Huh? MJ? You're asking, what's he got to do with TracyKM? LOL. I was never a huge fan although I recognized he was talented. However, I watched the Oprah episode after he died, when she looked back on her earlier interview with him. It was one of those "I don't really need to watch this, but it's interesting". However, he said something that I found extremely profound, meaningful to my life. He was responding to Oprah's question about what he thought his purpose on earth was.
"I believe that all art has as it's ultimate goal, the union between the material and the spiritual; the human and the divine; I believe that to be the reason for the very existence of art; and I feel I was chosen as an instrument to just give music, love and harmony to world".
When I'm playing an instrument, I feel that there is something greater than me, greater than the notes on the page, greater than the sound in the air, vibrating around me. I'm not a believer of "God" (in the sense of a spirit that created earth and life), but I am a believer in spirit, in energy, both good and bad. Music can bring out the good spirit in anyone. Sometimes I think too much...about how we look at these 5 lines/4 spaces and little circles and squiggles, and I get lost in the amazingness that it can all become something that I can understand and share and that others can understand what I am sharing. I feel spirit in me, and the need to share it.
I hope, when you hear (good) music, that you feel the spirit too. And I hope that you let the music-giver know. It means a lot to us.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Aging
You often hear people comment that they'd rather have another birthday then the alternative. I suppose so.
Recently Oprah had an episode with some supermodels from the 70s/80s. One of them, Paulina Porizkova (the one who married Ric Ocasek, from "The Cars"), had a very interesting comment:
"Aging is not a birthright. It is a privilege."
Wow.
Recently Oprah had an episode with some supermodels from the 70s/80s. One of them, Paulina Porizkova (the one who married Ric Ocasek, from "The Cars"), had a very interesting comment:
"Aging is not a birthright. It is a privilege."
Wow.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
She's Funny!!
Every so often, one gets a little bored with the blogging world. You know...you look at your list of favourites, and you feel you've gotten all you can from them, that another post would just be a repeat of what you've read before. You realize that half of your knitting blog list rarely even talks about knitting, that your list of 'healthy' blogs just makes you feel guilty, that you spend way too much time reading things that just don't inspire you, or aren't really your area of interest anymore....
Recently, I was trying to find some more machine knitting blogs, and some how came across one...through comments on other blogs, or links, or something. Anyway, she had commented on my knitting blog a couple times, and one day I couldn't remember which of my many recently added favourites was her's, so I clicked her name on my comments and looked at her profile. I found her knitting blog, and under "other blogs" there was one with an interesting title "Breakfast at IHOP". What? LOL. I had to check it out. The first post I read had me laughing my head off (it is a little difficult to read against the background, and the lack of paragraphing, but it's worth it!!). I went back to read a bit more of the blog....just take that link, click on the header which will bring the blog back to the whole blog, instead of the one post, and then scroll down to her post "Don't Bug Me"----I'm using my new laptop and highlighting is tricky to me).
She talks about telemarketers, and how she likes to play with them. Oh, she's clever! I was thinking about the things I say to telemarketers. Our first house was only 3 years old when we moved in. We frequently got calls for replacing windows, doors, shingles, etc. I'd say that I'd never buy from a company that doesn't do it's market research, because they're wasting their money with the telemarketing, so obviously their prices have to reflect that. If Rob answered, he'd give them the address of the new school across the street and say, come for an estimate. Later, when we moved to an older house, I had to get more clever. I'd say anything. "We don't have carpets/just got hardwood....etc". Calls about duct cleaning were fun..."we don't have central heat" was good, but one day, I was in a strange mood, and I can't believe what came out of my mouth "when they seem dusty I send our little furry dog through the ducts on a long leash. He does a great job!". LOL! The last window call was similar "We have no windows. We live in a earthen dome".
Charities are touchy though. Often staffed by volunteers, I don't want to upset them. "No, I can't afford to take my kids to the circus....so no, I can't sponsor someone else's kids--how can I get my kids on the list?". "I've used my charitable donation for the year already" (works well in September onwards, but not so well in January). "I don't respond to charities/retailers/services that cold call". I'd like to hear your come back lines for charity calls!
Once, Rob answered a call and he actually was interested in the service/product, but couldn't understand a word of the heavily accented speaker. He told them they should invest in employees that can speak English well enough for English people to understand, if they wanted business. A few minutes later, someone with better English phoned him back! But he was still hard to understand, and we just don't "respond to cold calls". He also gets frustrated when he answers and the caller can't pronounce our last name...it's an instant red flag and he doesn't usually let them go further. (I've lost my mouse pointer....argh...a ha! While wiping off the dog hair I touched the touchpad lock button!)
Once, I got a call from a water testing company. I said no, they went on, I said we're educated enough to know if our water needs testing and we'll find our own company....the caller responded that obviously I was not educated. I hung up. A few minutes later, "someone" calls back and utters a few mean sounding things and hangs up! Did I get crank called by a telemarketer?
Recently, I was trying to find some more machine knitting blogs, and some how came across one...through comments on other blogs, or links, or something. Anyway, she had commented on my knitting blog a couple times, and one day I couldn't remember which of my many recently added favourites was her's, so I clicked her name on my comments and looked at her profile. I found her knitting blog, and under "other blogs" there was one with an interesting title "Breakfast at IHOP". What? LOL. I had to check it out. The first post I read had me laughing my head off (it is a little difficult to read against the background, and the lack of paragraphing, but it's worth it!!). I went back to read a bit more of the blog....just take that link, click on the header which will bring the blog back to the whole blog, instead of the one post, and then scroll down to her post "Don't Bug Me"----I'm using my new laptop and highlighting is tricky to me).
She talks about telemarketers, and how she likes to play with them. Oh, she's clever! I was thinking about the things I say to telemarketers. Our first house was only 3 years old when we moved in. We frequently got calls for replacing windows, doors, shingles, etc. I'd say that I'd never buy from a company that doesn't do it's market research, because they're wasting their money with the telemarketing, so obviously their prices have to reflect that. If Rob answered, he'd give them the address of the new school across the street and say, come for an estimate. Later, when we moved to an older house, I had to get more clever. I'd say anything. "We don't have carpets/just got hardwood....etc". Calls about duct cleaning were fun..."we don't have central heat" was good, but one day, I was in a strange mood, and I can't believe what came out of my mouth "when they seem dusty I send our little furry dog through the ducts on a long leash. He does a great job!". LOL! The last window call was similar "We have no windows. We live in a earthen dome".
Charities are touchy though. Often staffed by volunteers, I don't want to upset them. "No, I can't afford to take my kids to the circus....so no, I can't sponsor someone else's kids--how can I get my kids on the list?". "I've used my charitable donation for the year already" (works well in September onwards, but not so well in January). "I don't respond to charities/retailers/services that cold call". I'd like to hear your come back lines for charity calls!
Once, Rob answered a call and he actually was interested in the service/product, but couldn't understand a word of the heavily accented speaker. He told them they should invest in employees that can speak English well enough for English people to understand, if they wanted business. A few minutes later, someone with better English phoned him back! But he was still hard to understand, and we just don't "respond to cold calls". He also gets frustrated when he answers and the caller can't pronounce our last name...it's an instant red flag and he doesn't usually let them go further. (I've lost my mouse pointer....argh...a ha! While wiping off the dog hair I touched the touchpad lock button!)
Once, I got a call from a water testing company. I said no, they went on, I said we're educated enough to know if our water needs testing and we'll find our own company....the caller responded that obviously I was not educated. I hung up. A few minutes later, "someone" calls back and utters a few mean sounding things and hangs up! Did I get crank called by a telemarketer?
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