Silly Songs Stuck in my Head

I'm prone to getting songs stuck in my head. A single phrase, or even just a couple of words, will plant a song that I can't shake for hours. It can be so bad that just hearing the word Why will stick Joe Purdy's song "Why Do I" in my head for the rest of the day. I wander around singing one or two phrases from the song before realizing that I'm doing it. If you ask Jeff, you'll find out that I'm constantly humming or singing something.

So this week I have two silly songs stuck in my head that I felt I had to share. The first is a new song that I just found yesterday. But it's catchy and so much fun that I keep singing it. I was looking at a picture on Bing.com and found a link on wanting to be a Canadian. The link led directly to the song "Canadian, Please" by Julia Bentley and Andrew Gunadie. The song has a bouncy beat and a silly rhyme and makes me incredibly happy. The video has the singers dressed a Canadian mounties splashing around in a stream. It even has closed captioning so you don't miss a single phrase. Well worth a watch. Downright hilarious stuff.

The other song is from Phineas and Ferb. I'm sure it surprises you that a cartoon offers a catchy funny tune but P&F are known for them. Each episode has an original song and many of them are perfect songs to stick in your head. The one I've been singing lately is Perry the Platypus's theme song. It starts out with "He's a semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal of action...." And it just gets sillier from there. I've even got Jeff singing along on this one. I'd link just the song but the video is well worth it as well.

Two silly songs to make your day a little brighter. Or to get stuck in your head. Goodness knows I can't get them out of mine.

Missed Connections

The last three days have been a bit of an emotional roller coaster at work so I haven't really felt like posting. In the last 72 hours everything in my office has changed. I still have a job and I'm still doing the same work but everything around me has shifted. People are gone, job titles have changed, and the office won't ever really be the same for me. But then again as they say, the only thing that stays the same...is change.

So I need to focus on the things that make me happy today. There is a blog I've been meaning to share with you for a long time now and never really found the moment. I've been reading this blog on and off for almost a year now and am completely in love with it. The author, Sophie Blackall, only posts once or twice a month but those posts are worth it.

There are a number of Missed Connections message boards across the country where people can write in little messages, love letters, or anonymous thank yous for the rest of the city to read. Most of them are simple statements about how people crossed paths and influenced each other. Sophie reads the New York boards and finds messages that intrigue her. Then she paints a picture of that message.

Not only do I enjoy her painting style, I love the whole idea behind this blog. The messages on the board are fleeting. They only appear for a period of time and although we'll never know who wrote them or who they are directed to, they are moments that obviously made an impact on the writer. I love the concept that each day we constantly bump into people and they have some sort of influence on our lives. The barista who puts a chocolate covered espresso bean on my morning coffee makes my day. The woman who smiles at me on my walk to work makes me smile. The stranger who opens the door for me and tells me about their time on crutches, gives me hope. If only we could capture those moments. Suddenly a simple comment about a hat becomes poetry. Sophie takes the words of strangers and makes them into art.

As I mentioned before Sophie posts only a couple times a month. It has to take time to find the right message and paint it. But each post reminds me that the little things we do make a huge difference and that we never know how a simple gesture will affect others. I love that someone took the time to write these words, to reach out. And I love that Sophie attempts to capture them and make them more permanent. Makes them more than just simple words. To check out more Missed Connections and more of Sophie's beautiful artwork, stop by the blog. Beautiful and guaranteed to make you smile.

Roof Ice

About a year ago I did a post on eating icicles and in that post I used a picture, that I found and "borrowed", of some rather impressive looking icicles. Today I'm posting more icicle pictures but these are not borrowed shots. These are shots that Jeff took not a half hour ago. They are my record of what this winter has been like. And a record of how ice has slowly, steadily, taken over my house.

These are from the roof of my two story house and are starting to reach the lower windows.



Here are some that have traveled from one roof to another.



This is a poor lilac bush in front of our house which is being eaten by ice.



And this is your very humble writer, on crutches, after her first time driving the new car. Heck, my first time driving in almost two months. I'm not ready to drive on my own yet, still a bit scared, but Jeff gave me the option to drive to dinner and I reluctantly accepted. Baby steps.

By the way, the railing you see there is about waist high. Two days ago I couldn't see it at all.

Poetry Sunday

I know it's supposed to be Poetry Friday but I was going through some old files and found an old poem of mine. I wrote this back in college and was pretty proud of it then. I'm not sure what I think about it now. But thought I'd share some older work.

Conversation

Half a minute

of stagnant silence

becomes an eternity

of waiting.

Rustling nervously,

you toy with the menu

and a nearly empty coffee cup.

Thoughts race
through my mind.

What should I mention?

What should I say?

Just two strangers,

waiting for a train,

of thought.

You flip open the menu

for the fiftieth time,

and comment

on the Eggs Benedict,

hoping to catch a spark.

I hate eggs I say,

and you laugh.

We’re here

for breakfast you know.

I drop my eyes

and the topic dies.

You pour sugar

into another cup of coffee.

And finally,

you grow bored

of drinking.

Stand,

sigh

and leave.

Eugene Galien-Laloue

I've been reading Hans Bacher's fabulous blog, One1More2Time3, for at least a year now. His mix of animation art and unusual artists makes it one of my favorite blogs to visit mostly because I always find something to inspire me. I've been introduced to tons of great new artists and find daily inspiration in some of the most beautiful backgrounds to ever grace an animated cartoon. I'm constantly amazed at how much work went into the early cartoons and how much that tends to be missing from the more current ones.

Recently Hans showed some images from one of his favorite artists and the man has quickly become one of my favorite artists as well. Eugene Galien-Laloue (1854-1941) was not a name I'd heard before but his work has been sought by collectors for years. He was an impressionist painter living during the turn of the century in Paris, a time known as Belle Epoque. His work focuses mostly on typical Parisian street scenes and are beautiful in their use of color and detail. Galien-Laloue was a mostly gouache painter, which I find even more fascinating. Not a lot of artists use gouache regularly since it tends to be less enduring. But I find that is offers much richer colors than most of the watercolors or oils even. It is Galien-Laloue's use of color and focus on architecture that drew me to his work.

Most of the work I've seen of his focuses on the winter and fall seasons. But he was not a plein-air (outdoor) painter. It is believed that he took photographs or used postcards as inspiration for much of his work while his painting was done in the studio. I am fascinated with his use of lighting to create such warm and welcoming environments. I find myself wanting to be drawn into the paintings and walk the streets of Paris at that time. The focus on architecture is not unique for that time but I find it intriguing. Parisian architecture, particularly turn of the century, has always been some of my favorite styles of architecture. And Galien-Laloue renders the buildings with so much detail. The people in the foreground may be blurred but the buildings in the backgrounds are as crisp as if I were standing on the street. This gives a great impression of movement and bustle. Add in the colors and I'm completely in love. I know that I currently could not afford any of his work but that's something to look out for in the future. I would love to find a piece of my own. So beautiful.

Alaskan Goal

As if I wasn't in enough of a hurry to be walking again, I now have a great goal to work towards. My parents are taking an Alaskan cruise in July and have invited us kids. My plan is to go if I'm walking well enough. A cruise is exciting enough but I've always wanted to see Alaska. I simply couldn't pass up the chance to go.

I've been working on rehabilitation for a bit now but I'm doubling my efforts. I do flexion exercises every night for about a half an hour. I'm increasing that to an hour now. I'm putting the suggested amount of weight on my foot so that I don't have as much of a transition once the crutches are gone. I want this recovery to go as smoothly as possible. This is just added incentive.

Jeff won't be going with me on the trip which is a source of guilt and sadness for me. It's been years since I last traveled without him and I'm not completely comfortable with the idea. I'm feeling guilty about the fact that I will have this fantastic experience while he'll miss out. And I'm sad that he won't be with me. I'm sad but not enough that I'm going to pass up a chance to see whales, glaciers, bald eagles, and the beauty that is Alaska. A trip is just what I need to be excited about getting better. I'm already doing research about our ship. And a family trip is even more exciting. If only Jeff were going it would be perfect. Well, that and walking.

E-books

I love books. That should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me. I love the feel and the smell of them. I love collecting them in my ever growing library. There is just something about curling up with a well-loved book or browsing in a bookstore to make me incredibly happy. I was once asked about the perfect gift and without even batting an eyelash I said books. I won't ever turn down books.

So I've been avoiding the whole e-book thing. I've read a couple books electronically but I don't really enjoy the experience. It seems more like research than something done for pleasure. Even though I just finished Wuthering Heights online, I'm not as much of a fan of electronic versions. So when a friend at work brought me in her Kindle to play with, I originally resisted. My complaint has always been that I can't read in the bathtub with a Kindle. Nor does it seem cozy to curl up with a Kindle in bed. But I have to admit once I started playing with the thing that it has its benefits. It's far more user friendly than the older e-book readers I've used. The big screen helps make it less of an eyestrain. But the biggest advantage that it has is easy access to the classics.

I'm a huge classics reader. I've picked up books like Dante's Inferno, Othello, and Anna Karenina as fun reading. I'm constantly scouring public domain literature sites for good books. So when I found out that the Kindle will instantly download public domain works to the Kindle for no cost, I was hooked. With the push of a button I could have a title downloaded on the device in seconds. I could have a huge library of free books on this device and never lack for reading material. If I start a book (like Moby Dick) that I won't finish, I won't be out any money (I've tried it twice now. Just can't read it). My friend even showed me that there are a number of new books that are available for free or at a huge discount.

While this won't take the place of books for me, I can now see the advantage of the Kindle. It's mostly user friendly, offers cheap or free reading material, and can store a ton of books. I could even take notes on quotes I like or sections that are interesting. The Kindle is still a toy for me but I could see purchasing one. In fact, I'll start saving my money. I'll still buy paper books. I like the permanence of them and the feel of them. And picture books will never be replaced by e-books. But I could go for a cheap digital portable library. I could actually be moving into the 21st century.

Wuthering Heights

I'm not sure how I escaped from college with an English degree without reading any of the Bronte sisters. I did an entire semester on Jane Austen but never cracked a single book by either Emily, Charlotte, or Anne. About a year ago I remedied that by picking up Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. I loved the book but remember thinking that it wasn't what I was expecting. Apparently all the sisters have that in common.

I've heard tons about Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte's immortal novel. It has been described as one of the most romantic books ever written. It has been described as passionate and powerful. Many say that the love story between Catherine and Heathcliff is one of the most obsessive and powerful they'd ever read. Just today I saw it listed by two different writers, as they're favorite romantic book. So I was expecting a romance. When I finally read the book last week I found something completely different.

I didn't consider Wuthering Heights a romance. Yes, there is a romance between Catherine and Heathcliff. But that takes up only the first quarter of the book. It is what happens after that seemed to me the focus of the story. Instead this is a book about a tragic family. It is a book about revenge. It is a book about a villain. Far from romantic, I found Heathcliff to be horrible. The man was a villain of the first degree. After Catherine's meladramatic and mostly foolish death, he falls apart and begins to take systematic revenge upon everyone who'd ever come in contact with her. He starts with her sister-in-law, then her husband (yes Catherine marries someone else), then her brother. Eventually he moves on to his own son, Catherine's daughter, and any other person who may once have been involved in the family.

Now don't get me wrong, Heathcliff is not a killer. Instead, his villany is far more creative. He simply plots and schemes to take everything from them. He manages to steal away everything from Catherine's brother (who also happens to be his. It's complicated). He takes revenge on Catherine's husband by forcing their daughter to marry his son against her wishes, thereby giving all of their estate to him. After Catherine's death it is simply one heineous deed after another as he takes his revenge on everyone around him. The interesting thing about this whole book is that I never manage to see the connection between him and Catherine. They claim, at separate times, to be in love with each other but I, as reader, didn't really ever see it. They stood up for each other in childhood, they adventured together as adolescents. And then later, after Catherine is married, do they finally state that they love each other. But both Catherine and Heathcliff are such dispicable characters that by that point I didn't really care.

You would think that after all this talk that I hated the book, which is not true. I devoured the book. Not one of the characters is likable. I found myself constantly yelling at the characters that they were acting like idiots. I was shocked by the pure malice in the book. And I was still surprised that this was not a romance. But through all of this, the story of this family is so sad, so tortured that I had to continue. Each character was flawed but distinct. This book, told by the former housekeeper, is delicious gossip. We get to know the characters from the vantage point of looking in. We see their struggles but from the detached observer standpoint. And like a train wreck it was tough to look away. Tolstoy famously started Anna Karenina with this line. "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Wuthering Heights is the story of an unhappy family and the tragedies that befall them. Tragic, powerful, and beautiful, this book is everything but romantic.

Olympics

The one good thing about this winter (and there has been very little) is that it is an Olympics year. I may not enjoy the season of winter but I am a die-hard winter Olympics fan. Then again I'm a huge summer Olympics fan too. For the entire two weeks of the Olympic games I sit in front of the TV and watch as much coverage as I possibly can. I am completely obsessed. Poor Jeff won't see the remote for the next two weeks as I jump between the stations carrying the games. I'm not sure where this passion for the Olympics came from. But I know that I've been fascinated for years now.

And I don't just watch the typical sports. If anything, figure skating interests me the least. I'm passionate about luge, skeleton, biathlon, curling, ski-jumping, and speed skating. A couple years ago I became obsessed with ice dancing although I'm not sure why. Like the summer games, where I watch at odd hours for the fencing, I will go out of my way to catch the more unusual sports. But I'm not picky. If it's Olympic coverage, I'll watch. That said, I feel I should clarify. I watch the events, not the other coverage. I don't even keep track of the medals standings mostly because I don't really root for any one country. I just love to watch the best athletes in the world compete.

In 2002, Jeff and I made the trip to Salt Lake to watch the games in person. We took Amtrak out to Utah and fell in love with the atmosphere. In fact the whole trip was incredible. We had purchased tickets to biathlon, downhill skiing, ski-jumping, and luge. We managed to get some last minute tickets to see a curling match. And at every event we were completely blown away by the atmosphere. At the biathlon we were completely surrounded by Norwegians and Swedes and the place was a constant party. There were flags everywhere and cowbells and horns. It was fantastic. The ski-jump was early morning and somewhat more somber. Than again there was far more risk involved. Luge was at night and was filled with picture attempts and amazing speed. When you watch luge on TV they slow it down quite a bit. Actual luge is too fast to even comprehend. It's like standing on the side of the interstate trying to catch details on the cars speeding past you at 80 mph. Tickets for curling were hard to come by and the arena was electric. It's like a chess match on ice and even the most subtle move can change the entire match.

So tonight my plan is to camp out in front of the TV, eat dinner, and watch the opening ceremonies for the Vancouver Olympics. I haven't missed an opening ceremonies in the last eight sessions of the games. I love the pageantry of it. I love watching all the competing nations walk into the arena. I love seeing the uniforms. I love seeing how they light the torch. And I love the pride that seems to shine from the athletes' faces. It is a spectacle of the highest order and I don't intend to miss it. As always I'm sure I'll get choked up and cry. I'm sure I'll be swept up in the drama of the whole thing. And I'm sure I'll love every moment. If you've never seen an opening ceremonies I would highly recommend it. NBC tonight at 6:30. And if nothing else, make sure to check out some of the games.

A Quick Plea to Mother Nature

I'm calling Uncle!!! I've had enough with winter now. Now normally by the time that February rolls around I'm starting to be tired of winter. But this year I had reached that by Christmas. This is just overkill.

This is my front patio. Buried under there is my air conditioner. Somewhere.

It has been completely buried under snow since December 8th. And tonight and tomorrow we are supposed to get 6 more inches. I've started looking for houses in Florida. So I'm offering a plea to Mother Nature. I like Iowa. I wouldn't mind staying a couple more years. But she's offering me little choice. I'm officially done with winter.

A Sketchy Past

I know I've already mentioned how much I love the artwork of Peter de Seve. There is something about the humor, the characters, and the storytelling elements of his paintings. He creates memorable characters and wonderfully humorous situations. And then we add his amazing draftsmanship. He's an incredible painter and storyteller. He has to be my favorite illustrator working today. So when I found out a year or so ago that he was coming out with a compilation book, I knew I had to have it.

A Sketchy Past: The Art of Peter de Seve was scheduled to be released March 1st. I thought about putting in a pre-order months ago but decided I would wait until it finally came out. Somehow the book got released early on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I received my copy yesterday. In the 24 hours I've owned the book I've been through it at least five times. And still I'm finding new things I didn't see before. The book is huge. 240 pages and every one of them is filled with illustrations. It is a beautiful book.


There are some of Peter's sketchbook images in the margins.



There are the rough sketches that lead to his New Yorker covers.



And some images from the brand new children's book, The Dutchess of Whimsy, that he is releasing with his wife.



There are probably over 400 sketches in the book and each of them is brilliant. Plus there is a wonderful introduction to Peter and his work. I was shocked to learn that he is color-blind. I can't imagine how he can paint without being able to see the watercolors he's mixing. The introduction includes some of Peter's artistic influences and some great quotes from other illustrators about his work. Overall this has to be one of the best book purchases I've made in decades. It makes me smile, it inspires me, and it is a treasure.

Spam

Hi all. I have a couple other posts I want to write this afternoon but I wanted to do some blog maintenance first.

I love all the comments you leave me. Please know that I read everything you write and will make sure to respond to every single one. I enjoy this being a dialogue.

That said I've been getting some spam on my comments. Mostly advertisements. I'm actually kind of flattered. I didn't realize I had enough readership to be worth spam. But if it continues I'll be turning on the word verification setting. Just for a little while. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Quick Image

This is nothing special. I'm working mostly full days now (7-8 hours) and my work days have been really busy. In the evenings I've been either exhausted or out so I haven't really had any time to post anything. I hope to get back on schedule soon. Thank you all for your patience.

In the meantime, here is a fun image I took off of Epicute. I love Bento boxes and these are just too cute to pass up.

Health Update

I promise not to do this every time I have a doctor's appointment. I'm sure that hearing about my recovery is about as exciting as watching a test cricket match for most of you (of course, for me that would be heaven). But this particular appointment was both exciting and depressing for me. And it's the news of the day for me, so I'm sharing.

So far everything seems to be healing well. My surgery wounds have healed enough that I can now start wearing a sock instead of the gauze and Ace wrap. That is huge because finally my toes are covered. As most of you know, I'm not a huge fan of cold. My toes go numb when they get too cold. They go white. It's not pretty or enjoyable. So being able to cover them with a stretchy sock (I can't fit a regular one yet) is a huge bonus for me. Secondly for the good news, I can start driving again. Since it's my left ankle, the doctor felt it was safe enough for me to start driving. Jeff has offered to continue to drive me on bad days but this finally gives me a bit of independence.

Now the bad news, or perhaps neutral news. He doesn't want to see me back for a month. That is both good news and bad news. It indicates that I'm healing steadily enough that he doesn't have to keep tabs on me. And I'll admit that the x-rays look pretty good. I do have one huge spike of a bone fragment that is shooting into the back of my leg but he says that won't be a problem. The bad part about this was that I was hoping to wean myself off the crutches in 8 weeks. I was kind of hoping that after six weeks he would say that I was doing so well I could start walking without the boot. Instead I won't even see him until it's been 9 weeks. That means at least five more weeks of boot and crutches. And then I would guess at least three more weeks of boot and crutch walking. Or maybe a cane. I hope to be start relearning to walk by April.

I shouldn't be frustrated. I'm healing well enough. I'll always have a scar and possibly a red stain on that ankle. But everything seems to be staying in line. I haven't had any real pain in that leg in a long time. I'm finally sleeping through the night again. All of these are things that only three weeks ago seemed impossible. I can also put 1/3 to 1/2 of my weight on my foot now. I'm more stable on the crutches. I'm also gaining some serious muscle in my arms. All in all I'm doing well. As I said before, I'm happy and sad about this doctor's appointment. Happy that I've been healing as well as I have, sad that it's been slower than I expected. But as I've learned over the last couple weeks, focus on the positive. It gets better every day.