Things to Ponder

A friend's facebook status had this quote on it:

Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost. I am an unapologetic individual.

The philosophic side of me completely agrees!

Ode to Phoenix

In less than two weeks, Brian and I will be moving to Arizona. We are thrilled to be moving and starting a new chapter in our lives. We are also excited to be closer to my family and their love, encouragement and support, although we aren't excited about Jay and Joely and Jalen moving to OK rather soon after we arrive. We do know this is a good and exciting chapter for them in their lives as well. We will DEARLY miss them.

As Brian and I have been physically and mentally been preparing for the move, we have been making a mental list of all of the things we are excited to see, do, experience, etc. upon our arrival in Phx.

Here is a short list of those things in no particular order:

• being close to my family, especially my grandparents
• reuniting with old friends and making new ones
• being in the desert climate
• being in the "west" where we can find solidarity with those who have more progressive views of life than the south
• attending ASU football, Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Coyotes, Arizona Cardinals, and maybe MLS games
• showing Brian all of the houses I lived in while growing up
• showing Brian the different schools I attended
• attending performances by the AZ Ballet and Phx Symphony
• having a strong support system
• spending time with my best friends
• spending time with my siblings
• swimming in my parents' pool
• exploring various parts of AZ
• exploring other parts of the west such as San Diego, San Fran, Anaheim, Portland, Seattle, Vegas
• taking Brian to Disneyland- the happiest place on earth and IMHO, much better than Epcot
• spending time in Sedona again
• hot air ballooning in Sedona
• helicopter rides over the Grand Canyon
• escaping the humidity of TN
• riding the light-rail
• going to SupperThyme/Dinner-a-Fare

That's all for now. We're counting down the days!!!

Picking Cotton

I recently read this book and was captivated by the story of ultimate forgiveness and justice. It's an amazing story about how one own's perception can be self-deceiving and how grace and persistence can be redeeming.

One very small part in the book talks about when the prisoner befriends a small cat for a while. While it breaks my heart to hear of the fate of this kitten, it also makes me think of a story I heard about on Oprah. Glenn Close helps support a program where puppies are trained by inmates to become assist dogs to wounded soldiers. The dogs not only learn crucial skills but the hope and encouragement and love to those who are often told that they are unworthy and lost causes. Amazing.

Aug. 6, 1946

Reflecting on this day...

Congrats

... to Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor. I am pleased that the senate confirmed her nomination although it was to be expected that all but 9 of the republicans voted against her. It sounds like the republican party is losing many of the hispanic voters as well. Esp. Sen. John McCain (Rep. AZ). I'm not excited about him being my senator again. Read more here.

...and on a related note

this, my friends, is why i love the interwebs. i love learning about new things, especially when it comes to music. and especially, especially when it's about some long-forgotten part of music.

i came across this post this afternoon. it's about the blues before it became, well, the blues. it talks about how white america stepped in, with the influence of rock & roll, and changed the course of the blues forever. it talks about the original intention of the blues not being something you can dance to, or even sing along to. it was something to listen to. to take in and ponder. to absorb, and make part of the very fabric of your being.

i think this is why i am drawn to the blues. that even today it still maintains that essence of pondering life's deeper meanings. that's something most of today's music isn't able to do.

on a somewhat related note (but not entirely), i also came across this video of ray charles doing a cover of johnny cash's "ring of fire". it has ray's touches to it, and is a nice little display of his many talents.

blues legends

sirius/xm sent me an email today announcing the launch of their youtube channel. i've been a subscriber of satellite radio for a few years, and i enjoy the music, news and comedy it provides. in my opinion, it's a lot better than local radio. not to mention that it provides the american public the only soccer radio shows the U.S. has to offer in world soccer daily and the football show.

as i looked over some of the videos, i came across a couple that immediately caught my attention, 2 videos involving blues legends buddy guy and b.b. king. as a music geek, i love interviews like this. i love hearing the behind the scenes stories about the life of musicians, especially coming from icons like b.b. king and buddy guy.