sick

i'm feeling really under the weather.  my body is trying to get rid of something.  i haven't had a stomach flu like this in a while, but the feeling is all too familiar. 

the wedding was wonderful.  the only thing i've been able to consume so far is mcdonald's french fries, because i can always eat those, and a can of diet coke.  i'll try to post later tonight when i'm feeling better.  until then, i'll be curled up on the couch with my pillow and some good tv.

emily and ryan

we're off to door county tomorrow for a wedding.  one of my college roommates, emily, is marrying ryan, who she met while we were living together (with tina and sarah) on orchard street in madison.  i still remember the first time he came over.  he's a great guy, and emily has been one of my favorite roommates. 

i'm so happy to be able to spend my saturday watching two people getting married.  door county is gorgeous.  and i have a new dress that i paid way too much money for that i'm looking forward to wearing.  i'm sure i'll cry, as i've cried at every wedding i've gone to since my own.  and i can't wait to see some of my friends.

my younger sister emma, little spencer, and emma's fiance tyler

watching will and me dance our first dance.

on happiness

will and i were talking last night about how to be happy.  there are too many reasons to feel stressed out and star to feel down.  luckily, when one of us is down, the other is usually up enough to talk sensibly.  we discussed that being happy is something you have to do, like an act.  to be happy.  a choice, we decided (or remembered, because i'm sure we've had this conversation before.)

it's one reason that i blog.  i'm collecting things that i love.  allowing my brain to bathe in what it enjoys looking at, writing, listening to, etc.

and now, a few favorites.

delicious diet coke.  and i like this print, but i do prefer to drink it from a can.  something about the metallic taste.  two cans a day, sometimes.  i think it's to blame for keeping me up at night once in a while.

sushi.  really really fresh sushi.  and i think if u were to ask will or me where our favorite place is we'd say clark st., chicago - sushi para II.  all you can eat sushi and byob.  the best deal ever.

great pens.  i write a lot and have too many journals to keep track of anymore.  most of what i write is fluff, but when you write often enough you find something to say. so i have a thing for good quality pens.  they're one of those little luxuries that are worth the extra dollar or two.

regina spektor.  she owns her style and has such a pretty voice.  one of her songs makes me think of the part of will and me that took place three years ago in the city.  my studio apartment.  the 12th floor on west wrightwood, around the corner from the lake.  he told me around that time that the song "fidelity" made him think of me.  because our relationship would be nothing without chance or fate, which has always made it feel very delicate and special. 

suppose i never ever saw you/suppose you never ever called.

thank you for reading.  :)

enjoy some nice images

deep sleep.

too young to know what they want.

i'd like to escape to this place once in a while.

the perfect spot for writing, i bet.

peace.

vintage sheet music.

a sushi purse.

urban spring.

michigan & randolph

chicago, il

the character i probably pretended to be most often when i was little.

mississippi hotdog

yesterday during our inservice day, teachers at the middle school went to a presentation on "wellness," where we focused on relaxation and stress management.  i've been trying to utilize the deep breathing since then.  whenever i remembered to think of it today, i concentrated on my breathing.  i breathed deeply, made patterns, and made an effort to experience a zen state of mind when possible.

the problem is, and i'm sure many of us have it, that my job makes it very difficult to focus on breathing.  because when you hear awful string instruments playing their screechy melodies, all you want to do is hold your breath and wait for it to be over.  or stop them and show them how to do it right.  or scream. 

on tuesdays i have my typical school day followed by seven private violin lessons back to back.  it's great for extra cash.  when it's getting to be 7pm and i'm getting tired, it can be kind of intense. 

i found a really cute example of a suzuki recital.  i teach the suzuki method. it's the most widespread method for teaching strings to children worldwide. it begins with the beloved (notorious) variations on twinkle twinkle little star.  each variation has a cute little word combination to help students relate the syllables to the rhythmic structure of the piece.

this clip begins with the "theme," or twinkle twinkle as we all know it, followed by the first variation, which we call "mississipi hotdog."

words are important.

i gave my paperback of on the road to my sister to read.  it's one of my favorite books.  it reminded me that there was a time a few years ago when i'd really gotten into kerouac's haiku.  (haiku is the plural form for haiku, yes?)  here are some of my favorites.

holding up my
purring cat to the moon,
i sighed.

crossing the football field
coming home from work -
the lonely businessman.

snap your finger
stop the world -
rain falls harder.

the bottoms of my shoes
are clean
from walking in the rain.

glow worm
sleeping on this flower -
your light's on.

his haiku remind me of spring, which isn't coming soon enough.  i wonder if it was springtime when he wrote these down.  there's rain and the moon and nights in which he must be standing outside in the fresh, cool air.  the sun is shining more lately, as if to let us know it's on its way.  but it's still cold.  i foolishly wore my spring coat this past week (as in, i "foolishly" did something over and over again.)  i guess you could say i was protesting the winter that always overstays its welcome. 

i have audio of the gig i played on saturday, but no visual.  i'll keep trying to get it figured out.  and at the very worst, you'll get to hear me but not see me.  i thought it went well.  i hope to be able to do it again.

and now my pretty, something with poison in it

i was on etsy this morning when i typed "poppy" into the search.  i don't know what brought it to mind.  poppies are one of my favorite flowers, and some of the things i found were really lovely. enjoy.

ceramic bowl

organza flowers

leather wristlet

earthenware earrings

le coquelicot - or a painting of a woman in the style of a poppy

hair charm

mixed media painting

vinyl wall decal

polaroid print

map pendant

set of notecards

this april, my 7th grade orchestra will be playing somewhere over the rainbow for our pops concert.  i think my fondness for poppies grew from the wizard of oz. i imagine dorothy falling asleep in the field on her way to the emerald city and the shrill, treble sound of the wicked witch's voice.

       

[five things] for fun

five things i'm looking forward to.
four o'clock today when the weekend officially begins.
weekend mornings with will.
playing some fiddle tomorrow night at the gig.
all of the weddings that are coming up.
summer vacation.

five things i did yesterday.
blogged.
conducted a sixth grade orchestra.
ran on the treadmill at our clubhouse.
made dinner for will after he got back from training.
read another chapter of my miranda july book.

five things i wish i could do.
visit chicago, very soon. (ride the 22, go to north ave beach, walk michigan ave, visit west belden school, etc.) 
knit and crochet.
run outside instead of on a machine.
buy a new record every day.
vacation somewhere warm.

source

         

five places i'd like to travel to.
new york, because i've never been there, which i can't believe.
chicago.
tokyo.
negril, jamaica (again).
paris.

five cute things i found online lately.

these cute dresses from uo

this photo for our bathroom.

another pretty summer dress

this tree tapestry from uo.

red bird change purse from bonspiel.

unsourced photos from weheartit.

mornings

part of me feels guilty for blogging about this.  but mornings are such a great time for me.  i can't help myself.

on weekdays, will gets up to the sound of a dog barking on his cell phone, which is cute, because it reminds me that he wants a dog one day.  (we're thinking about a boston terrier.)  he rolls out of bed and takes a shower.

now, i'm awake.  i sit up in bed and wait until the shower sound is over so that i can talk to him.  this morning he told me about his dream. 

- we were living in my dad's house.

- really?  i don't know if i could live with bailey. (their overzealous dog who loves my crotch.)

- well, you weren't there.  it was just me and ben and molly.  all grown up. 
- that's weird.  where were their families?
- i don't know.  and bailey wasn't there either.  just a bunch of skunks.  big ones and baby ones, and they were spraying everyone.

a skunk recently died (or maybe she just sprayed and is still alive) somewhere within a mile of our apartment building, which we've been talking about every time we step outside.

will puts on a suit.  for a short time every morning he's wearing suit pants and a tee shirt, which i think is funny.  maybe there's a tooth brush in his mouth.  about once a week there's shave cream on his face.

at 7:30 he gives me a kiss goodbye and i get out of bed.  i come out of the bedroom to find laundry that needs to be folded and put away, maybe dishes.  i cue up a record before i start.  this morning it's bob dylan.  i start a pot of coffee and breathe a sigh of relief that i don't have to drive to work for another couple of hours. 

once the folding and putting away and bedmaking etc are over, the coffee is ready.  i bring my coffee to the computer desk.  i read news and blogsurf for a while.  this is the time i usually post my own entries. 

one moment please, the record needs flipping.

my list of favorite blogs gets longer and longer.  you can check the bottom right side of this page for a short list.  not comprehensive by any means, as one blog inevitably leads me to another - a process that never ends.  i feel connected and find inspiration.

when i feel satisfied with my work, i start to get ready.  it feels nice to get ready in a leisurely fashion.  i never feel rushed, and it makes for a good start to my day.  will sends a text. usually involving the words "love u" and "hope you have a great day today."  i grab a lunch when i'm ready and put it in my bag.  keys, wallet, phone.  lock the door.  drive for 45 minutes.  and the chaos begins.

old crow medicine show

i rehearsed on fiddle with the bar tab band on monday night.  as i get to know their style a little more, i'm really starting to dig it.  lots of alt country and jam band music.  we played for a few hours while a big black dog and a tiny cat wandered through the house. 

they wanted me to hear the recorded fiddle part for this number, "wagon wheel" by old crow medicine show, which i hadn't heard before.  we cued it up on youtube. 

and the video turned out to be really fun and entertaining.  it's not a perfect video, in fact it'll cut off a second early at the end.  still, i think you'll enjoy it.   



p.s. come see the bar tab band play on saturday at st. brendan's in green bay.  10pm.

malvina, miranda

two inspirational & creative women.

 

malvina reynolds.  

songwriter, singer and activist - 

lover of peace, truth, music and children.

enjoy these songs sometime: magic penny, no hole in my head, little boxes

"love is something if you give it away."

 miranda july.

performing artist, actor, musician, writer and film director.

read: no one belongs here more than you

see: me and you and everyone we know

"what a shame to give up something wonderful for something real."

finished