Battle of the Bands Results and IWSG

Everyone who is here to read my contribution to the IWSG, fear not. We will get there very soon.

FIRST, I need to give you the results on Battle of the Bands. The song was Maybe I'm Amazed. The contenders were Terry McDermott and Carleen Anderson. This battle was tough for me. Tough in the voting and tough in the putting together. My favorite cover of Maybe I'm Amazed comes from Jem. (Click HERE to listen.) But, I really like mellow music that I can relax to and (possibly) fall asleep. As an insomniac, I look for all manner of things to aid in sleep. In that endeavor, I've learned to appreciate music that soothes and relaxes me. BUT, I've learned in these battles that you guys don't tend to go for that. So, even though I originally had Jem against Carleen, I switched it to Terry at the last minute (because I thought Jem would get crushed, and I really didn't want to see that happen!). Turns out that was probably a good choice because this battle was back and forth, at least in the beginning. And then Terry gained a firm lead and Carleen didn't stand a chance.

Finally tally:

Terry McDermott: 16

Carleen Anderson: 7

My vote? I'm torn, but I'll give the nod to Terry.

Now, on to IWSG. If you're a writer struggling with insecurities, there is a sign up list HERE. You, too, can let them loose on your blog the first Wednesday of every month. It's good to know you're not alone!

What is my insecurity right now? Well, I haven't been feeling well, which is NOT conducive to my writing in any way. Or my editing. Or even my reading.

I think part of my problem lies in the fact that I'm just not excited about my story any longer. I've read and edited it enough times that I'm (dare I say it?) bored with it. Yikes. When I feel that way, it's tough for me to imagine anyone else getting hyped to read it.

When you're bogged down in editing and revisions, what do you do to keep yourself psyched about your own story???

Battle of the Bands/Soundtrack ~ Maybe I'm Amazed

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.

Given how long it's been since I've done a Soundtrack post (7/15/15), I think I better do a very quick recap. We're in my junior year of college. J1 told me that kissing me would be like kissing his sister (ouch!), and then he changed his mind after giving it a whirl. Kissing me turned out to be nothing like kissing his sister.

Even though J2 was my first "real boyfriend," in some ways J1 felt more like my first real boyfriend. I was always on shaky ground in my own mind with J2. I suppose, given that very rocky beginning, I was on shaky ground with J1, too. But, it didn't feel that way after we finally surpassed that first hurdle... at least, it didn't until it did. However, we aren't there yet.

Those first months with J1 were truly a Grand Romance. The world felt right and good and made for me.

It was October (1988) and my sorority went on an annual hay ride Date Night. Of course, there was the hay ride. Cooking out round an open fire. Just a *bit* of drinking. And then a haunted house. All in all, pretty fabulous. This was also my first "date" with J1.

Here is a picture from the Hay Ride:

After the hay ride, J1 and went to the beach. My college was very close to Lake Michigan. It was a very beautiful at night. Almost magical. Okay, magical. It was there on that beach in that moonlight that J1 told me he loved me for the first time. I can honestly say that, even now, it felt like something out of a movie.

So, you've heard the story. Now, it's time for the song.

Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney and Wings. It's been covered many times. Honestly, narrowing down who to feature on this battle was tough. Only your votes will let me know if I decided well on this match up.

First up is Terry McDermott:



Next up is Carleen Anderson:


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 

The Big Question: Why

I want to share with you a video clip that one of my college friends posted on her Facebook. It addresses the question of your "why" and your "what." If that made no sense, never fear. All will be explained in the clip.




Awesome, no?

I think our "what" is endless. It's all the stuff we do. Even this blog is a What in my life. Probably yours, too.

The Why is when it gets interesting.

I've been thinking a lot about my Why since I watched this video. Not quite sure I have a handle on it yet. Seems like it should be obvious, doesn't it?  Here's the thing: I don't think we're really taught to think in terms of our Why. It's more about "what do you want to do?" instead of "why do you want to do it?," which doesn't really make sense.

I think it's possible our Why can change or evolve, too (as we change and evolve). I think my Why wasn't very good up until a few years ago. It was all about external things and people. Not very healthy. Ergo, my life wasn't very healthy. Now, I'm trying to live my life in a healthier way, and that's required many changes. My Why now looks more like this: I want to live my life in a kinder, more loving way, that impacts others positively, BUT my self image is not caught up in what other people think. That's not precise enough (in my opinion), but it's closer to how I see my Why.

What is your Why? And What are you doing to get there?