BOTB Results and What's Making Me Crazy

It's time for results in Battle of the Bands.

Me... I'm thrilled that I FINALLY pitted two contenders against one another that kept this race interesting. Perry Como and Johnny Mathis both looked like they could win this thing right up until the end. (If you missed it, the song was It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.) So, how did it all turn out?

Perry Como: 13

Johnny Mathis: 12 (including my vote)

This was so close. One more vote from you guys for Johnny Mathis and I could've made it a tie. Two more votes and I could've chosen the winner. I call that *close.* And a win really. Two stellar versions of this song... so there really wasn't a "loser" here.

I'm not going to call the rest of this post a "Soundtrack" post, though it will get a song. Since it's present day, it'd be jumping way ahead. (For the record, I intend to get back to regularly scheduled blogging in January.) For my readers who've been around longer, you may remember the post about Jack. It was a Battle of the Bands. The song was Wicked Game. You can find it HERE if you're interested.

Jack took this picture on our second date. December 31, 2005.

As we roll closer to December 27 he takes up more space in my head.

Come up to meet you. Tell you I'm sorry. You don't know how lovely you are. I had to find you, tell you I need you, tell you I set you apart.

December 27 is making me a little bit crazy you see. December 27 was the day he killed himself. For the longest time I thought it was the 28th, but I read his obituary recently. It was the 27th.

December 27 was the day of our first date. Is this a coincidence? I don't know. I seriously don't know. Did he remember that it was the day of our first date? Sigh. Some people are really good about remembering the date of "important events." For instance, I can tell you the date of my wedding and the date stamped on my divorce papers. Ironically, the same day, which never fails to make me smile just a little bit. You can't tell me God doesn't have a sense of humor. BUT, my ex-husband could tell you the day of OUR first date. I can't. It was in May. I think I've tried to forget it. BUT, I know I could call him right now and he'd be able to tell me (because he mentioned it rather frequently way back when). It was significant to him since it was the day his (first) wife left him. Again, God and that sense of humor.


I'm moving off the track. Sort of. You see I don't know if December 27 had any meaning for Jack. If he actually CHOSE it. Or if he just lost it on that day and that was it.

 Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions. Running in circles; coming up tails. Heads on a science apart.

It seems like I spend so much time (too much time) thinking about all the things I've done and wish I could do differently. In this case, I'd take back an email I sent him after he called me. He was a mess. I knew that place because it looked very much like my life when he and I were dating (and quit dating) because I had to sell my house and move in with my parents. A mess. I didn't have the energy for a relationship because my life was so messed up. I didn't know that at the time, but I didn't.  I needed to get healthy. (Heck, I'm still working toward THAT goal.) So, when we talked and I thought "maybe we can work this out," my next thought was "that isn't healthy or realistic right now."

Nobody said it was easy. It's such a shame for us to part. Nobody said it was easy. No one ever said it would be this hard. Oh, take me back to the start.

So, I sent him an email telling him that I understood where he was and that he should just take care of himself. Give himself the time and focus to get better and then we'd see where we were. I wanted to take the pressure off. I never heard from him, so I don't know if he even got it. I'm going to assume he did. However, he didn't respond. I'd say that was unusual, but it wasn't.

In that email, I meant take care of yourself. But I wonder if he read kiss off. You see, I was just guessing at numbers and figures, pulling your puzzles apart. Questions of science. Science and progress cannot speak as loud as my heart.

And the thing is I'll never know. What I know is that he killed himself on December 27. A day I used to love. Now a day I hate.

Tell me you love me. Come back and haunt me. Oh, and I rush to the start. Running in circles. Chasing tails. Coming back as we are.


 

No one ever said it would be this hard. 

Battle of the Bands ~ Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Hello friends. It's time for the final Battle of the Bands of this year. Can you believe 2015 is almost gone???

I chose the song It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas for my song this time. As is par for the course, I changed my mind repeatedly about who to put against who in this contest. Mostly, I tried to decide if I wanted to face two "contemporary" versions of the song against one another (Michael Buble vs. Jann Arden) or go with two contenders as I see as heavyweights. In the end, I decided to go with the heavyweights, and I hope that this battle is a close one (as in tough to decide).

The song was written by Meredith Wilson and originally made famous by Perry Como with The Fontane Sisters and Mitchell Ayres. Many of you will love it simply due to the recognition factor. I think it's the version my mom grew up on (and this is one of her all-time favorite Christmas songs).

So, let's give that version a listen.



But, mom also likes the second version. When I was a kid mom played Christmas records from Thanksgiving until Christmas. Seems like every night you'd find her in the living room wrapping gifts and listening to Christmas songs. We had at least one record of Johnny Mathis singing Christmas songs, so she likes this one, too. I'm not sure I could get her to commit to one version over the other!

Take it away Johnny!




Please vote for the version of this song you prefer. If you want to get into the Ins and Outs of why you like one better than the other... I LOVE long comments!

For more Battle of the Bands fun, check out the other BOTB bloggers to vote on their battles:

• Far Away Series 
• Stephen T. McCarthy's Battle of the Bands Blog
• Tossing it Out
• DiscConnected (temporarily disconnected from BoTB)
• Mike's Ramblings
• Curious as a Cathy 
• Book Lover
• The Sound of One Hand Typing
• dcrelief ~ Battle of the Bands 
• Cherdo on the Flipside 
• Angels Bark 
• THE DOGLADY'S DEN 
• Jingle Jangle Jungle 
• Janie Junebug Righting and Editing
• NovelBrews
• J.A. Scott
• Quiet Laughter
• Holli's Hoots and Hollers 
• beReInVintaged 

Battle of the Band Results and Mini-Update

The results for Battle of the Bands weren't as balanced as I'd like. The vast majority of you voted for Santa Claus Is Watchin' You. Even though Bad Little Boy was sure to get some gifts from Grandpa, he didn't get much from you guys!

Final tally looked like this:

Santa Claus Is Watchin' You: 16

Bad Little Boy: 6 (including my vote)

I first heard Ray Stevens' Bad Little Boy on the radio a long time ago. I always loved it when that song came on. Particularly the bit about the cat and the rocket ship. BUT, I didn't know who sang the song AND YouTube wasn't an option. I think I'm giving something away about how long I've liked this song...

Stephen T. McCarthy pointed out that it was similar (a "knockoff" was the word I think he used) of Nuttin' For Christmas. I think that's right, though I haven't consulted Wikipedia for their guess truth. I considered for two seconds puttin' those two against one another and decided that Ray Stevens would get his handed back on a plate. I almost went with a non-Ray Stevens novelty song of a completely different flavor, but decided against that, too. Anyway, even though this battle didn't work out as well as I'd like, I wanted you to know that despite a raging migraine I did put some effort into it. ALSO, thank you for all of the kind words and well wishes. I'm renewing my efforts on getting this under control.

I have yet to put together my battle for the 15th. What is YOUR favorite Christmas song???

Battle of the Bands ~ Merry Christmas!

Well, kids, I'm not sure how we got here so quickly. But, it's almost December 1st (actually 11/30). Anyway, I've been thinking Christmas songs for the last week or so. And THAT'S what I find so shocking. Wasn't it just Christmas not long ago??? How does this happen????

Well, in my trolling of YouTube for Christmas songs I ended up listening to and saving novelty songs. I wasn't sure (at the time) that was the direction I wanted to go, but today I have no choice. I've been afflicted with a kick me in the head migraine behind my right eye that makes death look appealing as the next viable option. I keep telling myself it well let up before I get serious about that "death thing," because... well, because I've lasted for longer than this with the death grip migraine and I'm still here. Cranky as hell, but here.

So, with a pounding head I present to you Battle of the Bands.

And what you're getting to vote on is two different novelty songs I've saved to my Favorites about a week ago (before this atrocious migraine).

The songs are Santa Claus is Watching You and Bad Little Boy by Ray Stevens. I think the video is flat-out distracting for both videos. So, I advise not watching it. I really like both of these because they are so darn funny. I don't think you'll vote for either song because of its stellar guitar work  or instrumentation or any of the things that often sway battles. This will simply be a vote for the song you like best. Is most entertaining. Made you laugh hardest. I think you get the idea. So, sit back and enjoy.

First up is Santa Claus is Watching You:



Next up is Bad Little Boy:



So, which of these tickled your funny bone most? You probably noticed that no matter how you slice this cake it's a win for Ray Stevens, but which Ray Stevens song? Is Santa Claus the peeper your favorite or is it the song about the bad little boy???

Please vote for the version of this song you prefer. If you want to get into the Ins and Outs of why you like one better than the other... I LOVE long comments!

For more Battle of the Bands fun, check out the other BOTB bloggers to vote on their battles:

• Far Away Series 
• Stephen T. McCarthy's Battle of the Bands Blog
• Tossing it Out
• DiscConnected (temporarily disconnected from BoTB)
• This Belle Rocks
• Mike's Ramblings
• Curious as a Cathy 
• Book Lover
• The Sound of One Hand Typing
• dcrelief ~ Battle of the Bands 
• Cherdo on the Flipside 
• Angels Bark 
• THE DOGLADY'S DEN 
• Jingle Jangle Jungle 
• Janie Junebug Righting and Editing
• NovelBrews
• J.A. Scott
• Quiet Laughter
• Holli's Hoots and Hollers 

Battle Results and SOML ~ Things We'll Never Understand

Well, this "battle" wasn't much of a battle. I actually think it may have been more interesting if I'd put Diamond Rio, Steve Wariner, and Lee Roy Parnell up against Merle Haggard. Believe it or not, I actually had a different guy up against these powerhouses and my mom said, "That guy is awful compared to the other group." So, I changed it. Turns out, Craig Wayne Boyd didn't fare so good against them either. Go figure.

Like the majority of you, my vote goes to the powerhouse "trio." As you can see with the final tally, I'm lucky this wasn't a shutout.

Diamond Rio, Steve Wariner, and Lee Roy Parnell: 20 votes (inc. mine)

Craig Wayne Boyd: 3

Once again, I realize I blithely skipped over something important from the spring of my junior year in the haste to talk about my horrible summer waitressing job. So, I'm gonna back up for a moment.

Remember when I said all of the women on my dad's side of the family are fairly psychic? No? Well, I've said it a couple of times. Sometimes that just means really good intuition. Other times it's crap like this:

For months, at night as I'd lie in bed (really wanting to sleep) I'd have this feeling.

It was flesh against metal and I'd taste blood in my mouth.

It was creepy. And terrifying. Really disturbing. It was also nearly every night.

It got to the point that I told my friends about it.

You see, I was fairly certain I was going to die.

Of course, the feeling never yielded anything more than what I just told you. I had no idea of any details.

My friends all yucked it up and thought it was silliness. I guess. I know they didn't take me seriously. And I can't say I blame them. It was all really vague.

Plus, they weren't the ones clenching the bed sheets with the bizarre sensation of metal against flesh (but no actual pain) and the taste of blood in their mouth. Nope. That was all me.

When I found out my cousin's daughter was killed by a car, I didn't make the connection at first.

Yeah, you read that right.

She was killed.

This was the same little girl I spent so much time with at Christmas. The one who didn't have any lines on her palms. She was seven. Her dad had been out of work (laid off), so he was taking her to the bus stop. This was his first day back to work. So, a neighbor who also had kids took her (and her two year old brother) to the stop. The stop was inconveniently placed on the other side of a hill. My little cousin ran out into the road just as a car was coming (way too fast) over that hill. The driver was a high school kid late for school.

The whole thing was horribly tragic. It's been over twenty years, and my cousin still misses her daughter.

For me, as soon as she died the nightly trauma stopped. Like that. No more lying in bed feeling metal on flesh with blood in my mouth. I told God I didn't want any more of that. If the information doesn't actually help someone or make someone happy then I don't want it. I've not experienced anything like that again (terrifying and vague).

Every now and then I pull out pictures from that time. I always wonder who she'd be today...





If you're enjoying these posts, feel free to share your own Soundtrack. This isn't a hop. No requirements at all, but a suggestion to do it one song at a time. (If you participated in the hop several years ago, you can still do this. Just post them one song at a time, with the freedom to add more songs if you'd like.) I'll link to all participants at the bottom of each of these posts:

StMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Cherdo on the Flipside 

Holli's Hoots and Hollers 

THE DOGLADY'S DEN 

Mean Who You Are

Soundtrack of My Life ~ Look What July Blew In

The summer of 1989 pretty well flew by in a mist of misery. If you don't know what I'm talking about see the last post. My waitressing job darn near killed me.

The only other significant thing to happen that summer was that J1 just popped back up. Out of the blue. We hadn't spoken in months. It was a weekend, so I was in the midst of sleep deprivation and agonizing pain in my feet. I do believe it was a Saturday afternoon, and I was taking my nap in between getting off at the diner and having to be back at the bar that evening.

My roommate woke me up to tell me he was in the living room.

It was all very strange. I was happy to see him, but there was a part of me that knew he would be Gone Again the next time I turned around. I can't remember how long he stayed. Not long. Just long enough to make me wish things were different and decide that I wasn't gonna love anybody else.

You'd think the yardstick he'd set would be pretty easy to beat. After all, the guy couldn't STICK. But, you must remember this: If it doesn't hurt, it isn't love.

Yeah, that was MY yardstick for what love looked like. So, this MUST be love. After all, how could it hurt like this and not be?




If you're enjoying these posts, feel free to share your own Soundtrack. This isn't a hop. No requirements at all, but a suggestion to do it one song at a time. (If you participated in the hop several years ago, you can still do this. Just post them one song at a time, with the freedom to add more songs if you'd like.) I'll link to all participants at the bottom of each of these posts:

StMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Cherdo on the Flipside 

Holli's Hoots and Hollers 

THE DOGLADY'S DEN 

Mean Who You Are

Wrote By Rote

Battle of the Bands ~ Workin' Man Blues

Battle of the Bands is, once again, colliding with my Soundtrack posts. Yep, I'm doing those again. Here is a quick list of other people participating in The Soundtrack Of My Life:

StMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Cherdo on the Flipside 

Holli's Hoots and Hollers 

THE DOGLADY'S DEN 

Mean Who You Are

Wrote By Rote


If you decide, at any time, you want to start posting these on your blog, let me know, and I'll add you to the list.

First, the story.

If you will remember (really reach into those memory banks), the previous summer I sold books door-to-door in Colorado. Well, I knew I didn't want to do that again. But, I needed to make enough money over the summer to cover my school expenses (mostly) for the year. I also worked a very part-time during all four school years.

Anyway, one of my friends who was native to the area suggested I get work in Saugatuck. That was about a 40 minute drive for me, but it was a small "resortish" area on the lake. One of the restaurants was actually a three in one business. There was a really nice restaurant, a bar, and a diner that only served breakfast and lunch. Since I had zero waitstaff experience I ended up working in both the bar and the diner.

OMG.

I know that doesn't sound bad, but it was. On the weekends it was terrible. I'd work until close in the bar and then have to be there before open in the diner.

This girl needs her sleep. This girl also discovered that she didn't have a clue what it was like to be on her feet all night in a bar and then have to hoof it again all morning into mid-afternoon, go home a couple of hours, and then do it all again. Every weekend.

We lived off campus, and I moved three times in that house. That summer my room was in the basement. I remember one morning crawling up the stairs because my feet hurt so badly. Plus, I got to the point I was sleeping on the floor and putting my feet on my bed to elevate them.

Let's just say that a couple weeks into this job I was rethinking it. I really should've sold the books again door-to-door.

If the story tells you anything, be generous to your waitstaff the next time you eat out. That job is ROUGH.


Now, the song.

I really wanted a song about working. Well, there is no song that sings the blues of working like Workin' Man Blues. Of course, I wasn't drinking any beer in the tavern. All I was doing was serving it! There is no way I'm using the original by Merle Haggard. That wouldn't end well. So, I went looking on YouTube. Turns out several groups have done this song live as tribute to Merle. None of those were best in my opinion, though. Although there was one that cracked me up. For anyone who enjoys watching the audience, I can send it to you.

Feel free to watch the video in both of these. You can tell in both of them that they're really having fun. That makes them a joy to watch.

First up is a collaboration. Diamond Rio, Steve Warnier, and Lee Roy Parnell got together to pay tribute to Merle. Not sure what to call this... RioWP?



Next up is Craig Wayne Boyd:


Please vote for the version of this song you prefer. If you want to get into the Ins and Outs of why you like one better than the other... I LOVE long comments!

For more Battle of the Bands fun, check out the other BOTB bloggers to vote on their battles:

• Far Away Series 
• Stephen T. McCarthy's Battle of the Bands Blog
• Tossing it Out
• DiscConnected (temporarily disconnected from BoTB)
• This Belle Rocks
• Mike's Ramblings
• Curious as a Cathy 
• Book Lover
• The Sound of One Hand Typing
• dcrelief ~ Battle of the Bands 
• Cherdo on the Flipside 
• Angels Bark 
• THE DOGLADY'S DEN 
• Jingle Jangle Jungle 
• WOMEN: We Shall Overcome 
• NovelBrews
• J.A. Scott
• Quiet Laughter
• Holli's Hoots and Hollers 

Soundtrack of My Life ~ Why Don't You Like Me?

Many of you had LOTS to say about J1 in the last Battle/Soundtrack post. And you were all right. And all wrong. Dontcha hate it when that happens?!?!

You were right in the fact that I should've told him how I felt. If he didn't care, I should've told him adios and farewell. But, I didn't. And that is the part of the story we should all take away here. This is MY soundtrack. J1 is merely a supporting player.

Even though he "treated me mean and treated me cruel," I still loved him. And wanted to see him. And looked forward to the day when I'd see him again.

Those days didn't come as often as I wanted. I do remember him driving to see me after the Christmas break and once more a few months later.

The thing was it was always fantastic when he was there. It always felt horrible after he left. And worse yet when he stayed gone.

For anyone who's been in a relationship where you feel way more invested than the other person.... well, chances are you're way more invested than the other person.

I think J1 was completely overwhelmed by his life. His family. Trying to please his dad. And he cared about me, but not enough to really make me a priority. However, whenever he came around I dropped everything.

Yeah, it wasn't healthy.

There was never an official Break Up. But, after that second visit things changed. I got tired of the unreturned phone calls or the calls that were supposed to come that didn't. I got tired of always coming in last. So, we never officially said "this is it," but I stopped going out of my way to try and make him notice me. Not saying that it didn't hurt or that I stopped loving him (because that would've been way too healthy!), but I stopped initiating. And when that happened, he disappeared off my grid... until he didn't. But, that's another blog bit.




WHY DON'T YOU LIKE ME WITHOUT MAKING ME TRY?

I TRIED TO BE LIKE GRACE KELLY
BUT ALL HER LOOKS WERE TOO SAD
SO I TRY A LITTLE FREDDIE
I'VE GONE IDENTITY MAD!


I COULD BE BROWN
I COULD BE BLUE
I COULD BE VIOLET SKY
I COULD BE HURTFUL
I COULD BE PURPLE
I COULD BE ANYTHING YOU LIKE
 
WHY DON'T YOU LIKE LIKE ME?
WHY DON'T YOU WALK OUT THE DOOR!
 
WHY DON'T YOU LIKE ME?
WHY DON'T YOU LIKE ME?
WHY DON'T YOU LIKE YOURSELF?

BUT YOU ONLY WANT WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE SAYS YOU SHOULD WANT

HUMPHREY, WE'RE LEAVING!


If you're enjoying these posts, feel free to share your own Soundtrack. This isn't a hop. No requirements at all, but a suggestion to do it one song at a time. (If you participated in the hop several years ago, you can still do this. Just post them one song at a time, with the freedom to add more songs if you'd like.) I'll link to all participants at the bottom of each of these posts:

StMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Cherdo on the Flipside 

Holli's Hoots and Hollers 

THE DOGLADY'S DEN 

Mean Who You Are

Wrote By Rote

Soundtrack of My Life ~ When It Stops Being Funny

Well, I've gotten lax with these posts. For a while there, I was really moving along. Now, it's more of a crawl. However, I was moving fast enough that I did forget to mention something at the beginning of junior year. So, we're backing up briefly.

If you recall, I came to college intending to major in music. That didn't turn out so well, and I spent my sophomore year taking Core classes (aka required classes) and hoping that I'd just fall into something that lit my fire. Turns out, that really didn't happen. But, you can't just wander aimlessly through the college experience forever without declaring a major. So, based solely on the fact that I liked to read I chose English. Yep. You read that right.

Now, that is a significant story right there. But, it's made worse by this one little thing.

When I was in high school, I found out that my mom dropped out of college after her sophomore year because she couldn't decide on a major. Well.... I thought that was hilarious. And I laughed in her face about it. A lot. I even told my friends. And laughed some more. Frankly, I was a bit of a brat about the whole thing. Who quits because they can't decide on a major???? hahahahaha.

Well, it was not nearly as funny when I was the one having difficulty deciding. When I got a call from someone in the admin department saying I couldn't go forward unless I decided... well, this sh#t got serious. And ironic. Very ironic.

I bet my mom had a good laugh. If she did, she was kinder about than I... because she never did it in my face, though I very much deserved it.





If you're enjoying these posts, feel free to share your own Soundtrack. This isn't a hop. No requirements at all, but a suggestion to do it one song at a time. (If you participated in the hop several years ago, you can still do this. Just post them one song at a time, with the freedom to add more songs if you'd like.) I'll link to all participants at the bottom of each of these posts:

StMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Cherdo on the Flipside 

Holli's Hoots and Hollers 

THE DOGLADY'S DEN 

Mean Who You Are

Wrote By Rote

 

Battle of the Bands Results and 30 Seconds Sale!

Multi-tasking in this post. I've got two things to tell you. One is the results for Battle of the Bands. The other is a blogger friend whose book has gone on sale. Don't want you to miss out!

First, Battle of the Bands. I think the clear-cut winner in this battle was the trailer for Daylight Savings Time. Ha! But, they weren't part of the battle, so let's get down to the song: Chain of Fools and the contenders (The Commitments vs Eva Cassidy). Some of you are (fairly) new to this game, so you probably don't recall that I've put Eva up in two battles prior to this one. She lost them both spectacularly. To be fair, her version of Autumn Leaves got much good comment, but I pitted her against Louis Armstrong (probably not the best idea). So, it was a refreshing change of pace (for me, at least) to see her take a strong lead in this battle early. The Commitments pushed back hard in the middle, but Eva voters turned out in droves at the end, so she solidly won this one (even without my vote, which she ultimately would've gotten). However, I must say again that I really like both versions of this song, so there really wasn't a "wrong" vote, not that there ever is. ;)

The Commitments: 7

Eva Cassidy: 16 (with my vote)

Now, here's the dish on how to get Chrys Fey's book for just $.99.

99 CENT SALE on 30 SECONDS by Chrys Fey!!! 

Sale ends Nov. 20^th so take advantage now!

Blurb:

When Officer Blake Herro agreed to go undercover in the Mob, he thought he understood the risks. But he's made mistakes and now an innocent woman has become their target. He's determined to protect her at all costs.

The Mob's death threat turns Dr. Dani Hart's life upside down, but there is one danger she doesn’t anticipate. As she's dodging bullets, she's falling in love with Blake. With danger all around them, will she and Blake survive and have a happy ending, or will the Mob make good on their threat?

Excerpt:

She had no time to react when a strong force bowled her through the doorway of her apartment, and a large hand plastered over her mouth. The man she had bumped into on the stairs had a firm grip on her as he kicked the door closed behind them. She struggled to get free, but his hold kept her back pressed against his chest.

“It’s okay. I’m a cop. My name is Blake Herro.” He hauled her into the living room. “There are six armed men coming up the stairs. We need to hide. Where can we hide?”

Her mind went blank, she even forgot about the ice cream.

“Where?” he demanded with a quick shake.

She pointed to the six-foot long, three-foot high handcrafted cedar chest she used for a coffee table. Officer Herro pulled her to it and flung open the lid.

“Get in,” he ordered.

BOOK LINKS:

The Wild Rose Press / NOOK / KOBO / Amazon US / Amazon UK

IWSG ~ I'm Down To Four Toenails, But It's All Good

If you're interested in participating in the Insecure Writers Support Group, we post the first Wednesday of every month. You can go HERE to join the list. Thank you, Alex J. Cavanaugh for starting this whole thing!


I'm writing this on Tuesday morning (in preparation for tomorrow). Until last night, I had no idea what I would write about for this installment of Insecure Writers. Even I've got a bit tired of listening to me saying that the process is endless. I get sick of my own work. When I do go back and read for the purpose of editing, there's always *so much* to edit. It's discouraging.

For the record, all of those things are still true.

Another truth is that when you're doing something hard, it takes practice to get it right. The people who succeed are the ones who have endurance. The ones who are relentless.

I got a glaring reminder of that on Monday night watching Dancing With The Stars. It's interesting (to me) to see how people hold up when they're completely outside their comfort zone. Some stars are younger, have more talent (right from "go") and make it all seem effortless. This season, Bindi Irwin (yep, Steve Irwin's daughter) has done all of that. Every week I say something resembling this to my mom: "Her dancing is incredible, but I don't know how she radiates that positivity. She is effervescent." And she does/is.

My mistake was in thinking that it came easy for her. I found the clip of her presentation from Monday night on YouTube. I hope you watch it. There is a lesson in here for us as writers and as people.



Did you see those feet? 4 toenails left, which she is superglueing on, so it's all good!

Are you working that hard on your craft? I know I'm not. I get discouraged, and I walk away from my computer. You know, because I can. There aren't cameras watching my progress. But, maybe I should treat my writing like there are.

How well do you do when you get 9s when you deserve 10s on your work? Do you smile and say, "That's great. I'll just work harder!" or do you go sulk in the corner and say they don't know what they're talking about? Your characters are rounded, your plot flawless... all in all, possibly the best thing ever written!

As Derek said before the dance, "She's relentless. She never stops until she gets it."

So, what about you? Are you relentless? Even when it hurts, do you carry on? When you find yourself way outside your comfort zone do you hammer through it?

Battle of the Bands/Soundtrack ~ Chain of Fools

DID YOU SET YOUR CLOCK BACK?

If you have time to watch this fantastic trailer about the time change, do it. This may be the best thing I've ever seen on YouTube, and I've seen a lot of things...




Battle of the Bands is, once again, colliding with my Soundtrack posts. Yep, I'm doing those again. Here is a quick list of other people participating in The Soundtrack Of My Life:

StMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Cherdo on the Flipside 

Holli's Hoots and Hollers 

THE DOGLADY'S DEN 

Mean Who You Are

Wrote By Rote


If you decide, at any time, you want to start posting these on your blog, let me know, and I'll add you to the list.

First, the story.

Where we left off: J1 decided to quit school (again). His parents lived approximately 30-45 minutes away from the college, so my first thought was that this wouldn't be that big of a deal. In other words, dating him was still doable. And to my credit (or codependency, whichever you prefer) I did give it my very best shot. However, J1 made it difficult. At least, it felt that way.

I remember spending a lot of time waiting on phone calls that didn't happen. Being disappointed by planned visits that suddenly became unplanned. However, I accepted all the excuses (shame on me!) and even justified the insanity to my friends.


Meanwhile, Christmas break came and I went home. This was a bizarre year home. It was the first Christmas with my parents actually divorced and living apart. Ironically, I don't have many memories of this Christmas. Did I block them? I don't know. I do remember visiting my relatives on both sides... just separately with one parent and then the other.

I didn't plan to include this... in fact, I only just remembered it now, but it was this Christmas visit when we spent more time than usual at my cousin's house. She had two young kids (a 7 year old and a 2 year old). The seven year old (girl) looked very much like my cousin and was a very happy kid. They'd had a big Christmas despite the fact her husband was out of work (so it was hard on them). All the women on my dad's side of the family are a bit psychic and interested in "odd" things. At that time, my cousin was big on palm reading. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but being one of those women (on my dad's side of the family), I found it intriguing. The lines on your hands tell several things, but my little second cousin didn't have a single line on either of her hands. I suppose that should have screamed something to me (and her mother!) but it didn't. It was just another odd thing. My hands said I'd go through two divorces (and I have)... my parents' divorce and my own. The line for my parents' divorce is much deeper than my own. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure that one out. Anyway, there will be more to this story later.

Back to the J1 part of this story. So, we're at my nanny's house (dad's mom) and it was probably Christmas day late afternoon. The year was 1988. No cell phones and you still paid to call long distance. In point of fact, my family pretty much only called long distance in a state of emergency or for a two minute or less call. Why call when you could write a letter???? So, it was a fairly big deal to ask my nanny if I could use her phone LONG DISTANCE to call J1. I thought she might say no, but she agreed.

Turns out, I could've saved that dollar. I called and talked to him for about thirty seconds. He was watching a football game on TV and didn't want to talk to me. And he pretty much said it just like that. I mean he can talk to me any time, but how often is his favorite team (Minnesota) winning??? Merry Christmas!

Nanny was surprised to see me off the phone so quickly and said, "He wasn't home?"

I said, "No, he was. Just didn't want to talk. The football game was on."

She got what I think of as "the look." You know that look... like she bit into something rotten. Then she said tartly, "I hope you told him to sit on a tack."

Of course, the idea of me telling ANYONE to sit on a tack was absurd. (I didn't share the "saucy" aspect of the women on my dad's side of the family... unfortunately.)

But, I really really should have. I would've loved to see the look on his face when sweet little me said, "You and your football game can go sit on a tack!"

I'm sure I said something like, "Oh. Well, I don't want to interrupt you. Talk to you later. Bye." And then asked how high the next time he said, "Jump." Not pretty, but true.


Now, the song.

The song for today is Chain of Fools. It was originally a hit by Aretha Franklin, so we're not going to listen to that version today.

Had I been thinking harder (and longer) I might've included the movie The Commitments on my Top 25. I really liked the movie and loved the soundtrack. I might've loved the movie, but it's been a really long time since I've seen it, so maybe I loved it then but wouldn't like it so much now. I think the real point is I listened to the soundtrack much more often;)

Here is the version by The Commitments:



 Back in 2007, I discovered Eva Cassidy. Very talented lady who died much too soon. Here she is with her version of Chain of Fools:


I really like both versions of this song, so this one is going to be a tough vote for me. In fact, I'm still not sure where my vote will land. I'm curious to see what you guys think!


Please vote for the version of this song you prefer. If you want to get into the Ins and Outs of why you like one better than the other... I LOVE long comments!

For more Battle of the Bands fun, check out the other BOTB bloggers to vote on their battles:

• Far Away Series 
• Stephen T. McCarthy's Battle of the Bands Blog
• Tossing it Out
• DiscConnected (temporarily disconnected from BoTB)
• This Belle Rocks
• Mike's Ramblings
• Curious as a Cathy 
• Book Lover
• The Sound of One Hand Typing
• dcrelief ~ Battle of the Bands 
• Cherdo on the Flipside 
• Angels Bark 
• THE DOGLADY'S DEN 
• Jingle Jangle Jungle 
• WOMEN: We Shall Overcome 
• NovelBrews
• J.A. Scott
• Quiet Laughter
• Holli's Hoots and Hollers 

25 FAVORITE MOVIES

Bish Denham over at Random Thoughts sponsored this Listing Hop. Stephen T. McCarthy invited folks to specifically list their 25 Favorite Movies. Lists are hard for me. I know I will be upset when I realize I've forgotten a favorite. About this list: It's not necessarily the BEST 25 movies I've ever seen, but FAVORITES. Yeah, there's a difference. Most of the time, for me, that revolves around how many times I've watched it, or would watch it.

Here are my 25 Favorite Movies in random order. Some have quotes from the movie. Others have clips. Watching is optional, but recommended.

1. BETTER OFF DEAD (1985)

"Two dollars!" ~ The Paper Boy


2. SAY ANYTHING (1989)

"I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that." ~ Lloyd Dobler


3. SHE'S HAVING A BABY (1988)

4.  WHITE OLEANDER (2002)

"You look at me, mother, and you don't like what you see. But this is the price... the price of belonging to you." ~Astrid


5. LEGENDS OF THE FALL (1994)

"She was like the water that freezes inside a rock and breaks it apart. It was no more her fault than it is the fault of the water when the rock shatters." ~ One Stab


6. THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987)

7. ICE CASTLES (1978)

"Don't give me that. Not trying is pointless and cruel. Not trying is wondering your whole life if you gave up too soon. Who the hell needs that?" ~Nick Henderson


8. FREQUENCY (2000)

"You went down 30 years ago, pal. You just don't know it yet." ~John Sullivan


9. CRAZY, STUPID LOVE (2011)

10. ABOUT TIME (2013)

"There's a song by Baz Luhrmann called Sunscreen. He says worrying about the future is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life will always be things that never crossed your worried mind." ~Tim


11. THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985)

"Saturday, March 24, 1984. Shermer High School, Shermer, Illinois, 60062. Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did *was* wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us - in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. Correct? That's the way we saw each other at 7:00 this morning. We were brainwashed." ~Brian Johnson


12. PITCH PERFECT I and II (2012, 2015)

13. CONSTANTINE (2005)

[speaking to God]  "I know I'm not one of your favorites. I'm not even welcome in your house. But, I could use a little attention." ~John Constantine


14. THE BIG EASY (1986)

"Why don't you just face it, Remy? You're not one of the good guys anymore." ~Anne Osborne


15. P.S. I LOVE YOU (2007)

16. THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY (2005, 2008, 2012)

"People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy and I can't do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man, I'm flesh and blood, I can be ignored, I can be destroyed; but as a symbol... as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting." ~Bruce Wayne AKA Batman


17. INCEPTION (2010)

"They say we only use a fraction of our brain's true potential. Now that's when we're awake. When we're asleep, we can do almost anything." ~Cobb


18. GREASE (1978)

19. X-MEN SERIES/FRANCHISE (2000-PRESENT)

"Mankind is not evil, just... uninformed." ~Prof. Charles Xavier


20. PRETTY WOMAN (1990)

Vivan: People put you down enough, you start to believe it.
Edward: I think you are a very bright, very special woman.
Vivan: The bad stuff is easier to believe. You ever notice that?


21. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (2012)

 
22. SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL (1987)

"Any fool can get into college. Only a select few can say the same about Amanda Jones." ~Laura Nelson


23. DIE HARD SERIES/FRANCHISE (1988-PRESENT)

Hans Gruber: Who are you then?
John McClane: Just a fly in the ointment, Hans. The monkey in the wrench. The pain in the ass.


24. LAST OF THE MOHICANS (1992)

Cora Munro: They're going to hang you. Why didn't you leave when you had the chance?
Hawkeye: Because what I'm interested in is right here.


25. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (1989)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
GRUMPY OLD MEN/GRUMPIER OLD MEN (1993/1995)
GROUNDHOG DAY (1993)
LIFE AS A HOUSE (2001)
GRAN TORINO (2008)
A PERFECT WORLD (1993)
MILLION DOLLAR BABY (2004)
THE LOVELY BONES (2009)
THE NOTEBOOK (2004)
POWDER (1995)
OCTOBER SKY (1999)
CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989)
KATE AND LEOPOLD (2001)
SHE'S ALL THAT (1999)
MEET JOE BLACK (1998)
BULL DURHAM (1988)
EDGE OF TOMORROW (2014)
FIELD OF DREAMS (1989)
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (2002)

Battle of the Bands Results and Karen Walker's In The House!

I've got a guest here today with some exciting news, but before I let her take the floor I want to give you the Battle of the Bands results.

The song was The Story. The contenders were Sara Ramirez and Brandi Carlile. What I discovered in this battle is that your comments much resembled the threads on YouTube. Even though the songs are more similar than many covers, the opinions about them are strong. Seriously strong. A few of you called it "close" or had a "tough time trying to figure it out." But most of you had very strong ideas about who sung this one better. The people who liked Sara's cover really liked it and the people who liked the original by Brandi really liked it. Isn't that funny? I think it's funny. Not hahaha funny, but interesting funny.

So, how did you guys vote?

Sara Ramirez: 12

Brandi Carlile: 11

My vote is for Sara Ramirez. Her version gives me chills. I've watched them both many times and listened to both without video for the purpose of this battle. Unlike the folks on YouTube (and even you fine folks), I actually do like both versions. I think they are both pretty darn good. BUT, Sara's version always gives me shivers when she hits the lyric "I climbed across the mountaintops" and throughout that verse. It only makes the chorus that makes stronger. And then she nails the ending. Just fantastic.

All in all, a great battle. Very close. And great comments by you fine folks:)

Now for the good part of this post! I have a guest here to share a bit of her journey to publishing her first novel (a big deal, I assure you). Karen Walker, take it away!

Thank you Robin, for hosting me today.

TURNING NEGATIVES INTO POSITIVES

By Karen Helene Walker

If you’re a glass half empty kind of person like me, if that’s what comes naturally to you rather than seeing the glass half full, you tend to view things from a negative perspective. The problem with this is that it keeps us stuck feeling badly about ourselves and the people and world around us. So I’ve had to train myself to find the silver lining when the bad stuff happens. And the truth is, I’ve either learned something I needed to learn or some powerful insight was revealed, or whatever it was I thought I wanted or needed wasn’t really going to be good for me.

I’m here at Robin’s blog because I’ve written a novel, The Wishing Steps. I actually can’t believe I’m able to write that sentence and have it be the truth. I. WROTE. A. NOVEL. Okay, here’s the negative: Who do you think you are – you think you can write a novel? You’re a nonfiction writer. You can’t write fiction. You get the idea, right. These are the things I heard inside my head through most of the six years I was pulling this story out of the depths of my soul. Now, here’s the positive. I. WROTE. A. NOVEL. I did it. Despite the voices. Despite the doubts. Despite the fears. And here I am telling you about it.

After I completed the book, I decided I wanted to be published traditionally. Nice dream, yes? I knew in my heart of hearts that the likelihood of that happening was slim to none, but I needed to try. I don’t think I was being negative in that regard. Just realistic. Anyway, I heard back from one of the publishing companies that they wanted to read the manuscript. Yippee. I’d never gotten that far before. Days passed and I anxiously waited. Two readers from the company wrote critiques explaining why they thought the manuscript wasn’t okay. I was devastated. It validated all those voices I’d been hearing about my inability to write fiction. But then I shifted into a peaceful, grounded, meditative state and read the critiques again. Both readers had read the book as if it was historical fiction and every criticism was related to why it didn’t work as historical fiction. Ahhhh! The book isn’t historical fiction and I’d neglected to say that. The positive which came from this experience is my writing an Author’s Note that appears at the beginning of the book which addresses the issues these readers had.

Life is difficult. We have moments of joy, perhaps even days or weeks. But then something happens to pull us off our center. I’m learning, one day at a time, to tune into my thoughts and feelings so that I’m not operating on automatic pilot. When I stay tuned in, I can catch those negative thoughts and shift them before they become stuck in me and I become stuck in the muck of negativity.

Now that my book is out in the world, I know there will be people who won’t like it, who will criticize it and perhaps me for having written such a book. All I know is that I was called to write it and I can’t allow other peoples’ opinions to make me feel bad about something that is so deeply meaningful to me.

Here’s the scoop on The Wishing Steps.

Three Women and a Single Story That Unites Them Across the Millennia

“Totally engrossing. A must-read for today’s wise woman!”Rev. Kathleen McKern Verigin, minister/priestess

Brighid, Ashleen and Megan: Bound through time by a curious light, a mysterious voice and a call they dare not ignore. Yet in obeying this strange force, the women must face soul-searing trials that call into question everything they know and believe — about themselves and about the world around them.

“Guaranteed to inspire you to a deeper level of spirituality and a new appreciation for Goddess.”Rev. Clara Z. Alexander

Karen Helene Walker is a widely published essayist and author of the 2009 memoir, Following the Whispers. When she isn’t writing, you will often find Karen performing in nursing homes and retirement communities as part of the Sugartime or Sophisticated Ladies musical groups, traveling with her husband of 20 years, Gary, or relaxing with a good book at their home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Visit the author’s website at www.karenhelenewalker.com

Author photo

The Wishing Steps is available for purchase in both print and ebook versions at: Amazon.com. You can also purchase it as an ebook on Kobo, I Tunes, and at Barnes and Noble.

Thank you, Karen, for stopping by and sharing not only your book but your insights on how to push through those negative thoughts that do nothing but keep us from achieving our dreams!

Battle of the Bands/Soundtrack ~ The Story

Battle of the Bands is, once again, colliding with my Soundtrack posts. Yep, I'm doing those again. Here is a quick list of other people participating in The Soundtrack Of My Life:

StMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

Cherdo on the Flipside 

Holli's Hoots and Hollers 

THE DOGLADY'S DEN 

Mean Who You Are

Wrote By Rote


If you decide, at any time, you want to start posting these on your blog, let me know, and I'll add you to the list.

First, the story.

The romance with J1 went really well for about a month. Yeah, a month. I can tell you WHAT happened, but I'm less clear on WHY it happened.

J1's sister became pregnant. Her boyfriend wanted to get married. Her parents, particularly her dad, weren't crazy about the idea. He really wanted her to finish school. It was a thing.

Why was this J1's problem? The answer: it wasn't. Not really. But, he and his sister were always close, and he said he needed to quit school to be there for her. Does this make sense? No. Because if dad was unhappy with the sister's situation, J1 quitting school only compounded the problem.

I, too, didn't want J1 to drop out (again). However, once he set his mind on something, let's just say this: hard head.

Do I think J1's quitting school had much to do with the sister? Not really. I think it gave him a reason to do what he already wanted to do, though I absolutely didn't think that back then. He still felt lost at school, with no clear idea of where he was going or what he wanted. Things were probably intense with me, and when the going gets scary, the scared get going.

Knowing what I now know about relationships, I'd say this was the first Red Flag. Serious Red Flag. This is the sort of flag that you don't ignore. Instead, you wish them well on their Life Journey. Alas, I didn't know anything about Red Flags. Plus, I loved him, so this is still just the beginning of a fairly long, and ultimately painful, story.

Now, the song.

I, like many many many people, first saw/heard this song on Grey's Anatomy during season seven. They did an episode musical style. It turned out better than you might think. There were a few misses, but many of those folks could actually sing. Hands down, though, the best singer of the bunch was Sara Ramirez. Before she contracted on Grey's Anatomy, she was on Broadway. She even won a Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

I'm going to introduce this song to you the same way I found it, with Sara Ramirez on Grey's Anatomy.





Well, that was so exciting that people all over the world blew up YouTube looking for this song. Turns out, that it was originally performed by Brandi Carlile (not to be confused with Belinda Carlisle of the 80s group, The Go-Gos). Now there is much discussion in the YouTube threads about who sings this song better. Ergo, I decided to settle that argument once and for all right here.



Please vote for the version of this song you prefer. If you want to get into the Ins and Outs of why you like one better than the other... I LOVE long comments!

For more Battle of the Bands fun, check out the other BOTB bloggers to vote on their battles:

• Far Away Series 
• Stephen T. McCarthy's Battle of the Bands Blog
• Tossing it Out
• DiscConnected (temporarily disconnected from BoTB)
• This Belle Rocks
• Mike's Ramblings
• Curious as a Cathy 
• Book Lover
• The Sound of One Hand Typing
• dcrelief ~ Battle of the Bands 
• Cherdo on the Flipside 
• Angels Bark 
• THE DOGLADY'S DEN 
• Jingle Jangle Jungle 
• WOMEN: We Shall Overcome 
• NovelBrews
• J.A. Scott
• Quiet Laughter
• Holli's Hoots and Hollers