www.facebook.com/jordynonline/photos/a.1160112900683739.1...

Lady GaGa~Poker Face

This is my best poker face. I bet you can't guess what I'm thinking here...;-) This is such a cute song. This was a quick shot to get something posted. I will be so glad when this week is over so I can get back to living my life.

Lady GaGa Poker Face Lyrics

I wanna rock-n-roll

I wanna give my soul

I'm wanting to belielve

I'm not too old

Don't want to make it up

Don't want to let you down

I want to fly away

But i'm stuck on the ground

- Matthew Perryman Jones, Save You

I got absolutely zero writing done today, despite spending seven hours at the coffee shop. I did, however, get a lot of reading done. Sometimes there are days like this. Especially right after super productive days like yesterday was. I don't mind. I'll be back at it tomorrow. :) And we have a bye in soccer tonight, which means I get to relax at home with the hubs. Good day. Hope yours was too.

Musically Challenged: Save You - Matthew Perryman Jones

"am I scaring you now?" ~ Disturbia, Rhianna

for Musically Challenged

Monestir Cistercenc de Santes Creus ( Cataluna )

Claustre major

__________________________________

The Bells

E.A. Poe, 1849

I

Hear the sledges with the bells-

Silver bells!

What a world of merriment their melody foretells!

How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,

In the icy air of night!

While the stars that oversprinkle

All the heavens, seem to twinkle

With a crystalline delight;

Keeping time, time, time,

In a sort of Runic rhyme,

To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells

From the bells, bells, bells, bells,

Bells, bells, bells-

From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

II

Hear the mellow wedding bells,

Golden bells!

What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!

Through the balmy air of night

How they ring out their delight!

From the molten-golden notes,

And an in tune,

What a liquid ditty floats

To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats

On the moon!

Oh, from out the sounding cells,

What a gush of euphony voluminously wells!

How it swells!

How it dwells

On the Future! how it tells

Of the rapture that impels

To the swinging and the ringing

Of the bells, bells, bells,

Of the bells, bells, bells,bells,

Bells, bells, bells-

To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!

III

Hear the loud alarum bells-

Brazen bells!

What a tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!

In the startled ear of night

How they scream out their affright!

Too much horrified to speak,

They can only shriek, shriek,

Out of tune,

In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire,

In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire,

Leaping higher, higher, higher,

With a desperate desire,

And a resolute endeavor,

Now- now to sit or never,

By the side of the pale-faced moon.

Oh, the bells, bells, bells!

What a tale their terror tells

Of Despair!

How they clang, and clash, and roar!

What a horror they outpour

On the bosom of the palpitating air!

Yet the ear it fully knows,

By the twanging,

And the clanging,

How the danger ebbs and flows:

Yet the ear distinctly tells,

In the jangling,

And the wrangling,

How the danger sinks and swells,

By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells-

Of the bells-

Of the bells, bells, bells,bells,

Bells, bells, bells-

In the clamor and the clangor of the bells!

IV

Hear the tolling of the bells-

Iron Bells!

What a world of solemn thought their monody compels!

In the silence of the night,

How we shiver with affright

At the melancholy menace of their tone!

For every sound that floats

From the rust within their throats

Is a groan.

And the people- ah, the people-

They that dwell up in the steeple,

All Alone

And who, tolling, tolling, tolling,

In that muffled monotone,

Feel a glory in so rolling

On the human heart a stone-

They are neither man nor woman-

They are neither brute nor human-

They are Ghouls:

And their king it is who tolls;

And he rolls, rolls, rolls,

Rolls

A paean from the bells!

And his merry bosom swells

With the paean of the bells!

And he dances, and he yells;

Keeping time, time, time,

In a sort of Runic rhyme,

To the paean of the bells-

Of the bells:

Keeping time, time, time,

In a sort of Runic rhyme,

To the throbbing of the bells-

Of the bells, bells, bells-

To the sobbing of the bells;

Keeping time, time, time,

As he knells, knells, knells,

In a happy Runic rhyme,

To the rolling of the bells-

Of the bells, bells, bells:

To the tolling of the bells,

Of the bells, bells, bells, bells-

Bells, bells, bells-

To the moaning and the groaning of the bells.

-THE END-

El claustre major, gòtic, va ser fet construir el 1313 per Jaume II, per substituir-ne un de més antic, d'estil romànic, del qual es conserva el templet hexagonal del lavatori. Cal destacar-ne la decoració dels capitells, que representen un ampli repertori d'iconografia medieval. Des del claustre podem pujar al dormitori, que és una gran sala amb arcs apuntats. Des d'aquí, es pot accedir a la Torre de les Hores i al cimbori.

La sala capitular és de planta quadrada, i allí és on podem trobar diferents tombes dels antics abats del monestir. Les voltes són sostingudes amb columnes.

______________________________________

El claustro actual se debe a la mano del maestro inglés Reinard de Fonoll, a cuya obra dio continuidad Guillem de Seguer, quien probablemente ejecutase la tracería de los ventanales. Es de un refinado estilo gótico exultante en sus arcuaciones, en las estilizadas columnas, en las bóvedas de ojiva y en la exuberante ornamentación de los capiteles de gran riqueza iconográfica, con motivos vegetales, animales, figurativos y narrativos con escenas bíblicas. Contiene las tumbas murales de algunos nobles catalanes, y quedan restos de pinturas, una de ellas representando la Anunciación.

___________________________________________

Santes Creus is a Cistercian monastery in Catalunya, Spain. It was started in 1158 and is today considered one of the finest preserved monastic sites in Southern Europe.

[edit] History

The monastery was started in 1158 and was finished within 50 years. In its early period, the monastery was a center of intellectual and political activity and was comparable to the Poblet Monastery. Fortified in 1375 by Pedro IV, it played an important role in the creation of the Order of Montesa, a refuge for Aragonese Knights Templar after the abolition of their order.

The activities of the monastery continued largely uninterrupted until the Napoleonic invasion of Spain, which led to its eventual demise in 1835 at which time the monastery was sacked and burned. Shortly thereafter, several ex-monks erected it as a parish Church and worked slowly toward its restoration. It is today in the hands of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monestir_de_Santes_Creus

_______________________________________

apoesiadasimagens.blogspot.com/

photo by chrissy abbott

for bmore musically informed

- Muse, Muscle Museum

On Black

**Explored**

Ok, show of hands, who else fights with seasonal depression/seasonal affective disorder? *raises hand* It hasn't been as bad since I started taking SAM-e at the advice of my friend Lori, but I still feel it lurking there, just beneath the surface. So instead of feeling depressed, I just feel...weird and unsettled. Just curious if anyone else deals with this every winter. It'd be nice to have someone to chat with who understands.

I took these shots right after an early evening nap. I had to get up ridiculously early this morning to drive up north for a hearing. And since we were supposed to have a massive winter storm, I had to leave myself an extra hour to make the drive. Of course we didn't get the kind of killer storm that was predicted, but I didn't know that until I was on the road. So I got to court way early and could have slept longer. Awesome. Anyway, I wanted a relatively easy shot today, so I dipped into the bag of goodies that Kel-Z sent me recently and decided to play with her sequins. Thanks Kelsey!

**Explored**

365 Days (self portraits): Day 253

Musically Challenged: Muse - Muscle Museum

Our Flickr friend Nina posted this texture and said she was waiting to see what I did with it. I combined it with this shot of an angel on a building in Fort Worth (Bass Performance Hall) and also a great texture from skeletalmess to achieve this look.

I am submitting this to Musically Challenged for Bad Religion - "Sorrow"

Rihanna~Umbrella

No clouds in my storms

Let it rain, I hydroplane in the bank

Coming down with the Dow Jones

When the clouds come we gone, we Rocafella

We fly higher than weather

And G5’s are better, You know me,

an anticipation, for precipitation. Stacked chips for the rainy day

Jay, Rain Man is back with little Ms. Sunshine

Rihanna where you at?

[Rihanna]

You have my heart

And we'll never be worlds apart

May be in magazines

But you'll still be my star

Baby cause in the dark

You can't see shiny cars

And that's when you need me there

With you I'll always share

Because

[Chorus]

When the sun shines, we’ll shine together

Told you I'll be here forever

Said I'll always be a friend

Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end

Now that it's raining more than ever

Know that we'll still have each other

You can stand under my umbrella

You can stand under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)

These fancy things, will never come in between

You're part of my entity, here for Infinity

When the war has took it's part

When the world has dealt it's cards

If the hand is hard, together we'll mend your heart

Because

[Chorus]

When the sun shines, we’ll shine together

Told you I'll be here forever

Said I'll always be a friend

Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end

Now that it's raining more than ever

Know that we'll still have each other

You can stand under my umbrella

You can stand under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)

You can run into my arms

It's OK don't be alarmed

Come here to me

There's no distance in between our love

So go on and let the rain pour

I'll be all you need and more

Because

[Chorus]

When the sun shines, we’ll shine together

Told you I'll be here forever

Said I'll always be a friend

Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end

Now that it's raining more than ever

Know that we'll still have each other

You can stand under my umbrella

You can stand under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh)

Under my umbrella

(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)

It's raining

Ooh baby it's raining

Baby come here to me

Come here to me

It's raining

Oh baby it's raining

**Explore 01-14-2009 Thank you everyone=)

Strobist: SB-600 bounced off back of guitar aimed @ 45 degree angle upwards, shot through on flash diffuser; SB-600 camera left, snooted, shot through on flash diffuser; 1/32 power; triggered with CLS.

Project 52 - Musically Inspired Week 2/52

I love Rock n' Roll

I saw him dancing there by the record machine

I knew he must have been about seventeen

The beat was going strong,

playing my favorite song

And I could tell it wouldn't be long

till he was with me, yeah, me

And I could tell it wouldn't be long

till he was with me, yeah, me, singin'

CHORUS:

I love rock 'n' roll

So put another dime in the jukebox, baby

I love rock 'n' roll

So come and take your time and dance with me

He smiled, so I got up and asked for his name

"That don't matter," he said,

"'cause it's all the same."

I said, "Can I take you home

where we can be alone?"

And next we were moving on

and he was with me, yeah, me

Next we were moving on

and he was with me, yeah, me, singin'

CHORUS

I said, "Can I take you home

where we can be alone?"

And next we were moving on

and he was with me, yeah, me, singin'

chase your shadow til the sun goes down

- Sia, Bring Night

Finally broke through my plateau. I'm officially down 31 lbs since I started working to lose weight in June. These jeans I'm wearing in the picture? They haven't seen the light of day in five years. For five years they've been buried at the bottom of various drawers, gathering dust. No more! The free shopping out of my own closet has begun. I'm only about halfway to my goal, but it feels good to finally have the scale moving down again.

Still no dead groundhog (thank god).

Musically Challenged: Sia - Bring Night

I get the feeling that it's two against one,

I'm already fighting me so what's another one?

the mirror is a trigger and your mouth's a gun,

lucky for me I'm not the only one

there's only three... it's just you and me against me

- Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi feat. Jack White, Two Against One

Not really here, not really there. Feeling scattered and a little lost. I think I need to find something to ground me and pull me back to the here and now tomorrow (or today, since I'm posting this so late).

Musically Challenged: Danger Mouse - Two Against One

Maeve: “Who are your heroes?”

Elliot: “Musically: Nina Simone, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Led Zeppelin. And for every reason: whoever stands out from the ocean of noise as a pure drop lying in it. I mean the kinda drop you can see from sea miles away even if there ain’t no lighthouse nearby. There’s gotta be something special about a person until I can call them my hero. I guess… one of them could be my sister Indy. Yeah, she can survive from anything. She’s my hero number one. And Gauri from the International Fashion Royalty Jet Set Diva contest. But that’s ‘cause I saw her up-close when I went to Paris after a bass that got lost along the way when I moved here, so I know she’s a foxy lady. And… yeah, special. And then this li’l girl named Olga, who wrote me a letter to ask for such a simple thing as a poster. Those are my heroes.” (He smiled brightly. Clearly he likes talking about his heroes. No mention of Sybil, though. Hmm… But you have to remember that this interview happened on the day of his latest gig at Honey’s, when Sybil was still seeing Hallam. There must have been some bitterness in the air.)

Maeve: “Fans want to know – are you still an eligible bachelor?”

Elliot: “Eligible? That’s a joke, right? Hell no! Never was. Bachelor? I’ve a feeling I may be that for the next 50 years! Har har har…” (He laughed with his eyes closed. Umm… No, Elliot. You couldn’t be more wrong, as you have noticed by now. About being a bachelor, I mean. I can’t comment on whether or not he is eligible. Figure it out by yourself.)

Maeve: “What's your dream date?”

Elliot: “Ahh… It’s been so long since I’ve been on a date… Ummm…" (Here he took a long thinking pause, during which he lighted a cigarette. Ay-ay… I keep telling him to quit smoking.) "Sitting on a river bend in the moonlight, playing a guitar for her, while eating a big hamburger… No! Spaghetti! From a shared plate, next to a garbage can, Lady and the Tramp style. Or sitting at a long table, eating soup without a spoon… until the gal offers me one, Beauty and the Beast style. ‘Cause I’m like that Tramp, or that Beast. Gosh, I love Disney! But the difference between me and a Disney hero is… after the dinner I’d stay over at the gal’s. And we wouldn’t be reading books.” (He winked suggestively. But of course…)

OK, everyone has to do this cliché shot sometime.... and I thought it suitable for Great Big Sea's Mari-Mac. I searched out our copy of Dickens's Great Expectations for this especially, given that this is what marriage is all about.

However it's also about Confrontation..... Any marriage that doesn't have "confrontation" in it probably won't last. Natalee & I have been together 27 years now (married for 20) and hardly a week (day?) goes by when we don't argue at some point. Much healthier for a relationship to work out differences when you need to. Some of our friends who are now divorced / separated used to say "Oh we never argue...."

TOTW - Confrontation

TRP - Musically Inspired

Musically Challenged - (This weeks list here) (p.s. It's my list !!!)

Great Big Sea - Mari-Mac

There's a neat little lass and her name is Mari Mac

Make no mistake, she's the girl I'm gonna track

Lot of other fellas try to get her on her back

But I'm thinking that they'll have to get up early

We'll all be feeling merry when I marry Mari Mac

MSH - Film Titles - Diamonds are forever - msh0810-10

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"I am an excitable person who only understands life lyrically, musically, in whom feelings are much stronger than reason. I am so thirsty for the marvelous that only the marvelous has power over me. Anything I can not transform into something marvelous, I let go. Reality doesn't impress me. I only believe in intoxication, in ecstasy, and when ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another."

— Anaïs Nin

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150/365

For Musically Challenged :)

Help I'm Alive by Metric

Video

Lyrics

via Instagram ift.tt/2gWHnKh via 500px ift.tt/2fQLr2G

She's totally committed

To major independence

But she's a lady through and through

She gives them quite a battle

All that they can handle

She'll bruise some

She'll hurt some too

But oh they love to watch her strut

Oh they do respect her but

They love to watch her strut

Her Strut by Bob Seger

so im in Michigan for the lovely Alibubba's wedding this Saturday! I had a rough and long work week in photography. talk about nonstop. I'm going to take the opportunity that I dont have to do photography at all this week (work related besides editing) and do massive loads of homework.

Its cold here, but it's refreshing.

inspired by the Lovely Whitney, her ballerina and whimsical photos are to die for. SO GO CHECK HER OUT!

Musically Challenged: Her Strut by Bob Seger

Thats for damn sure! It's April 19th and it is once again snowing outside. Don't get me wrong, the sun was out earlier and it was a balmy 31 degrees. Come on Mother Nature, lets switch tracks and try something a little warmer?!?!

I shot this a few weeks ago when the sun was actually out and the weather was OK.

Musically Challenged

Bill Withers - Ain't no Sunshine

HBCCT

(14 of 52)²

As soon as I love her it's been too long

Talks of future with you caves me in

Swallow my sugar kiss and eat it alone

Hearts get light and smash any dreams of love

These girls fall like dominos, dominos

Dominos by The Big Pink

sometimes. i just lose control. and i screw up. the situation is getting serious. i need to get out - fast. because it's true.... I fall like dominos, especially with the slightest breeze.

project 365: day 282

TOTW: Insecurities - I wish I could be strong and control myself better

Walk the Line: Exposing a fear - the fear of repercussions of losing control, i end up hurting myself

musically challenged: The Big Pink - Dominos

Hairodynamic!: anonymous hair

decluttr

... the sun will be shining

Songbird by Eva Cassidy

For Musically Challenged

Listen

Lyrics

Day 159 of 365

via Instagram ift.tt/2gkybj6

Make-up shot for 256.365 and my week hosting Musically Challenged. Haha..

The day I had planned on taking it, Amy Winehouse passed away. And I'm the kind of person that doesn't like to do things that appear to be as if I'm looking or asking for attention; because I'm just not purposely trying to do that. So, I waited b/c I didn't want it to necessarily be a tribute to Amy, in lieu of her death, but rather b/c I like the song. And I love Stella Artois - but not from a can.

Meet you downstairs in the bar and hurt,

Your rolled up sleeves in your skull t-shirt,

You say "what did you do with him today?",

And sniffed me out like I was Tanqueray,

'Cause you're my fella, my guy,

Hand me your stella and fly,

By the time I'm out the door,

You tear men down like Roger Moore,

You know that I'm no good

Day 107 Year 4 I haven't done a Musically Challenged theme in ages.

Rebel Rebel - David Bowie

Somedays aren't yours at all,

They come and go

As if they're someone else's days

They come and leave you behind someone else's face

And it's harsher than yours

And colder than yours

- Regina Spektor, Somedays

I can't believe I only have one more day left to get everything done before I leave. I'm jumping out of my skin to get on the road. And also getting my routine pre-trip anxiety. But that will all settle as soon as I'm driving, I'm sure. I think I'm mostly just getting a little anxious about being away from my husband and our pets for so long. But I will be seeing so many good friends and family along the way, that I'm sure the time will fly faster that I want it to. So I'm just going to enjoy myself! There's plenty of time to stress out when I get home and immediately start the installation for Art Fair! :)

Musically Challenged: Regina Spektor - Somedays

Elveeta Presley, being the great-granddaughter of Elvis' unknown but musically ingenious sister Elvette, decided to dedicate her life to music.

"I know that Elvis casts a long shadow; he is The King. But I'm not trying to fool anybody into thinking I'm a female Elvis, even if I am wearing this 'Chicks Rule' T-shirt," Elveeta recently told Rolling Stone magazine before performing at a small music venue. "I'm just being myself, entertaining people by doing what I love."

An up-and-coming singer, Elveeta, unlike Elvis, wrote most of the music she performed. Yet, she loved to pay homage to the early days of Rock by singing such songs as Fats Domino's "I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday," one of her favorites.

"I love that song because it's about feeling that you're important even if someone breaks up with you or doesn't like you; you can move past a situation where you were rejected.

"Plus, to me, the song's also about how you can't let someone else make you feel inferior; you're still valuable as a person and we're all trying to progress in life--well, most of us," Elveeta explained.

"I'm gonna be a wheel someday

I'm gonna be somebody

I'm gonna be a real gone cat

Then I won't want you

Everything's gonna go my way

And I won't need nobody

I'm gonna be a real gone cat

Then I won't want you

You can cry, you can sigh

You'll be wonderin' why I don't look at you

When I go strollin' by

I'm gonna be a wheel someday

I'm gonna be somebody

I'm gonna be a real gone cat

Then I won't want you..."

--"I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday" by Fats Domino

Get it together

Another sunset.......... I know thats two days in a row.... which for England in April is quite an acheivement anyway.

Musically linked via the lyrics to Get It Together by the Beastie Boys along the lines of communcation, themed by the purposeful inclusion of the telegraph poles and wires.

Get It Together - Beastie Boys

www.last.fm/music/Beastie+Boys/_/Get+It+Together

1-2 1-2 Keep It On

Listen To The Shit Because We Kick It Until Dawn

Listen To The Abstract Got It Going On

Listen To The Ladies Come On And Let Me Spawn

All Your Eggs Then You Go Up The River

Listen To The Abstract That Freaky Nigger

I'm Ad Rock And I Shock And I Tick And I Tock

And I Can't Stop With The Body Rock

See I've Got Heart Like John Starks

Hitting Mad Sparks

Pass Me The Mic

And I'll Be Rocking The Whole Park

I'm The M To The C To The A And It's A Must

The Rhymes That We Bust On The Topic On Lust

And My Moms Is Not Butt, But Fuck It

Let Me Get Down To The Rhythm

Yes I'm Getting Funky And I'm Shooting All My Jism

Like John Holmes, The X-rated Nigger

Listen To The Shit 'Cause I'm The Ill Figure

Nobody's Getting Any Bigger Than This

Get It Together, Get It Together

Phone is Ringing, Oh My God

Get It Together

See What's Happening

Ad Rock Down With The Ione

Listen To The Shit Because Both Of Them Is Boney

Got To Do It Like This Like Chachi And Joanie

Because She's The Cheese And I'm The Macaroni

So Why All The Fight And Why All The Fuss

Becasue I Ain't Got No Dust

Yea, You Know I'm Getting Silly

I've Got A Grandma Hazel And A Grandma Tilly

Grand Royal prez And I'm Also A Member

Born On The Cusp In The Month Of November

I Do The Patty Duke In Case You Don't Remember

Well, I Freak A Funky Beat Like The Shit Was In A Blender

Well, I'm Long Gone Word Is Born

Don't Need A Mother Fucking Fool Telling Me Right From Wrong

I Don't Think I'm Slick Nor Do I Play Like I'm Hard

But I'm a Drive The Lane Like I Was Evan Bernhard

And I've Working On My Game Because Life Is Taxing

Got To Get It Together And See What's Happening

Get It Together, Get It Together

Get It Together

See What's Happening

I Go One Two Like My Name Was Biz Mark

But I Had To Do The Shit Just Let Me Embark

On The Lyric And The Noun And The Verb

Let's Kick The Shit Off 'Cause Yo, I'm Not The Herb

Well, It's Not The Herb But The Spice With The Flavor To Spare

The Moog With The Funk For Your Derriere

While We're On That Topic, Yes I Like To Mention

When It Comes To Boning I'm Representing

Spacing, Zoning, Talkin' On The Phone And

My Brain Is Roaming And I Don't Know Where It's Going

Talking Lots Of Shit A Little Tweaking On The Weekend

I've Got To Get Him By The Reigns Because I Know That I'm Freaking

Well, I'm A Funky Skull And I'm A Scorpio

And When I Get My Flow I'm Dr On The Go

So Q-tip, What You On The Mic For

Because I Had To Talk About The Times That I Rhyme

And When M.C.S Come In My Face, I'm Like Mace

Because I Back Them Off With The Quills

Nigger 'Cause I Tell You, Nigger 'Cause I'll Keep You Under Prills

Resting On Nine One One Sixteenth Ave Off The Farmes Boulevard

I'm From Manhattan M.C.A.'s From Brooklyn

Yea, M.C.A., Your Shit Be Cooking

Praying Mantis On The Court And I Can't Be Beat

So, Yo Tip, What's Up With The Boot On Your Feet

I've Got The Timbos On The Toes And This Is How It Goes

Oh One Two, Oh My God

One Two, Oh My God, I've Got Some Shit

I've Got The Kung Fu Grip Behind My Green Trap Kit

Never Ever Ever Smoking Crack

Never Ever Ever Fucking Wack

I Eat The Fuckin' Pineapple Now & Laters

Listen To Me Now, Don't Listen To Me Later

Fuck It 'Cause I Know I Didn't Make It Fuckin' Rhyme For Real

But, Yo Technically I'm As Hard As Steel

Gonna Get It Together, Watch It, Gonna Get It Together Ma Bell

I'm Like Ma Bell, I've Got The Ill Communications

2010PAD-93

3rd April 2010

and it's a long way down

it's a long way down

it's a long way down to the place

where we started from.

- Sarah McLachlan

I know I will probably take some crap for this, but I am jumping out of my skin at the prospect of Lillith Fair 2010. Every time something reminds me of the fact that it's back this summer, I get all hyper excited. I don't know what it is about that tour, but I just associate such amazing memories with those shows from when I was in college. I can't wait to go spend a day listening to amazing female artists again.

This picture has nothing to do with Lillith Fair. But the song quoted (part of this week's awesome new picks in Musically Challenged) will forever be burned into my brain in the form of the live performance of it that I saw Sarah do at the first Lillith Fair. Magical. That's a crowd sing-along. Good times.

Musically Challenged: Ice Cream - Sarah McLachlan

Selena Gomez

Alcatraz - Milano

16 Settembre 2013

ph © Mairo Cinquetti

© All rights reserved. Do not use my photos without my written permission. If you would like to buy or use this photo PLEASE message me or email me at mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com

What do you do after striking gold with your first solo album, wrapping your third season starring in a hit series and earning raves for your movie debut? If you're Selena Gomez, you dance. At least, you get the world on its feet with "A Year Without Rain." A follow-up to "Kiss & Tell," Selena’s gold-certified Hollywood Records debut CD, "A Year Without Rain" shows Selena and her band, The Scene, in a whole new light, this one pulsating, multicolored and ready for the mirrored ball.

"I really wanted something that felt good to perform, but had a techno/dance vibe," Selena says. "I wanted something that had meaning and melody, and more empowering lyrics." That’s exactly what she delivers in "A Year Without Rain." Working with top producer/songwriters like Tim James & Antonina Armato, Kevin Rudolf, Toby Gad and Jonas Jeberg, Selena kept to a more quickened tempo, exploring themes of love, freedom and the joy of living for the moment.

Selena credits the album’s neo-techno leanings to her 2010 platinum-certified single, ‘Naturally," which pointed the way for her. That track "really helped me figure out where I want to be," she says. "There’s a feeling when I perform that song that I love, so when I was going back in the studio, I had a better understanding of where I wanted to be musically."

She gets right to it with the opening track, "Round & Round," an upbeat synth-driven song about reaching the limits of indecision in love. The plaintive "A Year Without Rain" may be more subdued, but its beauty impressed Selena enough to make it the title track. "When I got the song, I went through the roof," she recalls. "Everybody has that one person they can’t live without. It was exactly what I wanted to say." That goes double for the Spanish version of the song, Selena’s first recording in that language.

Having turned 18 this year, Selena has matured since making her professional debut at age 7, but girls still wanna have fun, which is what songs like "Spotlight" "Off the Chain" and "Summer’s Not Hot" are all about. "Rock God" features none other than Katy Perry on backing vocals, while "Intuition" boasts a duet between Selena and rapper Eric Bellinger in a tricked-out double-time salute to a positive attitude.

Selena slows things down on "Ghost of You," a ravishing ballad about a breakup so rough, no amount of "living crazy loud" can crush the memory. "It’s very beautiful, very raw," Selena says of the song. "Shelly Peiken co-wrote it. She knows me, knows about everything I go through, and knows how to express it in a beautiful way."

On the flip side, Selena comes back strong with "Sick of You," a Matt Squire-written and produced track about losing a loser ("You know fairy tales don’t come true/ Not when it comes to you"). The album ends with "Live Like There’s No Tomorrow," an epic power ballad expressing the creed by which Selena has built her life and career.

A Dallas native, Selena Gomez started acting at age seven when she landed a role in the popular television series "Barney & Friends," on which was a regular for two seasons. She landed her first film role in the 2003 sci-fi action adventure film "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over." She made her mark as an actress playing girl wizard Alex Russo in the hit Disney Channel series "Wizards of Waverly Place," which premiered in 2007 and has now completed three seasons. Selena and her cast mates won a 2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Program.

Selena then made an indelible impression with her starring role in 2010 comedy "Ramona and Beezus." Says Selena, "I wanted something completely different from my show. All these incredible actors, being able to learn from them and get my feet wet in the film world. It was the perfect way to get into it." Next up, a starring role in "Monte Carlo," in which she plays a teen on vacation in the romantic European principality. And of course, Selena is gearing up for the fourth season of "Wizards of Waverly Place."

Selena has branched out into fashion with the premiere of her new clothing line, Dream Out Loud, sold exclusively at K-Mart. But her instinct for charity remains strong. She is a proud UNICEF ambassador, and will appear for a third year at UNICEF's Trick or Treat bash, this time to kick off UNICEF's 60th anniversary. And with the new album comes a new tour with her band.

Having her own band has been a comfort for Selena as she hits the road with "A Year Without Rain." Scene members; Ethan Roberts (Guitar), Joey Clement (Bass), Greg Garman (Drums) and Dane Forrest (Keyboard) back her on tour and help shape her emerging sound. "On my TV show we have an ensemble cast that’s like a family," she says. "If anyone’s missing, you feel it. I wanted that family feel in my music, and we definitely have that with the Scene."

That family feeling had grown to include fans around the world, each of them all in when it comes to following Selena Gomez on her amazing artistic journey. Where’s she headed? She’ll let you know when she gets there. "I’m still figuring out who I am," she says. "I love expressing that through music, and through film. I feel at this moment in my life I couldn’t be happier."

The txalaparta is a unique music ensemble of stones, woods and pipes and two players who beat out a rhythm that is musically a tour de force of co ordination.

It is an old form of music much in vogue in the Basque region of Spain but has suffered terminal neglect and as a result not much of it is known to the people. The genre of music originated as a mode of communication in the hilly regions of the Basque foothills from one village to another to announce funerals, making of cider etc etc.

There has been a steady resurgence of the music form over the last 15-20 years.

Maika and Sara Gomez are twin sisters from the Basque region who are one of the leading proponents of the txalaparta. They go by the name of "Ttukunak".

They make a fine sight while they play the exotic music and the sound of course to use the cliched term is -"awesome"

You can see a slideshow of photographs on the band's website ttukunak.ning.com/

You can hear some samples of the music here

You can hear some samples of the music here

For more on jazz and upcoming events while in Goa, you must visit www.heritagejazz.com the brain child of Armando Gonsalves.

For more on txalaparta

_DSC5439 copy blue down tfm

This is a song from the Musically Challenged group this week. It's the first and the only song that I listened to so far this week. It truly spoke to me. The ocean always calms me and gives me a sense of peace...it's where I belong and it's where I long to be. The song reminds me of the slow, back and forth, of the ocean when diving. It's a gorgeous and peaceful song.

This month is a tough one for me. 12 years ago, last week was the last time I saw my mother. I told her that if she didn't stop smoking she was going to die. 3 weeks later she passed from a massive heart attack. The anticipation of this anniversary gives me major anxiety. We had such a complicated relationship and I experience so many feelings of guilt over my negative thoughts about her.

Then there is the fact that she died the day before my birthday. Every year I think about how to let go of the grief and celebrate my birthday. Usually this anticipation of a horrible day is far worse than the anniversary day itself. But my birthday, well, to be blunt, sucks every year. I've been trying to figure out how to separate the days. If anyone has any suggestions, I am very open to them.

I'm trying to make plans for my Bday. I've been thinking about having a Birthday BBQ and I've been thinking about organizing it around a good, old fashioned game of kick ball. Something so kids and parents could play and have fun together.

Under the Waves

By Maria Mena

I walk barefoot where the water drowns the sand...

With you no longer here to hold my hand,

I let go,

I let go.

The ocean makes my swollen heart feel small.

With the sounds it makes, you won't hear it if I call..

I let go,

I let go.

There's a breeze in the air,

There's a boat anchored out here,

There's a calm under the waves..

As I choose to sink.

Your skin protected me from sunbeams,

Your hands made sure I'd stay intact,

I let go,

I let go.

You were always there to walk me home,

With you not here, the streets I roam.

I let go,

I let go.

There's a breeze in the air,

There's a boat anchored out here,

There's a calm under the waves..

As I choose to sink.

With your voice in my head,

I could float here instead,

But there's a calm under the waves..

So I choose to sink.

I'm tired now, I'll see you when I wake up.

I've heard it's pretty where you are.

I let go,

I let go.

You know, I'm not sure if my engagement ring is magic or what, but ever since Andy slipped this baby on my finger, it's become increasingly difficult to get under my skin. It's like a stress defuser. And I needed one. I'm not saying my life is all roses and daffodils now. I'm just doing a better job of letting the small stuff roll right off my back. I wonder how long that will last.

Soccer tonight. I might have missed Monday's game, but with tonight and the tournament I'm playing in this weekend, I will probably wind up having played in five games this week. Hello exercise! Hopefully that'll keep my weightloss chugging along. Only eight-ish months until the wedding. Gotta go full steam ahead! :)

365 Days (self portraits): Day 338

52 Weeks of Feeling Fit: Week 9

Musically Challenged: Let it Be - Nick Cave

Musically dope, fire and smoke.

Day 8 - Travel to NOLA - February 2024

Founded in 1993, the Krewe of Orpheus takes its name from Zeus and Calliope?s musically inclined son. Founding members include musician/actor Harry Connick, Jr. and his father, Harry Connick, Sr., former New Orleans district attorney. With their first parade in 1994, the Krewe of 700 members established itself as a super Krewe. They were the first super Krewe to allow both male and female riders.

The krewe?s throws include a number of sought-after items, including light-up Orpheus medallion beads, three different types of doubloons - Captain's, Krewe, & Musical Legends, four-foot-long stuffed dragons, and their prized throw is a custom decorated tambourine.

Notable floats include the Dolly Trolley, the horse-drawn bus that was used in the opening of Hello Dolly with Barbra Streisand. There?s also the Smoking Mary, an eight-unit float that looks like a steam locomotive. And everyone loves the three-unit, 139-foot Orpheus Leviathan Float, the first Carnival float to use extensive fiber optic lighting.

Over the years, Orpheus monarchs have included Fats Domino, Quentin Tarantino, Sandra Bullock, Glenn Close, Whoopi Goldberg, Stevie Wonder, Laurence Fishburne, Forrest Whitaker, Brad Paisley, Anne Rice and Toby Keith.

Unlike many Carnival events which are members-only, visitors are allowed to buy tickets to the black-tie Orpheuscapade, a musical extravaganza after the parade in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Year founded: 1993

Membership: 1500 male and female riders

Number of floats: 38 floats (including tandems)Day 8

Various pics of the day eight in New Orleans.

Diverses photos prisent en Nouvel Orlean le jour huit.

I'm a little overdue in posting this one, but it's been a busy old pair of days. :)

We once again had a dinner at Bewdley on New Year's Eve, but I've elected not to draw from that for today's photo.

Having dropped Laura off at work for a clinic early, I stopped into Croxteth Park on the way home and did an hour's walking. As I'd passed through West Derby Village and back on the path towards the hall and farm, this lazy 'S' on the fence around one of the paddocks caught my eye.

It was a lovely crisp morning, and a nice way to round off the year. :)

Generally on the last photo of an annual set I do a teeny bit of a review, so I'll have a tiny round up of the year now.

I said at the start that I was going to try avoiding posting repetitive images across years: birthdays, Christmas, etc. In that, I'm not sure I completely succeeded, though I did have a go.

Although not one of my objectives, I think I managed to post less photos this year that I'd taken in work. I can't help but feel that's a fairly good thing, though of course my workplace did still yield the odd good shot.

I think I predicted that I wouldn't use my SLR as much in 2014, and that did come to pass, though perhaps not as I expected. A lovely new compact for 2014 yielded some very promising results, but I rather shot myself in the foot in April by investing in a smartphone which turned out to have an extremely capable camera.

I've taken far more of my 365 with a mobile phone than I would have expected too, and perhaps more than I'm comfortable with. There are two reasons of course: one is convenience, the other - and lesser one - is social media.

Taking the first one first. The sad truth is that when I'm out the house I've always got my phone with me. I don't always have my camera with me unless I'm wearing a coat which in Summer I don't. It doesn't just stop there though. The photo sits on the phone until it sniffs a wifi connection, at which point it automatically uploads it to the cloud from where I can then retrieve it and post it from my desktop without having to touch the phone again. It's lazy, yes, but it's streamlined. The same thing can be achieved to an extent using a wifi SD card, and maybe that's something I should explore further.

The second one is that this year I started using the dormant twitter account that I've had for a couple of years. That nature of twitter is that it is rooted in immediacy. You take a photo and upload it straight away, so it gets taken and uploaded on my phone. If it turns out to be a good and useful photo then it might well make it as photo of the day.

I need to stop being lazy though, as breaking out a nicer camera, like the compact or the SLR is often worth the trouble.

With three holidays this year in very quick succession I had a fantastic Summer, and that maybe came through in some of the photos from Finland, North Wales and Denmark.

Photographically, I didn't have a great airshow season. That said, even a ropey photo can record a special moment such as seeing two airborne Lancasters in formation at Southport.

I haven't really done an analysis of the stats, but one of my biggest hitters of the year, if not the biggest, was a fairly disposable shot of a high altitude A380 which must have been explored on a slow photo day.

2014 brought me that chance to meet some people that I'd never met before, such as baby Ethan, young Henry, our friend Jen and even Nik Kershaw!

Little kids are always a challenge but are usually good value, and Olivia was this year kind enough to illustrate for me hilariously why I tend to prefer candid shots to posed ones!

So, critiquing my own work, which is my favourite photo from 2014? Reviewing the set there's many magical moments, but not so many great photographs this year. Still, I think I can pick one out. If 'photography' means literally painting with light, then the light in this shot, of the simplest of subjects, was a gift. An anonymous rocking chair in a loft in Copenhagen is declared the winner. :)

It's been a pleasure carrying on taking a photo each day, and I'm certainly continuing into 2015. Early in January Keith noted that my titles were very musically themed. I continued right the way through the year with song titles, some of them becoming increasingly esoteric, and with a sigh of relief I can say that's one theme that I WON'T be carrying into 2015. :)

Thanks for sticking with me guys - see you on the other side. :)

via Instagram ift.tt/24PuhWj

Musically Inspired

SOOC (apart from square crop)

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl

With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there

She would merengue and do the cha-cha

And while she tried to be a star, Tony always tended bar

Across a crowded floor, they worked from 8 till 4

They were young and they had each other

Who could ask for more?

At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana (Copacabana)

The hottest spot north of Havana (here)

At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana

Music and passion were always the fashion

At the Copa....they fell in love

(Copa Copacabana)

His name was Rico, he wore a diamond

He was escorted to his chair, he saw Lola dancin' there

And when she finished, he called her over

But Rico went a bit too far, Tony sailed across the bar

And then the punches flew and chairs were smashed in two

There was blood and a single gun shot

But just who shot who?

At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana (Copacabana)

The hottest spot north of Havana (here)

At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana

Music and passion were always the fashion

At the Copa....she lost her love

Her name is Lola, she was a showgirl

But that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a show

Now it's a disco, but not for Lola

Still in the dress she used to wear, faded feathers in her hair

She sits there so refined, and drinks herself half-blind

She lost her youth and she lost her Tony

Now she's lost her mind!

At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana (Copacabana)

The hottest spot north of Havana (here)

At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana

Music and passion were always the fashion

At the Copa....don't fall in love

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3 months in, and I really struggled with this week. I knew I wanted to do something with feathers, thanks to the amazing Emily Christine and of course the marvellous Little Miss Kimmyshine's Musically Inspired group...it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do (will post some of the other outtakes) but I still like how it came out!

Explore #495 March 29th 2009 - Thank you :)

Musically Challenged

Queen - Show Must Go On

18" of Powder, gonna go play! Have a sweet day everyone :-)