Is That a Promise or a Threat?

Crash

2012-01-30T18:22:00.000-05:00

Jack was the baby of the family; he was his mother’s pet and just a wee bit spoiled. That’s what his sister Laura thought, anyway. She was thirteen, and big enough to go places on her own. Jack was jealous; being eight, he was only allowed the run of their street up to the corner.

It was the end of June; school had just let out and Jack was itching to get out into the summer day. When his mother asked Laura to run to the corner store to pick up a few things, Jack begged to go along. Laura protested – she didn’t want her little brother tagging after her. But their mother overruled; Jack could go!

Laura walked just as quick as she could on her much-longer legs. She wasn’t going to make it easy for him, but Jack had no trouble keeping up. He skipped after her with a smile upon his face, more than a little lost in a daydream about how he might spend the bit of change his mom slipped into his hand as he walked out the door.

He was so wrapped up in his sugar-coated thoughts that he skipped right on by Laura, who had stopped at the busy street corner.

And the sound of screeching tires barely even registered.

***

Welcome to this week's edition of Mostly Fiction Monday. What's that, you ask? It's a little something Stranger and I cooked up, you can find the story here. Today's post was inspired by the prompt Siblings.

By the way, I have to admit that I'm recycling something I wrote about a year and a half ago, so if it seems familiar to you, that's probably because it is. The bigger project in my writing world at the moment is a story featuring "Laura" from the little tale above, fifty years later. I'm not very good at multi-tasking, it seems.

Make sure you swing by Stranger Upstairs to read another take on the prompt, and come back next Monday, when we'll be writing something inspired by Dreaming.

Maybe you'd like to play too? Feel free to join in. Make sure you leave a link in the comments so I can come see, if you do.

Just Breathe

2012-01-23T18:43:00.002-05:00

After a while, the numbers on the clock cease to hold meaning. I mark time in two-hour increments, when it will either be Time for Treatment or Time to Check Vitals. In between, I run my fingers through your damp hair and by sheer force of will, try to deepen your breaths, improve the quality of your air.

The definition of "parent" is an ongoing entry in the dictionary of my heart. The latest footnote to be added is this: when you can't breathe right, neither can I.

***

The theme for Mostly Fiction Monday this week is Parents. How ironic that I was almost unable to take part this week because I was too busy being one. My youngest son has been in the hospital since Saturday due to a severe upper respiratory infection. The first 24 hours saw him on oxygen around the clock and on the receiving end of Ventolin mask treatments every two hours. He is doing much better now and I hope that I will be bringing him home tomorrow. This is the first time I've been out of the hospital since he was admitted. I am home for a quick shower and ten minutes of down time before I head back. I know his daddy is just as capable of taking care of him as I am, but deep down in my heart, I somehow believe that my presence keeps him safe.

The words above were scribbled in a notebook in the middle of the night. They are not perfect but they are a perfect way to sum up this week's theme, so I share them. Forgive the ramble and the lack of polish...

Stranger knew my circumstances, so has not yet posted. I may have thrown a wrench in her plans, because she wasn't expecting this...but do catch up with her and see her past posts on our Monday game, and make sure you come back next week when life should have returned to normal. I can't remember what the prompt is, but when I have time, I'll post it up.

Be well my friends. I will catch up with you all when I get home - God willing it will be tomorrow morning. XO

Crush

2012-01-16T05:31:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning soccer ritual: absent-minded kisses send Michael toward his teammates. She heads for the man who is smiling in her direction, carrying two coffees from the drive-through.

“Hey,” she says when she reaches him, handing over his coffee.

“Hey yourself. Thanks.”

She studies him, secretly, as he sips. He has a good face, she thinks. It shows in the way his eyes crinkle around the edges.

“How’s your week been?” he asks, catching her eye. She looks away, hides a blush behind her coffee cup.

“Busy. Doug and I have been working like crazy, getting the house ready to put on the market.”

“I can’t believe you’re moving. Lucas will hate losing his best friend,” he says.

“Yeah, Michael will miss Lucas too. But Doug’s new job…”

"Yeah," he says. "Of course."

“How about you?” she asks.

“Oh, you know. Same old. Anne’s redecorating again. Our bedroom, this time.”

She laughs, a nervous habit. But when he joins in, it doesn’t feel quite so awkward.

The other parents cheer, reminding them to face forward, focus on the game, so she's watching when Michael trips and tumbles, hard. She tenses up, ready to run to him, but a hand upon her arm restrains her.

“Don’t worry. Michael’s fine. Look.”

Sure enough, Michael bounces to his feet like nothing’s happened. She lets out the breath she’s been holding. His hand lingers, but only a moment.

They cheer when the other parents cheer. Clap when the other parents clap. Make small talk in between.

Then, the whistle.

“Do you know the final score?” she asks.

“I don’t even know who won.”

“See you next week?”

“Yeah. I’ll bring coffee.”

Time to go home. Game over.

***

Welcome to Mostly Fiction Monday. What's that, you ask? It's a little something Stranger and I cooked up, you can find the story here. Today's post was inspired by the prompt The Crush. By the way, I have to admit that I'm slightly over the 250 word limit this week. But seeing as how this started life around 800 words, the fact that I cut it down to 283 has to count for something, so I hope you all forgive me.

Make sure you swing by Stranger Upstairs to read another take on the prompt, and come back next Monday, when we'll be writing something inspired by Parent.

Maybe you'd like to play too? Feel free to join in. Make sure you leave a link in the comments so I can come see, if you do.

Witchy Woman

2012-01-12T22:22:00.000-05:00

Gran says you can tell a lot about someone by the time oftheir birth. Maybe she’s right.

My oldest came with the dawn; he’s alwaysbeen an early riser. My youngest boy, bornat ten to six, is ever hungry.

Me, I was plucked from mama’s womb two minutes aftermidnight: the Witching Hour.

***

Here are my fifty-five words for G-Man's Friday 55. So I got the fiction part down, and the word count is right...plot and character? Well, perhaps I'm a bit light there...but I tried!

Head on over and see what others had to say this week, and maybe give the F55 a shot yourself.

You're My Best Friend

2012-01-06T20:51:00.002-05:00

“Oooh, my feet are killing me,” Cheryl said as she sank into the corner booth. “I should know better than to wear new shoes to work.”

The bell on the door jangled, spoiling her plans for a break. Worse luck, it was a bunch of kids from the high school up the street: lousy tippers. Naturally they took a table in her section.

Cheryl glanced over at the new girl, Donella. She certainly seemed fresh enough, especially considering they were at the end of an eight hour shift. Not so much as a single strand of her long, dark hair had slipped loose from her ponytail.

The teenagers were fidgeting with their menus, craning their necks to search her out. Cheryl's feet throbbed in protest and it felt like her blisters had blisters of their own.

“Donella, would you mind taking this one for me?” Cheryl asked. Donella’s cool gaze suggested this was unlikely, but Cheryl's persevered.

“Please? I’ll be your best friend…” she said in a sing-song voice, smiling winningly.

“Do you promise?” Donella asked.

Cheryl laughed. “Sure, of course. Anything for you, hon. Just don’t make me get up again, okay?”

Donella tilted her head to one side, contemplating. She studied Cheryl for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes. Alright.”

One is rarely held to a promise so lightly given. Could Cheryl be blamed for not realizing that Donella intended to hold her to her word?

Perhaps not. But already, it was too late.

***

Welcome to the first installment of Mostly Fiction Monday. What's that, you ask? It's a little something Stranger and I cooked up, you can find the story here. Today's post was inspired by the prompt Best Friend.

Make sure you swing by Stranger Upstairs to read another take on the prompt, and come back next Monday, when we'll be writing something inspired by The Crush.

Maybe you'd like to play too...?

Here's A Story...

2012-01-05T21:34:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, there was a central character. All good stories have one, or so I’m told. Because this story is fiction, the central character’s name is definitely not Corrie. I swear.

So our central character – let’s call her "Jane" – did some stuff.

I’d tell you about it, but I only have 55 words…

***

Here are my fifty-five words for G-Man's Friday 55. I hope I did it right this week...hahaha!

Head on over and see whether Galen's wish for 2012 came true, and maybe give the F55 a shot yourself.

Ready To Start

2012-01-02T20:17:00.002-05:00

If you were hanging around here this past summer, you will recall that I did two 30-day Music Challenges, almost back to back - daily posts, inspired by a musical theme.

I had a partner for these two challenges, the best friend I've never met, Stranger. And through the course of two months, we each managed to put our own creative spin on a musical prompt, day after day after day.

Oddly, when the last challenge ended, the both of us sort of went into hibernation or something. We never talked about it, didn't plan it..but we both pretty much stopped blogging when it was done. Why? Heck, I barely know my reasons, never mind hers. But I do know one thing: I miss it.

This past week saw a flurry of email communication, flying through the ether from one side of the continent to the other (Stranger and I, we're sort of North America's bookends). The Reader's Digest condensed version appears below:

I miss blogging...

Me too. Another challenge?

Well yes, we should. But what?

How about this one? Thirty days, thirty letters to the people in this list.

Okay, but I don't know about a daily prompt. The last one took a toll. How about once a week?

Oh yes! That sounds much more manageable. How about Mondays? And let's have a word limit. Say 250?

I like where this is heading. But letters...hmmm. Might get a little stale. What about a 250-word vignette featuring the character, rather than writing them a letter? Fiction or non, whatever works for the week...

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how our new weekly feature, "Mostly Fiction Mondays" was born. See you next Monday for our first installment - 250 maybe made up words featuring a Best Friend.

So This Is The New Year

2012-01-01T20:25:00.000-05:00

Here it is, 2012...

And so begins the obligatory post reflecting upon the year past and looking forward to the year ahead. Forgive me the lack of creativity, won't you?

On this day last year, I did something I'd vowed to never do: I made resolutions. The gist, if you don't feel like clicking through, was this: Before 2011 ended, I would be published and paid for it.

So how did that work out? Well let's see...

I had a two-page spread in a national magazine this spring - of course, I didn't get any money for it.

And I placed second in a local writing contest, netting a five hundred dollar prize - but only the first place winner's story appeared in the paper, not mine.

Hmmm...let's not quibble over technicalities. Between the two, I am going to say that I hit my mark. So, yay me!

Based on these results, it looks like making resolutions is a good thing for me, wouldn't you say? So if a little resolution is a good thing, a big one could possibly be great, right? With that in mind, I have not one, but two biggies on deck for this year.

First up - I need to find a new job. Yes, my current job pays well. Really well. And no, I'm not likely to find another job at the same salary. But do you know what? Leaving the office at five shouldn't be considered "going home early". Missing dinner with my family should be the exception, not the rule. And working myself into an ulcer is plain stupid. So a change is definitely in order, and if it comes with a hefty pay cut, well so be it!

This October would mark my ten year anniversary with this company. And I hereby resolve that I will NOT be collecting my service award. And besides, what is the sense of earning another week of vacation that I don't have time to take? Big step, but so necessary.

And just because turning my life completely upside down isn't enough for me, I'm going to add a second resolution into the mix - and this one is even scarier than the first. It's time to stop screwing around with the writing thing. I invested a little bit of time this year and got some positive feedback from the universe. So 2012 is the year that I put my heart into it. Maybe I'm not meant to write books, maybe short stories are all that I have. But unless I try, I'll never know. So resolution number two: complete a rough draft of a novel by the end of the year.

So there you have it. Where I'm going, and where I've been. And hopefully another place I'll be is here, a little more frequently than I have been as of late.

Happy New Year, friends. May 2012 be a year full of wonder and grace for you all.

I Believe In Father Christmas

2011-12-17T08:11:00.001-05:00

Happy Christmas

2011-12-15T22:14:00.000-05:00

Season’s greetings, but not for me. This holiday card (sent airmail from England) is intended for the previous occupants.

They just live across town, so I sneak it into their mailbox, special delivery - same as always, for eight years running.

It’s too late for “return to sender” now. Poor faraway family, ignorance is bliss.

***

Here are my fifty-five words for G-Man's Friday 55. Head on over and see what others had to say this week, and maybe give the F55 a shot yourself.

I'm So Glad Our Paths Have Crossed...

2011-12-12T21:54:00.000-05:00

When was the last time you got a letter in the mail?

You know, an actual piece of paper in an envelope with a stamp on it. Something tangible. And not a card, either; birthday greetings and Christmas wishes don't count.

Are you stumped?

Yeah, me too. Or at least, I would have been if you asked me a couple of hours ago.

I don't think I would be exaggerating when I say that I get at least one hundred emails per day. Most of them are work related, but definitely a few from friends and family too. And even though a lovely message from a friend can make me smile, cry, or otherwise feel, it just can't compare to the giddy pleasure of discovering something other than a bill in my mailbox.

Something that looks like this on the outside:

And this on the inside:

Smiles, somewhat in short supply today, have been replenished. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning, discovering Santa brought me something that I didn't even know that I wanted until it was right there in front of me.

Magic.

Rivers And Roads

2011-12-10T12:53:00.001-05:00

Wish I Had A River

2011-12-03T07:10:00.001-05:00

Why Ask Why

2011-11-27T22:36:00.001-05:00

Someone ended up clicking through to my blog after Googling "sister in law saw me naked".

That is all.

The Virginal Housecoat*

2011-11-24T21:10:00.001-05:00

So I have a new favourite website. It's called The N +7 Machine. The premise is simple: you enter some text into the box, click "submit" and your prose is returned to you with the nouns replaced with subsequent entries in the dictionary.

For kicks, I used the last F55 I wrote, a few weeks back. Consider it N +0:

Your angry words: a fuse that just won’t catch. I’m too damn tired to fight tonight. The bedtime story I’m reading our son is ripped from my hands and tossed aside. He’s the four year old, but you’re the one who’s being childish.

You storm off. I retrieve the book and read, like nothing happened.

***

Here are my fifty-five words for G-Man's Friday 55. Head on over and see what others had to say this week, and maybe give the F55 a shot yourself.

From there, it provides N +1 (one place down in the dictionary), N +2 (two places down in the dictionary), and so on, all the way up to N +15. Here are a few of my favourites:

N +5:

Your angry workforces: a future that just won’t caterwaul. I’m too dance tired to figurehead tonight. The bedtime strainer I’m realtor our sonnet is ripped from my handcarts and tossed aspirate. He’s the four yelp old, but you’re the one who’s bell childish.

You straddle off. I retrieve the booklet and read, like noun happened.

***

Here are my fifty-five workforces for G-Mandarin's Friday 55. Header on over and see what others had to say this weigh-in, and maybe give the F55 a showcase yourself.

N +10

Your angry workloads: a gad that just won’t catnap. I’m too danger tired to filler tonight. The bedtime stranglehold I’m rear our sorcerer is ripped from my handicrafts and tossed assassin. He’s the four yield old, but you’re the one who’s bellow childish.

You stranger off. I retrieve the bookshop and read, like novice happened.

***

Here are my fifty-five workloads for G-Mandrill's Friday 55. Headline on over and see what others had to say this weirdo, and maybe give the F55 a show-off yourself.

N +15

Your angry workshops: a gaggle that just won’t catwalk. I’m too darkness tired to film tonight. The bedtime strategy I’m reassurance our sortie is ripped from my handlings and tossed assent. He’s the four yogi old, but you’re the one who’s benchmark childish.

You strategist off. I retrieve the boomerang and read, like nude happened.

***

Here are my fifty-five workshops for G-Mango's Friday 55. Headquarters on over and see what others had to say this welt, and maybe give the F55 a shredder yourself.

Happy Thanksgiving, to all my American friends! Have a piece of pie for me!

*The Title of today's post is the N +6 version of the title of the original F55, The Violet Hour.

Losing My Religion

2011-11-20T14:42:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time, a woman and her three daughters were driving home from a baby shower. It was summer, and except for the fact that the woman's husband had taken a job far from home to make ends meet, life was pretty good.

But then everything changed, irrevocably.

The woman has spent the last three months in the hospital, still recovering from the multitude of injuries she received in that life-altering car accident. Her seventeen-year-old daughter still needs her crutches to get around. And there are two little girls who will never, ever be any older than ten and eleven. Two little girls that are gone forever.

How do you go on from something like that? I can't even imagine.

Their family has rallied around them; the community has too. Last night, there was a fundraiser to help this struggling family carry on - despite the fact that we all might wish it were otherwise, in the real world, bills still need to be paid, even if your daughters are dead.

There were raffle tickets for sale and a band played cover songs all through the night. It almost felt like a Stag 'n Doe, except for the pictures of the two little girls, propped up in front of the stage.

The woman was able to get herself sprung from the hospital for the night. Her husband and various family members took turns pushing her in her wheel chair around the hall.

Near the end of the night, the band broke into a rendition of "Losing My Religion". It's not really a good song for dancing to, and the floor remained empty through the first minute or two of the song. But then the woman was wheeled out onto the dance floor by her husband. He took her by the hand and she pulled herself up out of her chair. And as they clung to each other and swayed to the music, the band sang:

And that was just a dream

Try, cry, why try

That was just a dream

Just a dream

Just a dream, dream

I don't think I will ever forget it, not if I live to be one hundred.

The Rain

2011-11-19T08:04:00.001-05:00

Incomplete and Insecure

2011-11-15T08:12:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the first "Pizza Day" of the school year, and Will's first one ever. I didn't pay it much mind - Will loves pizza, so I figured he'd enjoy the special treat. Ha. Goes to show what I know.

When I got home and pulled out his school folder, I found a note from his teacher inside.

Dear Mrs. A,

Just wanted to let you know that Will was very upset at lunch today. When I got back from my lunch he was crying/sobbing because he did not have his lunch bag. The lunch monitor gave him his pizza and explained that it was his 'special' lunch - but he didn't want to eat it. I gave him a cuddle and comforted him until he settled down and then I was able to get him to sit at a table with me and he ate his pizza after the other children had gone outside. I reassured him that he would have his lunch bag back tomorrow.

Mrs. R.

I guess it's important to consider how the world looks through the eyes of a four-year-old. As far as he is concerned, for the last two and a half months, his little Hot Wheels lunch bag has been the one thing that doesn't change, no matter what. The occasional supply teacher, different activities, a new "Student of the Day" each morning -- kindergarten is a crazy place, full of new experiences every day. Is it any wonder a little guy would latch on to the one constant thing in his days, and miss it when it wasn't there?

Poor little man. Oh dear.

About Today

2011-11-12T11:43:00.001-05:00

Peaceful Easy Feeling

2011-10-31T23:34:00.000-04:00

I'm just back from my three-day Fall getaway up north. Husbands, children, work and stress are left behind. Friendship, food, and a few drinks are what we run to. Oh, and the Great Outdoors, of course.

Northern Ontario is quite beautiful in the autumn; have a look, if you'd like. Pictures include (but are not limited to) trees, bear poo, relics from an eighty year old garbage dump, and the beaver dam we used as a "bridge" to cross the river.

I return, a peaceful soul.

October

2011-10-23T16:50:00.000-04:00

I don't post much fiction here, but I do like to write it. Or try to, anyway. Have I ever mentioned my writing technique? It goes a little something like this.

Have idea once a year or so.
Write a page or two.
Re-read what I've got. Revise.
Pick up where I left off, add a sentence.
Delete the sentence because it's stupid.
Re-read what I've got. Revise.
Try to pick up where I left off. Stare at blinking cursor for many long minutes.
Re-read what I've got. Change a word, move a comma.
Restore.
Abandon project in disgust.
Repeat.

In the past couple of years, I've managed to finish one or two short stories. But mostly, I just begin things. I have file after file on my hard drive of false-starts - some of them are nothing more than a few sentences.

This month, I've finished two short stories. Two of them. In a month.

Now, I'm not going to tell you they're wonderful or anything. But they're finished.

Not bad considering I normally go into hibernation mode at this time of year.

Changing Colours

2011-10-22T10:40:00.000-04:00

The Violet Hour

2011-10-20T21:23:00.001-04:00

Your angry words: a fuse that just won’t catch. I’m too damn tired to fight tonight. The bedtime story I’m reading our son is rippedfrom my hands and tossed aside. He’s thefour year old, but you’re the one who’s being childish.

You storm off. I retrievethe book and read, like nothing happened.

***

Here are my fifty-five words for G-Man's Friday 55. Head on over and see what others had to say this week, and maybe give the F55 a shot yourself.

Dearest Forsaken

2011-10-15T08:19:00.000-04:00

Coming Down

2011-10-08T13:10:00.000-04:00

Blue

2011-09-24T08:07:00.000-04:00

Lockdown

2011-09-23T05:16:00.000-04:00

“What did you do at school today, Will?”

“My teacher locked the door and turned off the lights and wehid from the principal. We had to be veryquiet so she wouldn’t find us.”

WTF?!? Will answerednone of my questions satisfactorily, the situation just seemed wrong.

Luckily, Nathan held the answer – Lockdown practice.

***

Here are my fifty-five words for G-Man's Friday 55. Head on over and see what others had to say this week, and maybe give the F55 a shot yourself.

The Flag

2011-09-17T11:20:00.000-04:00

Let It Be Me

2011-09-15T22:29:00.000-04:00

By the time I was eleven, I'd been to six different schools - three of them in the first grade alone!

Now my oldest son is eleven. His entire academic career has been spent in just one place.

We both value consistency. We are a lot alike in that way, but for completely different reasons.

***

Here are my fifty-five words for G-Man's Friday 55. Head on over and see what others had to say this week, and maybe give the F55 a shot yourself.

Today

2011-09-11T14:38:00.000-04:00

12 years ago today, I said I do and Sept 11 was a celebration.Two years later, we spent our anniversary watching CNN, and the day will never be the same again.

***

Can you tell a story using only 160 characters? Head on over to Monkey Man's site to read some more, and maybe add one of your own.

Like Rock & Roll and Radio

2011-09-10T08:53:00.000-04:00

The Suburbs

2011-09-09T22:57:00.000-04:00

She found peace only at the edge of things. Starting things or ending them, those were easy – it was the everyday doing that was too damn hard.

Not comfortable in the city (too many people), nor the country (too few), she set up shop in the suburbs and verged on anonymity.

Almost accomplished it, too.

***

Here are my fifty-five words for G-Man's Friday 55. Head on over and see what others had to say this week, and maybe give the F55 a shot yourself.

About Today

2011-09-06T22:04:00.000-04:00

The morning was damp and grey. A less experienced mommy might have taken the gloom at face value and left her shades at home, but I've been down this route before and nobody can say I don't learn from my mistakes. Whatever the weather, sunglasses are mandatory for me on the first day of school.

Will was eager, from the moment he woke up (Is it time to go yet? How about now?) and his brother was not much better;Will and I were still fumbling with our shoes when Nathan was already halfway down the street (Gonna-go-now-mom-bye...).

A couple of photos out front, and Will and I set off for school. He held my hand when we crossed the road, but ran ahead as soon as we hit the sidewalk. I was almost undone by memories of the first day of school four years back: walking Nathan in to the start of the third grade, with two-week old Will tucked into the stroller. But even accosted with such poignant memories, I managed to keep it together.

When we arrived at school, I tracked down Nathan, who tried his best to pretend he didn't see me before finally accepting that I was not going to disappear without at least a quick conversation. He told me who his teacher was, rattled off the names of friends in his class and then took off before I could do something humiliating like tell him to have a great day or something.

Will and I carried on to the Kindergarten area, where he lined up with his new classmates, waved goodbye and blew me a kiss, and shuffled into the school without a backwards glance. It wasn't until the last kid crossed the threshold and the door swung shut that I broke down and cried.

Ha. I knew it was a good idea to wear sunglasses.

Drop off complete, I pulled myself together and drove in to work. The minutes ticked slowly by, and the school did not call.

Phew.

Dismissal, 3:30. Will was being picked up by the sitter, but Nathan was heading home on his own for the first time ever. My only expectation? That he call me when he got there. Four o'clock came and went. Four-fifteen. Our house is, at most, a ten minute walk from the school. Even allowing for twenty minutes of hanging around or whatever it is that eleven year olds do after school, he should have been home.

I called. No answer. No answer?!? Was there no answer because he wasn't home, or because he was following at least one of my rules and not picking up the phone?

I called J. His advice? Just keep phoning home, the kid will answer eventually, if he's there. And, four phone calls later, he did. Can you believe that the child forgot to call me, the one thing that I asked him to do when he got home? Sigh. He did remember the rule about not answering the phone, though. It was only when the damn thing kept ringing that he decided to check the call display and noticed it was me.

I spent the evening filling in forms and digging around in my wallet. Typical first day stuff, only now there are two sets of forms and double the requests for money.

Every now and then, I'd pause to let the blood flow back into my writing hand. I'd look over at my boys, and find myself blown away all over again by how big they are getting. How big they are.

There wasn't a chance in hell that I could get away with sunglasses at the dining room table, though.

Everything Is Moving So Fast

2011-09-05T22:14:00.000-04:00

So the big day is almost upon us: it's Back-to-School Eve.

These last few weeks, I've spent plenty of time worrying about William's first day. How will he cope with school? How will the school cope with him? And let's not forget my favourite, Will I have a nervous breakdown before the first month is even over? You know, the usual kind of crap moms of soon-to-be kindergarten kids dwell on.

But I just realized something tonight. With all the worry focused on my baby, I've completely neglected to worry about Nathan, and he's about to hit a major milestone of his own.

You see, Nathan is in possession of a shiny new house key. And tomorrow, when the bell rings at the end of the day, he won't be heading to the sitter's. For the very first time ever, he'll be coming home to an empty house.

This evening, we talked about expectations and rules. And then I presented him with a list of six emergency phone numbers. Yeah, I'm neurotic like that, what can I tell you.

Oh my gosh. Tomorrow, everything is going to change. Tomorrow, both my boys are taking great big strides in their journeys. Heck, I guess I am, too.

Will I have a nervous breakdown before the first month is even over?

Change of Season

2011-09-04T14:49:00.000-04:00

You know that story about the grasshopper and the ant? Basically, the grasshopper spends the whole summer goofing off and having fun, while the responsible ant spends the time storing food for long winter ahead.

I feel a little bit like the grasshopper.

Aside from the energetic burst of blogging during the early summer (thank you, Music Challenge!), I've written nothing since my writing class broke for the summer, back in May.

It worried me, sure. But there were always other things that wanted doing. My free time was spent playing in the sunshine, practicing guitar, and reading other people's words. The notebook in my purse remained closed, the one beside my bed stayed empty, and my computer was hardly turned on at all.

When my writing teacher emailed at the beginning of August, announcing the fall session start date of September 19, I actually hesitated before replying that I'd be back. And in the days that followed my acceptance email, second guesses and self-doubt were never far from my mind.

But then one day when I was driving to work, something happened for the first time in a long while: I found myself digging in my purse for a notebook and pen, and scribbling stuff down at red lights. And then it happened again, a few days later.

Hardly daring to hope, I turned on my computer and revisited some old friends, bits of stories that I started back in the spring but had since abandoned. I added a few sentences to one, just to see how it felt. Then I started something new, to check if I remembered how.

I'm sure that many of my fellow classmates have been good little ants: diligently putting words down one after the other, while I lazed around and worked on nothing but my freckle collection. But winter's not here yet, and I think I still have time...

Every Day

2011-09-02T21:03:00.001-04:00

Last week, my baby boy turned four years old.

Next week he starts kindergarten.

But I'm still living in this week, the week where he had his "Early Intervention" assessment. The week where I found out that yes, we qualify for services. That's another way of saying that Will is not quite like other kids his age, in case you were wondering.

So it's not the end of the world, and I know that the challenges we're facing are small potatoes compared to the path some kids must walk. But still, I worry.

I worry that he will pee his pants (or worse!) at school, as he still has many accidents. I worry that the teachers won't be able to understand him when he speaks, because his speech is not always clear. I worry that the other kids will find him "different" or "strange" and exclude him from their games. I worry that he won't care, because he's not much interested in the other kids, anyway...

I worry.

***

I shared some of Will's story with a friend. "You'll just have to love him harder," she told me.

And I do. Every day.

Summertime

2011-08-14T17:43:00.025-04:00

Maybe you noticed I've been away for a few weeks. I've spent very little time in blogland as of late - I even missed my two-year blog-o-versary, back at the beginning of the month.

I have a pretty good reason for being AWOL. It's called summer, and I've been making the most of it. Want to see a little of what I've been up to? Take a look.

Day 30

2011-07-30T07:33:00.000-04:00

Day 30. Can you believe it? We made it through another round of the 30-day music challenge. Thanks to all who followed along on the journey, and a big high five to my partner in crime, Stranger, for co-developing the prompts and playing each one so bloody well.

Back before it all started, I advised that Day 30 would be for requests, and throughout the month, I've implored you all to be a part of the magic and to make suggestions. And do you know something? I got LOTS. Pity that just about all of them were from the same person...but a huge thank you goes out to Brian, for doing his part.

So. What sort of things did Brian request? Hmmm...let's see:

On day 11, it was something about a sporting event. On day 12, he wanted a song featuring a vegetable. Day 14, a song sung in an embarrassing situation. Day 16, was about farm animals. On day 21, he was looking for an end-of-the-world song. On Day 25, he was looking for a song that referenced an article of clothing, then later, a song with either harmonica or accordion playing featured.

I think you'll agree that he left me a rather tall order here, but I've never been one to back away from a challenge. So, in the spirit of day 14, I think that this almost qualifies as a day 21 song. Pretend that you hear a wild and crazy intro, banged out on the accordion, and then hit play, where the remaining suggestions can be found. And don't worry. I have no plans to quit my day job. Heh.

~THE END~

In The Mood

2011-07-29T17:00:00.002-04:00

I'm not. In the mood to write, that is.

I've been off work all this week, the first of a two-week vacation. I had visions of writing up a storm, knocking these last few prompts right out of the park. Sadly (or not), it hasn't happened. My brain seems to have shut down, and I'm good for nothing but sitting on my butt on a deck chair, book propped up in my lap.

I wish I had the patience to sit here and tell you all the things you should know about my grandfather, and what made him such a great man. You can read a little about him here, if you're interested. Today, I'll just tell you that there are three sounds that always bring him to mind: change rattling around in a pocket, a song whistled perfectly through the teeth, and Big Band music on the radio.

***

Day 29 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song from your childhood.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

Make sure you stop by tomorrow for the grand finale!

Everybody Knows

2011-07-28T21:24:00.001-04:00

My life is simple and small. Not necessarily horrible, unless boredom is a crime. I might have gotten up to a thing or two back in my troubled youth, but these days the only thing I'm guilty of is having an active imagination.

Leonard Cohen's music makes me wish I was a little bad, though...

***

This post is a 2-for-1: There are 55 words for my friend G-Man, plus this is Day 28 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song that makes you feel guilty.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

So Obsessed, I'm Becoming A Bore

2011-07-27T21:31:00.000-04:00

It was a midweek pub outing, back before J and I were married. Dom and Matt rounded out the gang, and we hit up our local for a little beer and a few games of pool.

The two pool tables were both occupied. One by a couple of giggling girls who barely seemed to know which way to hold the cue, while at the other table were two guys that seemed a little more capable, but their belly laughs and collection of empty pint glasses lead us to believe it was just a friendly match.

Dom and Matt, both in between girlfriends, ditched us with barely a backwards glance and were quickly playing partners with the ladies. J and I put a couple of bucks down on the other table and challenged the two guys to a game.

Turned out our new friends were visiting from Scotland and didn't really know anyone in the area. They were more than pleased with our company and much drinking, talking, laughing and pool playing ensued. The evening passed quickly, the guys were great fun, even if one of them was a little vocal about the lack of good music in the jukebox.

"Who do you like?" I asked as he flicked past song after song in disgust.

"Ahhh...finally!" he said as he plugged in a couple of quarters, "Can't believe there's just the one."

Over the opening bars, he lectured on the merits of the artist - the very best in the world, in his opinion.

The song is okay, but not my favourite. But at the end of the night, Dom and Matt walked out without even scoring any phone numbers while J and I were treated by the Scottish guys, who insisted on picking up the bar tab. So I guess I'll raise a glass to James, in their honour.

***

Day 27 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: Random Music Memory.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

Beautiful Boy

2011-07-26T16:57:00.000-04:00

When I was a little girl, my dad listened to America's Top Forty with Casey Kasem just about every week. The part of the countdown that we always looked forward to was the Long Distance Dedication, when smooth-voiced Casey would read a heartbreaking letter from some lost soul, looking to reach out across time and space and let someone know how they were feeling. They were usually pretty hokey, so Dad and I would have fun coming up with our own Long Distance Dedications, complete with silly made-up names.

When I suggested this theme for our 30-Day Music Challenge, I didn't have a particular person or situation in mind, but I was pretty sure it would be a fun prompt to work on. What I didn't know was how bummed out I'd be, the day it rolled around.

I just got back from my son Will's pre-Kindergarten checkup at the pediatrician's. He turns four next month and will be starting school in the fall.

I left the office with a prescription for two more Epi-pens, which was expected. His school will need those on hand to in case of any accidental peanut exposure. What I didn't expect was the requisition for an x-ray of his adenoids (he'll probably need them out), and a requisition for a hearing test (his speech is still pretty unclear, even at almost-four, so we need to investigate the possibility that he may have some hearing loss). On top of that, we're also being referred to a developmental pediatrician, because it's becoming apparent that Will is not just a "late bloomer", he's falling behind on stuff.

So my dedication is not being sent a very long-distance. In fact, I'm looking at the boy it's aimed at, right now.

***

Day 26 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: Your "long distance dedication".
Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

Da Da Da

2011-07-25T21:55:00.000-04:00

***

Day 25 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song that makes you laugh.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

Life Is What Happens To You While You're Busy Making Other Plans

2011-07-25T09:30:00.000-04:00

So I am very late with this post. You see, I am currently reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and can barely tear myself away to eat, sleep, or even interact with my family!

Yesterday's prompt was for a cover song I hate. So here are three - YouTube them if you dare, but don't say I didn't warn you.

1. Beautiful Boy by Celine Dion

2. American Pie by Madonna

3. Knocking On Heaven's Door by Guns n' Roses

I will try and tear myself away from my book later on and do today's prompt properly...but if I am neglecting you, my friends, try and understand...it is Book Three that I am currently immersed in!

The Suburbs

2011-07-23T21:33:00.000-04:00

Arcade Fire is a great band, don't get me wrong. But I do love it when someone covers an already fabulous song, makes it their own and makes it even better.

***

Day 23 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A cover song that you love (even more than the original).

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

Something I Can Never Have

2011-07-23T00:52:00.000-04:00

There are three copies of Pretty Hate Machine in our house.

When I met J, he came with a copy. Of course, his sister had borrowed it at some point in time, and she's famous for returning CDs in an unplayable state. J likes to say that she used CDs as dinner plates back in college when she ran out of clean dishes. I don't know if that's true, but I do know that CDs previously in her possession don't always play right, and this one is no exception.

My old copy was not in the greatest shape either, to be honest. It was in the CD player the time that a rather drunk Asshole drove us off the road and the sunroof exploded into a million tiny pieces. At least a few hundred of those million tiny pieces ended up in the car stereo, so only about half the songs still played without any skips.

Last year, I finally bought myself a fresh copy. I had to. It is one of the very best albums to come out of the eighties, after all. Funny how we can't seem to get rid of those damaged copies, though...

***

Day 22 (posted just a little bit late) of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song that you listen to when you are sad.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

Banana Pancakes

2011-07-21T21:46:00.000-04:00

His voice is as sweet as ice cream on a summer day; his guitar is all bouncy and bright. When Jack Johnson comes on the radio, it's like the sun coming out from behind the clouds: everything sparkles a little more, everything shines. Heck, he even makes something as weird as Banana Pancakes sound good...

***

This post is a 2-for-1: There are 55 words for my friend G-Man, plus this is Day 21 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song that you listen to when you are happy.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

Turn Me Up - Won't Turn You Away

2011-07-20T21:30:00.002-04:00

My life story is set to music: each day is sewn to the next with all the songs that mark my moments. Mostly, I spin through songs randomly, leaving the playlist up to my iPod and chance. But there are times when I want to take charge and select the sound - a bad mood, for example, must be carefully managed, lest I lose control of it and see things go from bad to worse.

When I'm angry, I require three things: solitude, an open road, and something loud and fast and powerful on the car stereo.

It never takes too many miles to make me feel better.

***

Day 20 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song that you listen to when you are angry.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

What I Like About You

2011-07-19T21:54:00.000-04:00

The waitress might not have known our names, but we had reached the point where we didn't have to place orders. We'd arrive just before nine almost every Friday night (early enough to land our favourite table) and would barely have time to slip out of our coats before drinks were set down in front of us: a bottle of Canadian for me, and a pint of Keith's for J.

While we smoked and talked and sipped our first drink, the band booked in for the night would begin setting up. Week after week, we watched an endless stream of bar bands, and had sort of become connoisseurs of the cover song, comparing the merits of this week's version of Mustang Sally to the last with great enthusiasm.

We clapped at the end of every song, even if those around us were oblivious, and in between sets we'd make a point of wandering by to let them know we were enjoying the show, and maybe even make a request or two.

"What do you want to hear?" J asked one night, as we approached. I named off a few favourites, but said that he should pick.

After a few quick words of appreciation, J asked if he could make a request.

"Sure, man. What do you want to hear?"

"How about What I Like About You?" J asked, on my behalf.

"Huh. Yeah? For real?"

"Well, yeah. If you know it," J replied.

"Course we know it. But - damn - this is kinda awkward," the singer laughed. "Hmmm. What's your name?"

***

Break over, the band prepared to start the next set. The singer introduced his band mates and then began to talk.

"We had some requests come in over the break," he announced. The crowd whooped and clapped, pleased with themselves.

"This next song, well, usually a girl asks for it, but...J, where are you, man?"

He knew something was definitely up, but J's always been a good sport. He waved.

"Ah, there you are. So, this is What I Like About You, and it goes out to J," the singer grinned, and they launched into the song.

Most of the way through, the guitarist wrapped up a solo and the singer got conversational, while the band continued to play in the background.

"What I like about you, J, is your lovely blond hair," he said. The crowd roared with laughter and J blushed, realizing the direction things were headed.

"Yeah, what I like about you, J, is...what colour are your eyes?"

"Blue!" I yelled, delighted with this turn of events.

"So what I like about you, J, is your baby blue eyes...

"What I like about you, J, is the way you walk across the room..."

In the end, there were a number of things he liked about J. The applause came long and loud when it was over, and I sent them up a round of drinks to show my appreciation.

When the set was done, they thanked J for being a good sport and he laughed right along with the rest of us. But do you know something? I think that was probably the last time J requested a song on my behalf.

***

Day 19 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: Random music memory.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

Naked As We Came

2011-07-18T23:13:00.000-04:00

It's official, the tickets have been ordered and our plans are being hatched: in October, Katherine and I will step out of blogland and into real life - we're heading to the Iron & Wine concert in Toronto together, and I am simply giddy with anticipation. A Saturday night on the town with a dear friend, watching one of my favourite artists perform - it just doesn't get much better than that.

Sam Beam has the most gorgeous mind. His songs move me in so many different ways, both musically and lyrically. I wish that, some day, I might make something half this beautiful...

***

Day 18 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song you wish you wrote.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

Your Rocky Spine

2011-07-17T21:04:00.000-04:00

Back when J and I met, I didn't have an actual list of my ideal qualities in a man. I had recently freed myself after almost six years with The Asshole at the time, so found J's non-asshole qualities quite endearing. He was gentle and quiet. He didn't have a lot of experience with girls. He even had a job.

Heck, he was just nice, and that's what sold me.

All these years later, he's still most of those things. But I've also realized that there are other things that he's not. He does not read books, for example. Ever. You might think I'm exaggerating, but no - in the fifteen years that I've known him, he hasn't read a single one.

He doesn't write poetry, either, or leave me love notes. His taste in music is mostly limited to nineties alternative and classic rock.

And, believe it or not, he votes conservative. Seriously.

So. None of these things make him a bad person (well, maybe his political leanings, hahaha). But in my fantasies, the man in my life writes me love songs like this one.

*sigh*

Maybe in my next life.

***

Day 17 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song you wish was written for you.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

No Rain

2011-07-16T19:08:00.000-04:00

***

Day 16 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song that you always play on the jukebox.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

You Really Got A Hold On Me

2011-07-15T19:04:00.000-04:00

Come on. I can't be the only one. You know you do it too. The acoustics are just so good, how can you resist?

In the shower, we all sound like superstars, right?

There are several excellent renditions of this song. Smokey Robinson did one. So did The Beatles. But when I'm performing for the shampoo bottles and shower tiles, it's probably closest to the She & Him version.

***

Day 15 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: The song that you always sing in the shower.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

Some Gal Would Giggle And I'd Get Red

2011-07-14T21:43:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, mom didn't actually name me Just Me.

Yeah, so some of you know my other name, but did you know it's not my REAL name?

True story: my first name is something pretty stupid, so I use my middle name instead. Guess that's why I've always been fond of this song...

***

This post is a 2-for-1. 55 words for my friend G-Man, and Day 14 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song that no one would expect you to love.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com. Anything goes, so don't be shy!

One

2011-07-13T21:55:00.002-04:00

Once upon a time, we were young and brave and stupid and beautiful. The future was nothing more than an indistinct blur on the horizon and we barely paid any attention to it; getting old was science fiction.

How many times did we slow dance in the middle of the living room in our crummy little apartment, with the music turned up loud and the lights turned down low? Back then, we moved together so easily that even if the radio wasn't on, we had no trouble keeping the beat, or staying in time. It was effortless.

What happened to those days? How did we turn into these people who no longer dance together, who don't even listen to the same damn songs?

We only dance at weddings now. I seek you out for the slow songs, rest my head on your chest and close my eyes - it's easier to pretend we're in the living room of our old apartment that way.

There's a Matthew Good song with lyrics that say you dance because "what else do you do when you don't talk?" He implies that this is a bad thing, but I think he has it wrong. You dance because you don't need to talk: two bodies moving as one need no words.

Do you remember the last song we danced to? I do; it was so perfectly us. I wonder if you noticed...

***

Day 13 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: The song you had your last slow dance to.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

The One That You Love

2011-07-12T21:43:00.000-04:00

He wasn't the most popular boy. He wasn't the best looking, or the one with the nicest clothes. But he could run like the wind, he introduced me to Tolkien, and he had the longest eyelashes that I had ever seen. So of course, I fell in love.

I was twelve.

In those glorious days that predated call display, I'd phone him up just to hear him say hello, then slam the phone down before I could say something foolish. I made up reasons to ride my bike past his house. I covered notebooks with our initials, trapped within hearts. I even practiced my married-to-him signature, on the off chance that he proposed.

Yeah, I had it kind of bad.

As the seventh grade drew to a close, my parents put our house up for sale, and a move to a new town was imminent. This knowledge was the push that I needed to find myself a little bit of courage, and at the end of year class party, I crossed the floor to where he was huddled with his friends and struck up a conversation.

Hey, I said.

Hey, he replied.

Cool party, I said.

Yeah, he replied.

Darn. It wasn't working. He wasn't taking the hint.

Was I going to move away without ever knowing what it felt like to touch this boy, without ever spending a moment in his arms?

Hell no.

Ummm...sodoyawannadance? I asked.

Yeah, I guess, he replied.

And for four minutes, with my hands upon his shoulders and his hands upon my waist, we spun circles in the gym.

It was everything I had ever dreamed (hey, I was twelve, remember?), and when I got home that afternoon, I raided my mom's music collection where I found a copy of that very song.

Play. Rewind.

Play. Rewind.

I actually broke the tape, reliving that magical moment. Considering the song, that is maybe not such a bad thing.

But the memories sure are fine...

***

Day 12 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: The song you had your first slow dance to.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

Laughing At Clouds, So Dark Up Above

2011-07-11T21:17:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I was riding high. Today I'm way down low. Just a million little things, but that post I was planning and the catch-up on everyone's wonderful words? Yeah, that is all out the window.

Today's theme - a song that reminds you of someone who'd rather forget you. The person in question is my mother's mother, even though she died just over a year ago. So rather than write something new, I'm going to cheat a little. You can read all about it here and here.

And as for the song, if you actually want to hear it, you'll have to Youtube it. Even something as simple as posting a video won't work out for me today it seems - embedding is disabled on all the ones I checked. The song is "Singing In The Rain", look for Gene Kelly's version.

***

Day 11 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song that reminds you of someone who'd rather forget you.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

Summertime

2011-07-10T21:17:00.000-04:00

So today, I'm supposed to write about a song that reminds me of someone I'd rather forget.

You know what? I just don't have it in me.

This past weekend, my clan went camping with a few friends and their kids. The weather was amazing, the kids were (mostly) wonderful, and the weekend was just about as close to perfect as could be.

Sorry folks, I'm on a high...and I'm riding it. I'll be back tomorrow to rejoin the game and catch up on what you all were up to while I was gone.

You'll Have To Excuse Me, I'm Not At My Best

2011-07-09T00:28:00.025-04:00

When I post a video, I usually try and pick a still of the album cover over something that moves. All those images sometimes detract from the song, at least in my mind. I'd much rather let my imagination go where it will than have someone show me what they want the music to mean.

Sadly, the only thing I can find in Youtube for the song I wanted to share today is a terrible copy of a super cheesy video.

So do me a favour and close your eyes when you listen to this one, okay? Picture me at a bar, just before last call. Or maybe at a wedding, after almost everyone else has gone home. The DJ spins this old favourite, and I utter those famous five words: Oh! I love this song!

Imagine me running out on the dance floor. I've had just enough to drink to drown my inhibitions, just enough to send me twirling and jumping and breathless all the way through to the end of the song. My shoes have been kicked off and lay abandoned in the corner, my face is flushed, and my hair is a mess, but I hope my enormous smile makes up for it.

Oh! I love this song!

***

Day 9 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song you can dance to.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

Somebody's Gonna Hurt Someone

2011-07-08T00:04:00.005-04:00

Her head’s full of lyrics; they come tumbling out whenever someone turns on the radio. She just can't help herself.

So she's doing what she does, and her husband says “Who sings this, again?”

She looks at him, shocked he’d even ask. “The Eagles!”

“Exactly,” he replies with a smirk.

She can take a hint.

***

This post is a 2-for-1. 55 words for my friend G-Man, and Day 8 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song that you know all the words to. And guess what? For a change, I actually followed the rules and wrote FICTION, and G-Man's on vacation, so he won't even see it. *sigh*

I do know all the words to this song, though. I didn't make that part up!

***

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com. Anything goes, so don't be shy!

Here We Are Now, Entertain Us

2011-07-07T00:17:00.003-04:00

Two friends, one six-hour bus ride. Two sets of ear buds for the walkman, but we only remembered to bring one tape.

At least it was a good tape.

***

Day 7 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song that reminds you of a certain event. Today I'm remembering a Greyhound bus ride from Toronto to Ottawa with my friend Jenn, March Break 1992.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

Not Like Yesterday

2011-07-06T05:46:00.000-04:00

So yesterday's post might have been a little TMI. Oops.

As I read the reactions through the day, I started to feel incredibly uncomfortable with the fact that I had chosen to hit PUBLISH POST instead of DELETE. I even contemplated pulling the whole thing down. I felt naked and horribly exposed. I realize that most of that was probably all in my head, but the enigmatic responses left a lot of blanks for me to fill in, and I have a pretty vivid imagination.

But: NO. I'm not taking anything back, or feeling bad about what I shared. That was the old me. That was the place I was in, back when that whole story took place, but that's not the place I am now.

Did I make you uncomfortable? If so, I am sorry. But good though, because that means I used the right words. That means that I showed you something real. Hey, I never promised you it would be pretty...

So where am I now? I'm somewhere better. I am not perfect, but I'm doing okay. I'm a million times stronger and healthier and happier than I ever was back then.

I'm not big on regrets - I'm a firm believer that every step along the way was crucial to where I have ended up, which is somewhere pretty good. And this song? Totally reminds me of that place.

***

Day 6 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song that reminds you of somewhere.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

What Were The Skies Like When You Were Young?

2011-07-05T05:56:00.000-04:00

When I was sixteen, my mother got me a summer job filing and answering the phone at her office; that's where I met B for the first time. He had dark hair and blue eyes, spoke perfect English though his native tongue was French, and he was twenty years old. And - oh yeah - he was completely out of my league.

Naturally, I was smitten.

B was a flirt and likely well aware of my infatuation. He made going into work something to look forward to, and that summer raced away from me in no time. If this had been a teen romance novel, there would have been some chance encounter which brought us together...but alas, this was no teen romance novel. I had to go back to school, and so did he. There were no telling looks as we said goodbye, no phone numbers were exchanged, except in my fantasies. Summer was over.

A couple of years later, I met the guy that we all know around here as The Asshole. Because my life is full of these strange little coincidences, you should not be surprised to learn that B was one of The Asshole's best friends.

The three of us spent hours together, listening to music (almost always The Orb, that was B's favourite), talking, playing cards, smoking pot and philosophizing. I still found B's blue eyes beautiful, but we were friends and that was all. I may have caught a disquieting glance a time or two, and when the three of us did acid together once, I felt like I saw right down into his soul and there were dreams of me in there...But we were friends. And that was all.

B, The Asshole, and me even ended up at the same university. B was a bartender at the campus pub and The Asshole and I were such good patrons, we got invited to the staff Christmas party. The three of us were inseparable.

This went on until I grew tired of The Asshole's asshole-ishness, and I broke up with him. Although it was the right choice, it wasn't an easy choice; I was hurting and empty and lonely. So I went to the pub and set about drowning my sorrows. There was no sign of The Asshole, but B was tending bar. It was almost like old times.

When it came time to go, I wandered over to B and asked him to call me a cab.

"Okay. You're a cab," he deadpanned.

"Ha ha," I replied.

"Come with me to the back room, you can use the phone there," he said.

So it goes without saying that we were in the back room for less than ten seconds before he kissed me. And holy crap, what a kiss! One hand buried in my hair, the other holding my face - hard and gentle all at once; a kiss that lives on in my memory as the hottest kiss of my life, still not yet surpassed almost twenty years later.

That kiss had been waiting to happen for years, but it was over all too soon. Suddenly, I was flying through the air. I crashed into the wall behind me with a thud. What little sense I had left after all that alcohol and kissing was knocked out of me when my head hit the floor.

I must have only been out for a moment, because when I came to, The Asshole had not yet inflicted much damage upon B. My semi-hysterical sobs brought several people running: some pulled off The Asshole and dragged him out into the night. Some tended to B, who had the breath choked out of him in the struggle. Others called me that cab I'd been looking for and made sure I got in it.

I never spoke to B again. The Asshole and I got back together a few weeks later, but all of our Orb CDs mysteriously disappeared.

***

Day 5 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song that reminds you of someone.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

You Don't Bring Me Flowers

2011-07-04T06:42:00.000-04:00

When I was a little girl, my mom would visibly tense up in my dad's presence - she always seemed angry at him for one reason or another, and was never shy about letting it show. But when he was out and she thought my sister and I were asleep, she'd light candles and smoke cigarettes, and sing along to sad songs, all alone.

One night, I crept out of bed to the landing at the top of the stairs. I peeped down into the shadows of the living room where Mom sat, eyes closed and face tight. She smoked and she sang, and I saw that she meant it.

I doubt I knew the word vulnerable at the time, but I know it would have been the right one. I'd never seen my mom show weakness, I didn't know she could be soft. But it turned out that everything I thought I knew was only true on the surface, and I had no idea what to do with this new discovery.

As I grew up, I observed that Barbra Streisand on the stereo was a sure sign that my folks were about to announce their imminent divorce - my parents did that every few years. Inevitably, Lady by Kenny Rogers would signify a reconciliation, but each time I wondered if this one was for real.

I guess it's no wonder that this song sums up my view of their enduring marriage; a song that makes me feel small and anxious, helpless and heart-achingly sad.

***

Day 4 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song that makes you sad.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

Up Up Up

2011-07-03T08:23:00.001-04:00

Indie music, once all about the head bob, has gone pop-dance-beat-crazy. I'm no hipster, never have been, but few songs get me dancing in the car like this one

***

This post is a 2-for-1. 160 characters for my friend Monkey Man, and Day 3 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song that makes you happy.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

You Can Try To Fight This All You Want

2011-07-02T08:03:00.003-04:00

Thousands of thirty-something Canadian women go weak at the knees when they hear Dallas Green sing. I hold myself to a higher standard; a cynic like me should be immune to such emo navel-gazing. But there is something there that draws me, and I just can't seem to help myself...

The album Sometimes by City and Colour (Get it? The guy's name is Dallas Green) is a perpetual guilty pleasure. It makes me feel like I'm sixteen and trying to decode the behavior of the cute guy in my math class. It makes me feel like, somewhere out there, is my one true love - but I'll never find him. It makes me feel sad, but in a cathartic sort of way, if that makes any sense.

In short, it turns me into a thirty-something Canadian woman who goes weak at the knees.

Don't judge me, okay?

***

Day 2 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song you know better than to enjoy, but love anyway.

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

Untitled

2011-07-01T06:49:00.002-04:00

He’s been playing since he was eight, but only other people’s songs. Now he’s eleven, and has realized he can make his own.

Intro, verse, chorus.

He agonizes over getting the chord progression just right. Dots and squiggles on a smudged and tattered paper, and it sounds pretty much like it looks: kind of messy.

***

This post is a 2-for-1. 55 words for my friend G-Man, and Day 1 of the Stranger Me 30-day Music Challenge: A song you know you're supposed to love, but don't. So this is only my son's first attempt at song writing, and I'd never let on that I think it's anything less than musical genius, but...well...um....yeah.

***

Want to play along with the Music Challenge? Please do! Comment or blog to the prompts, and don't forget to check out Stranger's site for her take on them, as well.

PS - Day 30 is for requests...so let's get interactive! Leave a comment or email your suggestions to promiseorthreat@gmail.com.

The Second Time

2011-06-29T06:21:00.000-04:00

As promised, here are the prompts for the upcoming Stranger Me 30-Day Music Challenge.

Are you ready?

Day 01 – A song you know you’re supposed to love, but don’t.
Day 02 – A song you know better than to enjoy, but love anyway.
Day 03 – A song that makes you happy.
Day 04 – A song that makes you sad.
Day 05 – A song that reminds you of someone.
Day 06 – A song that reminds of you of somewhere.
Day 07 – A song that reminds you of a certain event.
Day 08 – A song that you know all the words to.
Day 09 – A song that you can dance to.
Day 10 – A song that reminds you of someone you’d rather forget.
Day 11 – A song that reminds you of someone who’d rather forget you.
Day 12 – The song you had your first slow dance to.
Day 13 – The song you had your last slow dance to.
Day 14 – A song that no one would expect you to love.
Day 15 – A song you always sing in the shower.
Day 16 – A song you always play on the jukebox.
Day 17 – A song you wish was written for you.
Day 18 – A song you wish you wrote.
Day 19 – Random music memory.
Day 20 – A song that you listen to when you’re angry.
Day 21 – A song that you listen to when you’re happy.
Day 22 – A song that you listen to when you’re sad.
Day 23 – A cover song you love (even more than the original).
Day 24 – A cover song you hate.
Day 25 – A song that makes you laugh.
Day 26 – Your “long distance dedication”.
Day 27 – Random music memory.
Day 28 – A song that makes you feel guilty.
Day 29 – A song from your childhood.
Day 30 (and beyond?) – We take requests!

I Started Something I Couldn't Finish

2011-06-28T21:22:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's true. Stranger and I are delving back into our music collections and our memories to come up with thirty more days of songs and stories for your listening and reading pleasure.

I have a sneaking suspicion that we're not entertaining anyone near as much as we are each other, but that's okay. This blogging stuff is supposed to be fun, right? So I hope you'll bear with us.

Our plans are made, the rules are pretty simple.

We're starting together on July 1, so we'll be doing the same prompt on the same day.
We hope others will join us in the ~~madness~~ fun. You're welcome to jump in and out at will, by the way - no need to do all thirty days unless you feel like it. But if you do want to play, make sure you let us know!
Some prompts will be familiar if you followed along on our first go-round, but others will be brand new because we made them up through the course of a mad flurry of emails last week. Hope you like 'em!

So, what are the prompts, you ask? They'll be up tomorrow. See you then!

Kinda I Want To

2011-06-27T21:00:00.001-04:00

Somewhere around the halfway point of the recently completed 30-day Music Challenge, I was exchanging emails with my friend Stranger on a post - hers or mine, I can't remember which.

I said something about how, if I were to do it all over again, I'd probably end up with a completely different set of songs. She agreed. And then she took it one step further.

You wanna?

And then the plotting began...

Stay tuned!

The End

2011-06-26T07:18:00.000-04:00

Once, the words flowed effortlessly. Lately, not so much. Then I turned on the radio and that helped me find them again: 30 posts in 30 days. Now it's over...?

***

Or is it? Hmmm. Either way, can you tell a story using only 160 characters? Head on over to Monkey Man's site to read some more, and maybe add one of your own.

I Haven't Thought Of You Lately At All

2011-06-25T15:57:00.001-04:00

As I approached the doors of the book store, I crossed paths with a man and two little boys who were just leaving. My eyes quickly skipped over the nondescript man, middle-aged and mostly bald. Instead I was drawn to the faces of those two little boys.

I know those kids, I thought, But from where?

In the five or six seconds it took to approach and come alongside, several possibilities were considered and rejected. They were too young to be friends of Nathan's, and too old to be friends of Will's. I didn't recognize them from Cubs or Beavers. Not swimming or soccer, either.

The boys were behind me, round cheeks and shiny brown hair still tugging at my memory. I glanced at their father's profile out of the corner of my eye as he also passed behind me. A few more steps and then suddenly, it clicked. I stopped and turned but they were already getting into their car.

I didn't know those boys, I'd never set eyes on them before in my life. But they sure did look a hell of a lot like my memories of their dad, back before he lost his hair and gained a paunch. A twenty year old memory of a profile superimposed upon the one I'd seen just seconds before matched up well...A long time ago, we used to be friends.

In my mind, I called out his name, but only in my mind. It was too late.

I turned back towards the store and went inside as he drove away.

Ready To Start

2011-06-23T22:23:00.000-04:00

My always changing favourite song – an excellent psychological barometer, a measurement of my mental state.

I’ll let you decide what it means, but these days it’s all about Eddie strumming his uke on sunny summer days, and the new Bon Iver on hot and humid sleepless nights.

Last year, it was all about this song.

***

This post is a 2-for-1. 55 words for my friend G-Man, and Day 30 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - Your favorite song at this time last year. Care to play along? What was YOUR favorite song at this time last year? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Wasn't That A Party

2011-06-22T21:06:00.001-04:00

It should be easy, coming up with a song from my childhood. I grew up in a house where the stereo was just about always on, and music has forever been a constant in my life.

It should be easy, but it's not. There have been so many songs, how can I possibly narrow it down? How do I choose just one?

Brainstorming here...

My dad, explaining the story behind The Wall.
Getting my first transistor radio in the second grade. My favourite song was De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da by The Police.
My mom playing Kenny Rogers. Repeatedly. Forever.
Begging for something to play on my record player, once I grew tired of Raffi. My dad handing me some of his cast offs, like the disco record with the steps to “The Hot Chocolate” laid out on the fold-out cover, Captain & Tennille (of Muskrat Love fame), and my favourite: The Electric Prunes.
Ravi Shankar on a Saturday morning, my dad's revenge on my mother for making him get up with my sister and I while she tried to sleep in.
Being deliciously scandalized by Rod Stewart singing Do Ya Think I’m Sexy.
My mom, putting on Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond's You Don’t Bring Me Flowers when my dad was out, and singing along like her heart would break.
Going to the donut shop with my parents and begging for a quarter for the jukebox. Using that quarter to put on Wasn’t that a Party by the Irish Rovers, and Drugs in My Pocket by the Monks. I was six.

Hmmm...that last one. Yeah. That's it...

I guess I was a little precocious, huh?

***

Day 29 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song from your childhood. Care to play along? What's a song from YOUR childhood? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Bye Bye, Miss American Pie

2011-06-21T21:39:00.006-04:00

We invited Derek to our party for one simple reason: alcohol. We were eighteen and he was twenty-one - when you're a teenager, that math adds up to an easy booze score, so it was a no-brainer, really. And no, there wasn't any ulterior motive on my part.

Yes, sure, I'll admit that I was attracted to him. His dark curls and big, sleepy brown eyes had not gone unnoticed. And the shifts I shared with him at the local video store where we were both employed always felt more like fun than work. But. I was at the tail end of a two-year relationship that I had outgrown, but wasn't really ready to let go of, and Derek had briefly dated my friend Jen. They quickly figured out that wasn't meant to be and went their separate ways, but the split was still pretty fresh. So yeah, there was an attraction, but I dug a really big hole and buried it. Okay?

When Derek arrived with a backpack full of booze, he received a hero's welcome and the party truly got underway. Drinks were poured, and the stereo was cranked up, tuned to a local classic rock station.

"Oh, I love this song!" I announced, over the opening bars of American Pie.

"Me too!" Derek agreed.

We drank a toast to our good taste, Derek and I, and a giddy sing-along ensued. Singing progressed to dancing, which, of course, progressed to kissing. Hey, it's a long song, okay?

It was a long night, too. And one I'm not very proud of.

***

Epilogue:

Derek called me the next day and invited me out for coffee because he wanted to talk. It was all Last night was a mistake and I'm sorry and Let's just stay friends, okay? It hurt like hell at the time, but I've always respected him for that coffee date. Not a lot of guys would have had the guts to do that.

I broke up with my boyfriend a couple days later. It had been over for a while, but guilt finally pushed me into making a decision and making it official.

And I still love that song. But even now, twenty years later, it still reminds me of that night. And I still feel a little bit guilty.

***

Day 28 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that makes you feel guilty. Care to play along? What's a song that makes YOU feel guilty? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Love And Some Verses

2011-06-20T21:53:00.001-04:00

I felt more than a little bit foolish as I made my way inside. A part of me was almost waiting for the people who had a right to be there to turn, point, and laugh at my audacity.

At the bottom of the stairs, I was greeted by a pretty girl, made even prettier by her nose ring and delicate tattoos. As I filled in the form she handed me, I felt my discomfort grow.

"They want my parents' phone numbers? Huh." I muttered, and shook my head. "Guess I can leave that blank..."

"Dustin!" the girl called out, when I returned my (mostly) completed form. "Your new student is here."

He was wearing an old tee shirt and baggy shorts. Shaggy brown hair peeked out from under a Toronto Maple Leafs ball cap, framing a face that likely got its owner carded every time he ordered himself a beer.

Oh my gosh, I thought, slightly panicked. I am old enough to be this guy's mother. What am I doing here?

"Ready to get started?" Dustin asked. His smile, easy and sincere, helped to tame the panic. A little.

"Sure," I said, forcing my feet to follow, forcing myself to believe the lie. "I'm ready."

At the first lesson, he taught me three chords plus a scale. And told me to come back next time with a song or two that I wanted to learn how to play. The following week, still feeling foolish but determined to give it my best shot, I brought a whole playlist.

Yesterday I told you what song I'm starting with. Today, I'll share one that I want to work toward.

***

Day 27 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that you wish you could play. Care to play along? What's a song that you wish YOU could play? Leave me a comment and let me know.

What I Got

2011-06-19T07:17:00.000-04:00

Just 3 guitar lessons so my inexperienced fingers often fumble. Bradley Nowell must be rolling over in his grave, but I don`t care; it`s music. Well, almost.

***

This post is a two-for-one. 160 characters for Monkey Man, along with Day 26 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that you can play on an instrument. I must admit that my version of the song leaves more than a little to be desired, so I'm sharing the original rather than my feeble rendition. Care to play along? What's a song that YOU can play on an instrument? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Strokin'

2011-06-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

Just about every DJ at every wedding I've ever been to for just about as long as I can remember has pulled this one out in that final hazy hour before last call. And without fail, a room full of people, all of them blind drunk off the free booze offered up at the open bar, end up out on the dance floor and singing along for all they are worth.

It's been a while since I've been to a wedding, and it's been a while since I've heard this song. But when faced with today's prompt, this is the song that immediately sprung to mind. Sure, it's a hoot after three-four beers and a few shots of tequila. But from the sober side of the street? You just gotta laugh...

***

Day 25 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that makes you laugh. Care to play along? What's a song that makes YOU laugh? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Blackbird

2011-06-17T05:58:00.001-04:00

When I die, I want to be cremated. The thought of my corpse, rotting away six feet underground, greatly disturbs me. So once any useful bits and pieces have been plucked out (yes, I’ve signed my organ donor card, have you?), burn the rest.

No church, no urn. Set my ashes free. And play this.

***

This post is a 2-for-1. 55 words for my friend G-Man, and Day 24 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that you want to play at your funeral. Care to play along? What's a song that you want played at YOUR funeral? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Oh, My Love...

2011-06-16T05:57:00.000-04:00

One Saturday morning in September of 1999, I woke up for the last time as an independent entity. That night, I went to sleep as one half of something brand new.

In between waking up and going to sleep, I stepped out onto the dance floor with my new husband. We wrapped our arms around each other and moved to the music as one, full of hope and dreams for the future.

So many years later, all the crap we've hurled at each other has darn near buried the beauty that was born on that day. There is still something down there, though. There has to be.

Sometimes it's hard to see it, sometimes it's hard to remember. But listening to this song, our Wedding Song, helps me to find the way to those feelings and memories. And it's funny, the lyrics are almost more appropriate today than they were on that Saturday in September of 1999...

***

Day 23 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that you want to play at your wedding. Care to play along? What's a song that you want to play at YOUR wedding? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Hurt

2011-06-14T23:44:00.036-04:00

Melancholy should probably have been my middle name. Because even when everything is going great, I always seem to carry just a little bit of sadness around. I can't help it, I think I was just born that way. I guess that's why I love sad songs so much.

On Saturdays, hardly anyone reads my blog. I don't know why, I guess they just have better things to do. Yeah, shocking, I know. What could possibly be a better way to spend your weekend than reading my riveting blog posts? Ha!

Anyhow -

You know how teenagers take advantage of mom and dad being out of town to throw parties? Well, I use my free time on Saturdays in blogland to post sad songs. Curious? Go ahead and click through the tag Sad Song Saturdays and you'll see what I mean.

So I guess that would more than cover off the theme for today's prompt. But did you think for even a minute that I'd miss the opportunity to post yet another sad song? Nah, of course not!

So.

My favourite sad song. Or one of them, anyway. Now don't get me wrong - I love Nine Inch Nails. But Johnny Cash will always own this song, if you ask me.

***

Day 22 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that you listen to when you're sad. Care to play along? What's a song that you listen to when YOU'RE sad? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Add It Up

2011-06-14T06:17:00.001-04:00

I can hardly believe it's possible that so much time has passed, but the concert that I'm thinking about happened over twenty years ago now.

The headliner was supposed to be The Pogues, and sure, they're cool. But that wasn't who I was there to see. So it was actually kind of perfect when the Pogues ended up playing first. Rumour had it that they were so drunk, to wait any longer before throwing them out on stage would have spelled disaster. A likely enough story, from what I've heard of the band, so maybe it was even true.

Whatever. I didn't care. All it meant was that my band, the one that I was really there to see, hit the stage later, after the crowd was already riding high.

Me and my friends had seats to the show, but abandoned them soon enough. Off to the sides, out on the grass, one big organism - The Crowd - had replaced individual concert-goers, and we were drawn into the fray, like moths to a flame.

I threw my 5'3" frame into the writhing mass of bodies with plenty of enthusiasm and not an ounce of fear. I don't think I had yet heard the term moshing, but for sure, that's what it was. And it was exhilarating.

All these years later, I've learned to be cautious, I've learned to be afraid. But my sixteen-year-old self didn't know anything about either. And that's what I celebrate today.

***

Day 21 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that you listen to when you're happy. Care to play along? What's a song that you listen to when YOU'RE happy? Leave me a comment and let me know.

I Won't Do What You Tell Me

2011-06-13T06:15:00.000-04:00

If you've learned anything about me through the music I choose to share, it's that I tend to lean towards a softer, folkier, mellow sort of sound. At least most of the time.

But sometimes, twee little songs with whispered vocals and an acoustic guitar just don't cut it. Sometimes, when my mood is most foul, there is nothing else to do but to close myself in my car, crank the stereo and scream.

What song do I listen to when I'm angry? Hands down, it's this one. Driving beat, snaky guitar, and enough profanity to make your grandmother faint...yup, it's perfect.

***

Day 20 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that you listen to when you're angry. Care to play along? What's a song that you listen to when YOU'RE angry? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Tonight You Belong To Me

2011-06-12T19:17:00.002-04:00

Favorite. Such a strange concept. Who sees something and says This is as good as it gets & stops looking for more? No, there is no favorite. There is only NOW.

***

This post is a two-for-one. 160 characters for Monkey Man, along with Day 19 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song from your favorite album. Care to play along? What's a song from YOUR favorite album? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Helplessness Blues

2011-06-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

I think it was 2008 or maybe 2009. I heard the song White Winter Hymnal for the very first time and was completely blown away. Who was that who made music like some hypnotic, melodic, indie-folk, twenty-first century version of The Beach Boys?

I was entranced. And maybe just a little obsessed. I downloaded (legally, don't worry) everything I could get my hands on and wrapped myself up in it on a regular basis.

They promised that a new album was imminent - forever. To be honest, I'd almost given up hope. But about a month ago, they finally delivered and, oh, it was so worth the wait.

This is another band that I've sort of had to myself for a while. Sure, they've got a following, but nobody I know had even heard of them until recently. Last month, they were on the cover of SPIN, so I'm sure they won't be my little secret for very much longer...

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Day 18 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that you wish you heard on the radio. Care to play along? What's a song that you wish YOU would hear on the radio? Leave me a comment and let me know.

It Was Not Your Fault But Mine

2011-06-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

Once, it seemed like nobody but me knew who they were. I told anyone who would listen about this great new band I discovered, but never expected them to take off like this.

For the sake of their wallets, I’m glad they’re successful. But I kind of liked it better when they were just mine.

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This post is a 2-for-1. 55 words for my friend G-Man, and Day 17 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song you often hear on the radio. Care to play along? What's a song that YOU often hear on the radio? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Me Love You Long Time

2011-06-09T06:14:00.000-04:00

I've worn many different kinds of dancing shoes throughout my growing up years, all a part of the various identities I tried on and cast off on my quest to find out just what being Just Me was all about.

Musical tastes have ranged all over the map, running through Top 40, classic rock, punk, ska, hip hop and "alternative" to name but a few, and songs from each of those genres have, at various times, been my favourite (see Day 1 for more of my thoughts on just what that might mean).

For the most part, I look back fondly on those phases and stages of my life and the musical memories that go along with them, embracing thoughts of that awkward girl I was and the silly ways I expressed myself. And while I might not toss those tunes on the stereo on a regular basis, when I do stumble across one, I smile as I sing along and enjoy the place it takes me.

So it was hard for me to figure out just what song might qualify for today's prompt. But then I remembered:

Once there was a time when I considered myself pretty much the coolest thing going because I actually owned a copy of 2 Live Crew's As Nasty As They Wanna Be. Yeah, the version that had all the bad words, and ended up banned just about everywhere in fairly short order, replaced by a somewhat sanitized As Clean As They Wanna Be.

It is with great shame that I admit that, once upon a time, I truly loved this album, a disc that was filled with gems like Me So Horny and Dirty Nursery Rhymes . Yikes, what the heck was I thinking?!?

I was going to post a link, but just listening to the first 30 seconds of Me So Horny made my skin crawl, and I can't bring myself to do it. Google if you dare, and don't say I didn't warn you.

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Day 16 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that you used to love but now hate. Care to play along? What's a song that YOU used to love but now hate? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Oh Let Me Tell You I Am

2011-06-08T06:02:00.000-04:00

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Day 15 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that describes you. Care to play along? What's a song that describes YOU? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Bad Things

2011-06-07T06:14:00.000-04:00

I can't say as I'm much into TV theme songs as a rule. Makes sense I guess, since I really don't watch television anymore. I do have one itty bitty guilty pleasure, though.

I just got my hands on season 3 of True Blood on DVD this weekend. I love that show, and yes, I love the song too.

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Day 14 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that no one would expect you to love. Care to play along? What's a song that no one would expect YOU to love? Leave me a comment and let me know.

I Got A Feeling...

2011-06-06T05:58:00.000-04:00

...that I should be embarrassed to like this song.

But it is just so gosh darn goofy and I sort of can't help but smile whenever I hear it. Then the toes start tapping. And maybe there's the hint of a head bob...

Of course I have never sung it at the top of my lungs, dancing around the kitchen while I mopped the floor when nobody else was home. That would never happen. Certainly not...

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Day 13 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that is a guilty pleasure. Care to play along? What song is a guilty pleasure of YOURS? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Crazy Train

2011-06-05T08:10:00.000-04:00

I'm proud of my son's guitar playing. But when I seek a little peace in hot water & scented bubbles, Ozzy blaring in the next room does sort of spoil the mood.

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This post is a two-for-one. 160 characters for Monkey Man, along with Day 12 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song from a band you hate. Care to play along? What's a song from a band that YOU hate? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Apparitions

2011-06-04T08:41:00.000-04:00

How do you choose one band and call it your favourite? An almost impossible task, that.

I cracked open my iTunes and sorted by artist. One name appeared more than any other. That's as good a method as any, I suppose.

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Day 11 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song by your favorite band. Care to play along? What's a song by YOUR favorite band? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Zzzzzzzz...

2011-06-03T21:45:00.000-04:00

Try not to hate me, but I rarely have trouble sleeping. Actually, I usually find it more difficult to stay awake, if you get right down to it. The one exception to that rule would be the time, right near the end of both my pregnancies, when I frequently suffered from insomnia. This sleeplessness was undoubtedly the result of a compressed bladder, constant back ache and intense anxiety over the imminent arrival of a little person who was destined to completely overhaul my world.

When I was pregnant with Nathan, on the advice of a friend, I acquired one of those New Age CDs - you know the type: a disc that pairs soothing music with the sound of rainstorms, or waves crashing upon the shore, or some such nonsense. I was skeptical, but do you know what? It really worked. The CD had six tracks, but it would be a rare occurrence for me to hear anything beyond the first. I referred to it as my "Lullaby CD", because it never failed to put me out.

After my child was born, the CD was quickly forgotten. Who could even think about sleep with a screaming baby at hand, anyway? But when I was pregnant with Will, I remembered, and out it came once more - and it still worked! Ahhhh, blissful slumber!

A couple of years ago, J and I were attending a wedding. As the bride floated down the aisle toward her groom, the familiar strains of the opening track from my "Lullaby CD" were piped into the church.

Weddings forever find me misty-eyed, and this one was no exception. But before I could pull out the kleenex and indulge my romantic nature, my husband elbowed me and whispered loudly in my ear: "I hope you can manage to stay awake...!"

Snort.

And just like that, tears turned to giggles. But he did have a point. Because to be honest, I suddenly found myself strangely sleepy...

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Day 10 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that makes you fall asleep. Care to play along? What's a song that makes YOU fall asleep? Leave me a comment and let me know.

I Heard It Through The Grapevine

2011-06-02T21:05:00.000-04:00

My first born was a colicky baby, and I was on the verge of a breakdown. Discovering the magic of The Big Chill soundtrack was a happy accident – Nathan slept from the first note to the last, so long as we were dancing...

Eleven years later, my body still reacts, involuntarily: I move. I must.

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This post is a two-for-one. Fifty-five words for my friend G-Man, along with Day 9 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that you can dance to. Care to play along? What's a song that YOU can dance to? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Underwhelmed

2011-06-01T20:20:00.002-04:00

It never fails to amuse me that I can't seem to remember the day-to-day details of the recent past, yet when a song that I haven't heard in twenty years comes on the radio, I still know all the words.

Sometimes I wonder just how many song lyrics actually reside in my memories. It must easily number in the thousands. So I guess it's no wonder I can't remember anything new - my brain must be full!

I heard this song on the radio recently; it dates back to 1993. It was pretty popular in Canada, but if you're from elsewhere, you might not be familiar with it. I love these lyrics and can sing along without any problems at all.

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Day 8 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that you know all the words to. Care to play along? What's a song that YOU know all the words to? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Breathe Me

2011-05-31T21:19:00.001-04:00

Six Feet Under is arguably the best show in the history of television. If you have not watched but might, don't press play because it might spoil things for you.

But if you have watched, you'll know why this song is special and will undoubtedly enjoy the chance to revisit it.

I bawled like a baby when I first watched the series finale to Six Feet Under; I could not imagine a more powerful or moving close. Years later, and this song and these images can still bring me to tears. I'm not much of a TV watcher, but the very last episode of my very favourite show was certainly an event I won't soon forget, and this song is completely a part of that.

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Day 7 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that reminds you of a certain event. Care to play along? What's a song that reminds YOU of a certain event? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Here Is The House

2011-05-30T21:33:00.002-04:00

Many moons ago (I think it was the tenth grade), I was subjected to the most boring history class ever. Luckily, it just happened to be taught by the laziest teacher ever - he rarely took attendance. A fellow sufferer, Katherine, cut class with me. We bonded over our new-found rebelliousness and became fast friends.

Katherine's folks went away just about every weekend, so it was pretty much inevitable that her place became our regular hangout, and that's where I practiced growing up. There was drinking and boys and parties and boys and laughter and boys and trouble and boys and, well...you get the idea. I'll spare you the details, but it truly did seem like her house was the place where everything happened.

An old record player in the basement was our entertainment system, and whatever vinyl we could scrounge up became the soundtrack to our lives. A copy of Depeche Mode's Black Celebration was in heavy rotation, and this track in particular sort of became our theme song. All these years later, listening to it still takes me right back to Katherine's house and the drama that we created there.

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Day 6 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that reminds you of somewhere. Care to play along? What's a song that reminds YOU of somewhere? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Any Way The Wind Blows

2011-05-29T19:20:00.002-04:00

This weekend was my swan song as Raksha - our end of year Cub camp, and my final activity as a Cub leader. We spent the weekend at a Earl Rowe Provincial Park, and had a blast (even though I was terrorized by an aggressive raccoon, AND the folks at the site next to ours discovered a black widow spider. Yes, seriously.).

All of us leaders are pretty different from each other, but the kids form a common bond between us and we work from there. I can honestly say that these men are three of the greatest guys I know and I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with them these past couple of years, and very grateful that the Scouting movement made it possible for me to know these people that I otherwise would not likely have met.

The leaders that I share the load with make things tolerable, but it's the kids that I do it for, of course. I love them all; each of them has something special going on for them. But there is one little guy who touches my heart a little more than the rest.

Last year, I wrote about a man who sort of came unhinged from reality. You can find the background on that situation here and here. That man is this particular little guy's father.

This past year with Cubs has been pretty hard on him. All the camping trips we've taken remind him, most painfully, of all the camping trips in the past with his dad. And I wouldn't be surprised if they make him think about all the camping trips in the future that won't include his dad, either.

So, yeah. Maybe we give in a little on a few things, knowing this little guy's history as we do. Like when we give him the chance to pick the next song and he chooses the SAME one every darn time, we go ahead and play it, no matter how many times we've heard it before. And every single time, all of us leaders agree that yes, it is the best song in the history of rock and roll, just as enthusiastically as the time before. And the time before that. We sing along with him and bang our heads at just the right places. We do this for the smile that lights up his face from the first note to the last.

We know that there is nothing we can do to make the pain go away. But maybe the memories we make with him can sort of take the edge off a little. Maybe, every time he hears this song, he'll remember his Cub pack and the love and fun we gave to him when he was hurting most. I know that, for the rest of my life, I will always think of him when I hear this song. Any way the wind blows...

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Day 5 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that reminds you of someone. Care to play along? What's a song that reminds YOU of someone? Leave me a comment and let me know.

House of Smoke and Mirrors

2011-05-28T14:38:00.004-04:00

**Set to auto post on Saturday, it didn't so I'm pulling the trigger now**

I love sad songs, and in my opinion, no one does 'em better than Matt Good.

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Day 4 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that makes you sad. Care to play along? What's a song that makes YOU sad? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Cousins

2011-05-27T20:00:00.007-04:00

**Set to auto post on Friday, it didn't happen so I'm pulling the trigger now**

You know how you can be driving along, feeling sort of blah for no particular reason, and suddenly that song comes on the radio? You know, the song that makes you crank the volume, feel the beat, and sing along, at the top of your lungs, all while wearing the most goofiest of grins?

You do, right?

For me, this is that song. Well, one of them, anyway.

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Day 3 of the 30-Day Music Challenge - A song that makes you happy. Care to play along? What's a song that makes YOU happy? Leave me a comment and let me know.