Well, Sweetie is making fun of me for this, but I'll share it with you anyway.

I've had three water/flood/wave dreams this week.  Three in one week.  To say nothing of the massively long Noah's Ark dream I had a month ago.  During the first two dreams, I was more of an observer.  I watched as huge waves crashed against other people.  The first was a lake - almost like I was standing at Emerald Bay on Lake Tahoe.  The waters receded in a big whoosh of a vacuum and people were standing at the bottom of the bay.  But the water came back in waves and kept slamming against them. 

The second dream was with an ocean that produced massive waves so quickly the fishermen and boaters did not have time to get out of the water.  One boat was repeatedly swept up against the shore and back out to sea.  One couple was trying to disembark without losing their grip on the ladder they were holding.  It wasn't possible.

Last night I was a participant and watched as people were trying to pile up sandbags underwater.  But their efforts were not good enough and a wave of water came crashing over everyone.  I was swept along and heading towards a huge maelstrom of swirling water.  I reached out to the branches of a tall tree standing above the water and held on for my life.  A giraffe was swept away beside me, but the tree held fast and I avoided getting sucked away.

Last night I was probably influenced by the fact it was raining as I fell asleep.

Finally!  Rain!  Maui has been in desperate need of rain as talk of mandatory water restrictions for Central Maui circulate once again.  The rain and water are a welcome relief. 

So I don't know what my brain is trying to convey with the multitude of water dreams this week.  Maybe I should stop drinking water before I go to sleep??

Here's some music for you.  Flood by Jars of Clay.

Photo Credit:  http://www.dentonbach.com/poems/1.htm

In case you have not heard, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary has released their annual update of new words.  Many words that have been part of the vocabulary of regular folks for years are finally regular enough to be included in the dictionary.

Among the new words?  Texas Hold 'Em.  Welcome Texas Hold 'Em!  Of course, the current definition is about as bare bones as you can get: 

poker in which each player is dealt two cards facedown and all players share five cards dealt faceup.

I was hoping the official definition would include something about the game being a game of SKILL instead of "luck," thereby improving the chances of getting an exception for Texas Hold 'em (and other poker games) from the darn Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (boooooo).  But alas, no such help from Webster's Dictionary.  I say - regulate on-line poker and maybe make some money off it instead of trying to pretend that thousands of Americans don't still play.  Not that I would ever play poker on-line from Hawai'i.  No sirree Bob.

And finally, welcome Mondegreen!!!  This term is all about misunderstood lyrics.  I love it.  From merriam-webster.com:

Mondegreen—a noun defined as a word or phrase that results from a mishearing of something said or sung—was first coined by author Sylvia Wright in 1954, when she wrote an article for Atlantic magazine confessing to a childhood misinterpretation of the Scottish ballad "The Bonny Earl of Moray." When she first heard the lyric "they had slain the Earl of Moray and had laid him on the green," she felt terribly sorry for the "poor Lady Mondegreen."

In honor of this new word, merriam-webster online is asking people to submit their own personal favorite mondegreens.  If you would like to submit, go here: 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/newwords08.htm

My sister has commented before on the hilarity of some of her and her hubby's misheard song lyrics.  Personally, I love "You're the weather balloon" for Grease's "You're the one that I want."  I have a bunch.  Probably the biggest doozy was trying to figure out what the heck the line was in Manfred Mann's Earth Band's song "Blinded by the Light."

YOU listen to this song and tell me what the second line is.  I'll tell you what I heard.......after the song.........

............

What did you hear?  I always heard "wrapped up like a douche.....in the middle of the night...." not that that makes any sense, of course.  That is what mondegreens are all about.  Do you have a personal favorite?

So I am currently listening to My Boys.  For those of you who don't know, when I refer to The Boys, I mean only two possible groups.  Not like my Sweetie who seems to exclaim "It's my boys!" with every other song in his repertoire.

No, for me, it is either Tears for Fears or A-ha.  Yes, I am a child of the 80s (and 70s).  Back off.  These were my two favorites back in high school.

The beauty of A-ha?  They are still making great music.  I know most people haven't kept track of them since Hunting High and Low was released in 1985.  But I did.  From Stay on These Road through Memorial Beach to Lifelines.  And onto the release of Analouge, which is a fantastic album.  How many of your old favorites still release good music?  I can tell you Tears for Fears' last album was a big letdown.  Just heard the latest B-52s.  Good but not great.  Moby.  Disappointing.  Scorpions?  ok  - I admit I haven't heard their new release.  Crap.  Excuse me.........gotta update my Amazon wish list.......ok.....done.

Anyway, back to topic. I love these guys.  Producing good music for over 20 years. 

I am listening to this album tonight.  It's one of those rare albums that works with whatever mood I am in.  Happy.  Morose.  Just works.  Just what I needed this evening.

The first song is Celice.   WARNING: Yes, it's a little risque.  Not something they would show on MTV.  They are European.  What do you expect?  And yes, he means it literally: "It's in the way you hurt me."  You may want to skip to the all-age-friendly second song....

Analouge.....

This is a question I will probably come back to from time to time.

What do you think is/are the best song lyric lines?  Not a whole song.  Not all the lyrics. 

What are the best lines from songs you've heard?

My favorite, for a long time, has been:

"We had a little son and we thought we'd call him Sonny."

Paul Simon.  "The Obvious Child."  I can't explain it.  I love this line.  It brings a smile to my face.  Actually, this whole song may be on my top 20 of all time.  Look out for the line here:

As my CD player randomly shuffled around tonight, I was reminded of another doozy of a good line.  I would also like to nominate -

"Well I feel deep in your heart there are wounds time can't heal."

Tears for Fears - "Woman in Chains."  Definitely one of my top ten groups of all time.  You can listen for the line here:

So.

What do you think are some of the best music lines of all time?

So,

How is a bottle of Merlot like the blues?

Which brings me to the Blues.  It is not one of my favorite music genres.  I don’t really own any. But it is one of my Sweetie’s favorite genres.  He loves it and has enjoyed many live Blues performance.  Which is why, last Friday, I surprised him with two tickets to go see James Cotton and his James Cotton Blues Band perform live here on Maui.  I heard that they would be playing at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center.  I knew that Sweetie is a fan of Sonny Boy Williamson.  I know that Sweetie has been working many long hours.  So, I thought I would force him to take a little break. 

Cotton had some gargantuan shoes to fill when he stepped into Little Walter’s slot as Muddy Waters’s harp ace in 1954, but for the next dozen years, the young Mississippian filled the integral role beside Chicago's blues king with power and precision. Of course, Cotton prepared for such a career move for a long time, having learned how to wail on harp from none other than Sonny Boy Williamson himself.

Cotton was only a child when he first heard Williamson’s  fabled radio broadcasts for King Biscuit Time over KFFA out of Helena, AR. So sure was Cotton of his future that he ended up moving into Williamson’s home at age nine, soaking up the intricacies of blues harpdom from one of its reigning masters. Six years later, Cotton was ready to unleash a sound of his own.

Last Friday night, James Cotton and his band were amazing.  James Cotton, of course, on his harp was amazing.  The guitar playing by - I think it was Slam Allen - was fantastic.  Allen’s vocals were powerhouse. It is hard to find recent footage, but here is James Cotton and his band performing "Sweet Home Chicago" in (I think) 2007.

We were also treated to an opening performance by Willie K and the Maui Tribe Blues Band.  Willie K is a well-known Hawaiian singer from Maui His Blues performance on Friday was out of this world.  His voice and guitar playing were spectacular and his energy was infectious.  I knew, when they started playing, that I was going to enjoy the evening.

It was a great night, and I’m glad we made the show.  Here's another thing about the Blues.  I told Sweetie that seeing The Blues played live is a contradiction.  The contradiction of the Blues.  Fact is, I was toe-tapping happy all night.  Watching those guys on stage was a joy.  Willie K was smiling and nearly dancing with energy.  James Cotton, with his fist-pumping, leg-slapping enthusiasm, was just contagious.  I smiled.  I danced.  There was nothing blue about it.  I savored the flavor and felt giddy afterwards.  Just like a nice glass of superb Merlot. 

You wouldn't believe me if I told you, but my CD changer and I have a unique relationship.  Unique being that we have a "relationship" at all.  I recognize it is an inanimate object.  Rectangular, black, with 51 lovely slots for my favorite CDs, whichever they happen to be at the moment.  I've had it for years.  Years.  It knows me pretty well by now.  I think we are psychically linked. 

Tonight, for instance.  Out of 51 CDs.......say.....maybe 561 tracks in all.......the "shuffle" function has managed to capture my mood with every song played.  No heavy rock.  No peppy dance tunes.  No long instrumentals. 

What is my mood?  I couldn't even tell you, but it's somewhere between Vienna Teng, Conjure One, and the soundtrack to Monsoon Wedding.  It's currently playing an Aretha Franklin version of "Bridge Over Troubled Waters."  Shazam.

I know.  I've stretched the bounds of credulity and entered the world of the strange.  But if you really get to know me, or want to - you will realize I sometimes enter the world of the strange and unusual.  "Because I myself am......strange and unusual."

As are many people I know, actually. Here's part of the mood. A good sample from Delerium.

Or how about this one from My Boys.  Love them! Plus, this is a pretty cool video.

Well, since today’s Holidailies writing prompt was supplied by me, I guess I better step up to the plate and use it!

 What are a few songs that would provide the soundtrack to your life and why?"

Hmm.....given that this question came from me, you would think it would be easier to answer.  I think I'm having trouble narrowing it down to just a few picks.

I am a musicaholoic.  I’m not the only one, I know.  Music is constant in my days and nights.  I don’t have nearly the collection that my Sweetie has.  But I prefer it that way.  I like to savor my music.

Now, for my soundtrack, I want to avoid the obvious picks.  Songs such as “Highly Strung” by Spandau Ballet, or “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cindy Lauper.  Or even the accolades of “Unbelievable” by Diamond Rio. 

Yes, most of these songs are dated.  But it’s because they have been in my Stone Girl playlist for a long, long time.  They are on the soundtrack to my life because they have, in the past, present, and future, spoken to my psyche.  They say what I have felt.  And they have, quite literally, played for hours in my rooms, depending on where I am in my day.....my life.

These songs don’t necessarily represent a specific point in time in my life.  They don't tell a narrative such as "When she was young, Stone Girl did this....."  then ".....and Stone Girl did this."  Rather, they contain certain themes, moods if you will, that have consistently been part of who I am my whole life.  Or at least - my whole music-appreciation life.

I've narrowed down the core list to three songs.  There are several that get honorable mentions, and they are listed below.  I will try and explain these three.  In a nutshell, the songs are:

“Live Happy”  - C & C Music Factory

“Fear” - Sarah McLachlan

“Speaking Confidentially” - Cowboy Junkies

Live Happy is obvious.  This is for the optimist me.  The me whose favorite Far Side panel is a penguin among a sea of penguins singing "I gotta be meee!"  The me who wants to live for today and appreciate all I have.  I'm not always this person, but I try to be.  I can't seem to find the lyrics on-line, so I posted my own version below.

The next is Fear.

This is a biggie for me.  For the unhappy me.  For the insecure me.  For the part of my life where I question my own direction and contribution.  Not the favorite part of my soundtrack.  But an important one.  And I love this song.  You can read the lyrics here.  One of the most thrilling moments for me was seeing this live.  How good is it?  How powerful is it?  Check it out:

 And then, there is "Speaking Confidentially."  I don't know if I can explain this one.  This may be one of the best-written songs ever.  This song says a lot.  A lot more than I can say.

Speaking Confidentially Lyrics

Honorable Mentions

Dream into Action - Howard Jones

Footsteps - Alison Moyet

Nothingness - Living Colour

That's it for now.  I have more, and perhaps I'll add some posts in the future to introduce you to more songs in my soundtrack.  If you've stopped by to read this blog, from Holidailies or elsewhere, I'd love to hear others' songs.  I know non-Multiply folks probably can't comment without signing up.  I'll try and add a Linky here.  If you've been lurking, de-lurkify!, drop a note and let us know what's playing in your soundtrack!

Can't seem to find a link to lyrics for this one, so this is my best guess. 

"Live Happy" by C & C Music Factory.

Gotta live happy.

Some people say how can you live this way,

Living only for today

Tomorrow may never come our way

So I’m gonna try to live happy

Living happy, happy.

living happy, happy.

Gotta live happy.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fool

I know there are things that I must do

I’ve got my responsibilities

But still I can try to live happy

Living happy, happy,

living happy, happy,

Gotta live happy.

Some people say I’m full of myself

but that is nothing I can help

because I was taught to believe in myself

and the right to be ____ and happy.

Gotta live happy

My friend, Thankfulrunnergirl, reminded me of one of my favorite groups of the past.

Sadly, The Housemartins were defunct after only three albums (I think. That's all I have), but they made some great music while they were together.

Watching a British music awards show in 1987 on my telly in California, I heard about 15 seconds of the following song and was enamored. 

I went in search of this song and bought their first album.  Alas, the song was not there. I bought their second album. More good stuff, and I heard this:

All good, but no "Caravan of Love." BUT - there was an offer for the free single by turning in some proof of purchase. I wrote. I received my record (45) in the mail. Record! Remember those? I almost wore the grooves off that thing. Alas, you can see the group's sentiment about their own band at the end of the Build video ("RIP Housemartins). They were separated soon after. They went their separate ways. And, until my Sweetie told me a couple of years ago - I had no idea Norman Cook ended up as:

My favorite of his (Fatboy Slim, by the way) is this track - I could listen to it on a continuous loop for a long, long time:

And that's that for tonight's musical installment.  Enjoy!

As I play more with my Multiply page, I am also adding some music to my playlist.

I can't possibly give a good sample of all the different music I own and love - it's pretty much everything from classical to heavy metal. If you want to hear an example of my music, check out my Pandora station, which has been loaded with some of my favorite artists and songs. Knowing Pandora, you could end up listening to some random stuff, but every other song or so should give you a good idea of what I hear with my 51-CD changer (yes, some of us still use CD players!).

What I *will* do however, is load some of my favorite songs from my favorite independent artists.  These are folks who don't get much radio play and have produced albums using donations from friends, the backing of small record labels, heck - even a homemade studio in their bedroom closet.  These are the some really great artists.  A little bit of folk, a bit of funk, a bit of country, a bit of hard electronica - - just a sample is here.  Most of these guys have their own websites, and I've included the links in my Links section.  Most of them also have albums you can buy - from their own sites, or places like CD Baby (www.cdbaby.com).  I know - shameless promotion on my part - but independent artists create music because they love it, and they have a great creative fire.  Many of them hold down full-time jobs in addition, and doesn't that kind of dedication deserve support?

Yes, I think so. Enjoy!

...wooooooo!

This is fun and slightly hilarious.

In light of my upcoming nuptials, some of my dearest friends decided they would organize our very own Bachelorette Party. Wheeeee!

I gotta hand it to my gals - they know how to organize a fantastic getaway. We had the most decadent, fun, relaxing weekend. We shared dinner. We went dancing. We shared lunch. We went to a spa. ahhhhh!!

I have to make one funny observation from our jaunt out on the town last night: I am soooooooo very very unhip. While I sit in my car and listen to NPR, the young folks of the urban lands are listening to music like I've never heard before. I admit it - I haven't been out dancing in a real club for........when was the last bachelorette party I went to?......well, it's been years. And it's been over 15 years since I went out dancing more than once a year. And my friends and I are stuck in the 80s during our own private dance crazes.

But out we went, my brave friends and I. One of whom actually goes out on a regular basis. And one of whom listens to MTV on a regular basis and recognized most of the songs being played.

Me? Pretty clueless. The kids on my street are all under 13 or so. I don't work with 20-somethings anymore. I don't watch MTV because I was under the impression they don't actually play VIDEOS anymore. *sigh*

Never a good dancer to begin with, I was somewhat grateful for a packed dance floor to hide my stumbles while I stared up at video screens showing videos of songs everyone else seem to know. Lil Mama. huh? Lady Sovereign. ehh?? Bob Sinclar. wha?? Justin Timberlake. Oh!! I've heard of him!! Sweet. It was pretty funny. I was probably the oldest person in the room, but hey - you know what? I’m only getting married once, and if my friends and I want to use the opportunity to dance ourselves to exhaustion like we used to, I say “Yea for us!!” Although it seems that exhaustion came a tad bit faster than I recollect it did 10 years ago.

It is also interesting to note that the age-old Club behavior still applies. For me it is "DO NOT make eye contact with anyone for more than 2 seconds." I love to look around at all the people, and it's fun to see how people dance and it's just nice to see people having a good time. BUT, inevitably, if you make eye contact with a guy for more than 2 seconds, he takes it as an invitation to come over and dance with you. And I use "dance" loosely. It's more - his own private grope fest. My friends and I had to rescue each other a couple of times during the night. Ug.

I was pretty excited when I heard Bob Sinclar’s song sampling that good ol’ dance staple of my youth - C & C Music Factory’s “Everybody Dance Now.” Nice to see the kids acknowledging the classics. Ha! I’m classic (that’s one word for it).

Wanna know what the kids are dancing to these days?

Check it out.....

Lil Mama - Lip Gloss

Bob Sinclar - Rock This Party

Lady Sovereign......

I don't think I can post anything and not have to change this entry to "Mature Content."

And, if you are like me, here is one you may know.

I’m reading this week’s (December 4) issue of Time magazine, and cleaning up K Street in Washington.  There’s been a lot of talk by politicians about the need for lobbying reforms in Washington D.C.  It must be quite a conundrum for all politicians who receive hefty amounts of money donations from lobbyists and their associates.  How do you rein in potential favors-for-money transactions without jeopardizing your own future war chests?

I’ll leave it to the folks in Congress, both new and old, to see if they can really create any reform in the system.  My hope is that people understand why such reform is needed. 

We all know (right?) that while the United States of America is a democratic country, our government is not run as a pure direct democracy.  We are, instead, a constitutional republic.  National law and national policy is not decided directly by the voters, but by our representatives.  That’s the way our government works.  Ideally, voters have done their research on candidates and candidates have represented themselves honestly, and we stand in our voting booths and vote for a representative that we feel will best speak for us in Congress.  That’s what we get.  We get one vote for each person, and then we get to sit back and hope they represent us well.

What happens when a Congressperson gets one vote from me, but then also gets $10,000 from another guy?  $10,000 can pay for a lot of campaign material come the next election.  Maybe someone could win 10 votes if they had $10,000 to spend on a commercial, or colorful flyers.  And maybe, just maybe, someone could win 100 votes if they used their position in Congress to spend $100,000 in their jurisdiction in such a way that would benefit a specific group of people.  If that person who hands my Congressperson $10,000 says “Do something for me when you win, and I’ll deliver more money and maybe a good block of votes.” 

Hey then.  What happened to *my* one vote?  What happened to my opinion on issues in my congressional district?  It’s probably not as important as the interests of the lobbyist in Washington D.C. who has the direct ear of my Congressperson.  A lobbyist who, by the way, may not even *live* in my congressional district.  Suddenly, while I and my neighbors are sitting around and talking about how we would like to see money for our public schools, a decent public transportation system, and  clean water, our Congressperson is slipping high-dollar “earmarks” into the legislation they are passing in Washington.  In case you didn’t click on that link above, this is what happens with earmarks:

In the United States legislative budget process, Congess has the power to earmark (designate) funds it appropriates (revenue) to be spent on specific named projects. This differs from the normal practice where Congress grants a lump sum to an agency to allocate entirely at its discretion, according to the agency's internal budgeting process. Earmarks tie the hands of agency bureaucrats, obliging them to spend a portion of the budget on special projects chosen by politicians.

So, my local transportation agency may have a long list of priorities to fix existing roads with big potholes and build a new light-rail system.  If they were given federal money to do their jobs, they chould choose which projects to spend the money on.  But with earmarks, our Congressperson designates very specific projects, and the federal money goes to that project. 

With a fixed federal budget, what happens to lump sum budget allocations when there are a ton of earmarks?  They go down, I think.  And if you think that earmarks aren’t taking a lot of money away from our local agencies, total earmarks in 2005 were about 47 billion dollars.   That’s 47 billion dollars that were chosen for just 15,000 earmarks.  To me, that sounds like 15,000 projects at over $3,000,000 per project.  How many things could your State Department of Education do with $3,000,000?  Or your Transporatation Department?  Who knows, because they won’t get to use money at their own discretion. 

I know, most of you folks reading my blog probably already understand this. And I hope that our Congressfolks will take the recent voter discontent as a sign that there are several things that need to change in Washington.  They are being sent to Congress to represent a whole group of voters back home, not just a few people with a lot of money. 

If they spent more time listening to their constituents and doing things we need them to do, maybe they wouldn’t need a huge war chest to buy our votes in the next election.  Maybe they could earn our votes by representing our needs and serving us honestly.  Wouldn’t that be a refreshing change?

Sad, sad news from Italy today.

Ouch. My heart hurts.

Luciano Pavarotti has died in his hometown Modena in Italy. Can anyone every compare?

I grew up listening to the great Pavarotti. Literally - when I was just a youngster, tugging my blanket and stuffed animals with me to the living room to sit with my parents and sister and watch Evening at Pops on PBS. For years, I watched Pavarotti, Beverley Sills, conductors John Williams and Zubin Mehta and a myriad of guests.....and always, so much music.

I can't describe Luciano Pavarotti.

From the CNN report -

Widely considered the greatest tenor of his time, Pavarotti began his life modestly in Modena, the son of Fernando, a baker and amateur singer, and Adele, who worked at the local tobacco factory.

"I dreamed to become a singer when I was four and I hear my father singing in the church with a beautiful tenor voice," he told CNN in a 1991 interview. "And I say to myself, well, let's try to do something."

And do something, he did. Here he is singing what is probably my favorite of all songs he has sung. With his white handkerchief, no less. Not his most famous song, perhaps. But my favorite. O Sole Mio (My Own Sun).

Farewell, truly a master of his art.

....Tears for Fears?

Ha! Yes. I found this on the blog of the man himself, Mr. Curt Smith. He labeled this as:

"Pure Genius.

Mr. Far Too Much Time On His Hands"

As someone who knows all the lyrics to this song, I find this HILARIOUS. You can never have too much Tears, right?

Here is what was at the end of the link Curt put on his blog:

So I hear.

The biggest earthquake in the Islands in 20 years, and where am I?  Standing on solid ground in California! Yup, I missed the big earthquake here in Hawaii.  We heard from other folks on Maui that they felt the jolt pretty good.  We flew back in yesterday, and there wasn't too much evidence at our house.  Some books and candles off the shelves and some pictures fell over.  Still - that's pretty impressive for a state that is not used to rattling and rolling like we are in California.  The local news last night showed a terrified tourist from Minnesota.  He declared that the earthquake "FELT LIKE A REAL EARTHQUAKE!"  He got more than he bargained for in Maui this vacation.

Luckily, there were no deaths or major injuries.  So, in the spirit of reporting exciting "news," the news anchor last night informed us all that buildings shook and people "fell over."  I laughed at that one pretty hard.  Holy crap! People fell over!! 

No, the biggest drama for me was trying to land on Maui yesterday during a huge rain storm.  It was not fun.  We descended through clouds and turbulence. Not crazy bouncing, but it was a little shaky.  There was one point during the flight when all the flight attendants were ordered to their jump seats by the captain.  But it calmed down a little before we started to land.  We were going down through the clouds and couldn’t see a thing, when suddenly, the plane pulls up.  It was a slight pull.  Then it was a rather steep climb right back up out of the clouds.  Of course, no one can tell the passengers what is going on in the middle of a maneuver away from the airport.  Finally, the captain came on and told us that the weather had turned worse and we were headed to Honolulu.  We needed to get more fuel and listen to the weather forecast.  Luckily, the landing into Honolulu was relatively calm, and we were only in the plane for about 40 minutes before the captain said we would try again.  He said we had plenty of fuel, and I was thinking “Great! Exactly how many times are we going to descend and ascend before we land in Maui?”  Luckily, the system had a break and we managed to land into a very very wet Kahului.  I was very thankful to be back home.  We came home to flash flood warnings and more rain later in the day.

So, the poor island has been a bit battered in the last couple of days.  Hopefully, the ground will stop shaking, the skies will clear, and I can enjoy my hot, muggy home like normal.

And for those of you who felt it and remember, happy anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake.  I was around for that one. 

Wow. This is a good Pandora day. I'm listening to my Pandora station while I work this morning. The last 9 out of 10 songs have been "thumbs up" songs, with some real gems - Phil Collin, Tears (Working Hour), and a couple of news songs/artists (Blue Foundation?) that I've bookmarked for myself. Pretty good. There are some bad Pandora days where I am skipping almost every song I hear. But today is a very goooood day. Gotta love good music.

11:21 a.m. - Percy Sledge - Put a Little Lovin' on Me

11:24 - Otis Redding - gotta love Otis Redding...

A bit of nostalgia to go with yesterday's blog...

One more because I love it so much. I had such a massive crush on Curt after seeing this video.

One cool note. Throughout most of the concert on Monday, there were a few kids standing at the back of the stage. First a couple of little boys. Then a couple of girls. I was wondering if the girls were Curt's because I'm pretty sure he has two daughters. Well, all the kids came out on stage for the last song - Shout. Most of them were standing around the back-up singer (she was awesome!). One boy was right next to the drummer (must have been his son). The kids were singing along with the chorus, and it really reminded me of the end of the Shout video - with the kids dancing and singing.

Must have been Curt's two girls because he carried one off the stage while holding the other girl's hand. Pretty cute.

So, why were Sweetie and I just staying in San Diego for a few days?

Well, the main thing that took us to southern California was The Boys.

I tell my Sweetie that Curt and Roland are My Boys because, well.....we've been together for so long. Yes, musically I am still sometimes a child of the 80s. And a huge part of my musical 80s was Tears for Fears. Huge. Loved them. Still do. From the raw power of The Hurting, experimental greatness of Seeds of Love (not that song, but the rest of the album), go-it-aloneness of Elemental, and even through the slightly excruciating "comeback" reunion of Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, I am a Tears fan in my soul. So is my pal, T. And when we found out that they would be playing in San Diego at Humphrey's by the Bay, we jumped at the chance to see them again. Fourth time for us.

We ate dinner last night - the three of us and Sweetie's buddy in San Diego who we have been staying with. Fantastic meal at Cafe Sevilla in San Diego. Tapas. Yummmmm.......

I know. I know. You are thinking "Is there any food on earth that Stone Girl *doesn't* like??"

But really. Tapas are so good. You know tapas? You must try tapas. From the cafe's website:

Tapas are Spanish appetizers or hors d'oeuvres, a few of these tasty little dishes selected from an infinite variety can make a full meal.

Long before the discovery of America it was obligatory for innkeepers to serve food with wine, so a tasty morsel of cured ham, chorizo, cheese or olives were served on a small plate which covered the jug of wine like a lid, top or "tapa."

Tapas are an extension of the spontaneous Spanish character, chosen and eaten at whim, accompanied by wine, sherry, beer or sangria, to be shared with friends in a convivial setting, with folk songs, dance and lively conversation.

The Cafe was a great place to have tapas. And Sangria. mmmmmm......good sangria.

But I digress.

After dinner was the concert. Which was good. And you know, good is ok. It was not the best Tears concert ever (nothing can beat the Seeds of Love, with Oleta Adams and a grand piano on stage, the energy of the first three albums, and the FANtastic version of Famous Last Words). But last night was good because, hey The Boys only performed three shows in California, and I love to see them live, and they at least played a few older songs. Again, I think the weakness was the last album, and they played almost everything off that album. Roland said something to the effect that the reviews for the album (when it came out two years ago) were "remarkable." Remarkable was the word he used, in a tone of voice that says he understands why it got less than rave reviews. Or maybe he doesn't. But he deserves rave reviews for their whole body of work, and for his awesome voice, which seemed to be in full force last night. And made me wish they would go back into the studio together and create something original and powerful like the old albums. Like their old primal scream therapy via music. What better thing to do, sometimes, than just "Shout?"

Was it perfect for me? No. Perfect would have included Year of the Knife and Famous Last Words. But oh well. The crowd was pretty excited, Curt and Roland seemed comfortable and slightly goofy on stage, as they always were. T and I got to relive a bit of that giddy feeling of long ago. We danced and I sang my tone-deaf heart out.

And I got to see Tears for Fears live with my Sweetie by my side. Which is a very very special thing. Which is a whole other story.

DId you know, if not for Tears for Fears, Sweetie and I may not have gotten together?

He doesn't really believe that. He thinks he would have, no matter what. But, I gotta say, The Boys had a little something to do with that.