listened to that album hundreds of times hence cementing in my psyche a love for young good looking “boy” singers with mediocre talent. By the way my favorite song was his remake of Da Doo Ron Ron. Here is the scary part… I think it was the same year, I would go over to this girl Jill’s house and we would practice a dance routine to the song that we were planning on performing at a talent assembly at school (which I don’t even think our school had). And yet is took me to age 18 to come out of the closet!!

Throughout elementary school whenever we had “open gym” which meant we could do any activity we wanted, there was a group of girls who would listen to music on an old phonograph set up in the corner of the gym’s stage. The album that was most listened to was the soundtrack to Grease (obviously the teachers and parents couldn’t really understand John Travolta as he sang about tits and creaming) and the girls would dance along as I would I.

My next musical memory is sketchy but I think important yet involves some set-up. As I’ve noted on here before I have played the Cello since I was 8 years old. Throughout elementary school and middle school I was a member of a group called “Little Mozarts.” It was a group of musical children who got together once a month to listen to a speaker on some aspect of classical music and then a few students would perform. During these formative years because I was a classical musician I didn’t listen to popular music (I think this came from my private music teacher who had quite a disdain for popular music) and really only hear county music in my parents’ cars. At one of the “Little Mozarts” meeting as an icebreaker we were asked who are favorite “rock” person or group was. I didn’t want to be embarrassed as having no idea so I just copied what an earlier person had said and answered Styx. In hindsight I find this funny.

The next memory is at Maria Schreiber’s birthday party and once again the topic of music came up… this time it’s what we wanted to listen to and almost everyone voted for Kiss and so it was put on. I had no idea what I was listening too and really not sure if I liked it.

This took me to high school….

Tagged....

I was tagged. So I guess doing this list is better than being spray painted with graffiti.

Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18 and find line 4
"I'm not that hungry," Jesse told her. "I'll just have a glass of water."

War Against the Animals by Paul Russell

Stretch your left arm out as far as you can, what do you find?

A Lava Lamp and a picture of me and my Grandma from when I was 8

What is the last thing you watched on TV?

When do I not watch TV?

Without looking, guess what time it is.

4:50 pm

Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?

4:53 PM (I sit looking at a clock and always have the laptop on my lap and with the TV on I almost always know what time it is.

With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?

Sounds of Poker chips on TV

When did you last step outside? What were you doing?

10 minutes ago just got home from work.

Before you started this survey, what did you look at?

Jen's Blog

What are you wearing?

Black from head to toe. "Hello my name is Johnny Cash."

Did you dream last night?

YEP! Last night was me being invited back to Denison U (Alma Mater) to take part of an experimental "Alumni College" and they wanted me to internship at a flower store.

When did you last laugh?

As I was leaving the parking garage at work. The person in front of me was being idiotic.

What is on the walls of the room you are in?

Starting in nearest corner: A hand colored page picturing an old building from Anitoch (Yellow Springs OH) College that I bought on the Outer Banks NC. A collection of pictures framed in gold frames (On my dusty green accent wall). Pictures are 2 that I bought on the Montrealon montreal my senihighschool highschool. I mirror I bought at Old Time Pottery, 2 Egytian paprias cards send to me by one of the insurance agents I work with. And 2 fake oil paintings. oN wall by TV is the clock mentioned above and 2 B &W photos I got in college when I was one of the editors of college literary magazine. At bottem of stairs is a print that hung in my grandmother's house. Right inside the front door is a small watercolor I picked up at a flea market a few years ago and on the wall behind me is a painting I picked up at one of those "Starving Artists" sale last year and "Appalation Spring," a performance of the Copeland piece for 13 instruments and ballet that I was part of when I worked at Earlham College in Indiana.

Seen anything weird lately?

I look in the mirror every morning.

What do you think of this quiz?

So far so good.

What is the last film you saw?

DVD of Mysterious Skin by Greg Araki

If you turned into a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?

I know I should be more magnanomous (which I'm sure I would be) but my 1st thought is "is it enough money to buy a casino?"

Tell me something about you that I don't know.

I have a fear of large dogs.

If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt and politics, what would you do?

Make it OK to be gay in everyone's eyes.

Do you like to Dance?

I used to, but think I have outgrown it.

George Bush.

I think it's unfair to compare him to a monkey (unfair for the monkey that is).

Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?

Considering I think I need to be able to take care of myself before I scan even entertain the idea of caring for another. But it would be nice to name her after my Grandma; but what little girl wants to be named Hattie?

Imagine your first child is a boy, what would you call him?

If my sister had been a boy she would be Kyle Addison... I still like that name

Would you ever consider living abroad?

Once my parents are gone who knows.

What would you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?

Mozart and Elvis and putting on a concert at 3pm today.

4 people who must also do this theme in their journal.

Dunno.

Lists...

This is not so much a list of pet peeves but a list of me not like so much things. An idea that came to me driving home from work the other day.

1. People who are in the wrong lane when driving and rush ahead and try to squeeze in.


2. Gummy smiles.


3. When there are two TV shows on at the same time and I want to watch both.


4. The cats that keep getting into my garbage.


5. Keeping my house at 60 degrees this winter and still getting natural gas bills that are outrageous.


6. Seeing the same Party Poker commercial 5 times in a half hour portion of the World Poker Tour.


7. Close-minded people.


8. Doing dishes.


9. When the Full Tilt Poker website is down.


10. When my boss tries to convince me that I'm not working hard enough.

Now I few things I like much.

1. Gambling.

1. Television.


2. My cat.


3. My friends.


4. Being first in the euchre league.


5. My family.


6. Being an Uncle, both real and almost real.


7. Las Vegas.

A few things you may not know about me.

1. I've played the cello for 30 years.

1. My cello was made in Germany in 1978 by Hans Wagner.


2. I hate shaving.


3. I have a complete set of Superman the movie Trading Cards (also Superman II, Superman and 3 Superman IV trading cards).


4. I graduated seventh in my high school class.


5. I am probably more Native American than any other nationality.


6. I talk to 11 semesters of Latin in high school and college.


7. My private music teacher chose my college for me.

Have a good day.

Death, Vegas and Poo...

Yesterday (or today depending on which way you go) would have been the birthday of a college friend of mine. His birthday was actually Feb 29 so he only had a “real” birthday every 4 years.

While in college he frustrated me to no end because he always had an excuse as to why he didn’t do something, whether it was for a class or something he was to do for the college gay and lesbian group we were part of (2 of the 3 out gay me on a campus of 2000).

After he graduated (a year ahead of me) he went off to Boston to try his hand at arts management. After a troubling year he returned home to Lorain OH and killed himself.

I wish that I still had David to be frustrated at. Happy Birthday David.


Back from Vegas…. Gambled a lot but did OK and came home with money. Here are a few shots I took…



Here are a few shots of bathroom stalls (if you know me you know I always have to go and so spent a lot of time in bathrooms in Vegas (LOL))