Life Update #1

The Old College Try

A dear friend of mine and I have teamed up and created lists of things we’d like to attempt/conquer, things that take us out of our comfort zone. Playing guitar and singing are at the top of my list. Well, that’s not precisely true. They came out in the middle, which is curious because they are lifelong dreams of mine that I have
continually put on the back burner. [Insert preferred psychological theory here.] Anyway, since then, I’ve rented a guitar, and have picked out classes for which I’d like to register in both voice and guitar at Swallow Hill. Hurray for momentum!

The Artist’s Way

I am in the middle of Week Six, and now I remember why I enjoyed writing my morning pages: they keep me sane! At the same time I’ve felt a little crazier than usual, because the process causes you to reassess, excavate buried dreams, examine and question all kinds of things in your life. The cards have been tossed up in the air and now I’m waiting to see where they land. Oh, and just wait until Week Nine. You get to reread the pages. That’s when things get really interesting.


She's a Dance-Dance-Dance-Dance-Dancing Machine

I was a huge fan of old-school funk/R&B/soul music back in Massachusetts. When I moved here in 2003, I went searching for bands/venues that played that type of stuff; I couldn’t find any. Maybe I wasn’t looking in the right places. It seemed like there were only jam and bluegrass outfits, and suddenly I felt like an alien—the only person on Pearl Street in a black biker’s jacket while everyone else was wearing fleece vests. Without friends or boyfriends to lead me to some music that grooved, I stopped going out to clubs. Then a month ago I came across a group called
the Denver Funk & Soul Meetup. What a godsend. I’ve been out twice now—the
latter of which was to see Soul School at the Hoffbrau in Westminster—and all I
can tell you is that the experience was like water to my parched lips. Added bonus: meeting another woman who’s as crazy about dancing to that kind of music as I.


All in all, not bad for a month’s work! Stay tuned for the next installment. Perhaps I will have handled a non-poisonous snake by then (#24 on the list).

Do or Not Do...and watch out for the falling vending machine

I was reminded of the Yoda quote, and Yoda made me think of that hilarious Lipton Brisk Iced Tea commercial. But that's not what I'm doing here.

And what, pray tell, am I doing here? Starting. Again.

I'm really good at starting things. Ideas for projects pop into my head constantly. I'll be completely on fire for a concept.

"Oooh, I know! I'll do a word-and-pictures profile of the buskers on the 16th Street Mall! Won't that be fun!"

And then.

"What do I need to do first? Get a camera. What kind of camera? How good of a camera do I need? Can I get away with a Canon Rebel EOS? What if I spend the $500 on it and then realize I needed to get the fancier Nikon? Maybe I'll start with the interviews instead. I'll need a digital voice recorder. Let's Google that. Aw, man. $45 or $455? Maybe I'll watch another episode of 'The Brady Bunch' instead..."

The equipment quandry is just one reason not to start. There are all the other excuses: I'm afraid I'll suck. I'm afraid I'll suck and not know it. I'm afraid I'll suck and not know it until I'm at the open mike singing and then the next day someone has posted the debacle on YouTube.

When you come right down to it, it's all fear. The only thing I know to do when I'm in this state of paralysis / lethargy is just that: Do. Something. Anything. (For the love of God, anything!) To that end I have started to work with The Artist's Way again in tandem with a friend. To be honest, Morning Pages are the only part of the process I've done with any consistency.

I guess it's a start.

Answer to the Question

Q: How do I create a life that best expresses who I am?

A: By bringing the things I love closer to the center of my life.

Glad to finally report that I've taken some action in this endeavor:

I'm taking singing lessons! WOO-HOO!

It's amazing. Fabulous. Best money I've ever spent. My teacher ROCKS. (www.elizabethrayvoice.com.) And she's right in Lafayette, which is highly convenient.

Had Lesson #3 today; worked on "Superstar" by The Carpenters.

"Don't you remember you told me you loved me baby?
You said you'd be coming back this way again, baby.
Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh, baby.
I love you, I really do."

I sang this song with my friend Kathy, so it holds a special place in my heart.
[Cue trip down Memory Lane]
The Artist's Way Creativity Camp in Taos, New Mexico, 2000: We're walking in the hills, practicing. Open Mic is a few hours away. Kathy points out that I'm repeating the melody from the first verse on the second verse, and sings the correct notes to jog my memory. That's when she finds out I haven't ever actually heard the whole song all the way through. I knew pieces of it from commercials for Carpenter records, K-Tel compilations, and the only funny scene in the movie "Tommy Boy" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpJYDg9XThc). Caused her a few heart palpitations at the time, I think, but we did all right.

Bringing music into my life through singing--not dating musicians and living vicariously through them--it's a blessing. I feel whole.

What could be better than that?

I don't know. But I'm happy to find out.