Magical Musical Myster Tour: Intermission

Well...it's been 3 months since I've written anything around here- the reasons are about a million-fold, but mostly consist of: Summer (ALL the outside fun time!), work (worky work, busy bee!), foster care (aka: FOUR tiny humans in this house!), The 100 Day Project! (that's ONE HUNDRED entire days!) and tiiiiiiired (see: aforementioned list of activities/responsibilities). Basically, life has been jam packed and flying by, so I've been doing my best to hold on and enjoy the ride...which hasn't left much time for contemplation or documentation. So any sharing I have managed to do has been on Instagram (big thoughts, tiny squares).

But amidst all the crazy-goodness, our family has been having fun with a little side project. Remember The Magical Musical Mystery Tour? Well we've made it through nearly 4 months of melodic madness and it's been so GREAT. I've been sharing little bits on my IG stories each week, but I thought it'd be worth an "official" check-in here, as we move through the second half of our quest.

If you recall- there were 38 total groups of artists (which- by my super rough calculations- when selected weekly, will take us to sometime in mid-November). We've been blindly selecting one group of artists each week since February, have completed 22 weeks, and have 16 to go. Our Spotify playlist is just shy of 500 songs (over 30 hours of jaaaaamz!) and we've rocked everything from Dean Martin to Guns & Roses (with a whole lot in between).

I had a rough plan for the project, but (as with almost all things we embark on around here) I wasn't exactly sure how it would play out. I didn't know if the kids would get it, if the song selection would be overwhelming (or limiting), or if we'd get busy and get behind (or abandon it all together). But honestly, it's been the BEST. The work was really all done up front, so it's been super easy to keep up with. Each Sunday, one kid gets to pull one group of artists from the jar (they take tuns, and always know whose turn it is). Then I look up the artists' best songs (it's a pretty loosey-goosey system- no firm number needed, pretty much I pick whatever I want) and add them to our Spotify playlist. It usually works out to be around 20 songs each week, give or take... As we've gone on, I've realized there are quite a few artists that probably should have made the original list, so I've just been throwing those in there where they seem to fit best (tying to stick with loose "themes" of similar artists). Some weeks have felt a little light so it's been good to have a few extra artists to round things out a bit, but for the most part, it's all sort of worked out pretty even.

Then we just...listen. Often in the car, but also with some dance party action in the living room, or in the kitchen (our Google home and Amazon Echo have been feeding us requests pretty much non-stop) We don't exclusively stick to this project/playlist (we still have a lot of worship music in the rotation, and we let the kids have goofy kids songs etc.) There are some weeks when we're SUPER excited to rock out, and there are some weeks when I doubt there's going to be anything anyone likes. But honestly- there hasn't been a dud yet. Even on weeks that I'm hesitant about, there always seem to be a least a few hits we can all get down with. The kids have latched on to different favorites throughout the project- Abba (week 1) was a crowd pleaser, and they're still requesting songs by The Who (which they were introduced to in week 2!) It's been fun to teach them a bit about different genres, bands and songs...we hype things up to get them more interested ("this band is Grandpa's favorite!" or "this band is called Blondie...like you!") and if there is a goofy lyric they're sure to hear it, and scream-sing it every time after. (They're especially fond of Free Fallin' by Tom Petty). Our goal wasn't to make mini-musical savants...I just needed a break from the constant demands for Gummy Bear! Again! and wanted to see if perhaps we could expand their musical palates a bit.

And...so far so good. They still don't know a Righteous brother from a Doobie brother, and they still get the most excited when they hear something they can identify as "that song from Sing!" (uhhh...yeah...also: Stevie Wonder) but they're retaining a little bit here and there, and are at least a teeny bit more pop-culturally aware, so I'm considering that a win. We've still got some really good stuff ahead of us (I miiiiiight have rigged next week to have some beach-themed artists in honor of our vacation!) so I'm excited to see how the downhill slide treats us.

If you're interested in jumping in with us, you can check out the playlist...or you can see the full updated list (in the order we've pulled them...with my additions in bold).

1.  ABBA, Donna Summer, The Bee Gees
2. The Ramones, The Who, Pink Floyd + The Clash + Steppenwolf
3. Kool and The Gang, Run DMC, Sly and The Family Stone, The Beastie Boys 
4. Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Barry White, Marvin Gaye
5. Elvis Presley
6. Commodores (and Lionel Richie), Stevie Wonder
7. Janis Joplin, The Doors + The Byrds + Jefferson Airplane + Big Brother and The Holding Company + Norman Greenbaum (Spirit in the Sky)
8. R.E.M., U2
9. James Taylor, John Denver, Tom Petty
10. The Mamas and The Papas, The Everly Brothers, The Four Seasons (and Frankie Vallie) + The Righteous Brothers
11. Queen, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix
12. Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong
13. Crosby Stills Nash and Young (and Neil Young), The Doobie Brothers + Boston + Steely Dan
14. The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Drifters + Otis Redding
15. Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams + Randy Travis
16. Bon Jovi, Van Halen (+ Sammy Hagar), Motley Crue
17. Foreigner, Def Leppard, Guns and Roses + Poison
18. Creedance Clearwater Revival, Fleetwood Mac (and Stevie Nicks) 
19. Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, The Police (and Sting), Bryan Adams
20. The Bangles, The Go-Go's, Pat Benetar, Blondie
21. Fats Domino, Smokey Robinson, Chuck Berry + Buddy Holly + Little Richard
22. Wham! (and George Michael), Hall and Oates, Duran Duran + Captain and Tennielle

Still to come:

1. The Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald
2. The Rolling Stones
3. The Beach Boys
4. The Beatles
5. The Shirelles, Diana Ross (and The Supremes) The Crystals
6. Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield
7. Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline
8. David Bowie, Elton John, Billy Joel
9. Bob Marley
10. The Grateful Dead, Steve Miller Band
11. Michael Jackson (and The Jackson Five)
12. The Eagles, Chicago, Simon and Garfunkle (and Paul Simon)
13. James Taylor, John Denver, Tom Petty
14. Madonna
15.  Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel (and Genesis)
16. Journey, Aerosmith, AC/DC

Now time for you to chime in...do you have any special musical memories from your childhood? Any favorite bands you think my kids need to know? An upcoming artist you'd be looking forward to? (Looking at the list again I'm excited for...literally all of it!)

--------------------------------------------

Psssst....Want to get all the Bowdenisms news delivered right to your inbox? 

YES PLEASE! Subscribe via email and never miss an -ism.  xox.

The Magical Musical Mystery Tour

Kids have a lot of good things built right inside them from the very start. Good hearts, good intentions, good imaginations....

But one thing they don't have? Good taste. Not in food (do you know how many things they'll put ketchup on? It's actually horrifying) not in fashion (though my girls' pattern mixing game is remarkably strong) and certainly not in music.

I wrote about my naivety in this regard back when Piper was little. I thought that we could avoid the "Raffi" of it all (not hating...he actually seems like quite a dear, but how many verses of "Down by the Bay" can you get through before it morphs into actual torture?) But it turns out I was wrong. Kids actually seem to come pre-programmed to enjoy the least common denominator of entertainment. (Witness: my childrens' endless giggling at the mere mention of "poop". So highbrow.). And as it is with humor, so it also goes with music....Without me intentionally exposing them to anything even remotely Wiggle-esque, they still manage to find the cheesiest/corniest/earwormiest tunes...and love it. Like moths to a musically-stunted flame...

Now- the good news is, kids are also very moldable, so while if left to their own devises, they might never expand their horizons beyond grilled cheese sandwiches and Baby Shark videos, with a little help, they can be taught to appreciate the finer things in life. So it becomes my job to expose them to a range of quality song stylings, in an effort to unseed the rhymey refrains they're typically drawn to.

So when a blogger I follow talked about doing a project to introduce her daughter to more varied (/good) music, I knew I wanted to get in on that action. She talked about how she noticed that while they love music, their rotation had gotten remarkably small- consisting of mostly her daughters' favs. So she wanted to break it up a bit, and planned to listen to a band or artist once a week, to grow their "repertoire". She didn't give many details, but that kernel of an idea was all I needed to get going on my own version. I didn't quite get my act together at the beginning of the year (we were too busy listening to all things Disney anyway...) but I got the itch to get it going this weekend...and so off we go!

Introducing: The Magical Musical Mystery Tour

Yes, I named it. Because anything worth doing, is worth naming, and then doing.

My basic plan- write down a bunch of influential bands/artists, pick one (from a surprise jar) per week to listen to as a family, getting my kids familiar with more music, and hopefully sparking some new favorites to work into our daily listening.

Alexa (my unofficial assistant in this endeavor) informed me on Sunday that we had 44.4 weeks remaining in the year, so I wanted to select about that number of artists for the project. Wellllll- it turns out it was a little tough to narrow it down. (If you saw my Instagram Stories from the other day, then you know I was in pretty deep, pretty quick). So I eventually just aimed to get as comprehensive a list as possible, and see where it netted out. I consulted several online "Top 50" lists, and "Best Artists" by decades lists to help form my roster. And like I said- it ended up being much more daunting than I thought (Theme Of My Life) so I had to draw a few lines to keep it manageable. I knew I wanted to focus mostly on the "classics"- though there are many different interpretations to that. Mostly what I mean is: artists who have a large body of work, numerous hits, and have withstood the test of time. This means one-hit wonders were out (no matter how good that hit was), and I made the choice to stick with artists prior to the 1990's. There is certainly no shortage of talent that has launched within the last 30 years, but for the purpose of this exercise I thought it best to narrow it down, and trust that my kids will have an opportunity to get schooled on the many merits of Katy Perry at a later date.

I wrote each band/artist on a piece of paper, and counted them up...I had just around 99. (Pretty sure Duran Duran sneaked in there twice though. Duran Duran Duran Duran?) There was no way I was going to be able to weed out more than half, so I decided to pair some of them up. I figure having a couple artists each week will be good to add variety. Plus I tried to group them by genre (kinda...loosely) so that we could also talk a bit about different time periods or styles of music, while we learn about specific bands.( I did leave some bands/artists on their own if I felt like they had enough of an anthology to carry the week solo.) Once they were all ganged up, I was left with 37 sets of classic content. It's not quite enough for the full year, but it should take us right up to the holiday time- when we can shift into non-stop caroling!

After I completed it, I wanted to share our list so that other people could benefit from the effort...but I'm hesitate to post the details because I fear the inevitable wrath and judgement for what I've included, (and more likely- what I omitted). There is NO WAY the list I landed on satisfies everyone's point of view on the most important artists of our time. I'm certain I've left of someone that people would deem crucial, and I can already sense my Dad rolling his eyes at the inclusion of the Bangles. But in the end...My list, my rules! And it's not about being perfectly classy...it's just supposed to be a fun way to expand our musical palates (are those called ears?)

I think it's going to be a fun little challenge, and I'd love it if you got into it with your families too. (It doesn't even have to be for kids...it might be a good experiment to get you out of your own musical rut!) In no particular order, Here is our full list:

1. The Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald
2. Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong
3. The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Drifters
4. Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Barry White, Marvin Gaye
5. The Mamas & The Papas, The Everly Brothers, The Four Seasons (& Frankie Vallie)
6. Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams
7. The Rolling Stones
8. The Beach Boys
9. Elvis Presley
10. The Beatles
11. The Shirelles, Diana Ross (& The Supremes) The Crystals
12. Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield
13. Fats Domino, Smokey Robinson, Chuck Berry
14. Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline
15. David Bowie, Elton John, Billy Joel
16. Bob Marley
17. The Grateful Dead, Steve Miller Band
18. The Ramones, The Who, Pink Floyd
19. Janis Joplin, The Doors
20. Queen, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix
21. ABBA, Donna Summer, The Bee Gees
22. Commodores (& Lionel Richie), Stevie Wonder
23. Michael Jackson (& The Jackson Five)
24. The Eagles, Chicago, Simon & Garfunkle (& Paul Simon)
25. Creedance Clearwater Revival, Fleetwood Mac (& Stevie Nicks)
26. James Taylor, John Denver, Tom Petty
27. Crosby Stills Nash & Young (& Neil Young), The Doobie Brothers
28. Kool & The Gang, Run DMC, Sly & The Family Stone, The Beastie Boys
29. R.E.M., U2
30. Madonna
31. The Bangles, The Go Gos, Pat Benetar, Blondie
32. WHAM (& George Michael), Hall & Oats, Duran Duran
33. Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, The Police (& Sting), Bryan Adams
34.  Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins & Peter Gabriel (& Genesis)
35. Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Motley Crue
36. Foreigner, Def Leppard, Guns & Roses
37. Journey, Aerosmith, AC/DC

Today was our kickoff, and my quick explanation of the idea, I was met with a range of complete indifference to mild tolerance...So...typical!
And from the jar we choooooseeeeee......drumrollllll....

ABBA, Donna Summer, and The Bee Gees!

*anti-climatic cymbal crash*

Ok. Admittedly, maybe not the strongest start. But the surprise is part of the thrill (and what puts the Mystery in The Magical Musical Mystery Tour) so we (rock &) roll with it. Once we had this week's selection I started a Spotify Playlist. My plan is to add each week's artists as we go so I'll eventually have one full playlist for the whole project.  I just chose the cream of the crop hits for my compiled list, but I also have a few more all-encompassing lists by artist queued up in case we're in the mood for some deep cuts. (They're probably not all totally kid safe, but we'll cross that bridge over troubled water when we get to it).

And so The Magical Musical Mystery Tour is off and running (toot toot, beep beep!) I'm cautiously optimistic that we manage to stick with this for longer than a day and a half. (Dustin is reluctantly getting onboard with Week One's disco fever, but has already emphatically refused a showing of Mama Mia!)

If you're going to give it a whirl, I'd love to hear about it! You can write out your own list, borrow ours, or even just follow along with the playlist to jam with what we selected that week. No matter how you run it, if you join in the fun, tag #magicalmusicalmysterytour so I can follow along!

--------------------------------------------

Psssst....Want to get all the Bowdenisms news delivered right to your inbox? 
YES PLEASE! Subscribe via email and never miss an -ism.  xox.

Fearless Creativity

 Last January (yes...meaning over a year ago; Timeliness isn't exactly my blogging strong suit.) I attended my first annual meeting at my company. Our entire office gathered together for an afternoon, and after some awards, some speeches, and some business highlights, our CEO came up to speak. She shared with us that she had recently done something she deemed terrifying: take trapeze lessons. I guess her sister (and niece) really wanted to try it, and they dragged her along with them. She hates heights so was more than a little reluctant to do it, but in the end she went for it, and had a blast. She was so proud and inspired by the experience of being out of her comfort zone, that she decided to challenge us all to do the same. She (and the rest of our company's leadership) set up a program they called "Fearless Creativity" to encourage us to try something new. Each associate got $100 to spend on anything we wanted...with two caveats: It had to be something that takes you out of your comfort zone, and you had to do it with another company employee.

I was blown away. $100 isn't a ton of money, but multiplied out by every associate, it was a decent investment. But more than that, I loved the idea that they were truly "walking the walk". They didn't just tell us to try something new, or encourage us to build bonds with one another- they set up a system that rewards it. I couldn't wait to figure out what I was going to spend my fearless money on...and I had the extra bonus of a built in partner (one of the many perks of working with my husband!) Dustin and I thought for a bit, and decided we'd take music lessons: banjo for him, mandolin for me.

Fast forward a year later...the annual meeting was coming up, and they put a call out to all associates asking us to share our Fearless Creativity experience. And for some reason...maybe before I could think it all the way through...I volunteered. I submitted a draft of my three minute speech, and they accepted it. Oh...and asked me to play the mandolin. That I hadn't planned on. Committing to speak in front of 350+ people was already another fearless experience for me (I joked that I should get an extra $100 just for talking) but playing (and singing!) downright terrified me. But...I still had my partner (/husband) along for the ride and somehow we decided it would be fun. Or worth it. Or...something...

We had two weeks to prepare, and I pretty much practiced my speech and my performance nonstop (I'm fairly certain I played the mandolin more in those two weeks than I had in the entire year). Dustin's role was to play the cajon (a box drum) so he was far less nervous than I was, but he still served as my cheerleader, encouraging me that I would be great, people would love it, and that I would most likely not pee my pants out of sheer fright. The girls even got into the action: Fin took iphone videos of me practicing, and Piper encouraged me: "I made you a picture. It says I love you, and it means you're the best singer in the world", and "You can do it, Mama. You'll have Daddy with you, so you can do it!"

So with my cheering squad behind me, I convinced myself it really would be fun. Or worth it. Or...something...

Finally, the day arrived:

Not feeling particularly fearless...(understatement 😳) but I believe in trying anyway. So here goes... #fearlesscreativity #mandolindreamin

A photo posted by Courtney Bowden (@bowdenisms) on Jan 28, 2016 at 9:42am PST

Yeah, did I mention it was at the Southern Theatre? Not exactly helping support my "no big deal" outlook...

So with my knees knocking, and my voice shaking...we took the stage.
I couldn't see a THING...it was all bright lights, and then pitch black, so that was a bit unnerving. But I made it through the talk with only a few stumbles (The crowd was pretty forgiving...probably because I referenced Star Wars early on, and included some crazy cat pictures in my slide show. Gotta play to your audience). And then...it was time to play. I couldn't hear myself at all (no sound monitors, just a mic projecting our performance out into the abyss) so that made things a little tough, but beginners can't be choosers- I won't blame the set up. I wasn't aiming for perfection, but if I'm being honest, the song went far worse than any of our rehearsals. At one point I looked at Dustin with my "I want to sink through the stage and die" face. (He gave me his "You're fine, keep going, you got this" face in return). But the entire subject of my talk was about trying things...even if you might fail...so the show went on. I don't remember much from the performance- I do recall people clapping along at least, so that was a good thing- but our plan to keep things short paid off, and it was over before I could melt into a puddle of my own mortification. There was a ton of cheering, which I didn't think was entirely out of pity, and we made our way back to our seats, slightly sweaty (me), thankful it was over (me again) and looking forward to drinks at the after party (both of us).

Overall, I was proud of what I had shared, even if the performance didn't go exactly as well as I would have liked. What I wasn't expecting, was the reaction I got from my coworkers. Part of the reason I was so nervous (besides being entirely unqualified for the task) was because I work at an advertising agency: a place known for being on the cutting-edge of cool. Me and my tiny-stringed hobby don't exactly scream "hip" (or whatever the kids are saying these days). I was scared I'd be terrible, but worse than that, I was scared they'd think I thought I was good. Its one thing to play for my kids in the living room, or even to sing in front of our church...but a front row of NYC-based designers, all wearing flat brimmed hats? Eeek.

But to my (very thankful) surprise, everyone couldn't have been more supportive. Seriously...I don't say this to brag...people were exceedingly, overwhelmingly kind. Yes, part of it was that I was now known as "that girl who played mandolin on stage", so they may have felt like they had to say something when they passed me in the hallways, but mostly, people were truly and sincerely complimentary. So I basked in the attention a little (can you blame me? a little flattery feels nice!) but truly I was touched that so many people seemed to really connect with what I shared. I don't think it was because I was exceptionally good at the mandolin (I'm not), and I don't even know that it was entirely the power of the message I prepared. What I think people really responded to was the vulnerability. They related to wanting to try something, but being scared of failure. They watched a super-regular girl push herself to do something scary because she believed it was worth it, and they saw a piece of themselves. Person after person said that it was so brave, and that they never could have done that. But they also said watching me made them want to try. I heard about dreams people had that they never felt like they could attempt. I heard about bucket-list items they were considering more seriously now. One guy even told me his wife signed them both up for guitar lessons that night.

And that is what I'm proud of.

It's not about what I did; how good I was, or wasn't. It was about having an dream, believing it was worth something, and despite the fear of failure, having the courage to try.

Fearless Creativity from Courtney Bowden on Vimeo.

What's your version of the mandolin dream? And what's stopping you from pursuing it? Go...sing, play, do, try. 

--------------------------------------------

Psssst....Want to get all the Bowdenisms news delivered right to your inbox? 

YES PLEASE! Subscribe via email and never miss an -ism.  xox.

Best songs for little ears (with big opinions)

For the last year or so, every car ride taken with Piper starts with two little demanding words: "MY MUSIC!" It's typically quickly followed with the nicer version (usually/always prompted by us...): "We listen to my music please?" And so we oblige, and crank up "ToDleR Jamzzzz" (ok. Just a kids themed Pandora station.

How did we get here? I ask myself.

Before I had kids....well actually....before I had a 2.5 year old, I sat firmly on my high horse of parental control. I didn't see any reason that having kids meant succumbing to kiddie music. A friend of mine told me every car ride with her family was met with the demand for "Julia Music"! What in the world is Julia music? I inquired. Duh. It's what their 3 yr old, Julia, calls kids songs. I scoffed, thinking (and probably saying, because I have no sense of when to keep my mouth shut) Well that will never be me. We listen to what we want. Piper doesn't have to even know about kids music. She'll just learn to love what we love. Kids shouldn't run the show, you just have to be smart about what you expose them to...

Um. Wrong.

We try to play "good" (our opinion anyway) music for the kids....But toddlers are smarter than I imagined. Somehow they know. They just intrinsically know about kids music. Piper heard it at school, or on a show, or at church...And she knows the difference between these little ditties, and the stuff we tried to raise her on. We've tried to expand her tastes, and take turns with radio controls, but
she knows what she wants. And she wants peppy, catchy, and made just for her (regardless if it makes my ears bleed). And I don't mean to paint myself as some musical purist, or a hipster tastemaker...I pretty much jam on some top 40 and various other guilty pleasures. But even to my pop-lovin' ears, kids music can be pretty painful. (And don't get me started on recordings of actual kids singing. I know it's supposed to be precious and irresistible...But I just can't tolerate it. I mean...unless it's this adorableness.)

So all that to say...We're on the hunt for some tolerable music geared towards kids. And thankfully...we've found some stuff we can work with...or even enjoy. And just in case you've found yourself in the same rockin' boat  mini-van, I thought I'd share some of our favorites: 

We started a toddler station on Pandora...Every song isn't a guaranteed winner, and it's still fairly repetitive, but we're working on it, and it's getting better. From a few song seeds, we've discovered all the above albums, and have at least a short list of our favs: 

Give a Little Bit by Renee & Jeremy
So hipster. So good.

A Place in the Choir by Terri Hendrix
Like riding Splash Mountain in heaven. Love.

Willoughby Wallaby Woo by Raffi
Raffi is like the Elvis/Beatles/Jesus of children's folk songs. Plus the song has names that rhyme with Dustin and Fin, so we're all in.

Three Little Ducks by Julie Frost
We teasingly mock how she oversings on this one, but she's still so obviously talented, and the style isn't refreshingly not cheesy.

This Little Light of Mine by Elizabeth Michell
Such a beautiful version of a classic. Love her voice.

Goodnight by Laurie Berkner
If you have kids, you know about Laurie Berkner. Fact. (or it is now...) Her stuff is a little cliche at times, but this song is just the sweetest, and has become part of our bedtime routine (with Piper yelling out other animal suggestions for new verses...anything to postpone actual sleeping). 

If All of the Raindrops by Laura Doherty
This song just makes me happy. So very happy. 

All I Want is You by The Vespers
Also so hipster. Also so good.

Shortnin' Bread by Caspar Babypants
A million kids songs. All with adorable album cover art. 

So that's what I know...But really I want to hear from you! What should we be listening to? What artists have you discovered who bridge the toddler/adult music gap? Do you have tips on getting your kids to listen to non-terrible stuff?

P.s. Check out my actual favorite kid's album, or read about how I'm so not a lyrical genius.
Oh- and we're working on another station specifically for lullabyes, which you can listen to here. It's pretty much 98% songs by The Piano Guys, and I'm ok with that.

------------------

Psssst....Want to get all the Bowdenisms news delivered right to your inbox? 

YES PLEASE! Get on the list and never miss an -ism.  xox.

A Place in the Choir

You know those songs...that get into your heart. Those songs that every time you hear them, you're struck with the meaning and power. Those songs that take on much bigger significance than any melody and lyrics should truly be capable of...

Do you have one of those songs?

I'm sure you do. Maybe it's some hymn or worship song, or a song you used to listen to, that now reminds you of a hard time you went through, or a song your Grandma sang to you when you were little.

I think we all have those songs.
But one of mine- is about a possum. And a bullfrog. And a donkey.

A Place in the Choir, sung by Terri Hendrix

 
All God's critters got a place in the choir
Some sing low, some sing higher
Some sing out loud on the telephone wire
And some just clap their hands, or paws
Or anything they got.

For some reason, this song just gets me. The verses are kind of crazy...but the chorus. Every time I hear that chorus all I can picture is Heaven. Well also...I picture the end portion of the Disney ride Splash Mountain, with all of the animals singing and celebrating...but that actually makes me think of heaven too. I realize that sounds a little nuts, and I don't really have an biblical knowledge that can back up my prediction that Heaven is one big banjo party with Southern "critters" running (and singing) around everywhere. But I just love the joy of the song. And beyond that, the idea of all these different critters- myself included- just coming to God as we are, throwing up our hands, or paws, or anything we've got to praise Him...that's powerful.

The girls and I were listening to it on the way to dinner this weekend, and I couldn't resist trying to get Piper to catch my vision...

Me: Do you know what this song is about, Pipes? 
Piper: Yeah. 
Me: Really...what?
Piper: I don't know. 
{BTW: that's our exchange every single time I ask her a "do you know...?" question. I've tried to explain that she can say "no" the first time, but to no avail...}
Me: Well, God created all the animals and people, and everything on earth, and they're all different. So when it says that they all have a place in the choir, that means we all belong. We can all play together, and He loves all of us exactly the way we are...
Piper: .....Mom? Can you turn the song up.

So. She obviously totally got it.

I stifled the urge to force any more folk-song philosophy into my uninterested toddlers, but I still think about it every time that song comes on (which in our kid-mobile, is kind of a lot). I could wax on this for quite a while, probably pulling entirely too much meaning out of some lyrics about a quiet possum, or crazy porcupine...But as silly as it is, I'm just so thankful for the truth of it. God created me and my critters (and you and yours) and He has a place for every single one of us and our gifts.
I'll be clapping my paws to that idea today.

Background watercolor by Katherine Jury, via Design Love Fest. Font is Channel.

P.s.  Another old-school uplifting jam of mine, and a reminder that God loves us as we are.

New look, new (to me) sounds

You see that there header? Awww yeaaah.

I was feeling the urge to mix it up around here a little bit. Nothing against graph paper (for real, how can you hate on tiny little orderly boxes?) but I had that theme for the last few years so it was time for a little refresh. So for the past few nights I've stayed up entirely too late wrestling with some HTML to get a few simple buttons looking "Not Janky" (that's a super technical web designer term, obvs). It's definitely not perfect, but hey, we don't do perfect around here. (we do do #showyourreal plugs, apparently) I like to think that I have at least decent design sensibility, but then at the same time I also know I'm a more plus more plus more plus stripes plus sparkles!! kind of person. So I tried to rein that in as much as possible, so no sparkles, but obviously I had to include the stripes at least.

Anyway, it seemed kind of anti-climatic to roll out a fancy new blog outfit, and not have any new content, so I thought while you click around here a little bit (maybe grab a button for your site while you're at it?) I'd give you some tunes to listen to.

I will never brag about either my taste in songs, or my ability to spot the next big musical thing...or really even my awareness of the fact that most things I think are new have actually been around for decades. But hey, I like what I like! And what I like, at least today, are hip-hop covers turned acoustic, retro booty dancing and anything where Dolly Parton prances around in black-and-white. So that's what you're getting.

The guy kills me. Every time.

How bad do you want to go to Dollywood right now? Scratch that, how bad do you want to go to Dollywood in the 90's right now?

Remember that time I played cello in the fifth grade? I could've been somebody.

ps. more music silliness in the archives. Warning- I really do mean silliness. 

The Christmas Tree: It Shines

I know you're probably expecting some Christmas baby adorableness, but I don't have that ready to share....(still living it!)

In the spirit of giving though, I will repost this gem, captured by Meg...It's my friend Katie and me doing our best rendition of SNL's Garth and Kat. Katie leads...I follow. Poorly.

Christmas Song from Our Something New on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas!!

P.s. (My sweater is courtesy of Katie and Craig's Christmas card this year. I desperately hope for her to start a blog so you can witness more of her awesomeness.)

Unexpected Epilogue

Somebody’s grandparents bought them this CD.

Somebody’s grandparents are awesome. (like, totally.)

And now you can expect an endless flood of “You Know What I Really Want” blog posts, in case those same folks (or anyone really) need more sweet gift ideas….

Thanks Bob and Janet! The baby is sleeping like a baby, (only so much cooler!) already.

Hippity-hop

It’s been a little project heavy around these parts lately, and from the most recent blog posts, you would probably think I do nothing but craft, eat and decorate all day. And you’re close.....
But once a week I put all that to the side, throw on my baggiest pants, my toughest expression, and I break it down- in my hip hop class.

Yep- this little blonde girl is learning to tear it up.

I danced for years as a child (and have the embarrassing photos to prove it), so I’m familiar with a lot of different styles...But I wouldn't say I’m good. I’ve never been flexible, or the quickest learner in the room. But I have enough natural rhythm to get by. And perhaps the most important part: I love it. I’ve taken a few classes since I moved to Pittsburgh....but never committed to a weekly schedule. Our weeks were always too crazy with Young Life and other commitments to find time to go to a class regularly. But not anymore!

So a few weeks ago I jumped (jazz leaped?) at the opportunity to get back into dance. Point Park University, a local performing arts college, offers community classes for regular people like me, who wish they were dancers. They offer a ton of styles, and the best part is, the first week of the session is free- so you can test out as many classes as you want! So of course I dragged people with me to check out things out, and help decide which class I wanted to take.

First up- Jazz, with my friend Meg. She recapped it beautifully, and I promise she’s not exaggerating- the two of us were pretty much a disaster. Every time the Beatles sang “Help!” I tried not to convulse into giggles, because man, did we need help. I couldn’t get the counts right, the teacher kept forgetting the routine, and due to a series of spin moves on the floor, I ended up with bruises on my knees for weeks.
Overall- I gave it a B. I liked the style, and the music was fun, but I’m not sure that the free-spirit attitude of the teacher would jive with me long term. (I need a little structure in my class...even if I don’t know how to follow it).

Next- Modern, with Dustin (I didn’t have anyone else to go with, so he finally caved and agreed to accompany me....and we’ve never let him hear the end of it...). This one was MUCH more structured (as in, the teacher told Dustin to spit out his gum mid-warm up, and then made him do a plie in front of the class to show how not to do it.) and longer- at an hour and a half. By the end I was so sore I could barely move...It was certainly great exercise, but I was worried if I could hang, week in and week out.
This class gets a B too- the instructor was fantastic, and the dance was interesting, but the slooooooow cello music just wasn’t doing it for me. I get antsy. I need to shake it....

Finally- Hip hop, with my friend Lindsey, and a friend from work.
I was a little scared of this class, because I had taken a few hip hop classes there with another instructor, and knew I would be WAY out of my league. For some reason being bad at hip hop is worse in my mind than failing at any other dance. I mean, if you’re bad at ballet, you just need more training. But if you can’t hip hop? You’re not cool. But I figured at least I had company, and thought if all else failed, I could combine the running man, and the sprinkler, and tell people it’s my signature street move. (In the previous class I took, after the warm-up and routine, my teacher made everyone circle up for free-styling. Seriously. You had to stand in a circle, and clap, while everyone took a turn showing off in the middle. I would have rather peed my pants in front of all of them. Which I practically did every time I was forced to solo.) So yes....I was nervous, and not the least of my fears was what I was going to wear. I agonized over it, and lamented the fact I don’t own any high tops, and eventually landed on bootcut yoga pants, a loose tank top with a hoodie on top, and my running shoes. I figured it was close enough.....

And then we arrived.
And the class pretty much looked like this:

And all of a sudden, my outfit seemed to make me look a little more like this:



For real- there was a guy with TWO pairs of brightly colored sneakers. Like, just in case he wore one pair out from dancing so hard? There was also at least one girl with a head scarf, and several with their hair in cornrows. And everyone seemed to have gotten the “you’re only cool if you roll up one pant leg” memo. (Except they probably communicated it in hand signs. Memo’s are for losers.) But the best, was what we referred to as the 7th Grade Gang, a group of 4 girls who could not have been older than 13, who I am positive could, and would beat me up in the parking garage after, had I given them a reason. They were popping and locking things they don’t even have yet.

And I haven’t even shown you my teacher yet...I pretty much want to be her. So, to say that we were WAY out of our league is an understatement. Especially when the class actually started, and we realized this stuff was fast. And hard. But it was SO. MUCH. FUN. After a few minutes, I didn’t care what I looked like, and just got into it the best I could. I got a great ab workout, learned a new song, and laughed (at myself) a ton.

I’ve gone a few times since then (dragging a different friend from work each time), and though my outfits haven’t gotten much better, and my dancing hasn’t really improved, I still really love it. Someday I’m hoping I will look like this:

But to be honest, I’d settle for this:


For those of you who want to get your groove on at home, here are the songs we’ve been jamming to (and hopefully the level of hood in these videos gives you an idea of what we're dealing with here....):
Beautiful Monster- Neyo
Down on Me- Jeremih featuring 50 Cent
Massive Attack- Nicky Minaj

Talent That's Inspiring

Every once in a while I'm blown away by the talent that is out there in the world. It kind of goes with Court's last post. Anthony Barlich is super talented at taking pictures and Courtney is super talented at designing windows and generally being creative and awesome.

Personally, I don't think there is anything that I'm super talented at. If you ask people I work with, they'd probably say I'm super talented at Microsoft Excel. It's not really true. I'm pretty good at Excel, but super talented is a stretch.

But if I could be super talented at anything, it would be music. And if I could pick someone to model my talent after, it would be Andrew Ripp. I've posted about him before. Feel free to search the archives to learn about him. I'm writing this because I was inspired by the below video. Watch it. Love it. See if you agree with me.

Awe

You know what's awesome?
Great friends.
(well...great friends are actually just great. Awesome friends are awesome...but you get the point).

You know what's even awesome-r? (how many of you are thinking, "Even awesome-r friends"? True, but not what we're looking for.)
Great friends who are also super duper talented people.

We're lucky to know lots of people that fit that first category...and perhaps just as many that qualify for the latter. I'm always amazed by the skills that different people have, and love to see people in their element and pursuing something they love.

A few weeks ago, Dustin and I went out for a night of culture, checking out a delicious local restaurant/wine bar, and attending a community theater production of a friend from work. Now here's where you think I'm going to rave about the skill of the actors, and how fun it was to see "regular people" from our city living out their passion for the arts. But unfortunately not. While they were talented, it turned into an unbearably long play, that Dustin and I just barely made it through. (Shout out to my friend on lighting.....you were great! Helped me keep my eyes open the whole time!) So as the curtain lowered, we made a dash for the door and vowed to avoid the theater for the foreseeable future. (like, until our kids are in high school. And even then- no Shakespeare).


But wait- this is going somewhere. Somewhere awesome....
So at close to 11pm, we are making our escape, thankful to be in the warm car on the first truly cold day of the season, when we get a call that an out of town friend, Anthony Barlich, is in Pittsburgh. Just for the night. So we had to take off our (figurative) lame pants, and don our (figurative) party clothes and meet up with them. Only problem? They wanted to go to Mt. Washington (a local lookout point). Now, normally I'd be slightly skeptical about this plan...I mean, the city is pretty and all, but I've seen it, and the parking is a bit of a pain (understatement). But on this night, I was especially skeptical (read: cranky) about the plan, as the weather was in the low 40's, and neither Dustin nor I had thought to wear a coat. Or long sleeves. But again, we ignored the practical downsides of it all, and put on our (figurative) happy pants even without our (very literal) warm pants.


But wait- I swear this is going somewhere. (Somewhere that probably includes lots more parenthetical asides)....(it's what I do...)
So we arrived atop the mt. (after double-backing up Pittsburgh side streets for 20 minutes because we were FAR out of our directional comfort zone.) and guess what- it's even colder up there. And windy! So I planned to stay approximately five minutes. Quick ooh, quick ahh. Everybody back in the car, let's go inside and drink some beer! But the group had other plans. You see- Barlich is a photographer (a real one...like, for a living). So while the rest of us hung out, snapping quick self-takes and huddling for warmth, he trotted of to his car for his camera. And returned with a gigantic DSLR and tripod. We were clearly in this for the long haul. So, even though I couldn't feel my fingers, and this wasn't where I originally saw my night going, I borrowed a too-small sweater from a friend, and slapped a smile on my face.

And boy, am I glad I did. I mean, look at this:


So fun right? Through the excitement of the group, and Barlich's enthusiasm for setting up shots, I was very quickly reminded that practically is boring. Complaining is lame. And living life full tilt is awesome. Standing in the cold for a few minutes, goofing off and taking pictures isn't exactly life changing....but it was a shift from the typical pattern of day to day life, which does count as a change afterall.

So after a few group shots (and an impromptu shoot for a couple nearby that had just gotten engaged...) we prepped to make our exit.

But no. Barlich's friends announced they wanted to play a song or two. Umm, what? Like on your pocket harmonica for spare change? Before I could guess what in the world they meant...they scurried to the car and back. Returning with a guitar, and a banjo. Naturally.

You see- what I didn't know, is that Jon and Laura are in a band (or are a band, I guess), and they were all on the way home from a show in New York (which Barlich photographed). So they broke out the instruments and began to play. And they were awesome. They only sang a couple of songs (turns out without her puffy coat-which she graciously lent to me during the performance-Laura's strumming arms got cold fast.) But they still managed to draw a small crowd. It was freezing cold, in the middle of the night, on the top of a Pittsburgh mountain...and it was magical.

As they played, I was in awe of all the talent surrounding us. And it was more than just their amazing voices, and Barlich's eye for capturing the moment....It was the moment itself. It was a simple quiet time of appreciating life. The pure, fleeting second where you get a glimpse, of how God created you to be. Without the demoralizing logic loop that sometimes plays in my head (they're better than you, you'll never be able to do that, why are they so much cooler etc etc etc.), I was able to feel a clear sense of joy that comes with living life in a full way. I wrapped my borrowed-coat clad arms around my husband...glanced at the smiling faces of the couples around us...took in the sounds of the band...marveled at the lights of the city....and was thankful for the moment.

I don't know if any amount of my rambling could express the simple pleasure of that evening...but if you're lucky, you'll be able to experience your own version, in your own life. And perhaps if we were all a bit more perceptive (or maybe a lot less distracted) we would see, and appreciate, more of the simple moments that reveal some of God's greatest gifts to us.

You can check out more of Anthony's work on his website.

Or become a fan on facebook.

Oh- and check out The Indian Summer fanpage.

P.s. Full disclosure- Laura and Jon aren't really my friends. They're more like friends by proxy. But they are supertalented. Directly.

This guy though? He's a friend. And a snuggler:

All photos are by Anthony Barlich. As if you guys thought for two seconds they could possibly be mine....

Blue Christmas

I was in the car this evening when Blue Christmas by Elvis came on and I couldn't help but do my best impression as I drove through snowy Pittsburgh.

Here's you chance to do your best impression. Ready...go!

I must have sung this song for an additional 20 minutes. I love it... Elvis is awesome! After a while I started chuckling to myself because I started thinking of Blue Christmas as sung by Porky Pig. If you've never heard it... here's your chance! Listen, sing, and do your best impression. I guarantee you'll have fun!

Ready... go!

Don't Stop....Believin'

For the littlest Power Ballad Enthusiast:

My future children NEED this. (and by future children, I mean the kids I may or may not have someday...I do not mean that there are embryos in the womb currently. Just to be clear.)
Seriously...go listen.
P.S. In case Journey isn't your thing (wait...why not?!?!?)...there are other bands too. Check it out here.

Monkey Hatchet

This Thursday at YL club we sang the song Umbrella (originally by Rihanna, but we rock the All Time Lowe version) I lead music with Dustin, so I’m singin’ my heart out....Midway through, right after I belt out the lyrics, “Take my old thumb, stick it out till the end.” I glance at the screen....And that’s when I realize that those aren’t the words.

At all.

As you all (who are way cooler than me) probably know, the correct line is: “Took an oath, I'ma stick it out till the end.”

Really. Hmmmmmm. (not sure where I got my version....I thought maybe it had something to do with hitch hiking?) Luckily no one noticed...But I felt dumb, nonetheless.

Now, I know I’m not the only one who’s gotten lyrics wrong (repeatedly)....so what are your musical mis-steps? Any song that you always seem to mess-up? I’m afraid I have too many to count.



The Monkey Hatchet title (like most things in my life) is a reference to one of Ellen Degeneres’ stand-up routines. Skip ahead to minute 2:40 (or watch the whole thing...it’s worth it).

I Get Down

Last week I was having a tough day (one in a series of a few, spurred on partly due to weather, a little because of boredom, and a lot from work...) I was tired of the negativity...tired of feeling down...tired of complaining to Dustin. I wanted to feel better, to pull out of my crankiness, but I couldn't seem to figure out how.

So while I was driving to work, I turned my music low, and prayed. (eyes open!) I prayed for perspective, and help, and wisdom from God. This wasn't the first time I had brought this problem to Him, but this time, I specifically desired instantaneous solutions. I needed immediate hope, I needed to feel better now. I expected Him to give me a profound thought, or some deep feeling of peace. What he gave me was a song. Just as I finished my prayer, the opening notes of this came on the radio:

Get Down, by Audio Adrenaline.

It's an old song, but it's been one of my favorites since high school. When I served for a month on Young Life Work Crew, it was in heavy rotation. Whenever I hear it now, I'm reminded of that time; how hard it was at times, but mostly how much I learned and how much fun I had...all while washing dishes.

I'm so thankful for a God that knows my heart. He knows my weakness, He knows what I need, and He knows that sometimes it's good to be reminded of high school friends doing the running man in a dingy, hot kitchen.

Lavishly our lives are wasted
Humbleness is left untasted
You can't live your life to please yourself , yeah
That's a tip from my mistakes
Exactly what it doesn't take
To win you've got to come in last place

To live your life you've got to lose it
And all the losers get a crown

I get down and He lifts me up
I get down and He lifts me up
I get down and He lifts me up I get down

All I need's another day
Where I can't seem to get away
From the many things that drag me down, yeah
I'm sure you've had a day like me
Where nothing seems to set you free
From the burdens you can't carry all alone

In your weakness He is stronger
In Your darkness He shines through
When you're crying He's your comfort
When your all alone, He's carrying you

I get down and He lifts me up
I get down and He lifts me up
I get down and He lifts me up I get down

This valley is so deep I can barely see the sun
I cry out for mercy, Lord You lift me up again

I get down and He lifts me up
I get down and He lifts me up
I get down and He lifts me up I get down

Open Mic Milestone

On Monday nights in Pittsburgh is the Acousticafe.



A bunch of GREAT artists get together at the Club Cafe in the South Side and plays their original music. You'll hear a cover song every once in a while but the rule is that you get 2 songs, and only one can be a cover.

I've gone to this open mic a couple of times but have never performed. It's so intimidating because almost everyone there is is amazing! There are professional musicians there every week who play to get exposure and "make it."

Um... I've never written a song. I'm not qualified to play and sing here, but it turns out that Joel Lindsey, who was my guitar teacher for a while was hosting the night. So he got me a time slot to play! Yikes!

When I got there, Joel and I talked and he asked what I was going to play. When I told him I had not one but two cover songs, he told me of the rule but then said it was OK because I had come once before but didn't get a time slot to play. After a bunch of thought (like 26 seconds or so) I decided that 1 cover song would be enough. Joel then offered his band if I wanted. his band is amazing. He seriously has the sickest Bassist I have ever heard. He's really unbelievable. When he offered the band, I said "Sure, whatever! That sounds cool!"

So my name gets called and I go up to play. I'm playing a new song, one that I've never played for anybody. "Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake. I practiced a bunch and I felt like I had it all down. Little did I know that I would get ridiculously nervous, sing a little flat, and forget my lyrics. (luckily I had them up there with me) So it was a little difficult in the beginning, but then the band came up and it totally rocked! (in my opinion) I relaxed and sang with more confidence and things just sounded so much better. Joel announced that it was my first time ever playing the Acousticafe and the best part is that when I was finished the place went nuts! Well, maybe nuts is a bit of an exaggeration. They did clap and cheer for me and a bunch of people came up and said how great I did and that I should come back and keep playing. It was totally encouraging and awesome!

Courtney was there and she took some pics and video. So here it is... let me know what you think!

Cry Me a River - Acousticafe from Courtney Bowden on Vimeo.

2010 - Musical Resolutions

I hate making New Year's resolutions.

I hate them because I NEVER follow through with them. I make some good attempts, but nothing ever really seems to stick and I find myself making the same resolutions year after year.

Well I've said it before and I'll say it again. "This year is going to be different!"

My resolution for 2010 has 2 parts and they both involve music.

1.) Play songs at a bar or open mic with the true goal being to have my own set. Like a 30 minute set of me just playing and singing.

2.) Write a song. Just one. Then perform it.

So Courtney is preparing a plethora of posts to share with all of you about our recent vacation to St. John in the US Virgin Islands. It was an amazing trip... but you'll hear all about it later.

While we were there, we went to a little bar/restaurant called Island Blues for lunch and I read on their board that the next night was an open mic. So of course I made everyone go with the hopes that I could play.

We went and had a few drinks and the band that was hosting, called Rock Fish, was playing their set and it looked like there wasn't going to be much of an open mic. This really old guy who had brought his own beautiful hollowed body guitar decided to leave and just as he was the band stopped playing and started shouting, "Wait Bob don't leave! You're up! You're up!"

So Bob gets up there and is pretty much an amazing blues guitarist. He plays with the band and some other guy he knows and they rock the house! I mean ROCK THE HOUSE! It was incredible and I thought to myself "No way can I follow that up!"

Bob and the band finish their set and the lead singer/guitar player comes up to do some acoustic stuff while the band takes a break and that's when I seized my opportunity and went up and asked if I could play. The leader of the band said "Sure thing!" and then introduced me to the bar and disappeared. I played 2 songs. "Be With You" by Mr. Big and "In Your Eyes" as done by Jeffery Gaines. Both songs are main staples of mine. It was really fun and when the night was over the owner of the bar told me I did a great job and that I could play there any time I wanted if I come back! The leader of the band told me I did great too and said that I should go after my passion and do more with music. It was cool to have them say something like that because they aren't my friends or family, whio have to tell you you did great even if you sound like a cat being put in a microwave. Overall, it was a really cool night.

So I have played an open mic in 2010, but I still haven't reached my goal. Two songs is hardly a full set. Writing a song seems like a daunting task, but I have all year to do it. I'll keep you posted.

Aaaannnnddd... if you're wondering...yes, there is a video of me playing and yes it's below for your viewing pleasure. I'm only posting "Be With You" for right now and I will have to warn you... I don't think I sound that great. I also got a little nervous and forgot some of my lyrics. I worked it out though, with Courtney's help. Also, after my video is a video of Andrew Ripp singing his song "Losing Gravity." It's what I aspire to be.

So... let me know what you think about both videos. And tell me the truth.

The video is a little rough, but I'd love to hear what you think of it!

This guy is amazing!

For Those About to Rock (i.e. me) We Salute You.

That’s right folks….I am once again the proud owner of a 1993 Yamaha PSR-410 Portatone. (Please don’t call it a keyboard…it is clearly so much more.) This beauty was a Christmas gift from my dad when I was nine, and it has finally found its way out of the basement storage, and back into my home and heart. According to the manual it is “a high-quality musical instrument that incorporates advanced Yamaha digital technology and many versatile features.” According to other authorities (my husband) it is a noise machine that has yet to demonstrate positive traits. No worries; My newly acquired Billy Joel song book is bound to change that.

For those of you questioning the reasoning behind the resurgence of this little treasure, it is a phenomenon that all but defies explanation. This is just the latest in a long (looooong) line of interests that walk the line between “pipe dream” and “legitimate hobby” (I reference previous endeavors, including, but not limited to: bowling, power-lifting, skateboarding, clogging, paper making, Capoeira, cello and trumpet playing, hip hop dancing, sign language, freestyle walking, 5K running, crocheting, barefoot skiing, salsa dancing, smoothie/frozen drink making, backyard gymnastics, scrapbooking, drum playing in an all female band… The list goes on, and yes it is all too real, as my friends and family can attest...) All of these items sparked my interest at some point or another, and resulted in varying levels of success. Quite often I find myself responding to a mention of a sport or activity with “Yeah, I used to do that...” or “I tried that once…” Trying (and more often than not, quitting) things is a part of who I am. I am constantly struck with a desire to take up a new hobby, or get involved in a unique interest of mine. And usually, just as suddenly, I am struck with a new curiosity and move on to that.

Some would see this as fickle, or an inability to commit to things, but I truly look at this as a huge positive part my personality. Sure, there is something to be said for long term dedication, and enduring passion for a select set of interests. But I think there is also something to be said for the willingness to attempt new things. To dabble, to experiment, to commit or to cut your loses and move on to the next big project. Some of my endeavors stick. Some don’t. But I never see it as failure. Sometimes I realize I wasn’t suited to that particular activity, and other times it temporarily falls by the wayside to make room for a newer interest. Others may doubt their abilities after attempting such a range of pursuits without true long term results, but I can’t be bothered. I’m on to the next thing, approaching it with the same zeal as I did the last. I view each attempt as a success, regardless of the outcome, because the goal is in the action, not in the resulting product. I’m interested in the process…I love learning, trying, just having the experience.

This wasn’t always like me though. In fact, it was quite the opposite. As a kid I hated to be bad at things. Before I ever tried something in public, I would practice extensively in private. As a three-year-old student in “combo dance”, I refused to unveil my cartwheel prowess without first tumbling around solo in my bedroom. I would limit my activities to things I felt I could master, never wanting to fail. Then, quitting activities was often due to a feeling that I couldn’t do it perfectly, so why bother?  I think my current attitude shows how dramatically I’ve changed, and I’m proud of that. People who didn’t know the early me, usually have no idea, because this new pattern is so deeply engrained in me now.

But even if people are familiar with my quirkiness, they’re not always sure how to react.  Upon hearing of one (or many) of my random pursuits people often ask, “So what does Dustin think of this?” It seems that they try to use his response as a clue as to what they should think. I imagine they expect him to be dubious, or at least surprised. But truthfully he is (almost) always completely supportive. He’ll listen patiently, shake his head with a smile, and stand by me while I fulfill my need to do. (It gets a little more dicey when my obsession du jour involves his participation. But even then he typically tries to humor me. Sometimes...) He may not fully understand me, but he fully loves me, and that matters infinitely more.

As for my latest scheme? Perhaps I will resurrect my childhood talent and passion for the piano (which, were admittedly limited and short lived). Or more likely I will learn the treble clef portion of three Journey songs and be done with it. But if nothing else, at least I’ll have some fun, and maybe a story or two to tell.

So for those about to witness (i.e. tolerate) the rock, I thank you.